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!

Thank you to all for the opportunity to read this book! I loved "A Letter to the Luminous Deep" and was excited to get access to part 2 of the story. It was great to catch up with E and Henerey and follow their discoveries of a new world. Some of the new characters were very well drawn and fascinating. I have two quibbles with the book that kept me from giving it 5 stars though. I thought the first part--E and Henerey learning about the new world--went on too long. I also found that the new scholars were hard to distinguish and I didn't fully understand their motivations or their lives--and maybe since they were numbered and not named that was the point? Anyway, beautiful world building and I loved the diversity in the characters and the ending was quite satisfying.

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars

What a stunning conclusion to this duology. Cathrall once again captures a sense of sweetness and innocence that makes the story feel so special. I loved how the author continued to use letters to narrate key moments, adding an emotional depth that resonated just as strongly as in the first book.

Watching E and Henerey’s relationship grow as they navigated the challenges of the new world was incredibly rewarding, though I do wish we had seen more of their life on the island—perhaps through an epilogue. The physical location of the world they discovered also left me slightly puzzled. I thought I understood it, but the time difference made me question whether they were still on the same planet or somewhere entirely new. The concept of the predator, the illogical woman, and the oceanic space was fascinating and added a unique layer to the story.

Overall, I’m sad to say goodbye to these characters, but I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author in the future!