I received an advanced reader copy of this book in return for my honest opinion. Thank you to Emily Lloyd-Jones and Hodder & Stoughton for giving me the opportunity to read The Drowned Woods before it’s release.

In a corrupt kingdom magic is not only sought after, but those who possess it are taken and forced into service by the prince. Mer is one of the people ripped from her family into the service of the crown; soon becoming the last alive with the power to manipulate water. She joins her old handler in a mission to take down the prince.

I found myself really enjoying the characters of Mer and Fane. Plus, this book features a corgi called Trefor and I absolutely loved it!

I found the twists within this book to be entertaining, and I really appreciated the mythological elements within this book! I don’t see enough Welsh mythology representation so this was great to see.

THAT COVER THOUGH.

A beautiful cover, and a beautiful story underneath. This is a a Welsh folklore-inspired heist story with magic....and romance.

I would have much preferred less romance and more platonic friendship relationships but hey ho - also a queer female MC with on-page relationships with a male and another female without downplaying the m/f relationship? Love to see it!

It was easy to get lost in this world, and the atmosphere was top notch. However, I wanted more from the world building and more interaction from the characters. I also found it quite hard at the start to get into the flow of WHEN the story was taking place - I don't think the change of location or flashback were well written. The magic system and logic of the characters was also a small quibble I had with the book - too much of the book depended on these, and my enjoyment didn't outrank their downfalls unfortunately.

A solid 3.5 rounded up.

One of the most humbling reading experiences is when you underestimate a book, read a few pages, and then get your ass slapped with an excellent story. It is the opposite feeling to picking up a book, buying it, and being bored by page 20. The Drowned Woods by Emily-Lloyd Jones is just that. It's a powerful story woven with old, welsh-myths and a hefty dose of OH SHIT moments. I read most of this book in one sitting.

I have never read Emily-Lloyd Jones before, though I have heard her 'The Bone House" series is pretty good. Besides that, I came into this book expecting very little. I have always loved reading folklore-like stories and so was looking to be whisked away by the story, and in so many ways, this book does that. Mer is a fearsome heroine and personally, I loved her flaws, plus those of the other characters. This book is filled with magic, passion and betrayal -- and the addition of a Corgi tootling on throughout the story was the icing on the cake. Who doesn't like a story with a sassy Corgi in it?

So why not give this book five stars? Primarily, after the 75% breaking point of this story, I (for some time) got bored. The worst had happened, but our protagonists seemed to spend an awful lot of page time running around, figuring out what to do and getting to the right place; climbing over cliffs and up the sides of buidlings. Having said that, once they do manage to finish all that, the stakes immediately increase again and Mer is very much put to the test once. The ending was excellent and was a great way to close the book. According to other reviews, I hear the epilogue relates to something in the Bone House series, but even as someone who has not read it, I still appreciated the epilogue.

Overall, this is a great read if you want some quick, fantasy escapism. If you love folklore and 'village' magic rather than epic battle scenes and blood, this is the kind of book for you. You will adore its characters and the setting; it will make you yearn for the sea, pretty rolling hills, and forests. The stakes are high and it's an adventure just to read it. Though it is slow in parts, it's not so slow that I wanted to put it down. Just prepare yourself to throw your book across the room a few times at its stubborn, brave characters.

I could not put this book down once I picked it up! Immediately I was drawn into the rich storytelling. I've not read a lot of Welsh folklore so this was a wonderful new experience for me.

The story follows Mer, the only living water diviner who has an immense value to the prince whos control she escaped and is now living on the run. Until a familiar face from her past manages to track her down with an unresistable bargin- to topple the Prince from his throne and walk away with a life changing amount of treasure.

The Drowned Woods reads like a fairytale beautifully woven together to take you on an unforgettable journey.

"In a land of myth, and a time of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy. His name... Merlin" ahem... or rather, a young woman, called Mer (short for Mererid).
Set in Cantre'r Gwaelod (a legendary kingdom in Welsh mythology sunk beneath the waves of Cardigan Bay off the west coast of Wales), the Drowned Woods follows Mer, a water diviner. As a child she was taken by Prince Garanhir and given into the care of his spymaster. After her powers are used to help kill innocent civilians in a neighbouring cantref, Mer escapes the Prince. When her old spymaster finds her it's not to return her to the Prince, instead he wants to put an end to his power.
I loved the use of Welsh mythology and the fantastical, historical version of Wales. The main characters are interesting, all with their own secrets and reasons for joining the plot. The star of the show is, without doubt, Trefor the corgi (and possible fae spy). He's the companion of Fane, who made an ill-advised bargain with the tylwyth teg (fae) at a young age, and works for them as an ironfetch - he's been given the power to sense iron (in any form, inc. human blood) so that he can remove it from Annwyvn, the fae lands.
Together with a the rest of the crew, they travel to Caer Wyddno to find the mystical well that hides the princes treasures.
Some of the minor characters aren't as well fleshed out and I think that limits the tension and peril felt during the heist.
The heist section felt like it was over a bit too quickly which was a shame as it had some good creepiness and interesting magical booby-traps.
Overall, I liked how the whole story played out and the twist on the myth of the drowned lands.
An enjoyable, fast-paced, fantasy adventure with a great setting and interesting, loveable characters.

Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for giving me a copy of the book in exchange of an honest review.

mer is a powerfull water diviner who was once used by the prince to do something that she will always regret. She teams up witha group of people and they plan a heist to steal from the prince and mayb e end with him.

I loved Mer. She is a really well made character who is both complex yet reliable. During the whole book we see her experience different situations and see how she grows from them. The probelem is, there were people from the group thatjust didnt have any personality. We only caught the smalles glimpse about them at the end and i truly could not feel anything about them. It was a pity seeing as if the author had developed certain characters and their story there could have been really ineteresting discussion and situations and everything would have changed completely. The pacing was odd. At first i thought it was slow and then things that felt like filling happened. The ending felt rushed in a odd way yet i liked the epilogue a lot.

I loved the idea and the setting and atmosphere but it felt like it needed more development.

I wanted to read a Emily Lloyd-Jones's book for a long times and I decide this one would be a great first read.

I'm a huge hight fantasy reader so I really like a strong world building. Here I didn't really get that, There are kingdoms, fea and magic but sadly I find everything a bit a blurred. We don't really get details about the how or why. I think it's my main complain about this book.

Mer is a nice MC, she is a fighter wanting to be free and when her old mentor find her she is the opportunity to find freedom. I like her she is strong and human. You see the layer in her.

About the plot. It was not the most innovative book but it was action pack with a lot of fun and I had a great time. It was fun and quick to read perfect for summer.

This was a huge yes.
I have to admit I wasn't completely satisfied with Lloyd-Jones' previous book, The Bone Houses - it seemed a bit too rush in presenting the characters and the final relationship- so I was a bit sceptical with this. But I'm so glad I read it beacuse I liked it a lot

It's a very interesting reimagining of folklore and mythology, a well organised idea of a heist that later turns out to be something more, and with a good variety of characters and unexpected plot twists
There was a good attention to the details and the story itself, it was clearly a plot driven novel, but at the same time we had a good picture of the main characters - thanks also to the many flashbacks at the beginning of some chapters, which were something that I appreciated a lot (together with the prologue and the epilogue and how they were written, they said a lot in a few pages and help us in getting a clear and vast idea of what happened) - so that we could know them better and understand their relationships with others better

They narration was a bit pompous and with a lot of short sentences, which I'm not a great fun of, but I know it's the writing style of the author so I didn't have a great problem with it. I got carried away soon, and it also helped in putting the reader in the right mood for the story and environment and also slowed down a bit the pace, but not in a bad way: even if it is a not-so-long book it seemed longer and held on to the reader more (even if in some parts it seemed a bit underwhelming- I don't think it is that suitable for climaxes scenes or fighting scenes)(or for describing in a clear way the process of falling in love of the characters)
But I'd still recommend it a lot

As a rather proud Welsh woman, I was really excited to see this fantasy set in Wales and based on so much of the Welsh mythology I grew up with. I'll be honest, I didn't just like this book, I completely loved it, way more than I imagined I would.

Meriden is a Water diviner, she was born with the ability to manipulate water. As a child, she is taken from her family and forced into the service of a Welsh Prince. As an adult, she's on the run from the Prince when her old Spymaster and mentor Renfrew appears in her life, promising her a way out. The pair are joined by a group of others as they attempt a heist that promises riches and an end to the evil Prince. It all seems far too easy.....

God, I was totally hooked by the characters. Mer is so strong, a weapon honed to kill and cause destruction who battles the demons from her past. The heir of the guild of thieves, a scholar of magic and a mysterious spy join her. My favourite was the wonderfully rendered Fane, gentle and kind, but carries the curse of death, though the story was stolen by Trefor the Welsh Corgi!!! I very quickly found myself invested with the characters and their pasts.

This is essentially a fantasy heist story. Characters brought together by greed, a sense of vengeance and a desire to appease the mistakes of history. There's tons of deception, a fairly diverse cast of characters. As someone who has grown up nestled in the hills of North Wales and knew some of the myths and legends the story features I really liked seeing them being brought to life again. Apparently, this story is loosely linked to another by the author called The Bone Houses which is now on my TBR.

I really strong enjoyable quick read. Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an e-arc in return for an honest review.

4.5⭐️
This is a great book, it felt like a badass fairytale.
The story is well paced throughout but the last 25% really had me hooked with it’s twists and turns.
If you want a book with magic, action, laughs, animal sidekicks and found family this is a must read!

The Drowned Woods follows two characters: the last living water diviner named Mererid, on the run from a corrupt prince, and an enchanted man named Fane who used to work for the otherfolk as an ironfetch, and Mer’s ex, a lady thief. Her former teacher and spymaster of the kingdom has turned against the prince they used to work for, and brings Mer back for one last job so they can both be free of the prince forever. Part fairytale, part mythology, part heist job.

I liked the characters, and the plot as well, but everything seemed not very memorable and easy to forget ... in short, nothing really surprising and captivating!
An enjoyable fantasy book, a good romance and normal characters, not excellent but enjoyable and fun.
The thing I liked the most is definitely the Welsh mythology and the fact that there was a Corgi in the book, I love dogs !!!
It is also highly recommended if you want a fantasy book that is not part of a series but remains a standalone.

Thank you Hodder&Stoughton and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was good. Really good. The cast of characters is diverse, interesting, and enchanting. Right away I was invested in Mer and everyone else quickly followed.

This was well paced and exciting and very nuanced. Mer- the main character is multi-faceted and fascinated. She's a complex mix whose motives are clear throughout. Fane was lovely and earnest and I love his storyline throughout the whole novel.

The world-building is great and intriguing and I'd like more in this world. I liked the meld of old Celtic folklore and original magic and mythology.

I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did but I blew through it and absolutely loved it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this in exchange for an honest review.

Heists, Magic, the Other Folk, a heroine and a dog what more could a story need? A slow start but the world building was on point and I could imagine myself there.
My only issue was the ending and how it felt rushed and tied up too nicely.

However, the link to The Bone Houses means I have another book to read.
Thank you #netgalley for the ARC

The Drowned Woods is everything I look for in YA fantasy and then some.

The world was great. It felt vast and, considering this is a standalone, the amount of detail, history, and politics was amazing. The magic was really well explained and I loved how rooted everything was in Welsh mythology. This isn’t super heavy fantasy, and I think that was the perfect choice for a standalone.

I loved the characters. Mer and Fane had my heart as soon as they were introduced (though no one comes close to Trefor, of course.) Their friendship felt very natural and it was really refreshing to read about a couple that didn’t jump straight to romance. I really liked Ifanna and Renfrew too and I feel like the author did a great job of making me care even for the side characters.

The pacing was absolutely spot on. There was the perfect blend of world-building to action and the last 20% put me through about a million emotions. The ending might be one of my favorite YA fantasy endings.

I was already intrigued by The Bone Houses but I’ll definitely be picking it up now. This is officially my favorite YA book of the year and I’m so excited to read more from Emily Lloyd-Jones.

Content warnings: Violence, slavery, death, war, grief, poisoning, death of an infant, mass murder/genocide, branding, fire. The dog survives :)

⭐⭐⭐.5
(I did promise harsh)

What I loved about the drowned woods was the gorgeous inspired setting, which I'm fairly sure is Scottish inspired / based given the names of a few dishes I recognised! The descriptions of gorgeous villages and castles was wonderful - as was the casual bi rep which was simply excellent. The main character, Mer, is easy to like and to feel kinship enough to follow her story. (As is the corgi / spy!).

This is definately a YA book. That's not a criticism, it's simply a fact! The story moved along at a brisk pace, introducing new characters and events as fast as a bookworm buys new releases. On the whole, though I don't think the pacing did anything to take away from the story, it simply wasn't quite for me. I found my mind drifting in the beginning, as I struggled to latch on to the extra detail I crave. All of the characters are interesting and creative themselves, but I simply felt I didn't have the time to fall in love with them in the way I would have liked. This meant rather than enjoying the drama, I felt I was more picking over repeating metaphors (sharpened into a weapon was, I feel, overused) instead of mourning the childhood mer could have had if she's wasn't used as the prince's tool. This was what inevitably dropped my rating from four to three point five.

Despite my wandering brain, I did really enjoy certain scenes involving mythical monsters, and some of the banter between characters - and, as I said, the setting was simply perfect for the story. It's definately worth a read!

Though I might not pick up The Bone Houses soon as I thought I would want to, I do think this was an imaginative and fun read, full of lovable characters. I only wish I were able to find it before I started to move away from YA. Or perhaps, I wish I'd picked it up when I wasn't in the mood for something a little more detailed!

This book was actually a surprisingly short read.

we follow a heist with a group of characters set in a Welsh-inspired land with a magic system based on elements and power. Our main character Mer is a water diviner- the last to exist- and she has escaped her role as an assassin for the prince. We also follow another POV from Fane, who is an ironfetch. He’s got an interesting power- whoever he fights, dies. And then we have three other characters on this adventure to an ancient well to save the land.

I absolutely adored the writing. It was rich, immersive and I felt every word of it. The world was truly very intriguing. I liked how the power system was portrayed throughout the story. Mer is a very strong character. She is fierce and clever. Her quick thinking saves the others multiple times. I did expect a more heavy romance between Mer and Fane, but I’m glad it was sort of a slow burn. Fane is one of those quiet, lurking in the background characters. He doesn’t get as close to anyone because he’s afraid to hurt them, but with Mer he takes a risk.

The atmosphere of this book is definitely what kept me reading. I did want to stop reading multiple times, but I really liked the character-driven story and I wanted to know what happened to these characters. My expectations weren’t too high, but I still enjoyed this story. It is definitely a book to read when you want a slow-paced adventure with a memorable cast of characters, a magical corgi, and filled with tragic pasts and actions. The twists near the end were really surprising. I wish the world had been expanded so we got to know more about the ‘otherfolk’ with magic, and about Mer’s past as an assassin for the prince. But as a standalone, this stands very well on its own.

Overall, an atmospheric read full of lush descriptions and great banter sprinkled in. I really liked the last quarter and the epilogue. I would recommend!

This book was shocking.

The prolog was intriguing, apparently the MC has the ability to control water, and everyone would want to have a control of her because of her ability. One day she was picked by the prince's spymaster from her house, and then they cared for each other since.

I had troubles to get into the narrative. The writing was too hard and heavy to my liking. Not to mention the difficult names and unfamiliar terms. See, I've had zero knowledge about Welsh myth and I'm not the kind of reader who immediately browsing anything I don't understand. So throughout the story I just tried to feel about the magic system and skipped it when I had no idea about that. A glossary would be helpful but this book is lacking of it too.

To be honest I was going to give it 2 or 3 stars BUT apparently it DID get better, all the twists came at once and it felt a little bit overwhelming, but the conclusion was perfectly put. The last few pages made me cry but it was a good cry so at the end I decided to give it 3,75 stars rounded up. A good debut indeed, can't wait to see what Emily will bring next!

I love when stories are narrated as if they were fairytales and especially the prologue and the epilogue gave me this feeling.
The plot is full of betrayals and plot twists that kept me hooked up and I almost read it in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down. It definitely convinced me I want to read the Bone Houses very soon.
Mer has a rare power that has been exploited by men to do evil without her knowing, still she feels responsible. She does what she has to survive but she remains quite noble and stick to her morals and that’s what I appreciated about her.
At the beginning the crew and the sort of heist they must accomplish gave me Six of Crows vibes.

thank you netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. i really enjoyed this book; it was not perfect by any means, but it was an enjoyable book, and i really liked the characters and how the plot developed, all leading up to that ending. taking all of this into consideration, i am going to give the book 4/5 stars because i really did have a great time reading it.

Mer is a water diviner. She has the power to control water. Since escaping from the Prince who wanted to use her for her powers Mer has been keeping her head down in taverns and working small jobs. Until Renfrew comes to find her, the princes spymaster, and man who pretty much raised Mer. He has deserted the Prince and has a proposition for her. Help him to find a magical well, that holds a multitude of treasures, and she can keep some treasure and run, never having to worry about the prince again. A magical heist, with plenty of twists and turns throughout.

So this book for me was alright but it had the potential to be amazing. The story was slow to start, and written in third person. Third person writing for me, just isnt my favourite in any book. I struggle to form the attachments to characters, and therefore struggle to get involved with the story.

The basic plot of this book, i loved! A magical heist for treasure, even though some of the twists were a bit obvious it didn’t take away from them. Mer is a queer main character, who we see involved with both males and females and two female characters married to one another so there is great LGBTQ+ representation in the book which we love to see!

The last 100/150 pages were the best part of the story, I flew through them much faster than I did any other part of the book. And Trefor the dog is amazing and I love him!

A dark, magical tale based on Welsh folklore. Enjoyable read!