Whimsical and utterly charming. However I struggled to connect with the writing of the story and characters. The characters all sounded the same and therefore I struggled to stay invested.May work for others but wasn't working for me.

Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for providing me with the eArc.

A Letter to The Luminous Deep is a story told by a series of letters and entries as Sophy and Vyerin piece together the events that took place before the disappearance of their siblings.

I truly enjoyed the unique world Sylvie has crafted of a world made up in its almost entirety of the seas. However, I’m left with numerous questions as I couldn’t understand what the world retained after the Dive (I won’t go into it too much to avoid spoilers) and what had to be adapted. Like for instance, paper. It’s known that paper comes from tree. But this world is entirely water with one land mass named as an island so it can’t possibly produce enough paper to supply everyone. Yet paper seems to have a steady supply as no one treat it as a precious commodity. So does paper for this world come from trees or from another plant? This is one of many questions I’m left with after finishing the story.

The mystery that slowly unravels over the series of letters is fascinating, and I thoroughly enjoy the budding romance between E. and Henerey.

However, a story told solely through letters and such have limitations. Unfortunately, Sylvie was unable to avoid these limitations. All the characters have the same voices. I can’t which character written the letter and had to reread multiple times to check. And moreover about world building, there’s a delicate line between world building and sounding natural in a letter. Sylvie wasn’t able to make it natural nor build well. It felt weird when the characters start describing what they’re wearing and when there’s a good place for a paragraph for world building, this chance wasn’t taken.

I do love the story and the beautiful world Sylvie crafted, but I think she needed more time to sit down and flesh out the characters so they feel their own person instead of them all sounding like the same person.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to listen to read this book in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.
Many will be enraptured by this book. The writing is beautiful and descriptive, reminding me of how letter writing has become a lot art. The author uses letters to convey a world where there is very little land, and every one lives on or below the sea- Jules Verne-esque . For me, the elaborate world building was the problem - there were too many descriptors for their clothes and academic pursuits, and general culture. In the letters, they also refer to conversations they had with other people- I couldn’t keep track of what was going on , who was who, and kept having to go back a few pages to figure it out. When I learned that this was going to be part of a series, I have decided not to invest any more time in it. I really wanted to love this book, but unfortunately, It was a DNF for me at 15%. A beautiful book but It’s just not my cup of tea .

Very unique epistolary novel. Unfortunately, the writing style is not my favorite. I was hoping for some dialogue between the letters. What I did like was the inclusion of diverse characters and the setting of the story. I just wish that we could get a bit more personality from each of the characters writing. It seemed like they all had the same exact scholarly and polite tone. Some of the letters seemed to be long winded and daunting. That being said, this might be the perfect book for people who enjoy academia “vibes” and prefer mystery that is slowly unraveled.

Thanks to Orbit Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

A Letter to The Luminous Deep is such a beautiful love story that is written through the exchanging of letters. The book is an epistolary novel where all the characters POV are told by exchanging letters. I seriously have never read a book like this before and I absolutely devoured it, and adored it.

I can’t believe I have to wait for the next book because when I read the last page, I audibly gasped and yelped “nooooo” and I had no idea what to do with myself for the rest of the day, and I’m still thinking about it. I’ve been thinking about it since I finished the story.

The way the author discusses mental health and struggles with anxiety is so relatable. I cannot believe that these characters are not real people because the way that they were written I felt that they are my close friends.

Give me a book with a water element and I will read it, anytime.

I would consider this book cozy fantasy, but the stakes are a little higher, but it still filled my heart with a lot of warmth.

I honestly have no idea what to do with myself now I think this might’ve put me in a slump because it was so good because what can compare with this book? I would like to ask the author Sylvie Cathrall what I’m supposed to do with myself now because you have taken my heart and shred it into pieces and I must read the next book as soon as possible!

Please read this! Pub date is April 23rd 2024

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit books for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I stopped reading at 10% after trying to get into this story a few times. This book just simply isn't for me. However, I'm sure this style is perfect for some. I wish I had enjoyed this book enough to continue reading!
3 stars because 1 star isn't fair :)

I was confused from the very first page and continued reading in the hopes that things would start making sense. They did not. At least, not fast enough to hold my attention any longer. ): I'm never one for giving up on books or DNF-ing, so this was a pretty disappointing decision to come to.

Thank you again!

Apologies to NetGalley and the publisher, but I just could not get into this book! The first few chapters are incredibly dense with information and I just did not find the writing style to be very approachable. I was very intrigued by the idea of a fantasy set underwater, but I couldn’t get this book to work for me as hard as I tried.

The oceanic world and the epistolary format differentiate this novel from many other SFF tales. Unfortunately the different letter-writers can hardly be differentiated from each other, which leaves the plot muddled.

I started reading this Arc, but I stopped. This is not a kind of format I will enjoy, a book only written in letters and notes is not a thing for me. And I am not going to leave a rating because to me it does not seem fair to rate a book that is not the kind of book for me.
I am adding a rating here because I have to just to den the feedback.

As much as I wanted to love it, I struggled to immerse myself in the Victorian Epistolary writing style. While I appreciate the craftsmanship and attention to detail in Cathrall's writing, I found myself longing for a more modern narrative style that resonated with me personally.

That being said, I recognize that fans of Victorian style writing and epistolary novels may find much to love in "A Letter to the Luminous Deep." The novel's authenticity and commitment to its chosen format are commendable, and those who appreciate the nuances of Victorian literature are likely to find joy in its pages.

Letters. They have essentially become nonexistent today because of technology but if you are old enough, you miss the excitement of getting them and reading them. Even better if you’re reading someone else’s exchange :). Thanking everyone for the opportunity I got to read this ARC. I cannot wait for book two. Following this relationship and epic sea adventure was thrilling. I am terrified of the deep and this book help me capture the beauty.

I’ll start off by saying that Fantasy is not my typical go-to genre, but, “A Letter to the Luminous Deep” has earned my first five star rating of the year.

While the beginning was a bit dense and arduous to get into, something told me I needed to stick with this book and I’m so glad that I did. Written in the form of a series of letters, field notes, and sketches, this story dives deep into a fantastical world where land is scarce, forcing the scholarly inhabitants to live within the vast oceans. The mystery surrounding E.’s and Henerey’s disappearance is as enthralling as their budding romance. Sophy and Vyerin’s fast friendship was also so enjoyable to read, and I loved how much character could be captured in everyone’s personalities with parenthetical add-ins and postscripts.

I won’t go into depth about the book as to not give away any major plot points, but I absolutely cannot wait for the second volume so I can see how this magical story concludes!

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the ARC!

📣 epistolary fantasy 🤩🤩🤩

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

📖 what was your last book?

Ahhhh I freaking swoon for epistolary books & A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall serves up sweet fantasy epistolary goodness.

The book opens with a correspondence between two unrelated people—Sophy & Vyerin—who are connected via tragedy. Their respective siblings E & Henerey disappeared together & now Sophy & Vyerin are reading the letters they left behind, piecing together E & Henerey’s relationship with increasing commitment as they realize there might be more to what happened than they suspected.

So this baby is joint epistolary: the correspondence between the surviving siblings *&* the letters between our disappeared leads E & Henerey, who had been falling in love via correspondence!

So it’s a love story with a mysterious ending—romance readers, don’t get too worried about how it all turns out! Although mysteries still abound in the closing pages, I have high hopes.

I love fantasy authors & what they do so much. This is a wonderful addition to the fantasy world & I’m so excited about this author’s talent. The various voices of the characters, the queer rep, the freaking OCD rep & mental health rep!! It’s so good & so powerful for someone like me & others too, I’m sure.

4.5 ⭐️. Out 04/23

Please see a trusted reviewer’s list of CWs.

[ID: the ebook rests on an aqua tray set on the snow.]

Thank you to Orbit, and NetGalley for an E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was everything it promised to be and more. It is EVERYTHING to me.

Perhaps it's because of the OCD and queer representation, but this book made me feel seen, and because of its charm and whimsy, it felt like a nice, long, warm hug.

This book is written in an epistolary format, which may take some getting used to at first. There are a lot of different letters to different characters from the past, and a conversation about these letters happening at the present as two characters try to figure out what happened and how everything is connected.

A comp title for this book is Emily Wilde - which is a good comp title, as there is an academic vibe to this book like Emily. However, as I read this book, I found myself thinking more and more of A Series of Unfortunate Events, with the technology, mysteries, secret societies and more.

The world is so rich and so interesting- I love the idea of humans living at the bottom of the ocean and exploring it more, driven by the passion to understand everything about their world. The mystery that unfolds is very intriguing, and kept me reading until the very last page!

I was utterly invested in this book the entire time I was reading it, and I am very eager for more!

Thank you to NetGalley and to Orbit for the ARC of A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvia Cathrall. This was such a warm and lovely book and then it ends on a cliffhanger! I wasn't emotionally prepared for that and now I must anxiously await the next book in the series.

I love both Emily Wilde and A House in the Cerulean Sea, and Cathrall's style and storytelling aligns well with both of them. Cathrall also took a very creative step in this book in that the whole thing is written in letters both recounting E and Clel's relationship and disappearance and in E's sister, Sophy, and Clel's brother, Vy trying to piece everything back together, I think this actually worked really well for a large portion of the book, but that was before I got to the cliffhanger! I think for the books to continue it will need a new narrative structure. Once I realized that there were parts of the final section I really wish had been outside the letter format but it didn't diminish the book in my eyes.

There was also a lot of creative worldbuilding here - the characters live in a world with one atoll and everyone else on structures on the ocean, or in. C, Sophy and their brother, Arvist's case, in the Deep House under the water At one time their civilization lived in the sky above the ocean, but it "dived" and now they all live on the sea in a few communities mostly made of scholars who act, live and speak in very stratified ways. I especially loved the commentary from Vincenebras.

The story was built out from Sophy's experience in a deep trench exploration and from Arvist utilizing the sculpture in the garden for his own artistic endeavors alongside E's relationship - the way everything comes together feels very natural.

I really enjoyed this - at times there are some lulls as the story grows, which I think makes more sense when I realize this isn't a fully contained story, which makes me feel like there needs to be significantly more action in the sequel.

Wow, this was such a captivating book. I was hooked from the first page and I knew I would love it. Every letter sucked me in more and I was completely immersed in the world. The mystery aspect of this book was also written wonderfully and I absolutely adored how they communicated in just letters. I loved how not all the information was revealed at once and it took almost the entire book for the puzzle to click into place. You can tell each character’s personality just from their writing or others writing about them. Everything was super detailed and it was honestly just such an interesting book. Beware, there is a cliffhanger at the end. I need the second book now!! I am so happy and thankful that I got to read this amazing advanced copy!

This book gives little mermaid but make it fantasy. I do wish there was more going on in this world, at multiple times it's very slow and the characters are not that unique to make me attached.

I feel so lucky to have received an ARC of this book from NetGalley, this book completely blew me away!

While it did take a bit to get used to the unique narration (the story is told through letters exchanged by the different characters), once I settled into it, I actually found it to feel very intimate and like I got this very personal view of the characters. The story itself was whimsical, mysterious, romantic, and so much more! I loved watching E. and Henerey’s personalities shine as their relationship blossomed, as well as the friendship between their siblings supporting each other in their mutual grief. The mystery was woven into the story so effortlessly and I was constantly found myself wanting to know what happens next!

I did not realize this is the first in a series, so the cliffhanger ending caught me a bit off guard, but in the best way! I absolutely cannot WAIT to read what happens next in this magical world.

A Letter to the Luminous Deep is a delightfully whimsical, epistolary, underwater journey of romance, friendship, and a mysterious disappearance. The story is quit captivating as you follow the correspondence between Sophy and Vyerin, two strangers connected by the mysterious disappearance of their siblings, the reclusive E. and socially-awkward Henerey respectively. I would have to say that the pacing is pretty slow for the first half of the book; since the story is told almost entirely through letters, the information can sometimes feel very info-dumpy or have an underlying sense of dragging. This is not aided by the EXTREMELY long chapters--some being over 30 minutes long for me as a generally average-paced reader. I really hope that future books in this series pick up the pace because in full honesty it made this a difficult book to pick up from time to time. Despite this, I still loved the journey the letters took me on, and found that as the story went on, I grew more accustomed to the format.

Oh my goodness, the relationship between E. and Henerey was absolutely precious! Both characters being quite shy and a bit socially inept was so charming to see, especially when they finally started opening up to each other more easily. I found Henerey quite comical, especially in his daybook entries. I found it hysterical when he finally relented and began directly to any future family or scholars who would read his writing (him acknowledging that they were definitely just waiting for gossip actually made me chuckle out loud!). E. was such an endearing character to watch grow from a girl who spent all her time alone in her thoughts, to someone who wants to learn and explore as well as discovering her new, budding love for her correspondent!

Very opposite to E. and Henerey are their siblings, Sophy and Vyerin. The relationship between these two was WONDERFUL--very rarely is there good representation of a healthy platonic relationship in books, and Cathrall definitely delivered on that regard! In my opinion, Sophy's letters were always my favorite way to learn about the setting of the story as it always felt organic as she was very successfully characterized as an adventurous and curious scholar. I found her and E.'s dichotomous relationship to be so sweet and lovely to read. Cathrall really captured the essence of a loving familial bond and it was a treat to read. In terms of Vyerin, I feel like he wasn't really as fleshed out as the other characters which was a shame considering how much I loved what little we got about him. He was super witty and dry, and I sincerely hope that his character gets expanded upon in the next book!

The story is calm and fanciful story that wonderfully shows the bonds between siblings, an adorable budding romance, and an intriguing and chaotic mystery. This book would be perfect for anybody looking for a relaxed and wholesome story interlaced with a wild mystery set in a beautifully described and captivating aquatic world! I look forward to seeing where this series goes!

This review will be posted on GoodReads 30 days before release!

FANS OF EMILY WILDE - DO not sleep on this dream of a book. I loved every single moment of the epistolary masterpiece. Its whimsical and magical and academic and just a love poem to nature. The world building is amazing. the characters are warm and genuine and the entire book is simply unputdownable.