Letters From The Dead by Isabella Valeri, an 11 year-old unnamed girl from a multi millionaire Austrian family has lived a very isolated life on the estate of their Vienna castle. The only playmates she has are her brothers Augustine and bastion who soon after the book starts will be gone leaving her alone. despite the book being said in the 1980s, the house has no electricity no gas but does have running water they live the equivalent of an 18 or 19th century life due to a trauma her mom suffered as a girl. she has a great relationship with her grandfather who was an Austrian soldier during World War II but yet in the book they claim to have hidden those trying to hide from Hitler most of the book talks about her sneaking around and snooping on the grandfather and then the day comes where she is exiled after seeing a book she was curious about throughout her childhood and sent to New York, this is where the unnamed girl becomes a whole different character not to mention a drug addict a lesbian etc. I know my review has no flare but I cannot muster any great emotion for the story although I did love the history in the book I didn’t like that it felt as if there were two different stories I was reading one when she was at the Vienna estate into when she was in New York I found it odd that they would neglect her and give her the strangest education and then all because of a glance at a book she is sent to one of the most corrupt cities and left to her own devices. I think a name says so much about someone in this girl not having one I think cause the barrier between me connecting with her not to mention I didn’t find her character that flushed out because most of the book was dialogue and childish and their thoughts I read in another review that there’s going to be a second book and I may read that just to get the answers to questions I didn’t find at the end of this one especially with that strange epilogue I just was all around disappointed with this book as I thought it would be one thing and it turned out something totally different. I don’t like when they’re contradictions and books and I found a lot of them and this one from the way the staff was supposed to treat her to all the things she knew in New York despite her secluded upbringing. Not to mention a very rich Austrian family who helped America and its allies during the war I found that very suspect. It was only briefly mentioned but times being what they were I just found it hard to believe. I think those who like to read tombs and very long books will enjoy the story especially if you’re into literary fiction I wouldn’t say this book has twist and turns but times and places do change eventually I wish we would’ve learned more about her brothers well not about sexual assaulter Augustine, but Sebastian who seem to be so sweet. I also want to say I found the emotional neglect this unnamed girl suffered was at times hard to take. #NetGalley, #AtriaBooks, #BlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview,#IsabellaValeri, #LettersFromTheDead,

Letters from the Dead is hard to pin down. It's part
sinister family mystery with unfathomable wealth, part
coming of age, part dark academia, and more. While
this will not be a book that appeals to the masses, I
loved it and cannot wait for the next book. This is a
story that takes its time. We dive into a world that feels
like old money, candlelit hallways, and a patriarchal
hierarchy that feels reminiscent of the 1800s. (It's
actually set in the 1990s, which gives it an interesting
dynamic, and we learn why the estate is managed in
this archaic fashion.)

The story is told through an unnamed narrator, the
youngest daughter of the family at the center of the
story, looking back on her childhood with a reflective
tone. She is 11 and 12 years old for a little more than
half of the book. A lot of the philosophical education
she receives was admittedly over my head, but you get
the sense that all of this comes back around. We see
it start to play out on the page in her later teen/college
years where she is exiled first to boarding school. But
the breadcrumbs have been dropped.

One thing to note is that it's important to have the right
expectations going in. The synopsis does not do this
book justice and the last part of it doesn't even come
in to play in this book. There are family secrets
abound, and our narrator starts to uncover them but
never really grasps the depth of her family's wealth or
global involvement. We know there are powerful forces
at play but this first book only scratches the surface.
The synopsis also makes it sound like a good portion
of the book is after she returns home, and that is not
the case at all. In fact, there are only six pages left
once she gets on the plane back to the family estate.

Overall though, I loved it. The pacing is slower, and
while there are events that rock our characters, we
also really dive deep into what her every day life was
like. We are also pulled into her relationships with her
family members (some of who are truly horrible), her
education, and her longing to feel like she belongs.

Thank you Netgalley & Atria | Atria Books| Emily Bestler Books for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5 stars

I want to start off by saying that the cover of this book is absolutely stunning. Letters from the Dead is more of a slow haunting historical mystery than a thriller and I do wish that it had been marketed as such. Don’t expect fast twists or big reveals. Most of the story is told from FMC POV as a child, which adds a dreamy tone but also slows things way down. The writing is beautiful and the setting is super atmospheric, but honestly, the book feels longer than it needs to be. I do feel like a lot of research went into this to add the large amount of history. It leans heavily into mood and memory over plot, so if you're into quiet, introspective stories with a ghostly edge, this might hit the mark. Just go in knowing it’s a slow burn, not a page-turner.

Moody, mysterious, and way slower than expected. This one’s for the patient reader who loves atmosphere over action

Overall I did enjoy this book. It is well written and the premise was interesting, but the first half of the book delves deep into history and is rather dry and boring. When the MC is sent out of the country to boarding school, things became more interesting and I started to enjoy it more. The ending was just OK for me though.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A young heiress must return home from a decade-long exile to face the powerful enemies arrayed against her, including those within her own family.... This was such a promising plot. Opens with the heiress; whom we never even learn her name. Lots of child's play and adventure in the estate. Growing up with brothers, her close relationship with her grandfather and the very stiff cold environment her mother portrays very void of emotional connection. The plot is full of History and although very well written, I had a hard time with the pace. Very slow start then picks up and almost feels mysterious but nothing really happens! There was a point where the siblings have an awful confrontation and things almost take a horror aspect but our POV is basically locked up in her room again to cry it out like a child?! The time period being in the 90's doesn't fit with the characters and surroundings of the estate. The later part of the book takes place in NYC. Our POV is sent to a boarding school, so it has hints of academia without much happening within the school. I did finish this book but it just left so many loose strings and so many questions. just wasn't for me. Don't think i will pick up the next one either. If you enjoy History and a coming of age this might be for you. I cant say this was much of a mystery thriller as labeled. overall, beautiful writing, lovely cover. 2.5stars


Thank you Atria Books and Netgalley for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Unfortunately I had to DNF this one at 25%. The premise sounded so intriguing, a family mystery, it was described as addictive and it centred on a book. At 25% I felt like I got nothing from the book, nothing has happened to keep my attention and it just was not working for me and I didn’t want to fall into a slump.

Family secrets and lies. Know that this is told in the first person by an unnamed narrator who uncovered a deep family secret which is pinging back to cause problems in the present. She spends her teen years at a boarding school and then is swept back to the family estate where the family has plans for her. Some of this is just over the top and seems completely implausible for the time period. That said I was engaged enough to keep reading. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'm curious where the second book will take us.

Unfortunately, this was yet another book that hasn’t been marketed properly. There was no mystery of thriller aspects in this book at any point throughout the story. The description of this book is so horribly misleading the person who wrote us should be fired.
Reading the description of this book we are led to believe that the majority of the story will take place after our main characters exile from her family estate, her time in boarding school, and then her return to her family estate once the exile has ended when she’s in her 20s and the book will involve an adult uncovering family secrets.
The entire book takes place when the main character is between the ages of 11-16 except for a handful of chapters at the end. It was so incredibly misleading and made the book so disappointing because it was so hard to connect with the main character because she was so young.
This book also read like historical fiction throughout despite it taking place between 1992-2001. It would have been better marketed as fiction, an old money family drama than a mystery because even after finishing the book I have no clue what the mystery was.
I also wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style. It felt very forced and over the top at times. What was meant to be beautiful prose was confusing and poorly structured sentences to me.

I really wanted to like this one because I love a story about old money drama and intelligent women but this story was just so far from how it was presented that it made it hard to enjoy it.

Thank you to Atria for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I struggled with this one. I finally finished it but it was tough. I couldn't get sucked into this book like I normally do. I would ready a little bit and then start another book. All of the components of a really great book are there, I just struggled making the connections.

A young heiress, from one of the great European families, has only ever lived on land that is owned by her powerful family. She's lived a fairly cloistered, sheltered life, never knowing about the dangers that surround her family. When she sees something that she wasn't supposed to see, she is quickly flown out of the country to an elite, isolated all-girls school in the United States.

A decade later, in her twenties, she finds all her money is frozen and she is quickly swept back home and pushed into plans where she has no voice, including an arranged marriage. Upon her return, she is brought closer and closer to the truth of what sent her away.

I think this story had a ton of potential, but got bogged down in history and details. Succession but worse? Maybe? I wanted this to be better than it ended up being.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Can I just say that this cover is stunning? It completely drew me in and I could not wait to read it. This book gave me lots of dark academia vibes. I enjoyed the point of view from the daughter. The author's writing is very good and I liked how the novel flowed. I was very confused at the ending. I had to go back and make sure I did not miss any pages. But now knowing that there is another book supposedly to follow the ending makes more sense. I look forward to reading her next book and finding out what happens.


Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

This one was a little slow and hard to get into but I did feel for the main character and what she was going through. If you don't mind taking your time with reading and don't need fast entertainment, check this one out.

A beautifully written novel with an interesting premise: a 11-year-old girl accidentally discovers a dark secret about her wealthy and aristocratic family and is whisked away to an isolated boarding school; a decade later, she has her bank accounts frozen and is summoned by her family to return from abroad. However, overall I found this novel to be somewhat odd for reasons that are hard to put put my finger on. Perhaps it is because I found the historical aspects of the novel to be way overdone so that they really bogged down the storyline. Or, perhaps it is because despite the novel’s twists and turns, little actually seemed to be resolved in the end. Or, perhaps it is just that I did not relish plowing through all the detail, much of which seemed unnecessary. Nonetheless, this was a decent read, but not a great one.

I appreciate the opportunity to read the ARC, but it wasn't for me.

Very slow. Not enough character or plot development.

A young girl learns the making of her ultra rich family and their power. Her grandfather has grand plans for her but first he must outwit her mother. After learning of the great many secrets, she is swept away to the states to a very private boarding school. It's here she learns her independence and worth to her family. The history outlined throughout the story demonstrates the rise and fall of wealth and power, and her families hierarchy.

The author slowly unfurls the story as it builds anticipation to its epic conclusion. So many questions left unanswered, well I guess I need the next installment to find out about the true nature of the young girls exile and grandfather's fate.

Thank you Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books

In all honesty, I just could not finish this book. I was so excited to read it, but it moves so slowly I just could not connect to it.

I appreciate the opportunity to read the ARC, but it wasn't for me.

Dark, elegant, and utterly mysterious—but also a bit confusing.

Letters from the Dead by Isabella Valeri is one of those books that feels like stepping into a candlelit library with velvet curtains, old family portraits, and secrets hidden behind every door. It's gothic. It's dark academia. It's layered in mystery and privilege. And... I’m still not totally sure I understood everything I read.

This story follows a young heiress growing up in the shadow of her family’s legacy—an old European dynasty nestled in the Alpine foothills. Her life is as polished and cold as the marble halls she lives in: mostly ignored by her parents, she finds unexpected warmth and connection with her grandfather. But as she pokes around long-buried family secrets, she’s sent away to an elite American boarding school. Years later, in her twenties, she’s summoned back home—only to discover that the strings of her fate have been pulled all along.

There’s so much to love here: the atmosphere is intoxicating, the family drama is deliciously tangled, and the slow-unraveling mystery behind the main character’s heritage kept me reading. I especially loved the relationship between the FMC and her grandfather—it’s tender, quiet, and full of emotional weight. In a world where she’s mostly seen as a pawn, he treats her like a person.

BUT—and this is a big but—she’s twelve years old for the majority of the story. And while I totally understand the "growing up in secrets" angle, it made it hard to stay fully engaged. I kept wishing the timeline would progress faster, especially since the story really comes alive in the final third, when she returns from school and things begin to accelerate.

It’s a longer read and one that asks you to be patient. I think with some tightening (especially in the first half), this could have hit even harder. And yes, it ends on a cliffhanger… so be prepared to sit with those unanswered questions a little longer.

If you love moody estates, power plays among old money, and gothic secrets told in a whisper, Letters from the Dead might be your next fix—just know it asks for a little more of your time and attention than most.

I was really excited just from the description of the book. But it was very hard to get into for myself. Some things felt like a lot of history. Unfortunately this book just wasnt for me.

It took me a while to get through this book. Aspects of the life painted for the main character are so foreign to me that it didn't click. If that's how kids of wealthy families in Europe were raised, then I feel so sorry for them.

The premise overall was interesting. She finds a book with family secrets and is then sent away with ties cut. Plenty of options for intrigue and showing growth in a character. However, the book didn't fully deliver.

Even though it was a challenge to muddle through at times, I am now curious about what happens next for this young heiress.

A pretty cover was just about all that the book had to offer, the premise was really cool but it failed to hold my interest. The facts were fun but it got a bit too historical for me