Title: A Letter from the Lonesome Shore (The Sunken Archive #2)
Author: Sylvie Cathrall
Publisher: Orbit 2025
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 384
Rating: 4/5 stars
Reading Challenges:
Former correspondents E. and Henerey, accustomed to loving each other from afar, did not anticipate continuing their courtship in an enigmatic underwater city. When their journey through the Structure in E.'s garden strands them in a peculiar society preoccupied with the pleasures and perils of knowledge, E. and Henerey come to accept—and, more surprisingly still, embrace—the fact that they may never return home.
A year and a half later, Sophy and Vyerin finally discover one of the elusive Entries that will help them seek their siblings. As the group's efforts bring them closer to E. and Henerey, an ancient, cosmic threat also draws near...
I absolutely adored the first book in this duology. I loved how quiet the mystery was. I loved how atmospheric the writing was. I love the epistolary nature to the structure. I had such high hopes going into the second book. And for the most part, I really loved it. We get pick up right where we left off and dive into the mysteries. We catch up with E and Henerey in their new world. We see Sophy and Vyerin attempt to understand what happened their siblings. We get the same structure and atmospheric writing. But about halfway through the book, the revelations of the “mysteries” of the larger world starts getting a bit muddled. It became harder and harder to follow exactly what the universe was and the characters’ place in it. The book wraps up well, but I will admit to not loving parts in the middle.
The Sunken Archive
#1 A Letter to the Luminous Deep
#2 A Letter from the Lonesome Shore
Next up on the TBR pile:
