I liked this follow up to LETTERS FROM THE LUMINOUS DEEP, though I did wish that the pacing was a bit faster--there was a bit more time than I would have wanted before I got answers.

Thank you to Netgalley, Orbit Books, and Sylvie Cathrall for the opportunity to read the ARC of A Letter from the Lonesome Shore.
I really loved Cathrall's first book of this duology: Letters to the Luminous Deep. Cathrall has written a very unique and whimsical story. I almost wish this duology had been a trilogy. I wanted to love A letter from the Lonesome Shore, but I found the pacing slow and there was not as much mystery as found in the first book. There was a lot of information given and questions answered so it was quite a bit of ground or in this case ocean to cover in one book. Overall, I found this book to be an enjoyable read.
The letter correspondance was a neat way to showcase multiple perspectives of the many endearing characters featured in the story. I was happy that the main characters became a family through their shared experiences in their quest to find E and Henerey. I thought E and Henerey's relationship was very sweet. It was nice to read about couple who loved each other in their own quiet way. E and Henerey complimented and balanced each other in all of the small ways that mattered the most.
Cathrall is exceptional at world building. Personally, I think it would have been intriguing to have been shown more of what life was like when people had lived in the skies as we had seen the life people lived on the ground and below in the ocean. We were given a glimpse of the life lived in the skies. The ocean is vast and covers most of our planet. There are not many fantasy stories written about the ocean that does not involve mermaids, but Cathrall managed to combine science fiction and fantasy in one book with her own fantastical creatures like the Illogical ones. Cathrall certainly has interesting ideas and it was nice to read something so different. I am looking forward to reading more from her in the future.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

What a delightful and tender duology! I'm so, so sad that it's over because I've truly loved the world, the characters, the relationships, and the explorations of mental health and disability, grief, and forming connections. This was almost, ALMOST a 5 star, but I'll get into that a little later.

This book contains a very helpful and thorough recap before the main bulk of the book takes place. While I wouldn't have minded re-reading the first before starting this one, I know that's not an option for everyone, so I definitely appreciate that it's here. Definitely encourage more books to provide recaps!

The world and plot in this book expands so much more and provides a lot of answers that the first book left us with. I think while certain reveals might not be for everyone, I actually quite liked it. I think it added a pretty creative element in a story already full of them.

I think, though, that the biggest hurdle I had was the pacing was a bit of an issue for me. I almost wish (not entirely selfishly) that this book was a trilogy instead. Because, like a few other duologies, this book has the unfortunate side effect of sort of cramming in plot wrap-ups and character moments all the last minute, leading to a pacing that feels a little too bloated for the page count. I don't think this book was quite as egregious as some others I could name and could probably have been mitigated somewhat by bumping the page count up just a smidge.

That being said, I still adore this duology with all my heart. The author does an absolutely wonderful job building characters and exploring their thoughts and feelings with tenderness. I'm so eager to see what else she has up her sleeve because I'll read anything she writes now!

Very unique! I love how queer this is and how the format of letters turn every character into an unreliable narrator--very fascinating.

This is a really hard review to write because I absolutely loved the first book. It was absolutely a five star read and I was so excited for the second book in this duology.

First the stuff I liked. I'm a huge fan of the writing style. It's so whimsical. You absolutely need to go into the story willing to meet the writing style on it's own terms, I can see why other people might not be a fan, but I love it. It feels almost regency era, sort of flowery, and there are some wonderful descriptions. I was also so happy to see the characters again. E and Henerey are so sweet. I just want every good thing for them ever. I also love Sophy and Vyerin and their love for their siblings. Pretty much every character that is from the first book is still charming. I also liked some of the new characters.

Unfortunately, I also had some major problems. While I was super excited to see E and Henerey, the first almost half the book is taken up with them in a new space, where they are trying to research how to get home and the Scholars that are with them are just giving them dead end after dead end. In the first book, there was a major mystery of what caused the collapse of the Deep House and in turn, what happened with E and Henerey. This book doesn't have that tighter mystery. While I loved seeing E and Henerey grow closer, it was super frustrating watching them get nowhere and there not being anything to break that up. In the first book, it bounced back and forth between E and Henerey's timeline and Sophy and Vyerin's timeline and that worked much better, in my opinion. Once the story catches back with with them, the book does take off more, but then I was missing E and Henerey.

The ultimate mystery of the book is kind of vague. I wish NetGalley had a spoiler feature, because I really think the implications of the final major plot point (the thing they are afraid of and why the thing does what it does) are rough. It was incredibly frustrating and annoying and it really took a lot of my enjoyment out of the story.

While this book ultimately disappointed me, I will say I definitely want to check out what Sylvie Cathrall ends up doing next.

Just like it's predecessor, this epistolary novel is filled with such heart! If you loved the first one this will keep you just as happy :)

This mesmerizing sequel expands on the first book’s charm, weaving romance, mystery, and cosmic intrigue into an unforgettable tale. E. and Henerey’s journey through an enigmatic underwater city is both haunting and beautiful, and their evolving relationship is a joy to follow. The format—letters and fragmented narratives—adds depth and intimacy, making the story feel deeply personal. Meanwhile, Sophy and Vyerin’s search adds tension and urgency, building toward a stunning climax. A beautifully written, atmospheric continuation that left me eager for more!

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the arc. People said this was anticlimactic…and they were right, unfortunately. It was also a bit more dense than the first installment I found. I stopped reading at about 30% before skimming… and I’m glad I stopped. The first installment was so lovely, which makes me upset that the conclusion didn’t live up to it.

I thought this evocative conclusion to the Sylvia Cathrall Luminous Duology was great. A treasure trove of water imagery, longing, and two awkward yet affectionate souls who stumble into an unexpected and mysterious world can be found in a letter from the Lonesome Shore.

As with the first book, I deeply loved the creativity and intricate work of the letter-style format for telling this story. It adds a lot of charm and makes this series stand out from others in the genre. I do still feel that the formatting kept me at a distance from the characters and I had a hard time connecting with them.

I often found myself frustrated while reading because I wanted to be RIGHT there with the characters, seeing what they were seeing and feeling right along with them. Because of that narrative distance and the slow pacing of the plot, I have an overarching feeling of "not enough" that I can't quite shake.

I want to loooove this duology, the writing is beautiful and the world is unique, but I just can't get close enough to really appreciate what the author has crafted. It just might not be for me, but I think everyone should give this series a shot and see if it works for them.

This book is just as delightful and whimsical as the first. It continues to tell the story in epistolary fashion, weaving a narrative between people in two worlds trying to connect with each other. We also jump a bit between timelines, but I had no problems following along thanks to the year stamps at the start of each chapter.

The romance between Henerey and E. is just as slow and sweet as before, and in this new world E. finds herself blossoming and thriving. If they never make it back home, will that end up being so bad?

The romance and the letters aren’t the only part of the story though, and there’s a whole new world and society and rules. Also, that whole cosmic horror coming to eat both worlds and everyone in it. And they somehow have to figure out what that’s about, how to stop it, or at least get everyone to believe it. No pressure!

This is an incredibly cozy and unique read and I definitely recommend it. I think you’ll like it if you like cozy, whimsical stories, slow burn and sweet closed door romance, lush prose and eccentric characters. It’s not as much for readers that prefer hard science, more concise prose, fast action and purely logical characters.

With that in mind, I thought this was an absolute gem of a duology and I’ll keep an eye out for this author in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit books for opportunity to read the digital ARC; all opinions are my own!

I did like this book and honestly I had never seen anything like it elsewhere. But I will say sometimes the wording made the story a bit difficult to follow and I felt I had to reread a few things. I do recommend this story though! I loved the slow burn and multiple POV.

I truly enjoyed this atmospheric conclusion the Sylvia Cathrall Luminous Duology. A letter from the Lonesome Shore is a treasure chest of water imagery, pining, two awkward and loving souls who stumble into a mysterious and unexpected world.

I truly recommend this duology to everyone who loves a cozy sea vibe.

This series is truly nothing I’ve ever read before. While I don’t think the sequel had me as riveted as the first, I still floated through it quickly, wanting to see the mysteries unravel and see the characters through their journey. I’m eager to read anything this author has on the horizon now!

I love epistolary novels, so I thoroughly enjoyed this duology. A Letter from the Lonesome Shore was a wonderful follow up and I loved the slow burn romance. I read this quickly, but really didn't want it to end!

I gave this duology two tries but I think the nature of the narrative style means that the author is needed to do some narrative gymnastics that did not work for me. Maybe another time.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sylvie Cathrall, and Orbit for allowing me access to the e-arc.

3.5 stars

I thought the concept of the story was fascinating. I wanted to know more about the place where the characters ended up. I enjoyed the different POVs that were presented. I was confused at some points due to the constant changes in who was writing. I felt like the ending was odd. It almost seemed like there were going to be more books in this world. I was hoping to see E. and Henerey living their lives together. But there was only a snippet of their domestic living.

4/5 stars
Recommended if you like: light academia, epistolary narrative, multiple POVs, mental illness rep

This review has been posted to Goodreads as of 2/10 and will be posted to my review blog 2/13 and to Instagram 3/21.

....I'm not really sure where to begin. I don't think I disliked this book, but I'm not really sure I liked it either. I enjoyed A Letter to the Luminous Deep quite a bit, though I had forgotten how the verbiage used in it could make it difficult to read at times (who talks like that?), so I was excited to get an ARC of the sequel.

Luminous Deep and this book have some similarities that I enjoyed. For one, the epistolary narrative continues. We get insight into the various characters we already know and are introduced to some new characters as well. Some of these new characters have an interesting way of writing and chronicling things that I found interesting and I wish their conventions had been included a little more. Since the narrative is told through letters the same kind of fancy (and sometimes convoluted) writing is used as in the first book. I admittedly struggled a bit more with the writing style in this one than I did in Luminous Deep. It did make some parts unnecessarily complicated. Aside from the word choice, I found some of the syntax overly formal and stilted as well, particularly when a letter was describing a conversation. E. and Henerey in particular seemed to have some stilted conversations, and I felt an emotional distance there that I didn't feel in the first book. I was rooting for E. and Henerey in the first book, but here I felt kind of meh about it.

Another similarity between the two books was the light academia aspect. This was quite prevalent in Luminous Deep, with Sophy, Vyerin, and Henerey all being Scholars and E., while not being a scholar, being quite curious and knowledgeable about a wide range of things. We don't really get to see that side of E. and Henerey here, but we do get to see Sophy and Vyerin putting some of their Scholar skills to work investigating how to find and/or construct another Entry. That being said, I do wish we got more focus on what Sophy and Vyerin were doing since it seemed quite interesting and relevant, but we only really get to see snippets of it.

Like with Luminous Deep there are two plotlines in this novel: one focusing on E. and Henerey, and one focusing on Sophy and Vyerin. E. and Henerey's storyline ended prior to Luminous Deep and in that book we're left wondering what became of them. This book has an answer to that mystery and we get a better look at what really went down and what the Entries do. We also get a better look at E.'s struggles with her mental health. There's clearly something deeper going on, but there's a (frustrating) cone of silence regarding discussing what's going on, which for some reason Henerey and E. just kind of accept.

The second plotline follows Sophy and Vyerin, which I enjoyed somewhat more. For some reason that group's dynamic feels more natural and there's less of the stilted conversation we see occurring with E. and Henerey. As I mentioned above, I would've liked a deeper look at how they were finding the Entries and what they were doing with them. It seems like there was a lot of experimentation going on there, but it mostly occurs off-page. We do get some answers, in part thanks to the pushing of Sophy and Vyerin (as well as of their teammates).

This, in my opinion, is not a duology that requires some kind of epic 'big bad.' The light academia and focus on family and mental health would've been enough. However, we discover in this book that the the Predator the Fleet discussed is an actual Predator and not just a metaphor for something. Considering we don't learn much about it until after the 50% mark, I'm really feeling like it wasn't needed. It certainly didn't add anything to the book.

And the message here is...unideal. I can't really get into it without spoiling the book, but why in all hells is that how they avoided the Predator? In the age of rising anti-intellectualism, why make a similar stance what saves the day? I suppose I can't really be surprised. In hindsight the manner in which Cathrall writes about the Campuses is very clearly one of dislike. I had initially thought it was showing the extremes of academia and how that might show up in an imperfect world ruled by the desire to continuously discover/produce new things. However, in light of this book, I have to assume the depiction of the Campuses is not an exaggerated view of real problems in academia but rather a reflection of intense dislike of academia and a desire to portray that dislike in a justified manner. As someone who enjoys learning for fun, it turned me off. Also, how boring for everyone who knows the truth. What are you supposed to do with the rest of your life? It seems like things would get really boring really quickly.

I don't really have a solid grasp on what I think of this book. I didn't dislike it but didn't entirely like it. I enjoyed Luminous Deep but am honestly not sure if I'll buy a physical copy of this book when it comes out. It just kind of floats along and nothing particularly happens on the E./Henerey side of things until later in the book. Also, the emotions that were depicted between E./Henerey in the first book feel removed in this one and I had trouble reconnecting with the two emotionally.

A 5 star Duology!

"A Letter from the Lonesome Shore" is an astounding follow up to "A Letter to the Luminous Deep" and one of my favorite duologies/series/stories in a long time! I was ecstatic to receive an arc as it was one of my most anticipated books of the year, and it truly did not disappoint!

The story is crafted expertly in an epistolary style through the correspondence of letters between the main characters. In this final installment, we follow E and Henerey as they embark on a journey in a new world, as well as Sophy and Vyerin as they continue their search for their missing siblings.

I cannot emphasize enough how captivating the 2nd book was! I could not put it down, and read the entire thing in 3 days. I. also had no clue where this was going, and was delighted by the sci-fi-ness of it all near the end.

One thing I cannot stress enough is that this has the absolute sweetest romance. I love how shy E and Henerey are with their feelings, and this is truly one of the the most wholesome love stories I've ever had the pleasure of reading. I also think the author's depiction of severe anxiety is the most accurate I've ever encountered. The author also include all types of romantic pairings in the book, which feel so natural to the story and the world. She includes M/F, F/F, and M/M romances as well as a character that is aromantic, making it the perfect read for anyone no matter what they are looking for.

Overall, this duology was the perfect read for me and I highly recommend it!

5/5 stars

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Orbit books for providing me an arc (of one of the best books of the year) in exchange for an honest review!