This was such a magical and explorative read! I didn't know much going in, but the title and cover got my attention. Beautifully written character driven Science fiction, all written in letters/correspondence. the book is split into 2 timelines. Opens with "E" very shy and introverted yet curious women who sees a mysterious object outside her window. She reached out to Henry a scholar and they share a series of letters becoming penpals; sharing their mutual interests and eventually falling in love. We learn about this magical fantasy water world and how humans fell from the sky (legend has it) and the unique ways they have evolved underwater. The second part of the book is also in written letters between Sophy and Vyerin who are siblings of "E" and Henry. They try to connect the written halves of correspondence they each hold from their siblings to try and find what happened to them. It's a very slow but creative story line as you read through the later half you start to piece together the clues. Very interesting read, a very good read!


Thank You Netgalley, for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the eARC!

ALttLD was touted as Emily Wilde underwater and while I can understand the comparison there are some killer differences. The tones/voices of each character is exactly the same for all 4, and the sheer amount of parentheses and long winded sentences is too much. I got about halfway through before finally giving in and DNFing.

This one isn't for me but the actual story is decent. The execution not so much.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book. This review is given freely.

I was drawn in by the lyrical writing style of this book. There is something personal and intimate in reading a story that consists solely of letters written between the characters. The hope and wonder that the characters experience shines through every word. I cannot wait to get my hands on the second in the series.

This book was so sweet and fun to read. The epistolary format was difficult to get into at first- but I really liked the format and found the love story that much sweeter when being told through someone else's perspective. A love story always feels sweeter when it is being told from the outside.

I would like to thank the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for the ARC of this book. I read an advanced copy of this book, so the final edition of the book might be slightly different. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.

I think this was one of those books that I read at the perfect moment. I’ve also just always been a big fan of books told in unique ways, like the letters used to tell the story here, and of books that unravel (almost painfully) slowly. These features, when combined with the wonderful atmosphere of the book, created something truly special.

However, my favorite part of the book ended up being just the characters themselves. There was something so true about every single character, and I loved how much we got to see of them, even if we only met them through their letters. E. and Henerey are perfect examples of the light academia genre, and I loved seeing characters that enjoyed learning just for the sake of exploration and learning more about the world around them. I also loved the relationship between Sophy and Vyerin that develops after their siblings disappear, and how we get to see this trust and friendship build up between them over time to something that exists beyond just the connection of their siblings.

While I can understand this book being too slow for many, especially because this first book doesn’t reveal much to us yet, I honestly really enjoyed its slow pace and how much space it gave for the characters and world to build up. I still can’t wait for the sequel, and I hope to find some answers to the mysteries at the core of this book soon!

DNF @ 10%

I didn't realize "letter" meant it was written with like actual letters and this book was baffling instead of delightful and I don't have the patience for it right now. And I have to leave a review and star rating because otherwise netgalley will ding me for not doing so. Gorgeous cover, though.

Sadly I could not get into this story. It might have been the aspect of it being told solely through letters. I have never read a book like this before and I was interested to try it out.

This is a very unique take on storytelling. The author used letters, journals, excerpts, etc. to tell her fantasy debut story. The drawback is that the characters sound indiscernible to me; I can't really tell them apart. I also like that this story is set underwater just like Fathomfolk. I am not really fan of how slow pace the story was, it feels like plot filler upon plot fillers and couldn't get straight to the point, which something I would've preferred to read.

A Letter to the Luminous Deep is the first book in a wonderfully engaging romantasy by Sylvie Cathrall. Released 23rd April 2024 by Hachette on their Orbit imprint, it's 400 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.

This is an epistolary fantasy romance, told entirely throughout by letters and "email (equivalent)" telegram/messages between the chief characters. There's a strong theme of academic exploration and research which becomes more personal and romantic between the daughter of a famously academic family (though she's a shut in), and a well renowned professor and researcher. Emily and Henerey disappear in a catastrophic event and it's left to their siblings to piece together what happened by sharing the letters, sketches, and other extant materials left to them by E and Henerey.

The story arc is set to be told in a duology, with the second volume due out in 2nd quarter 2025 from the same publisher. It should probably be said that although this volume is very well written, with often moving prose and descriptions, it does end on an absolute cliffhanger. There's precious little denouement or resolution to be found.

Due to the nature of epistolary storytelling, it's slow to develop, and formal through the first third of E's and Henerey's correspondence. It's not derivative, but fans of Heather Fawcett (Emily Wilde series), and Marie Brennan (Natural History of Dragons) will be right at home.

Four stars. Well written and developed; a treat for academic fantasy fans.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I enjoyed this book! I thought the timelines worked really well and my attention was held the whole time, even though I was a little skeptical going into it based on the format/writing style. It was like slowly putting a puzzle together through time and different perspectives and I enjoyed the slowness of the story while putting it together more than I thought I would.

I throughly enjoyed listening to the audiobook of this epistolary novel. While an entire story through letters, journal entries, news articles, and even a medical record or two could be jarring, I found it fun and creative. The audiobook also likely helped with this because there were four different voice actors who were able to add inflection that may not have been as easy to discern if I were purely reading from the page.

This book is also a strong example of light academia. Most of the characters are highly-educated, trained professors and their writing matches this. As a trained biologist, I was favorable to the more academic standard of writing, but I doubt everyone would find this writing style and array of characters as engaging as I found them. The written text could be interpreted as the self absorption of characters, but I praise the audiobook (again) because I was able to get to engage better with the characters better.

For fans of Divine Rivals and Emily Wilde, this is a whimsical epistolary story about love of all kinds - romantic, familial, and between friends - taking place in a vibrant underwater setting. This is an excellent audiobook with a full cast. I am looking forward to the sequel.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for an advanced reader copy.

A Letter to the Luminous Deep blends mystery and a light academic romance between two scholars as their correspondence uncovers a secret long buried about their world. Like dense fronds of seaweed unfurling, Sylvie Cathrall untangles a beautiful epistolary academic romance between shy but inquisitive "E" and esteemed scholar Henerey Clel who find a connection deeper than the boundless depths in which they reside. Split between their initial correspondence and the two siblings left behind to unravel the mystery through the letters they penned, A Letter to the Luminous Deep instills a quest for the truth, while providing insight into both the past and the present. Including discussions around mental health, academia, and scientific exploration, this magical underwater adventure leaves plenty to keep you wanting more and never wanting it to end.

My attempts to read this have been cursed or something. Got approved, sudden death in the family. Struggled my way through like two chapters and put it aside until the grief was less raw, eventually putting a hold on Libby for the audiobook. Hold came through...a sudden, tragic death in the family.

So I'm sure this story is lovely, but I am never, ever going to pick it up again.

This was such an enchanting read! I really enjoyed the romance and also enjoyed the way that this book emotionally impacted me. It was definitely one that I couldn’t stop thinking about long after I finished it.

I loved the letters and the world building was so
Magical. Overall, I enjoyed this one very much!

DNF pretty early on. I could not get past the writing style of this book. It made it so hard to read because it was so convoluted. I had to reread pages multiple times to get minimal understanding of what happened. I have tried multiple times to pick this book up, but each time I feel a greater sense of dread because of the writing style. I was also generally confused and had a hard time following what was happening, likely because of the writing style. I also had difficulty distinguishing between the different characters because they are written so similar, which furthered the confusion. After 3 attempts at picking this one up, I finally gave up and DNF'ed.

This was such an unexpected delight. The beginning is a little slow and requires some patience, but as the story unfolded I found myself drawn into this unique water-based world. I enjoyed the epistolary format, although at times I was a bit confused by the different POVs (there are four) and had to double-check so I knew who was “writing”. The story is compelling and I was so intrigued by the mysteries presented, but the ending has quite the cliffhanger. I am VERY happy to see there’s a sequel planned!

Thanks to Orbit and NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

I DNF'ed at 10% of the way through. Usually my rule is 20% before DNF'ing but I knew very quickly that this writing style was NOT going to work for me. It comes across as rather...pretentious, which doesn't help.

The time jumping, the odd framing of the letters, clunky yet painfully slow world-building doesn't help....

I loved both books featured in the blurb "A Marvellous Light" and "Emily Wilde's Encylopaedia of Faeries" so I was very excited to read this. I enjoyed the epistolary aspect, just as I enjoyed the letters in Divine Rivals. My only qualm about it is that it ended with too many loose ends for me-- I still had so many questions. But then, perhaps that's what the author really had in mind, and I consider it a mental practice to accept the uncertainties. All in all, an enjoyable read!

I was drawn to this book by the beautiful cover. I even bought a special edition copy through Fairyloot as I fell in love with it at first sight. I went in with high expectations and I was not disappointed.

I should have known from the title that this story would be portrayed in letters. I really enjoyed that and it kinda reminded me of one of my favorite series I read as a child, except those were historical fiction and this is fantasy mixed with a bit of academia, mystery, and a bit of romance. The writing is beautiful and adds to the story.

I am very excited to see where this series goes.