Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Unfortunately my digital copy of this didn’t load as well as I had hoped with it not being kindle but this was such a l let book to feed my wanderlust and give me lots of ideas about where to go. The illustrations are beautiful too!

My copy only had illustrations no text. While I like the illustrations I would have enjoyed reading the book.

It is a little hard to review books like this. One prominent reason in my mind is that by highlighting lesser travelled locations aren't we in the danger of losing that place to the rising tide of travellers/visitors? Once I get past that thought and see each individual site mentioned here, I could move on to just enjoying them at the moment and not overthinking.

This is a collection of lesser-known gems of places, each with something unique to offer. Some of them are quite close to some other more well-known tourist 'traps'. I loved the gist of the stories that went with each description, it was surprisingly just the right amount. A little more than a snippet of knowledge but not too deep that it would be hard to talk about if you or someone else brought the topic up or even just remember the salient facts of. I only wish the pictures had been real ones. The artist did an excellent job, and although the paintings/drawings of the scenes are beautiful, I would have appreciated the content even more with actual pictures, preferably in high definition!

I have had friends (or at least one) who have made many adventures holidays and while I do not necessarily ever plan to emulate them (I like my basic creature comforts), I love hearing about it. This entire book felt like the author was narrating a story of her trip, and that felt nice. I recommend this to people who like general knowledge about locations, and I think it can spark many conversations about the histories of those places. 

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience

The illustrations are very beautiful and I enjoy the unique places chosen for this book. Overall it didn't intrigue me as much as I hoped.

A really interesting book filled with fascinating places of the world - several of which were already on my list of places that I want to visit ... Skara Brae in Scotland, The Black Forest of Germany and Mount Borradaile in Australia.  I have added a few more to my list .... Tyneham in England, Menlo Castle in Ireland and villa of Tiberius in Italy .... just to name a few.  I am generally more drawn to photography, but the illustrations in this book are fantastic.

Hidden Places is a fascinating compilation of secret locations, many of which, have been lost to time. Baxter leads us on adventure after adventure, across mountains, through jungles and even under oceans, all in the pursuit of sharing the history and magic of these special locations.

Hidden Places was amazing. The locations that Baxter shared were extremely interesting. There was a good selection of places that I had some prior knowledge of and places I had never heard of at all. Each of her write-ups was informative without becoming too much. Sometimes historical writing can drag on, especially when including numerous dates and facts, but she kept each location’s story short and sweet.

All of the locations were given a similar amount of story space and included several watercolor paintings depicting the location. The paintings were really pretty and made a great addition to the book, but I would have loved some pictures! While reading about some of the locations I actually googled them to try to find photos. It would have been amazing to have a watercolor and a photo included for each story!

I enjoy reading about history and would absolutely recommend Hidden Places for any others who also enjoy historical reading!

I could not open the download and there was no option to send it to my Kindle. So I was not able to read this.

The range of hidden places that is featured in this book is wide.  There are European spots in Great Britain, Scandinavia, France and more.  There are also destinations in African, Asia, Australia, Canada and the U.S.  Truly a world tour for armchair travelers.


In the introduction the author talks about what hidden means in the context of this book; her answer is wide ranging.  What I take from it is partly the amazing sense of discovery and opportunity for some insight that one can find in unexpected locales.


The text in this title is accompanied by lovely illustrations.  The paintings are appealing and definitely made me wish that I could visit some of these places.


The author writes evocatively as this example from her first hidden place shows:


Tyneham:


There are no parcels piled up in the post office these days; no jars of liquorice on the counter nor sounds of telegrams being relayed form the back room.  ..The terraced cottages once quaintly thatched, lie ruined and roofless...this solemn little village has lost its villagers.  Or rather, they've lost it.


Readers who continue on will learn why this is the case and how they can visit.


I found this unusual travel book to be intriguing.  I think that I will purchase a copy when it is published.


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an hoenst review.

Couldn't open the downloaded pdf and there is no send to Kindle option . So, there goes my review. I am so so sorry that I am unable to read this book but the blurb sounds interesting ..

Sarah Baxter's book, Hidden Places: An Inspired Traveler's Guide, is ideal for the armchair traveler. Baxter tells the stories behind 25 little-known destinations, some of which are sad, like the village which residents were forced to leave in World War II, nd some of which you'll want to visit. I was surprised to find that this copy, which I received as a Kindle download from Netgalley, in return for my honest opinion, was filled with illustrations rather than photos. I would have preferred the photos, for a truer sense of these places, although the artwork was engaging.

This is a quick read, at about 144 printed pages, and it's an engaging option for those who can only travel through their imagination.

What stories do you tell when you have finished traveling to a new place? Do you recite facts and figures of history? Do you tell stories about the food you will always remember? What about finding a surprise destination, that hidden place you unexpectedly happened upon?

Hidden Places by Sarah Baxter will help you unearth unique places around the world that are lesser-known by travelers, and a little better known by locals. It reads like a book of short stories, with gorgeous illustrations by Amy Grimes, each story and picture illuminating that hidden place.

I enjoyed reading the book but would have loved to have experienced it more. Travel often evokes so much emotion, and I would have liked less recitation of known fact, and more arcs of emotion and mystery tied into these incredible places. The illustrations were my favorite part. They are so beautiful! I would turn them into wall hangings if I could.

If you are looking for a quick escape into new, interesting places across the world, pick up this book. It would pair well with a cappuccino in a coffee shop on a cold, winter day because it will take you to new, wild and warm places.

Thank you to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group for a chance to read this complimentary advanced reader's copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Valleys long cut off from the outside world, villages hiding in their tiniest of niches, buildings of great import but disguising something and hiding it in plain sight – all are here, in this brief selection of poetical essays. I won't even begin with the debate over whether photos would have been better than the arty illustrations we get, partly because I came here for the writing and I wasn't really disappointed. Yes, it's a bit flowery as a guide book would normally go, but yes it does educate (I certainly didn't know all of these places, and have been to a grand total of none of them despite all my travels), and yes it does actually convince at times that the author has been there and is not using armchair research. So perhaps a little fancy schmancy at times, but generally a success. A slightly generous four stars.

* I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
After Reading "Spiritual Places" from the same author and illustrator duo I was delighted to see that this is coming out too.
Amy Grimes illustrations enchant me, especially the way that trees are drawn (and there's plenty of them in Hidden Places).
As in Spiritual Places, the chapters are short but insightful and wonderfully written, starting in Europe and making their way around the world.
Sarah Baxter has a talent in making us learn about and appreciate these places and fill us with wanderlust but also let us recognize their importance and why we maybe should not all treat these as the new exclusive cool holiday getaway. This was my biggest fear: Showing us those hidden gems as if they are the next good thing to exploit. Thankfully, the book treats these places with respect.
I am excited to learn what the next Inspired Traveller's Guide will have to offer!

I enjoyed many of the descriptions within this book, but was truthfully disappointed that there was no realistic photography so that I could feel like I was really visiting these wonderful places. The artwork just did not fill my desire to explore, or satisfy my need to see these hidden places that I am unable to see first hand. I believe this book would be greatly improved with true quality photography.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Quarto Publishing Group - White Lion Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a truly fascinating book. The author has collected a few gems of sites and places across the globe which could be classified as hidden treasures.
Some are literally only recently been discovered and not fully excavated; having been abandoned, nature has reclaimed her own. Others, has been deemed less important or too far off the tourist route to be visited by and known by large numbers of travellers.
I remember walking the Pennine Way; crowds would take over the hills for about 800 metres around a car park but thereafter no- one was seen and great sights were shared with sheep and few other human eyes. Too Withins (of Withering Heights association) too far from Haworth for the average walker to traipse. So it seems with some of these places collected for us by this travel author. A climb, or a two day trek making them too far off the beaten track to become Kodak photo opportunities.
The book is interesting but it has a limited value if it became a bucket list of places to visit. One it would seem to miss the point, secondly there is a deeper and meaningful message here.
Why we journey and explore. Why we venture for new horizons and fresh challenges. Further what travel is about. That is understanding a place, it’s people, culture and history.
This book provides illustrations and text to bring these hidden spots to the reader’s attention. The question isn’t to repeat the visits and get likes on Facebook surely but to be enthused to be a more informed tourist. To seek out the unusual rather than just ticking off places like collecting badges and got the tee-shirt holidaying.
His book makes the process of going to new places a more intense experience. Something to plan and research more and perhaps find your own hidden valleys, lost cities or abandoned settlements.

Appropriately Idiosyncratic, and Engaging

I'm a real sucker for books that offer lists and descriptions of neat places, all the moreso if the places are hard to reach, little known, off the usual path, and possibly imaginary. This book offers up a very satisfying buffet of just such destinations.

There are, as you might expect, some fairly predictable selections. Go to Choquequirao, not Machu Pichu. Experience Mayan architecture at El Mirador, not Tikal. Trek to Phnom Kulen, not Angkor. And the author seems especially keen on alpine villages that can only be reached on foot. But beyond that, there are some real gems. Few books of this sort will take you to Ethiopia or Zimbabwe. The Black Forest in Germany suddenly looks more interesting. Ever heard of Actun Tunichil Muknal, or the Turpan Oasis, or even Montsegur in France, or Kaisertal in Austria? You will here.

Twenty-five different sites are described. Each gets about three or four pages of text. Little emphasis is placed on how to get there; this book is not a litany of arduous journeys. The focus is on trying to capture the spirit, feel, and uniqueness of each place. In this, the quality of the writing and the author's ability to capture a bit of the sense of place is superior to that of many other similar books.

There are few diagrams, and no photos. Illustrations are plentiful, but they are mostly colorful, impressionistic/naif paintings that don't add much to the appeal or excitement of the subjects. That didn't bother me much, because this book is really more of a taster, with the internet available to answer your deeper questions about the places that really capture your imagination.

So, this was a nice armchair diversion and a pleasant, suggestive, dreamy sort of traveler read. A nice find.

(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

Ich liebe Bücher über vergessene Orte, verlassene Gebäude und überhaupt alles was einmal war und nicht mehr ist. In diesem Buch werden nun 25 dieser wunderbaren Stätten vorgestellt. Dörfer, Burgen, Täler, Ruinen... von allem ist etwas dabei und das ganze über die Welt verteilt. Ich würde beim lesen gerne alle diese Orte besuchen und mir selbst ansehen.

The premise of "Hidden Places" is pretty simple. The book is a collection of information on 25 different, supposedly "hidden" places across the globe. The definition of hidden seems to be a little loose in some of the examples though. If you're willing to forgive that, and the common use of starting sentences with capitalized conjunction words, then this book would make a lovely addition to a coffee table. Each local has only a couple of pages dedicated to it, which made it easy to read in bite-sized chunks (all I could handle due to the aforementioned grammar choices). Additionally, they are paired with interesting artwork to compliment the text.

All in all i could see many people enjoying this book. My expectations, however, were not met. It didn't feel at all like a "guide" and I couldn't get past the sentence structure. I did enjoy a few of the stories though and would have enjoyed delving a bit deeper into those given the lack of more practical information.

I really wanted to like this book and while I didn't hate it, I can't say that I liked it either.

I am rating this book high most especially because it gave me a handful of places that are now in my bucket list to visit. Especially the caves in Belize, a beautiful park in Canada, a canyon in Arizona, a town in Peru, and an incredible forest in Germany.

The first few stories here were depressing and not all that interesting to me. The author gives you the history of each location and how it got to stay hidden or how it was uncovered. Most of the places have devastating histories and I was getting sad just reading it. But then she started talking about the kind of places that I was hoping to find in a book like this. Wonders of the world that are still untouched and hard to get to but then once you get there, it's beautiful wilderness. Just reading about these places made me smile and yearn.

My biggest complaint about the book is the drawings. While they are okay and I usually love art, in this case, I found myself craving photos. I ended up looking up each of the places on the internet so I could see what they really looked like. Way more magical than the drawings. I wish the author would have chosen to couple the words with photos instead.

thank you to Quarto Publishing Group and netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.