For the first eleven years of her life, Celeste von Arden lived in a world untouched by strangers. Born into an aristocratic European dynasty with a lineage spanning fifteen generations, she had never stepped foot beyond the vast estates her family controlled. Sequestered in the Alpine foothills, she was raised among marble halls and hidden libraries, oblivious to the silent war being waged in the shadows against her bloodline.

But curiosity is a dangerous inheritance. When Celeste stumbles upon an ancient manuscript hidden away for centuries, she unearths more than forgotten knowledge—she awakens a secret that was never meant to see the light of day. Within weeks, without warning or explanation, she is ripped from her home and sent across the Atlantic, exiled to a remote boarding school in the United States.

For more than a decade, Celeste exists in a carefully curated limbo. Her trust funds flow endlessly, but her movements are monitored, her questions met with silence. Then, on her twenty-second birthday, everything changes—her accounts are frozen, her handlers vanish, and a single command reaches her: Come home. But home is no longer the sanctuary she remembers.
Epic, gothic thoroughly complex and creepy, this is a startling debut! #atria #lettersfromthedead #isabellavaleri

Review of Uncorrected Reader’s Proof . . . Three and one-half stars

When Augustin accused his parents of murder, his almost-twelve-year-old sister is not particularly surprised. After all, family dynasties such as theirs had a tendency to collect dark secrets. Saddened to never have known this sister, she later learns from her brother that Sophia, who cried incessantly, was suddenly silenced . . . forever . . . by their father.

But when, in a panic after discovering Sophia’s body in an old trunk, she inadvertently intrudes on one of her mother’s parties and soon finds herself shipped off to boarding school.

What is next for her? And what of her gruesome discovery?

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The sprawling estate in which the unnamed heiress grows up is largely taken for granted when she is a young child. But as she learns more about the history of her family, things become more complicated. Sent off to boarding school, and then exiled, the unfolding narrative slowly reveals long-hidden truths.

Anchored by a strong sense of place, the telling of this tale reveals the machinations by which the family has kept its tenuous hold on its elite place in society. Dysfunctional families, a mother bordering on insanity, terrifying situations involving her father, and the horror of an arranged marriage all play a part in this tale of power, financial issues, and secrets, all leading to a less-than-satisfying denouement that is likely to leave readers wishing for some sort of closure.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Atria Books / Atria / Emil Bestler Books and NetGalley
#LettersfromtheDead #NetGalley

This was a little too literary to hold my interest. I found the premise intriguing, but did not feel compelled to keep reading. I can see that the book will have great appeal for those who prefer their mysteries with a literary bent.

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read the book ahead of publication!

Isabella Valeri’s debut novel, *Letters from the Dead*, is a captivating tale of family drama and secrets, centered around a young heiress drawn into her family's troubled past. Set in a luxurious yet dark world, the protagonist grapples with her stifling upbringing in a grand Alpine estate and the challenges of her twenties, including frozen bank accounts and arranged marriage pressures.

The discovery of a valuable ancient text triggers a series of events affecting generations, while conflicts with her father unveil layers of betrayal. Despite some predictable twists and underdeveloped supporting characters, the narrative remains engaging.

For fans of gothic suspense and family sagas, this must-read debut leaves audiences eager for Valeri’s next installment.

This book was great! The plot was unique and full of suspense/mystery. I was constantly left guessing and couldn't predict what would happen! Loved the historical accuracy and characters as well. Definitely recommend!

Extremely well written novel that is also mysterious and odd. This was an intriguing story/plot with many strange characters and events

The opening was perfection, and the mood is spot-on for "mysterious." The writing style is overly narrative for my taste, so I stopped after chapter 1 (3%). But I think this one will be easy to enjoy, especially for those who love historical mysteries---and I realize this is technically not historical, but the vibes are right and the crossover feels like it's there.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this book!

What a good book! I really enjoyed this book and had such a hard time putting it down. I enjoyed the writing style. The characters worked so well together and the plot was great.

I was greatly interested in this one after reading the description. And while there was intriguing secrets and family drama that kept me interested overall, I found myself glossing over bits and pieces of the exposition.

Overall, decent read.

Epic in scope, this novel is a brilliant coming-of-age exploration set within the confines of a dynastic European family. Every page shimmers with gothic atmosphere, the unnamed protagonist's vibrant interior world (revealed effectively with first-person POV) and cinematic details. A compelling debut from a storyteller already at the top of her game.

Recommended for : grown up fans of Harry Potter (gothic atmosphere, good v evil, boarding school hijinks) and those who prefer a large dose of intellectual history braided throughout the narrative.

Can't wait to read the anticipated sequel.

Letters from the Dead follows the early life of the only daughter of an old aristocratic European family which can trace its roots back 15 generations. An inquisitive child, she is indulged by her grandfather to learn about history, secret societies, spies and other non-traditional topics for an eleven-year-old girl. As the power in the family shifts from her grandfather to her parents, she loses the only loving adult in her life. Treated more as an expensive and rare commodity than a child, she is packed off to a private school in the United States where she has been "exiled" from the family. She spends the next ten years learning how to survive in the real world away from the protection of her family's estates. When she is suddenly contacted by her father, she is happy thinking that she may finally return to her family's home, only to discover too late that she is now trapped in a proposed marriage planned by her parents to further their aristocratic standing.

This book took a long time to progress through the ten years of the young girl's life, often devolving into lectures on ancient history and aristocratic family dynamics.. Just as the story got suspenseful --What will her elder (and evil) brother Augustin do with her? Will she have to marry the Archduke? Where is Karl going and is he plotting a murder? Is her grandfather possibly still alive?--the book ended! Having slogged through almost 8 hours of reading, this reader felt very cheated by the ending. If there is going to be a sequel, it should be edited to a more reasonable length and address the many "cliff hangers" left at the end of this volume.

Letters from the Dead by Isabella Valeri is an epic coming of age story about a young heiress who faces a reckoning of power, family dynamics, and danger in this novel of mystery and intrigue.

Set in the 1990s, an unnamed heiress grows up in a sprawling estate in an also unnamed Alpine European country spending her days playing around with her brothers and getting into mischief, all the while navigating the aristocratic world of rules, traditions, and expectations. At night, she visits her grandfather in his study sharing stories of history and adventure in his room full of curious objects. As the story progresses, his stories become tinged with dynastic politics as the narrator's curiousity about her family history begins to bloom. Her burgeoning interests in all things aristocracy coincides with her initiation into upper-class society with threats, murky business dealings, and power struggles, that threatens to unravel the tightly spun dynasty her family seeks to preserve. One day as her curiousity gets the better of her, she discovers volumes of mysterious texts that outlines her family's history and succession battles that forces her into exile. Sent off to a boarding school in the United States, she must learn to navigate a new world all the while struggling to make sense of the strange world she left behind. With shadowy forces continuing to haunt her life- her family and her identity interweave in surprising ways.

Letters from the Dead is a tour de force exploring the aristocracy and a young girl's awakening of power, identity, and loyalty. The descriptive details of the dynastic world was fascinating, especially told from the perspective of a pre-teen girl. The glamorous setting and lifestyle was juxtaposed with the grittiness and dangers of the elite society that felt as though I was a fly on one of its palace walls, spying on their secretive dealings. The emotional journey of the narrator and her struggles balancing her two lives, had me invested in her story from the very beginning. There were times when she was brave, bold, foolish, and unsure as all young people are, but it was especially fascinating watching her navigate her teenage years within the realm of "royalty". Her exile and experiences abroad was a great metaphor of death and rebirth as she was constantly forced to reinvent herself to protect a world that she was obscurely tethered to. Trapped in her gilded cage, as she grows up, she begins to realize that her family have kept a close eye on her, casting suspicion on the true motivations of her exile. The awakening awareness of her place in the world and the illusory nature of freedom synchronized with her past, present, and future, aligning her to a destiny she struggled to define. I enjoyed the author's ability to write about the character's interior processing of her feelings and thoughts which really drew me into the story.

The secrets and mysteries of her family provided a thrilling backbone to the story where the feeling of something supernatural kept trickling through the pages. I have so many questions about the characters and the cryptic underlying message of the story, and I do hope the author will continue writing this epic tale.

If you are a fan of dynastic dramas, coming of age stories, and mystery thrillers, Letters from the Dead by Isabella Valeri is a must read!

I like this book! It was filled with old family drama and secrets, and loved the themes of family, money problems, secrets, and dysfunctional relationships. The storytelling was done well and it was enjoyable

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

The premise of the book in the description was so intriguing but the execution fell flat. The book was hard to read. There were a lot of passages that felt like they weren’t necessary to the plot. Also I thought the story was going to be about what happened once she returned to the estate and was throughly confused when the FMC turned out to be a young preteen almost all of the book. 2.5 stars

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book and this is my first time reading from the author. I was locked in right away and I didn’t want to put it down.

I received a copy of this book for my honest opinion from Netgalley

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC of this book.

For the first eleven years of her life, the precocious daughter of a great European family tracing its roots back more than fifteen generations, never set foot on land that her family didn’t own. Cloistered on a sprawling estate in the Alpine foothills, as the youngest sibling of her generation she has little knowledge of the dark forces gathering in the shadows to strike at her family. But, when her insatiable curiosity leads her to uncover a priceless text hidden hundreds of years before, she shines light into corners meant to be left in the dark and threatens to uncover secrets that could trigger an internecine battle for succession.

Then, with no warning or explanation, she is whisked away on a private jet and exiled to an elite but isolated all-girls boarding school in the United States. More than a decade later, now in her twenties, she finds her bank accounts abruptly frozen by her family. She is recalled from her affluent but empty existence abroad. Little does she know that her family has plans for her, including an arranged marriage. Worse, as she draws closer to discovering the horrific act that sent her into exile a decade before, and shadowy enemies close in on her family, she must face her most dangerous and powerful foe: her own father.

This book was nothing like what I was expecting from the original description. I was not expecting a book involving an insane mother. I found the book z bit disjointed and the ending left a lot to be desired for me.

2.5 out of 5 ⭐️

Excellent book. A dysfunctional family where the mother is a seriously unstable individual given too much power by a weak father. As these problems usually have a genetic component, out of three children only one seems to have bypassed the genetic problem. The other two are the boys who turn out to be mentally unstable in different ways. One is an emotionally weak musician and the other a violence prone sadist. Neither one should inherit the leadership of the family. The grandfather wisely decides to try to save the future of the family by hiding away the one member who can be its future leader. Unfortunately, at the end of the book, she is still too young to save herself from the clutches of her insane mother. Let's hope the next book will offer some solutions to the family drama.

I have no idea what was going on here. This was not a fun read. I felt like the author was all over the place.