Sunday, May 04, 2025

#BookReview: A Letter to the Luminous Deep (The Sunken Archive #1) by Sylvie Cathrall




'An underwater treasure-chest to be slowly unpacked, full of things I nosy and loving families, epistolary romance, gorgeous worldbuilding, and anxious scholars doing their best to meet the world with kindness and curiosity' Freya Marske, author of A Marvellous Light

A charming fantasy set in an underwater world with magical academia and a heartwarming penpal romance, perfect for fans of A Marvellous Light and Emily Wilde's Encylopaedia of Faeries.

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 of their siblings' disappearances with the letters, sketches and field notes left behind. As they uncover the wondrous love their siblings shared, Sophy and Vyerin learn the key to their disappearance - and what it could mean for life as they know it.




This one just didn’t work for me at all. The whole first section being told through letters completely pulled me out before the story even had a chance to begin. It felt more like reading someone else’s inbox than being immersed in a fantasy world. If the letters had been used more sparingly—little glimpses throughout instead of the main format—it might’ve hit better. But as it was, it just dragged, and I never really felt connected to anything that was happening. It’s a pass for me.






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