Reviews

A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall

readastray's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

shanthecitygirl's review against another edition

emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book is fascinating and so fun! It's a fully epistolary novel with two different storylines. One of them is a romance and one of them is a really charming friendship story. They wind together in a fascinating mystery. The worldbuilding is also top-notch. That is tough to do when everything is letters, but it works! I am looking forward to the next one! 

andiiswagg's review against another edition

emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

O, how I adored this book!! There is a fine line between beautiful and pretentious prose, and this book finds the perfect balance. The writing, the writing, the writing! The prose alone is elegant and engaging and lovely; put a fresh and clever plot on top of that, sprinkle in heaps of marine mentions, and you have a new fav book of mine. The romance made my heart swell! The way mental health issues are spoken of is so real and thoughtful. The characters are so well developed, their voices are so unique, and the slow unraveling of the mysteries in this book was masterfully done. I eagerly await the sequel!!

notesonbookmarks's review against another edition

4.25

This took a hot minute to get into but once I hit about 25%, I fell in love

jessica22's review against another edition

lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.0

carat1ny's review against another edition

• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Absolutely incredible. I was looking for an adult epistolary mystery with some romance woven in and that's exactly what I got. Its very scholarly, (I would call it more scifi than fantasy) and I really had to pay attention and take notes towards the beginning to keep track of the characters and the pieces of world building, but once I was in it I was enveloped by the sea. 5/5 stars. I can't wait to see what happens in the sequel! I absolutely adored the characters in this book. I found E pretty relatable and Henerey is quite possibly the sweetest man to ever exist. The other couples and family bonds are very sweet as well. It was warm and compelling and gave my brain an exercise all at once 💙💙💙

merada01's review

slow-paced

3.0

The mystery kept me listening. But the book comes off a bit…pretentious? I’m not sure how to describe it. It’s hard to follow at first given it’s written entirely in letters between the characters. That being said about 50% through it picks up. I listened to mainly the audio which immensely helped, as when I tried to read it was hard to keep track of who was writing and telling the story. Not sure I’ll continue the story when the next book comes out, even thought it ended on a cliff hanger 

brunchatiffanys's review against another edition

Maybe one day but it was just so hard to get invested in all the letters and confusing characters. 

jrod4322's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Such a beautiful book, I'm so glad I listened to it (thank you libro.fm and Hachette Audio for the ALC) because the separate narrators really elevated the epistolary format. The letters definitely had a Victorian sound to them, and I was able to imagine the world easily as different locales were described. E and Henerey's story being told alongside Sophy and Vyerin's mutual exploration of their letters made for a wonderful parallel. While the first half of the book felt a bit slow as each relationship developed, I do think the second half picking up the pace to fit the rising anticipation was a good decision on the author's part. The sibling relationships were well depicted with all the frustrations and loving admonitions that come from growing up together and I loved it.  I can't wait for the next book!

ireadsometimes00's review against another edition

There was no distinctive voice between the characters and it all just sounded the same. The quirky writing was enjoyable for a second, but quickly became agitating when you realized that every character writes in the same manner.