A Letter to the Luminous Deep presents itself with a heartwarming concept of characters communicating through letters in a world that is all or mostly underwater. The idea of academic explorations and cozy letter writing sounds like so much fun, especially on the heels of a few other books that have come out lately regarding letters.

LLD does require a bit of patience due to the POV changes and the use of time jumps, which made following the story a tad challenging. While keeping track of who's writing to whom and when they're writing might demand some extra attention, so it’s not necessarily a simple read.

The story picks up pace and becomes more engaging in the last 50 pages. This was frustrating for me when I prefer a quicker dive into action and plot developments. However, if you're someone who enjoys the journey of getting to know a world and its characters through a more slowed and simple pace, you should love this book.

"A Letter to the Luminous Deep" might test your patience with its slow build and complex narrative structure, it's a book filled with imagination and the pleasure of discovery. It's not without its challenges, but for those of you who delight in the details and the gradual unfolding of a story, there's fun to be had in this aquatic adventure. That being said, I am really looking forward to the sequel.

Thank you to Orbit for the copy! My review will be posted on 3/27/24 on instagram - @amarvelingbrew

Unfortunately this story was not for me. In theory I thought the concept was really interesting as I love a good academia story, however the style of writing I could not get past. For me, having a story written entirely in a letter correspondence is very difficult to keep my attention. Though this style makes sense for this particular story - I want to have different voices for characters, and here I felt that it was all the same which made me feel disconnected from each characters. I appreciated the themes of love and loss but overall the stylistic choices complicated the reading experience for me and I didn't empathize with our main character Evelyn. I still would recommend this story as I felt it would be a good choice for someone who is looking for a whimsical, almost diary like journey of Evelyn's personal quest for growth.

What a weird little waterlogged world.

Do you like letters? If you don't, swim away to some other submerged text.

If you do, get on your bulkiest diving gear and prepare to endure the pressures of the deep.

Some readers will find themselves drowning in the academic prose of the novel and interesting wording. Me though? I swam like a fish through it at first. Though as I read on and on I found I needed to take breaks from this book as its style grows increasingly taxing on the mind.

It's a ton of scientific and overly formal jargon but if you can get through it there's a heartwarming story about connection and distance. The best kind of story to be told through letters.

The trickiest thing to nail with Epistolary writing in fiction is having distinct character voices. This gradually improves over the course of the text but initially it is a bit of a grind.

Modern readers are likely going to dislike the wordiness and use of diction far removed from that which we use today.

I can see this book and it's eventual sequal garnering a dedicated audience, just not a very large one.

Such a beautiful story told in an imaginative way. Gives the vibes of early game Subnautica. Even without traditional dialogue or scene descriptions, the story shone through in such a way that it sent me into a trance-like state while I read. I can hardly wait for the next book in the series. I want to see more of this strange, alien, world and the world beyond it. We got a glimpse in this book and I have to have more!

This was written with such an interesting flare. I tend to gravitate toward a specific style book and this was not it lol — in a good way! Told from an exchange of letters, you learn along with the characters letter by letter how the story progresses in its events. Anyone who enjoys mystery, a flare of suspense, and the romantic idea of pen pals will enjoy this

I unfortunately did not complete this book and stopped at about 14% of the way through despite attempting several times to continue reading. While this novel may appeal to fans of epistolary writing, it was difficult and mentally taxiing for me to follow. The world in which this was set initially seemed interesting to me, but as I was reading I found that a lot of attention to detail was given to describing creatures without much progression of the plot. Additionally, the characters that were thus far introduced did not have too much depth to them, though this may very well be because I did not read enough to allow for that.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an arc copy of this book! All thoughts are my own.

I can say I’ve never truly read something like this. It was fun and interesting. I will say it took me a bit to get into it because of the format. I didn’t know it was going to be a constant letter format and that’s on me. I do think it was a very unique way of tell a story though.

This book was also written in a very formal and intellectual way. So if you don’t like that writing style then I would say this isn’t the right book for you. All in all; I did enjoy this book and I’m glad I pre-ordered it.

3.5 rounded to 4.

A heartwarming and cozy underwater story told in letters. I've never read a novel told this way, and I'm not sure its totally for me, but the story was still very engaging and I fell in love with the characters.

While the concept of this book intrigued me, I ultimately found it challenging to fully embrace. The letters were difficult to discern, compounded by the unconventional names, which added to the struggle. Despite the beautiful prose, I found the writing somewhat dense for my taste. Nevertheless, I appreciated the portrayal of anxiety through E. and the unique underwater setting.

I held out hope for the story to grip me, as I'm drawn to narratives of this nature. However, upon reading, the romantic allure faded quickly. This book is likely to polarize readers, with some passionately disliking it, others abandoning it, and a few adoring it.

Do I detest this book? Not necessarily. Do I adore it? Perhaps? My feelings are genuinely mixed. There's a significant learning curve involved in deciphering the structure, prose, characters, and the myriad mysteries within. Additionally, the cliffhanger ending left me unsatisfied, lacking the closure that often accompanies intricate plots.

Yet, despite its flaws, I can't shake its hold on my thoughts. It's challenging to dismiss a book that continues to provoke contemplation and curiosity. I'm even considering picking up the sequel upon its release. Hence, I'm cautiously awarding it four stars, acknowledging that further reflection or the sequel's release might sway my rating either way.

The concept of this book was very unique. There are very few books that I have read that utilize communication between characters as the way to move the story along. The overall story was enjoyable and fun and I truly wanted to immerse myself in this world.
I did struggle a bit with the fact that the voices and writing style of the two main characters having the conversation were so similar that is was very easy to forget which one of them was actually speaking. This took away a bit of the world building because I would have to stop and go back to see which character had written the letter I was currently reading. I understand that part of the mystique of the book relied on not knowing what had created the world in which they were currently living, but this meant that it was sometimes difficult to fully let myself go in the story as I had a hard time grasping the environment and the structure of the society. Overall it was a unique and enjoyable book.

I received this book free from NetGalley. Thank you to the publisher and author.

This novel was my first dip into epistolary writing. With that being said, I feel that this may not be for me. I enjoyed the world, the descriptions, and the writing itself. However, the characters did not appeal to me. I didn’t feel any attachment by the end and I felt I was reading just to finish.

With that being said, I will rate this a 3 star because I don’t feel it’s appropriate it for me to give it less because I feel it was a me problem not so much a book problem. I think the right person would enjoy this book.

Overall rating: 4.25 stars. I found it cozy and heartwarming while also engaging (especially as we were nearing the end of the book; I had to find out what happened). I found the book humorous, light, relatively fast-paced, and fantastical, while also being based in (scholarly yet sometimes maudlin) letters between our various protagonists.

A few notes:
-needed an OCD/anxiety/depression trigger warning, but mostly for OCD I think though there are also obvious elements of other struggles with mental illness
-love the epistolary format—you kind of already know if the character is or is going to be okay which is great for my emotional wellbeing
-I was dying to know what E. is short for, but I didn't think I'd find out quite how I did.
-Sophy and Vyerin form such a lovely and endearing friendship
-I’ve seen several comparisons to Emily Wilde. The similarities lie in the scholarly aspect, the exuberance of the MMC offsetting the more stoic and straight-laced nature of the FMC (plus he 100% fell first), and the firsthand almost autobiographical accounts. But they’re more distant cousins than siblings. I would say there's a fair chance if you enjoyed Emily Wilde (or Divine Rivals, to my understanding), you'll enjoy this format, but I cannot make any promises about the content itself.
-I was always eager to get back to Henerey and E. but I also found Vyerin and Sophy’s correspondence to be heartwarming. And who could deny the draw of Sophy and Eliniea's love story.
-Echo some of my fellow reviewer’s thoughts that this could’ve been like 90% epistolary, 10% conventional prose to avoid some of the more contrived ways Sophy and Vyerin get insights into E. and Henerey’s budding relationship.
-Needed more world building. It seems like a rather fanciful world that deviates a lot from our own, so some straightforward (rather than context based) world building would’ve been helpful.
-The characters do have individual voices, but their writing styles are too similar, given that this is an epistolary format.

This epistolary novel about an underwater world had a unique and interesting premise. The writing was lovely, the world building was done well, and the characters were fleshed out nicely. However, the book itself was just a little too slow for me.

That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the book, but it took me a while to read, because the letters and missives were too detailed, and they would become a little tedious. It wasn’t until the last 25% of the book that things were being revealed that it grew very interesting and it was able to hold my interest until I finished reading it.

Because of the ending, I’m intrigued to see where the story goes, so I’m sure I’ll read book two. Not entirely sure how they could continue in the epistolary style, but you never know!

Thank you to the publisher, Orbit Books, and NetGalley for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to review and advanced copy of this book.

A Letter to the Luminous Deep is a pure epistolary novel, written exclusively in letters and other documents between the characters. The story takes place in an ocean based society, among two sets of siblings. Through the novel you will learn more about the world, the character's lives (past and present) and an underlying mystery.

I soft DNF'd the book at 28% due to the writing style. I enjoy epistolary or "academic minded" novels (think Divine Rivals, This is How You Lost the Time War or Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries), however this one is purely letters without any other narrative to move the story forward or provide additional perspective. The prose was drawn out and flowery and similar in style for all 4 of the character perspectives - so that the novel becomes all the same tone or cadence.

I typically enjoy character driven novels and I liked learning about the characters, the writing just made it difficult for me because it would take a lot of time to sift through the extraneous prose to get to the important details. I understand learning about the characters through the hesitant or self-conscious tone of their letters, but it was too much for me to continue with reading.

I was also invested in the underlying mystery but feel I do not have the time or patience to continue reading. Perhaps when I am more in the mood for a slower paced book I would pick it up again. Otherwise, I felt restless while reading and found myself skipping over the words to pull out the important details and move the story along.

I would recommend this book to those who enjoy slower paced, character driven novels in a unique water fantasy setting.

I can’t. I just can’t! The synopsis had me at go, but the execution lost me from the start. This book is entirely epistolary, which is fine in and of itself- but I was confused from the beginning and felt like I was grasping for threads to make sense of it. I tried several times to pick it up and push through to some sort of understanding, but I began to dread it and actively hate reading this book. I save one-star ratings for books that are poorly written- this is not that. The writing itself is quite eloquent and lovely, but I just can’t get into it. Perhaps this book, sadly, is just not for me. I wanted so much to enjoy this book, but I did not.

First i would like to thank the publisher and author for the arc of “letters to the luminous deep”

So ill start off by saying that i thought this book sounded so interesting when i first read the description, and it was kind of interesting but i found it a little hard to follow.
When i started it, i was just confused, I felt like i had no idea what was going on for the first little bit.
The way its written (the readers are reading letters that have been sent back and forth between different characters) wasn’t really my favourite.

Overall 3/5

Rating: Really Enjoyed It, 4 stars

A Letter to the Luminous Deep is an epistolary novel set in a world in which people live atop the seas, and one scholar actually built a home beneath the sea called Deep House. We follow the letters from two different timelines. Sophy and Vyerin begin an excavation of sorts of their siblings correspondence. E. and Henery began an unlikely penpal relationship when E. observed an odd sighting of the natural world outside her window in Deep House. E. and Henery disappeared a year prior when a sea quake destroyed Deep House. Now a year later Sophy and Vyerin are piecing through the letters their siblings sent to each other as well as other pieces of archival importance.

I thought that this story was super charming and beautiful. I enjoyed seeing E. and Henery's relationship develop over the course of their correspondence as well as Sophy and Vyerin's budding friendship. I was so intrigued right from the get-go and immersed in the storytelling style. It is a very slow moving story that I enjoyed taking the time to savor. There is a somewhat formal tone to the writing, but it is also atmospheric and beautiful. I thought that the world building was really well-done and felt very natural throughout the letters. I was fascinated by it - the underwater ridge expedition, the underwater garden outside Deep House, the factions of scholars that are making their way in such an inhospitable aquatic world.

E. is a character with OCD and severe anxiety, which makes socializing incredibly different. Henery similarly has some social anxiety, and their relationship that we get to bear witness to was really very charming. I also really appreciated the relationship between E. and Sophy.

The reason for a 4 star rather than a 5 star was that I found the middle dragged a bit. For a while I was really enjoying the slow building of this world and the relationships within it. However, by about halfway through, not much had progressed plot-wise and the meandering style was no longer quite so fun. The little pieces to the mystery we got were so few and fleeting, and then we moved onto another topic so quickly that my interest started to wane a bit. from 75% on though, it went by quickly. I am curious what the second novel would look like since we caught up to the present timeline and solved the mystery (although it only introduced a new one). I kind of feel like it would be better to tell the second story in terms of diary or journal entries, and the way that it is ultimately told may impact my opinion of it.

Overall, it was a lyrical and atmospheric novel that was beautiful and an enjoyable read. I look forward to reading the second installment in the duology.

A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall releases on April 23, 2024. Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit books for access to an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I want to start by saying that this book is really well written, it is just not for me.

I really enjoyed that it was an epistolary novel as well. The part that wasn't so much for me is the jargon which is included in the novel. It's my own fault really, I'm not much into sci-fi and this felt a little too much in that genre for me. The letters included a lot of phrases and names for things which I found a bit confusing.

Having said that, they make the letters feel more "real" and natural as the recipient WOULD know to what the writer was referring.

So, if you like books in this genre (it especially made me think of Jules Verne!), then, please, try this book out!

First, thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book, while it is appreciated, it does not impact the content of my review.

Okay. I believe that I have come to the realization that epistolary novels are not to my taste. I love the idea of these novels. I always think they sound lovely and romantic, but upon reading, I do not remain feeling that way.

That being said, I dnf’d this book. It is entirely made of correspondence between various characters, and I just could not get into it. Part of the issue I think is formatting. The transition between letters was not as clear as I wanted it to be. That is most likely largely because of this being digital, but I don’t know.

The other issue is the fact that you are thrown into the deep end. The entire novel being letters really makes the characters feel impersonal to me. I just couldn’t connect with anyone.

I genuinely believe this is a me problem. I can’t fault the book for my preferenece, so if you greatly enjoy epistolary novels, then I think this would work very well for you.

3/5 stars for the sake of neutrality

This book has an interesting concept, but I find it challenging to follow the content due to the current writing style. I love epistolary novels but I believe it would be helpful to provide some additional information or context outside of the letters, in this books case.