A Letter to the Luminous Deep is not without its flaws, however, this book is charming as heck and I enjoyed the entire ride. The mystery aspect (though I did guess at what it was early on) was enough to keep me curious, but without a doubt the shining star of this novel are the relationships. Both the romance and friendships that bloomed throughout the correspondences were absolutely adorable. I did find that the voice of each letter sounded very much the same and had it not been for the salutations at the beginning of each letter, I probably would not have known who wrote what. And while I wish the voices were more distinct, it didn't detract from my overall enjoyment and I will more than gladly pick up the sequel!

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*review will be posted to Amazon and Barnes & Noble after publication

This book came to me at a time when I really needed it - something that is both cozy and grief-filled. A novel of manners and whimsy. I have a weakness for such duality, and I really enjoyed it in this book.

A Letter To The Luminous Deep follows the emotional journey of two characters who are corresponding with each other through letters in an attempt to explore their grief from the mysterious and sudden loss of their siblings. We, the readers, are voyeuristically reading their letters and following their developing friendship as well as reading their siblings’ letters and journal entries and following their developing romance.  Its an epistolary journey with dual timelines, light academia, and a touch of mysterious magic.

Some of my favorite parts of this book were the queer-normative society as well as the representation of OCD and mental health. Both were consistently present in the story and contributed to the progression of the plot.

But beware! This is just the first book in a series and it does end with some major loose threads. The ending left me with my mouth open in shock that there wasn't more resolution to the story.

Recommended for those who appreciate 18th century grammar (random noun capitalization for everyone!), the most loveable characters, and an unsolved mystery.

It's been a long time since I've read an epistolatory novel. It's a literary device that can work very well (see my all time favorite Dracula), or it can really bog a story down (see The Historian). Luckily A Letter to the Luminous Deep was an engaging, whimsical story that I didn't want to see end. Told between two different timeframes a year apart, we are introduced to two sets of separated siblings. From the very beginning I was intrigued by E. and Henerey's courtship through letter and then later their siblings developing a close friendship through letters piecing together the terrible events that ended in the disappearance of E. and Henerey.

Typically with a duel timeline POV story, there is one timeline that I never want to leave. With A Letter to the Luminous Deep, I loved both timelines. I loved the developing courtship between E. and Henerey and I loved the platonic friendship between Vyerin and Sophy. Having both Vyerin and Sophy in established queer marriages really set the tone that this was not going to be a romantic arc. The secondary characters really played off the main characters well and helped set the worldbuilding and the tone of the story.

The worldbuilding was a little thin in areas. The focus on the University like atmosphere in a deep abyss left some other aspects wanting. It was hard to get a sense of what type of world the characters inhabited. Was this a water world only or are there patches of true land? I did like the descriptions of the sea life, but there felt like there was some missy items. What do they do for food? How does plumbing work? They have phones and emails, but some of the basics seemed to be glossed over.

The plot took awhile to develop and it wasn't until the book was almost 3 quarters of the way through, that I felt we were heading somewhere. This is one book that I very much enjoyed the journey because the plot itself seemed to be an afterthought.

I thought the OCD rep in E.'s character was a sensitive portrayal. It's only fairly recently that I've understood exactly what OCD is and what it is not. Cathrall broke it down even further for me and I felt that E. really came alive in those moments. Her characterization was well rounded and I loved seeing her grow and come out of her shell.

Overall, A Letter to the Luminous Deep was a soothing book with lovely characters and was just overall a really wonderful reading experience.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit books for the arc for review purposes.

I really, really wanted to love this book. The synopsis was intriguing and the cover is gorgeous. However, I just could not get into it. Reading letters that went back and forth and jumped timelines was just not for me. I found the letters to be meandering - which adds understanding to the writer, but it made the plot drag.

If I had known that penpal romance meant the entirety of the book would be in letter format, I would not have requested the title. I think there will be people who absolutely love this format, and there will be others, like me, expecting letters to be a smaller part of the overall writing style. I would recommend adjusting your advertising to set that expectation to avoid disappointment from the audience.

I would prefer not to rate the book because I read less than half, and but it is a requirement for sending feedback.

Dearest reader,

I must confess cannot continue on this journey.

This book’s plot and/or purpose is entirely lost in a sea of prose. It’s told in the format of automated missives (I’m assuming this is meant to emulate telegrams) and letters exchanged. There are four main POVs. But I will say if you take away their names at the start of each recorded exchange, I would not be able to tell the difference.

Their voices are not distinct enough. And while I did enjoy Henerey and E’s budding relationship, they did not make up the bulk of this book's content. I found myself skimming so much just to get letters from them. I cared for no one else.

Perhaps something happens in the latter 30% that completely rescues the book. But frankly, I don’t have the patience to keep wading through this.

I saw some tout this as Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia meets the sea or something of like, but I disagree. Emily Wilde’s has a far less confusing structure and is but for one exception, told in a singular voice.

I’m generally a fast reader but this took me over a month of steady attempts to read and I couldn’t even finish it.

Do I think there are those out there who will love this? Yes, I can imagine it holding some charm for some people. I am not one of those people. Thus, I am not charmed.

May this book find its target audience.

I unfortunately DNFed this book at about 10% in. I had a hard time getting into it - I just don’t think the back and forth letter style of writing is for me, especially when each character sounds the same. I need action and dialogue, and this just felt too formal that it could not keep my attention. I may go back and give it another try eventually but for now it will regretfully be a DNF for me. The cover is stunning and I imagine it will be a hit among the readers who enjoy this writing style. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this eARC!

Thank you to Sylvie Cathrall, publishers, and Netgalley for giving me an ARC copy of A Letter to the Luminous Deep to read and review.
I found myself intrigued by Cathrall's new acadamia book. At first I found it hard to follow which characters were "speaking" and to whom they were speaking too, as the writer bounces around with communication primarily through letters. Eventually I found my own rythm and understood more clearly the character's individual voices.
I generally became more curious about all of characters and I enjoyed getting to know them as the characters became more aquainted with each other. I particularily like E and Henerey. I'm hoping to learn more about them and their relationship in the 2nd book! I found their budding romance endearing and unique!
As a fan of the Emily Wilde books written by Heather Fawcett, I found this new book to have a similar charm to it and enjoyed it just as much. Cathrall, like Fawcett has created a new and enticing world that I believe readers will be eager to explore. The ocean is vast and largely undiscovered. There could be many interesting creatures yet to be discovered. I really like the concepts of other worlds, portals, mysterious sea beings, and secret societies. Overall, A Letter to the Luminous Deep has some wonderful and intriguing ideas written by a new up and coming author. I'm looking forward to reading more from Sylvie Cathrall in the future.
If you are looking for a cozy read that has mystery, fantasy, and romance, A Letter to the Luminous Deep should be added to your TBR pile.

🦑Letter to the Luminous Deep🪸
3/5 Stars
Kindle
Release date: April 25th

So listen, this book easily checks the elements of things I love - an epistolary fantasy novel set in a world partial under the sea that includes romance and sea creatures ✔️ and while I did enjoy the novel it wasn’t quite the favorite I hoped for.

I will start with what I did love: first, the author does an exceptional job developing characters with only correspondence. This book is entirely written in letters between various characters. I loved the characters despite only knowing them through these letters. I also really enjoyed the relationship between Henry and E. Their relationship is so awkwardly beautiful and I love that the author showcased the anxieties that both characters had.

Where the book fell flat for me was in the pacing and plot. There is just so much back and forth between Henry and E’s siblings (after they both go missing), and while I loved seeing the characters develop through these letters, nothing happened to develop the plot at all. I just wanted more and kept waiting for it. I am very interested in reading the next installment of the series though as I intend the plot to pick up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the ARC!

Genre: epistolary fantasy/speculative fiction

The world is entirely covered in water, with some small Atolls. For centuries, humanity has floated and docked on the surface of the oceans, but more recently architects have figured out how to build submerged habitats, and scientists are able to take deep sea diving explorations. In 1003, Scholars Sophy Cidnorghe and Vyerin Clel take up correspondence in an attempt to uncover the story of the disappearances the prior year of Sophy’s sister E. and Vyerin’s brother Henerey. Through letters to one another and through letters between E. and Henerey and correspondence with other scholars, Sophy and Vyerin begin to piece together a mystery that is both a love story and a tragedy, and that points to something larger in their oceanic world.

An intriguing and clever epistolary novel. I appreciated the structure of the novel, because the worldbuilding is revealed slowly almost as if you are viewing the world the through a smudgy portal in an underwater vessel. That said, for the same reason it can feel frustrating, because it’s a very slow burn in nearly every aspect, and Cathrall is asking you to wait patiently for the answers to your questions. (She will answer some of your questions if you hold tight…but you may also have missed some details that she slides in very briefly!)

This is the sort of book that I think it’s important to prepare in advance for, especially if you are a mood reader. It took about 15% of the book for me to settle into the book and become familiar enough with the characters to know what’s going on. The entire book is written in letters and transcripts, but once you settle into the pacing and get used to the style it's quite well done with some amusing humor and moving characters. It’s also the first book of a series (unsure how many books) with a rather abrupt ending setting up a second book.

I loved getting to know the characters through these letters: I always find it more enlightening to see what one character has to say about another when writing it to a third party. Even with the epistolic nature, there is a compelling driving plot and good character growth for our primary correspondents Sophy and Vyerin and also our lost characters, E. and Henerey.

Shelved as DNF Rating 2 stars, but don't feel like this book was for me

Normally, I'm not one to stop reading a book and usually push through until the end hoping that something will happen that will pull me in. As someone that grew up falling in love with mermaids and magical discoveries, I thought I would love this book. Not to mention that the cover is absolutely STUNNING.

However, I did not know that this story would purely be an epistolary novel. If there are distinct differences that allow me to know who is writting the letter then sometimes I will be able to continue reading. But I found that I constantly had to flip back throughout the pages to remember which character was writing the letter I was reading. It felt like all the characters in the story were written in the same tone and it was hard to differentiate between them. If the story had a mixture of letters and story, I might have been able to continue on reading.

Unfortunately, I think that this book was just not for me.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this eARC and review it.

I loved everything about this book. The correspondent writing style was really enjoyable and I loved getting to know all our characters this way. The society living and researching in and around the oceans was so cool. As an oceanographer I loved stories involving the ocean, ocean exploration, and ocean critters and this was everything. I was genuinely mad and then excited that we have to wait for Book 2 for the journey to the other "realm"! Looking forward to Book 2, this was a home run.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. A letter to the luminous deep is my first Sylvie Cathrall book. I loved the idea of the book being correspondences between scholars with a side of light academia romance.

I do not DNF books often and I hated to DNF this book. I enjoyed reading the letters and keeping up the the timeline but nothing peaked my interest. I kept reading, hoping that I would become interested. A letter to the luminous deep is not for me but it be for you!

This beautiful light academia epistolary fantasy transported me to a world of mystery, love, and undersea exploration. I was hesitant about how the storytelling would progress and how much world building could happen through a story told in letters, but I was pleasantly surprised by how everything slowly fit together. Many puzzle pieces were uncovered through the various letters that slowly started to unveil the larger picture.

The story follows 4 notable characters: E and Henerey, who disappeared and whose letters are being uncovered, and Sophy and Vyerin, the first two’s siblings who are trying to discover what exactly happened to their siblings a year ago and find closure. E and Henerey’s budding romance was so heartwarming to witness, as well as their siblings reactions to seeing the brother or sister they knew blossoming into someone new.

The story did take awhile to fully hook me. While I was curious from the initial setup, it wasn’t until the 40% mark that I felt fully hooked. Therefore it took me longer than normal to finish. However, once I learned more about the characters and started piecing the story together I never wanted to put it down.

While the puzzle is starting to reveal its greater shape, there are still so many pieces left to uncover, and I cannot wait to see where book two goes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the Arc.

What a stunning debut omg

You tell me it’s a book written entirely in letter format? Immediately sold. And then you tell me the entire story is set in a fantasy underwater world? Double sold.

Henerey and E. are falling in love through their letters and then it jumps forward one year and you find out they disappeared and their siblings are going back through their letters trying to find out what happened to them and what led to their final days. It was a love story meets mystery and I loved it so much. The writing was so whimsical and magical and classic and I can’t WAIT for the second one! (Cause heads up… definitely ends on a cliffhanger)

If you love light-academia, slow-burn, and flowery prose, then look no further- this book is for you. I’m finding that epistolary books maybe just aren’t for me. I found myself having to re-read letters, or just generally bored and switching to another book. I think it’s mostly due to the “voice” of each of the characters being so similar. I think their individual letter-writing style was just too subtle and a lot of them blended into the next. It just didn’t grab me the way I hoped it would, though it was pleasant and the setting was delightful. 3 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

Letters to the Luminous Deep is a cozy mystery with fantastical elements. The author does a good job at showing the development of E. and Henerey’s relationship and romance. Everyone of their letters was a treat to read.
However, that said, having the siblings trying to solve the mystery together only through letters made the plot a little slow. If the siblings solving the mystery could have been a more active part of this story, I think that would have made the plot and mystery stronger. Though as it stands, it is still a good cozy book.

This is my all time favorite book this year! It was absolutely captivating and had me completely ensnared from page one. The way the story unfolds through each letter is truly mesmerizing and just had me wanting to read more and more to uncover every little detail. The characters all stole my heart and I’m not sure which were my favorite they were all so unique in their own way. And the way the romance just sneaks in there had my heart the whole time. I don’t like to give spoilers so all I will say is that I have not stopped thinking about the ending and seriously cannot wait for the next book. This book is perfection!

4.5, but I round up.

I absolutely adored the story and lore created in this book.

This is an epistolary novel (a story told through collected letters and documentation). The writing style is quite verbose, which took a while to get used to. This is especially true in the beginning, where the characters are very formal with one another in their letters (both E. and Hennery as well as Sophy and Vy). The world that they live in is very academic, and even when characters are not a "Scholar" (Vy and E. are not capital S "Scholars), there appears to be a great deal of formality when addressing one another. As the book continues and characters grow in their relationships, the prose changes to be more informal and, by the end of the book, even funny.

In the beginning, all characters are being highly formal in their letters to one another. In addition, there is a fair amount of world building and some needed understanding of recent events. This makes the first 40 pages... kinda a slog. In fact, had I not been a newer consumer of NetGalley (and therefore, someone who is trying hard to get my rating up!), I very well may have DNFed based on those pages. BUT, I am so glad that I didn't. The story is the real star of this book, with more and more plot unfolding. There came a point where I genuinely could not put it down and spent the afternoon in bed to find out what happens! Those first 40 pages were long forgotten by the end.

This book is the first in a series and so there are naturally many questions left unanswered by the end of the book. But it does end with a clear trajectory forward, and one I very much look forward to reading.

Unfortunately I DNF'd at 25%.

This was a really imaginative story with gorgeous descriptions of underwater living. I love epistolary romances, but I didn't expect the whole story to be written in a series of letters, which go back and forth in time. It took me out of the story when one letter ended and I needed to read who wrote the next letter, to whom and the date. I needed to do a lot of mental work to remember what was happening and what each of the characters already knew at certain points in time.

A Letter to the Luminous Deep is an enchanting tale of two unique individuals, and the relationships they made with those they love.

The story is told through a series of letters between E. Cidnosin, an agoraphobic young woman who lives in Deep House under the sea, and Henerey Clel, a Scholar of Classification at Boundless Campus. We learn early on that the pair struck up a correspondence and developed a relationship over time, only to disappear under mysterious and tragic circumstances. The siblings of E. and Henerey take up a correspondence, and through archival research into their letters and personal daybooks, they attempt to reconstruct the moments leading up to their disappearance and find that the pair had uncovered much more than they anticipated.

Overall, I enjoyed this story, though it did meander at times. The tale is told solely through correspondence in an epistolary novel, so we only see what the characters opt to share via letters. I really enjoyed how the story unfolded, especially the deepening relationship and admiration of E. and Henerey. The friendship between their siblings - Sophy and Vyerin - was also lovely to see how they worked through their own grief together, and also shared funny moments and anecdotes from their daily lives. I thought this was actually really nicely done - how grief is processed differently and how life still goes own around us. The book also touches on some mental health issues - E. is agoraphobic and has anxiety and OCD (though not named outright, these behaviors are alluded to multiple times) and she mentions seeing a Scholar of the Brain to work through some of this. Henerey too, mentions similar issues, like anxiety and introversion. The book is also wonderfully queer normative, with many characters described as queer/bi/pan. The ending leaves readers wanting more, and I hope this series will continue with a follow-up book.

My only issues with this book is that being told entirely in an epistolary style, between the past events and the present, was a little confusing at times, and felt a little slow in terms of pacing. The language was also overly formal in much of the correspondence, which was great at creating atmosphere, but also felt a bit overdone at times. But if you want a cozy fantasy that is very character driven, with an emphasis on developing relationships that is a bit whimsical and enchanting with a bit of romance and mystery, this is a great choice!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Orbit Books for this electronic advanced copy. All opinions are my own.