This book was absolutely enchanting. It swept me away to the underworld of the sea and the world building was superb. I was completely captivated by this story and I couldn't stop reading until the end.
I just reviewed A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall. #ALettertotheLuminousDeep #NetGalley
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A Letter to the Luminous Deep is about E. and Henerey Cel who are pen pals and suddenly vanished after a seaquake. Sophy, E's sister, and Vyerin, Henerey's brother, are trying to figure out what has happened to their siblings.

I thought I would enjoy this book because of the plot but I didn't. I was confused since the beginning and didn't know what was going on. I also didn't like the format of the book. The letters were a great idea but it was hard to get into. However, what I did like was the writing. It was poetic and beautifully written 👌🏻


Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review!

I liked this book- the epistolary format was a nice change of pace (though at times it did seem a little pedantic)... the mystery was exciting and the characters were well-developed. It was nice to read a story that felt fresh and unique.

This was such a sweet, beautiful, epistolary debut novel! It did take me a couple of chapters to get into the story, but once I did I was fully immersed. I truly can't wait for this to be released so I can get my own copy and for the sequel to come out!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and to Orbit for my digital ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and orbit for the arc! I really liked this! It takes a little learning curve, but eventually I fell into the familiarity of the diction, prose, and format. The story was very engaging, and the mystery itself was fascinating. I also loved and appreciate the OCD and anxiety rep; I feel seen. Of course, I’m already excited for the sequel, all though I do wish it didn’t end as abruptly as it did. It felt less open and ambiguous and more like a rough chop, which did leave me feeling a little unsatisfied. I also wish that there were more photographs and sketches. While this book generally showed more than told, if we saw more visual references to the epistolary descriptions I’d be inclined to give this book another half star (I want clearer visualizations in my mind when reading). I’d do the same if the ending was smoother and more satisfying. Overall, while I do have complaints, I did thoroughly enjoy the book, was engaged, and am anticipating the sequel.

A stunning discovery outside her underwater home prompts the reclusive E. to initiate correspondence with renowned scholar Henerey Clel. Their letters overflow with passion, initially for shared interests and inevitably for each other. Together, they unravel a mystery from the unknown depths, destined to transform the underwater world they both fear and love. Yet, a seaquake destroys E.'s home, leading to the mysterious disappearance of both E. and Henerey.

"A Letter to the Luminous Deep" is a beautifully crafted book that immediately captivates from the outset. It employs an engaging epistolary narrative, offering an immersive oceanic world rich in vivid descriptions. The plot unfolds with a significant mystery following the disappearance of reclusive E. and renowned scholar Henerey Clel. E's sister Sophy and Henerey's brother Vyerin take on the task of searching for answers through their own correspondence.

The letters exchanged between E. and Henerey transcend the page, evolving from correspondents to friends and finally to an intimate bond. This pen pal romance is eloquently written, with each character possessing a distinct voice that sweeps readers along.

Navigating between the letters of E. and Henerey and Sophy and Vyerin, "A Letter to the Luminous Deep" offers a beautiful backdrop, well-developed characters, and exquisite writing that keeps readers engaged from start to finish. Special thanks to Netgalley, Orbit Books, and author Sylvie Cathrall.

I am so so sad about this book. I really feel like it had the potential to be AMAZING but it just couldn’t get there. It did have the two things that are most important to me in fantasy: beautiful, lyrical writing, and atmospheric world building. The world and fantastical elements of this story are truly unique and some of the images the author portrayed through their prose were so lovely. However, the world building became convoluted and it became very difficult to follow what is going on. It also was excruciatingly slow. The combination of slow pacing/confusing plot and world building really brought this down for me.

ARC provided by NetGalley.

2.5/5 stars

You know, I was really excited about this one, hoping for a cozy fantasy mystery. In some ways it delivered, but this book just was not for me.

I found myself honestly just confused about what I was reading for the first half. I normally enjoy complex world building, but felt that this universe just wasn’t engaging or making a ton of sense. I actually think this book had a lot of potential, but the writing style is what ruined it for me, but that could totally be a personal preference.

Despite my lower review, the pros for this one are:

✓ A cozy mystery with a unique concept and world
✓ Inclusive character and mental health representation
✓ Sweet romance with letters

Overall, the writing style just was not for me, but I wouldn’t sway anyone from reading this because it truly is a unique story that I think some would love.

High-risk/ high-reward with this format. The letter-driven plot will not be for everyone, but it WAS for me.

This text had to be beautiful. It was.

It had to hold my attention for reasons beyond what I look for in other great fantasy reads. It did.

It counts on having readers who are willing to do some work. I hope it finds those readers – it has one in me.

I’m charmed; I’m haunted. The writing is exquisite—academic like its subject and committed to mental health representation. Self-deprecating and witty with a not-at-all-veiled critique of scholarly systems.

Readers, this is not a light read - in subject matter or in effort required. The format expects your full participation, and readers must seek out the stories here (there are many). That’s precisely why I loved it, but I imagine that’s also why others may not.

“A Letter to the Luminous Deep” makes archivists of its readers.

It is also incredibly quotable (note: I reviewed an uncorrected copy and can’t yet share quotes) but know that Cathrall’s writing is gorgeous and so utterly literary — and literary on every page—if you are a reader that notices such things. I can’t wait to post this review across my socials, but hope to find a final copy first so I can share direct quotes.

You might, at first, think this book is about the vastness of the ocean; I think it’s about the minutia of the mind.

This book is haunted by Emily Dickinson.

And I’ll be haunted by this book for a long while.

This was a charming, epistolary novel set in an underwater world. I loved the setting. It felt futuristic and historical at the same time. The setting seemed to be set in the future, but the correspondence felt historical in tone and phrasing.

The synopsis says that this book is about E. and Henerey as they write letters back and forth about a mysterious structure while falling for each other. I would say that this book is actually more focused on their siblings, Sophy and Vyerin. The two of them strike up a correspondence that leads to friendship after their siblings mysteriously disappear. We follow along with the two of them as they read E. and Henerey’s letters. We learn about the mystery behind their disappearance at the same time that Sophy and Vyerin are learning about it.

I would recommend this if you like cozy fantasy, epistolary format, mysteries, or character-driven novels. There is also a dash of romance.

DNF at 15%

I absolutely adore the concept of this book, and the idea is very whimsical! I want to also say that the author’s writing is so beautiful and poetic. Truthfully, the issue I had with this book was the pacing. I felt that we stayed in some letters far longer than we needed to, talking about things that didn’t move the plot along.

I tried really hard to read this one, but I just couldn’t do it. The beginning was difficult to follow due to the character names, and it felt like too much background was given in random spurts that it would throw everything off. Hard to follow. I was excited over the cover and synopsis, and am so sad that the story was not engaging…. At least for me.

4 Stars!

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

This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year! I must mention that this is an epistolary novel, so every chapter is either written in letters, studies, transcripts, or annotations of the characters.

In this story, we follow a series of letters written by Sophy and Vyerin. Two people who want to unravel the mystery of their missing siblings that are seemingly gone after a sea quake takes place - destroying what is known as “The Deep House.” E. (Sophy’s sister) and Henery (Vyerin’s brother) begin to write letters to one another to solve the mystery of a new discovery capturing E. 's attention outside of her under-water home. Slowly, they confide in one another regarding personal matters, and become quite close, eventually developing feelings for one another.

At first, I found this story a little difficult to understand. Once I made a “cheat sheet” of our characters, and how they relate to one another I found this quite enjoyable and easier to follow. The “underwater world” is so atmospheric and for me, a unique concept that captured my attention. I felt as if this was a cozy character driven story due to the vulnerability of our characters being open about their lives including their struggles with anxiety and OCD which is very relatable. Once I got into the 50% mark of the story I felt as if I was uncovering the mystery along with Sophy and Vyerin. The romance and passion within the letters between E. and Henery was so heartfelt and made me very giddy and happy.

As an example, here is a quote from Henery written to E.

“I feared that writing to you after the wonder of meeting you in person might feel somewhat diminished. Indeed, I find it frustrating to be faced with the empty page as my only audience - I much prefer your wry glances in response to my bumbling words.”

How sweet and pure <3

Can we take a moment to appreciate the beautiful cover art?

If you like long-er, atmospheric, cozy, character driven, mysteries I would recommend picking this one up. I will also now be eagerly waiting for the sequel!

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for the opportunity to read this title in exchange for an honest review.

If you enjoy epistolary storytelling, character-driven plots, mystery, and fantasy/magical realism elements, then this book is for you. It took me a few chapters to really be immersed into this world because of the academic nature of the letters, but once that happened, I had a hard time putting my Kindle down. I thoroughly enjoyed the back-and-forth between the characters and look forward to reading more from Sylvie Cathrall.

As always, I am so incredibly grateful to have received this arc thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books.
2.5/5 stars
I had to try so hard to finish this book. It is not long by any means but I just found I had to force myself to read it. The style of letters back and forth between characters just didn’t keep me interested. And I am 100% aware that it is my personal preference.

I actually found the friendship between Sophy and Vyerin way more interesting and endearing than the blossoming love between E. and Henerey. I found Henereys letters and journal entries to be very cute, but I just didn’t find myself caring about the relationship between the two. I found myself only actually interested in the plot for the last few chapters because of this.

The writing was beautiful, and the storyline had an interesting concept.
Would I read the next book? Probably.
Overall, it was just ok in my opinion.

gorgeously beautiful scientific romcom underwater! beautiful setting and I personally loved the use of academic writing. thanks for the arc!

The imagery in this story is absolutely breathtaking. There are four main characters, and we learn about them through letters written back and forth. It does get a tad confusing to keep the timelines and characters straight, but this is both beautiful and whimsical.

This is not a fast read, and it won’t be for everyone. I can see it getting mixed reviews. However, if you like magical realism and epistolary storytelling, this will be right up your alley. It also has wonderful, kindhearted representations of what it’s like to live with anxiety and OCD, which I always appreciate!

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for an eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Look for this in April!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

I was really looking forward to this book. I was immediately drawn to the cover and the synopsis sounded right up my alley. However, the writing style just wasn’t for me. I found it really hard to understand the story as there was very little world building or background information. I found it very hard to connect to the characters and due to this ended up not finishing this book at 25%.

While I understand the intent, this book was done an injustice by comparing it to Emily Wildes. At 50%, I found myself deciding not to finish this book. I was expecting a whimsical, magical underwater fantasy presented through academic letters. Instead, this is a character-driven slow-burn romance with a slightly science fiction setting. I likely would not have chosen the book if that had been the description.

This book is about two main characters, E., who lives in an underwater house, and Henerey, an academic researcher. At the beginning of the book, we find out something happened, and they have died. To cope with grief, E.'s sister Sophy begins to exchange letters with Henereys' brother Vyerin, and the whole story of Henery and E. slowly reveals itself.

Even knowing that the book was in epistolary format, I was excited to start it. Because the plot is entirely revealed through letters from one character to another, the quality of those letters is essential, and this is where the book fell short. The overly verbose academic writing, nonlinear timeline, and lack of defined world-building or prologue make this incredibly hard to follow.

I wish the book had begun with a summary of the world or even a map, as it would have made the early chapters more meaningful. As it was, by the time I finally began to feel I had a grasp on the world, I was already nearly halfway through the book. I still hadn't identified the main plot and was exhausted with the long-winded characters. Ultimately, the lack of upfront world-building coupled with the slow pacing and extremely dense writing style prevented me from becoming invested in the characters or the plot.

I think this book has an audience, but I would not recommend it to fans of Emily Wildes. I recommend it to fans of character-driven plots who are okay with slow pacing and don't need extensive world-building to enjoy a book. This book would be better read one chapter at a time over an extended period, it's not something to read straight through.

This is such a unique and whimsical story, it’s very much what I was hoping it would be and I really loved reading it. The letter format of storytelling was so fun and adds so much personality to the book as a whole. I did feel like there was no distinct character voice between letters, everyone was writing in the same overly formal and super sincere all the time (!!!) voice, so it would have been nice to see more broad personalities telling the story. That being said, the one voice they all had was a very fun voice, so I’m not too mad about it.

It does take a fairly long time for the actual plot to kick in, I mean damn two people are missing and it took 20% of the book to even dig into that, and that was just too long to not have it affect my enjoyment. I was dying to know how E and Henerey disappeared, and spending so long navigating a complex fantasy world - that’s not remotely easy to follow because of the narrative style - instead of jumping into the story didn’t grab me the way I wanted.

Overall I really enjoyed this story. the author has crafted a unique world that reads like a blend of sci fi and fantasy, there’s so much heart and love put into the diverse cast of characters, and the mystery kept me curious and engaged the whole time. I’ll definitely be checking out the sequel because I simply MUST know how this ends!