I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I was apprehensive about this, as it sounded (and is) very Welsh, but is written by an American. Well, whatever magic Lloyd-Jones employed to do this worked! It is stunningly atmospheric and beautiful.

We all know I love a heist novel, and this is no different. With fantastic magic systems and a watery theme, this felt so Nikki-coded! It's also not really what I expected, in the best way. The writing is so beautiful. I will definitely be re-reading this in the future which is basically the best recommendation I can give a book.

4.5 stars.

Sadly I can't finish the audiobook, I swapped my phone and the netgalley app didn't keep the download.
Based on how far I got and the sypnosis I think my rating is correct. I do have a physical copy of the book so I will update the review upon finishing this.

While I absolutely enjoyed this to bits I wouldn’t call it a straight up fantasy. It falls into the same category as I give to an enchantment of ravens which I suppose is almost cosy fantasy but not. I think the main issue in trying to view it as just a fantasy is that the plot is quite small. It’s not a big epic quest per se, it’s quite straightforward and doesn’t have the more in-depth look I would expect from a fantasy novel.
However, I love this particular brand of fantasy.
The use of Welsh folklore made me very happy as a Welsh person myself 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 and to find out the author is American was surprising. Given the authors name I would assume they are Welsh by birth and grew up in America. You can’t get more Welsh a surname than Lloyd-Jones, but it’s still nice. Usually I can spot an American writing Celtic folklore 8 miles away wearing a hi-vis vest and crying because it’s raining.

The main characters are likeable, the plot is tight, and the main character’s sexuality is never in question as being bisexual. The former love interest never gets jealous - neither of them do, and they’re focusing on the important tasks in front of them and not romance. The main character is straightforward and enjoyable to read, and honestly I loved her.

The other lead is interesting and I enjoyed his pov even if it would be mostly redundant if he talked more. I find the romance a little contrived and the plot twists were well actually not a shock. But one of them was - this isn’t usually the case for me so either bad plotting or I wasn’t at my best haha. Or just an actual shock for once.
I enjoyed it, I’d read more of their work, but I feel this would have been perhaps a more fleshed out duology? I do feel it lacked some depth but I appreciate a book that doesn’t make itself a trilogy for no reason.

Loved the book! If I had to describe it in terms of comparisons, I'd say it's The Folk of the Air x Six of Crows. These happen to be two of my favourite series of all time. So of course it'd be my recommendation. There were a lot of twists and turns to keep you guessing and keep you entertained. The romance isn't in the foreground, like in the comps I mentioned before. But it's subtly worked in.

All that said, it was an entertaining read. And who can say no to corgis!

Narrator was easy to listen to, never found myself getting annoyed or wondering when this will end like I get with some audiobooks. She really made the story come to life, I was seriously impressed that there was even sound effects!

The story is absolutely breath-taking and fresh, a perfect YA.
Enchanting fantasy, sapphic characters with all the twists of betrayal, heisting and enticing magic in the mix, it made for a perfect dark fairytale. I frieken loved the corgi. My soul!

If you enjoy heist books, dark fairytale fantasy and fae, with the mix of water magic- this book is for you.

This is a really well written young adult dark fantasy story. It’s a one off but if you have read the book “The Bone Houses” you may recognize the world it’s built in since it’s the same world as that. You’ll get all new characters though as they embark on a dark fairy tale heist quest.
The kingdoms of Wales were once rife with magic and fighting. Eighteen year old Merid, or Mer, knows both all too well. You see, she is the last living water diviner and she has spent many years fleeing and hiding from the prince who bound her into his service. The prince demanded that she locate the wells of all his enemies and then he poisoned them all without her knowing. This caused hundreds of deaths and when Mer figured out what he had done she disappeared from his reach. One day, however, her old handler comes back into her life with a proposition: use her powers in order to bring down that very prince who abused them both,
In order to do that, the magical well that keeps the prince’s lands must be destroyed. The two gather a crew of allies. This group includes the lady of thieves, a fae-cursed young man, and corgi that just may be a bit of a spy. Mer may finally be able to really get freedom and peace for herself. She is determined, along with the others, to take down the kingdom.
This book is really good. It has a lot of the themes that you find in books in the same or similar genres but it does stand out. It’s one of my favorite YA heist fantasies of the year. I definitely recommend this book if this is in a category you are fond of.
If you get the chance to listen to the audio of this, it is fantastic. The narrator is brilliant with the story and every so often there are sound effects that build the suspense at the time (ex, a heart beat, horse running, things like that). I definitely recommend the audio as well.

I liked the idea and premise of this book. I enjoyed the magical and adventure aspect but I didn’t feel any connection to any of the characters. I don’t feel like I was invested in any of the characters which made it difficult to get into the story properly.

The synopsis alone drew me in. I loved the welsh folklore, but also the audiobook honoured that by having a narrator with a welsh accent.

It was until i released its based on the forest of a welsh coast that the book gets its name (i know a bit slow).

I really enjoyed the characters, how they become a crew to achieve a mission, but also to try and stop a king who poisons any opposition/enemy wells, affecting all who drink the water. The mix of magic, fae, humans and then through in threats, fights, deception. I didnt want to put the book/audiobook down, as i wanted to know where the journey would go.

I can't wait to read the bone houses. As there is a connection.

This book hugely appealled to me. I am a massive fan of YA fantasy novels that incorporates animal companions and this one did not dissapoint. Prior to reading The Drowned Woods I had heard nothing but good things about the author, I have her previous book The Bone Houses on my shelf unread, however, I will rectify this very soon.

The Drowned Woods is a unique story that blends Welsh legends with fairytale magic and leads you on an adventure you wont forget anytime soon. I LOVE Trefor the Corgi so much, that I would advise reading for him alone.

ENJOY!

An interesting title but... which I didn't manage to follow...
I'll have to read it again when I'm in the mood to enjoy it because I think I could enjoy it a lot!

This audiobook was amazing! I loved the narrator and felt fully emmersed in the story! I could not stop listening

I came for the heist and the Welsh folktales, but I stayed for the Corgi. That's it, full stop. Trefor has my whole heart. His little sneezes stole my breathe....I could go on!!!

Many thanks to Netgalley, Hodder & Stoughton Audio and the author, for the ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The story follows Mer, a water diviner, who was in the service of the prince of the land who is now on the run and a refugee. She is tracked down by her mentor who wants her to join him in one last heist before going into hiding again. Mer who unknowingly became a villain leading to the death of hundreds of people at the hands of the prince, sees this as her redeeming arc to make it up to her kingdom as this heist will result in bringing down the tyrant of a prince who branded her a criminal to the people for life. Mer and her mentor Renfrew assembles a crazy crew consisting of a body guard able to do fairy magic who is on his own mission, a historian, a miner, a thief (the princess of thieves might I add, who has a past with Mer) and one cute ass Corgi, Did I say it enough....A corgi...who can sniff magic...called Trefor. As they navigate the streams of betrayal, loyalty, love, hate, war, magic, trauma and earth shattering calamity, Mer might find solace after all.

This book did hold my attention from the very beginning, but kind of lost me somewhere along the middle. But when sh*t began to go down, I am not ashamed to say, I was worried only about Trefor, my immortal good boi! The prose is beautiful and I adored the descriptions, yet it felt too stretched for my liking. The book promises folktales, a heist, found family, betrayal, and welsh folktales. It does keep some of the promises. The twists at the end was good enough for me not to regret keeping on reading the book. The narrator did a great job and was very soothing and perfect for the vibe and atmosphere of the story.

An enjoyable book about a water diviner and an iron fetch, with a corgi as sidekick :)
The magic system was well thought out and I enjoyed the mythology that was used.

First of all, the narrator for this was absolutely excellent! I loved their voice, it was so soothing to listen to and they did a wonderful job at narrating the story and keeping you listening.

All I knew about The Drowned Woods going into it was that it involved Welsh legends (which I'm always here for) and fairy tale vibes, what I wasn't expecting was the mash-up of said fairy tale vibes with a heist and adventure! I was hooked in by the prologue and full of anticipation because it set things up beautifully, not to mention I absolutely lived for all of the lore throughout the book.

I loved Mer, she had super cool water powers and was such a lovely, strong character and didn't let the things from her past keep her down. As for Fane, he has interesting powers as well and he was a sweetheart! I loved the chemistry between them, they each had baggage from their pasts but they were sweet together. As for other characters, despite what she did I found it hard to dislike Ifanna but perhaps my favourite character was the doggo. Was he out of place? Perhaps, but he brought me a lot of joy so who cares.

Now, while there's some good world building, intriguing lore and brilliant plot twists, I did find myself a little underwhelmed with this book. I found my interesting waning part way through and if I hadn't been listening to the audio version, then I might have DNF'd or at least struggled to make it through, much as I liked the characters they weren't quite interesting enough to push through the pacing issues I found with this but fortunately the narrator more than made up for it.

I feel like the beginning and the end of the book were strongly written but things dipped in the middle, however it has pretty good vibes for the most part and there's some LGBTQ+ rep as well as the fact it's not really too complicated and is an easy enough read!

Thank you netgalley and publishers for giving me an audio book of this to listen to.

Overall the story is enjoyable and fast paced. However for the start it's very slow for myself and takes a little bit to kick off.

The writing and overall chapter length is very good and relaxing to read. It's also a book that's easy to put down and pick up again without a struggle.

I also really enjoyed the characters, one of them being being a corgi called Trevor. Who has a bit of a thing for pinching boots.

Mererid (Mer) is a nice throughout character who is sensible but can be head strong at times.

Fane another main character also had an enjoyable arc that made him a very enjoyable character also.

If you’re thinking of reading this book, DO IT.
I’ve listened to the audiobook and I enjoyed it deeply.

The story starts with a quest and while this is unfolding, we get to know who the characters are, what was their past and what draws them together.

The plot is a tale of magic and fae and the survival of the worlds. The narrator was very good and the plot kept me interested throughout the book. The characters were well developed, wholesome and had depth.

I was pleasantly surprised and I definitely recommend giving it a go!

I was sceptical at first. The synopsis sounded promising, but the beginning seemed a bit slow and without direction. Actually, the whole book seemed bit out of focus, if it makes sense. Yes, we saw the quest and knew the goal, however, felt like there should be more.

At first, just after I finished it, I gave this book 5 ⭐️, but after longer time I realised I barely can remember anything from the story. Which means it's not the most memorable story, so one star just had to go.

However, I liked Mer's character and truly enjoyed her growing. Often, I could relate to her as well, especially in this quote:
"She never been brave, but she always been angry"

Few other details I loved: the sound affects in the cave (in the audiobook), how they judge a person by the way they treat a dog, the potential two endings (I would have been happy with either). Book was similar type as "Six of Crows": illegal quest, very diverse crew for it, things going off rail. It just had more fairytale feeling to it.

Odd thing, we never saw the main villain actually acting like a villain. We were told about his acts, but that didn't created the tension the book needed.

Overall, I did enjoyed the story, but won't be coming back to reread.

Review of the format:

When I listened to the sample of this audiobook, I really liked the whispery dramatic voice of the narrator as she read the opening lines it felt like a 'Once Upon a Time' moment. But once I got further into the story, I didn't like it so much. The slightly hesitant dramatic narration started to jar, and none of the characters sounded how I thought they would. Mer sounded too young at times, and forgettable at others, Renfrew - I know he's described as the 'old spymaster' but I took that as coming from Mer's perspective, so as much more experienced than her, maybe late 40s or something? But the narrator made him sound like he was at death's door! He spoke extremely slowly, and raspy, in the way that actors often sound when they emparting they're dying wish in a dramatic film, whereas to go on an adventure such as this, and plot, and spy, and travel, and dodge traps, I pictured him as being still strong and active. Fane is randomly Yorkshire, the only character with a markedly different accent, though it does stray into sounding a bit London-based at times, I don't know they just didn't sit right with me.

There was also a bit too much melodrama so it felt like the narrator was reading a children's book, the action sequences had to be read fast with urgency, and when Mer sighed, or was thoughtful, the narration was deliberately slow and quiet. I know that is valid, action sequences should seem fast paced, but I think the narration over-emphasised this, for my tastes.

Anyway, here's my review of the story itself - copied from my review of the digital copy:
A great adventure: magic, a quest/heist, a main character both hunted for, and wanted for her power, twists, turns, all rooted in Welsh mythology and folklore - loved it!

I have not read any of Emily Lloyd-Jones' books before, but I will definitely look out for more now.
This is one of my favourite books of the year, I was so pleased that this lives up to it's beautiful cover, after reading an e-arc of this (thank you Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton), I bought the hardback edition, and smile to see it on my shelves.

It was nice to read a standalone novel, I think this might take place in a world seen in other books, but I did not notice any references to any other works, so my reading experience was not hindered at all by not being familiar with Emily's previous works. I don't know if any of the characters' stories will be told further in future work, but this does not deliberately set up a sequel, it is a complete story in itself.

The main character, Mer, is a water diviner, she can manipulate water with magic, and she is living in hiding from a cruel prince who hunts her for her power, wanting to use her to dominate neighbouring kingdoms. But her running days are limited, she is branded, and there are only so many places she can run, so when her old spymaster comes to her proposing that they bring down the prince that they both once served, she feels she cannot refuse. What follows is a fast-paced heist, a journey filled with traps - both magical and the pitfalls that come with trusting the wrong people.

I really loved all of the characters in this story, though, like the legends and folk tales they are based on, the story, rather than character building, is the main focus here. Sometimes it was frustrating that, despite all that Mer had been through, she had not seemed to learn from previous mistakes, she sometimes seemed younger than I think her age really was (though I can't remember exactly how old that is right now), but as the story moved along so quickly, I did not really dwell on that and enjoyed the story for what it was.

Having grown up with the stories of Alan Garner, like the Owl Service, that were also based on Welsh myth and legend, this felt like nostalgic familiar territory, but with more current values, including some LGBTQ rep, (a small element of lesbian/bi romance which, for me, fit really naturally into the story, and was an important part of the character's growth and motivation, so didn't just feel like a token mention).

The element of romance towards the end was a light touch, so much so that I'm not sure it was really necessary, but it was nice that it didn't define the story, or the decisions made at the climax of the adventure. As the romance is not a main focus, and is just a hint, this would also suit advanced Middle Grade readers and would be a great transition book from Middle Grade to YA.

Full review will be posted soonish and I'll add links to blog as well.

I would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed spending my evenings with this enchanted story.

✨Genre: #YAFantasy #Retelling #Romance

📚: 1/1

I really enjoyed it, despite all the downfall aspects of this book.

First of all I'm a huge fan of Avatar, and the story of #TheDrownedWoods starts with the last water diviner.

Actually main character "Mer" is likable, she is a water diviner, princess puppet and a thief.

There is a side character who is a CORGI. This on its own deserves an extra cookie.

A lot of water magic, that's the part that I liked the most. Because importantly author does not forget that water is everywhere and it turns out to be an interesting spectacle. As well as iron magic and little forest folks, who aren't that cute...

The actual story is fairly bland, there aren't any moments that would make you intrigued, curious, increase heart palpitations, however it's nevertheless enchanting. Some parts are very predictable, but then again, not all the books should be super complicated.

I believe author based this story inspired by the old folk/bard tales and I guess it's one of those easy, relaxing reads for the Autumn nights.

I've rated the book 3/5.
Audio narration: 5/5. I really enjoyed it.