A Letter to the Luminous Deep
Ratings8
Average rating3.8
15
Ratings8
Average rating3.8
A charming fantasy set in an underwater world with magical academia and a heartwarming penpal romance, perfect for fans of "A Marvellous Light", "Emily Wilde's Encylopaedia of Faeries" and "The House in the Cerulean Sea".
A beautiful discovery outside the window of her underwater home prompts the reclusive E. to begin a correspondence with renowned scholar Henerey Clel. The letters they share are filled with passion, at first for their mutual interests, and then, inevitably, for each other.
Together, they uncover a mystery from the unknown depths, destined to transform the underwater world they both equally fear and love. But by no mere coincidence, a seaquake destroys E.'s home, and she and Henerey vanish.
A year later, E.'s sister Sophy, and Henerey's brother Vyerin, are left to solve the mystery, piecing together the letters, sketches and field notes left behind--and learn what their siblings' disappearance might mean for life as they know it.
Inspired, immersive, and full of heart, this charming epistolary tale is an adventure into the depths of a magical sea and the limits of the imagination from a marvelous debut voice.
Featured Series
1 primary bookThe Sunken Archive is a 1-book series first released in 2024 with contributions by Sylvie Cathrall.
Reviews with the most likes.
3.5 stars
E. is a recluse that lives in her family's underwater home called the Deephouse. After her mother died, her father left and her siblings went off to become scholars.
E. prefers the solitude until she sees something outside her home that is unusual. So begins her correspondence with Henerey Clel, a renowned scholar who might be able to help explain what she saw.
Henerey is excited and intrigued. After much correspondence, he goes to the Deephouse to see this discovery firsthand. Tragically, a seaquake occurs destroying the Deephouse and causing the disappearance of both E. and Henerey.
A year later, their siblings begin going through their letters to see if they can figure out what happened and if there's a chance that E. and Henerey could still be alive.
I really enjoyed the way this was written mostly in letter format. The story was intriguing and unique. I loved the characters. I just didn't love the ending. I'm still looking forward to the next one just because I need to know what happened to E. and Henerey.
I also loved the narrators. It was great listening to multiple narrators reading the letters. The characters personalities really came through.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an early copy.
2.5
Loved the characterisations but didn't find the plot immersive enough
