An Amazon Best Book of April 2024 - An IndieNext Pick A charming fantasy set in an underwater world with magical academia and a heartwarming penpal romance, perfect for fans of 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.
Praise for
A Letter to the Luminous Deep "An underwater treasure-chest to be slowly unpacked, full of things I adore." --Freya Marske, author of
A Marvellous Light "A shimmering, delicately crafted delight." --H.G. Parry, author of
The Magician's Daughter "A fascinating and charming story told in a uniquely elegant voice." --Louisa Morgan, author of
A Secret History of Witches "Both the setting and the story are exquisite." --Megan Bannen, author of
The Undertaking of Hart and MercyAuthor: Sylvie Cathrall
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Orbit
Published: 04/23/2024
Series: The Sunken Archive #1
Pages: 400
Weight: 0.77lbs
Size: 8.29h x 5.56w x 1.11d
ISBN: 9780316565530
Review Citation(s): Library Journal 03/01/2024 pg. 11
Publishers Weekly 02/19/2024
Booklist 03/15/2024 pg. 54
Kirkus Reviews 04/15/2024
BookPage 04/01/2024
Shelf Awareness 05/16/2024
About the AuthorSylvie Cathrall writes stories of hope and healing with healthy doses of wonder and whimsy. She holds a graduate degree in odd Victorian art and has handled more than a few nineteenth-century letters (with great care). Sylvie married her former pen pal and lives in the mountains, where she dresses impractically and dreams of the sea.