A Letter to the Luminous Deep

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

A really charming, odd and beautiful story that focuses so well on the relationships and gentle academic frustrations, the setting immediately felt familiar and comfortable. I just wish I'd known in advance it ends so abruptly, but I'm looking forward to the followup.