A Letter To The Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall

TL;DR: While I can see this not working for everyone as it’s entirely letters and notes – but I adored this. So beautiful and engaging!
Source: Netgalley – thank you to the publisher! I did also buy my own copy I loved it so much.

Plot: This (through letters) tells the story of Sophy and Vyerin as they figure out the lives of their missing siblings E. and Henerey before they were lost in a tragic explosion.
Characters: We really do get a good feeling for these characters, even through these notes and letters. I felt like I genuinely knew them and they linger in my head rent free.
Setting: So much was underwater! The whole world is based in an aquatic setting, ether on or IN the water. So cool!
Romance: The romance was actually the weakest part for me, BUT the platonic friendship that Sophy and Vyerin struck up was absolutely lovely and I think a highlight for me.

Thoughts:

I had such a blast with this one. This story is told entirely through letters and notes, and follows Sophy and Vyerin as they attempt to track their missing siblings last year of life. E. and Henerey, the siblings in question, struck up a friendship and then romantic relationship the year prior and on a in person meeting in Sophy and E.’s childhood home were lost when the home in question was destroyed in a seaquake. Now through the worst of the grief the two siblings begin to read the letters E. and Henerey share back and forth, and also exchange their own notes and letters.

Once you get used to the way we slide between letters (and you do need to read the headings to check who is writing and when) this story is a joy. In the current era we see Sophy and Vyerin slowly become tight and wonderful friends, a development I loved more than almost anything else in this. While in the past we see E. and Henerey fall in love, but primarily we explore the world itself which is delightful. Once a world in which the peoples dwelled in in the sky, now everyone lives on or in the water. We glimpse the history of the world and see what might be hiding beneath the surface in a set of surprising twists toward the end of the book.

I highly recommend this for fans of epistolary novels, especially those who like quirky or cozy feeling books. This has those lovely vibes and honestly left me with such a big smile. I had to order my own copy for my shelves and I cannot wait for the next in the series.

5 out of 5 bioluminescent nautilus