This was such an enjoyable read, a fantasy heist inspired by Cantre'r Gwaelod, or the "Welsh Atlantis."

There is a small sort-of crew of six in the book, all with their own secrets and haunted pasts. I say "sort of" as the book only focuses on four of them (three of whom are POV narrators.) Mer has the most page time by quite a way, followed by Fain (?sp - sorry can't find the spelling online anywhere!) who is an Iron-Fetch, a young man who works for the Other Folk to remove iron from their lands in exchange for magic that can kill. The last POV is Ivana (?sp), Mer's ex-lover and princess of thieves.

I liked that we didn't focus on the whole group, but rather this core trio. We got to see the others through their eyes and spend more time on their pasts and how it haunted them. It's why I'd say this is a "sort-of heist" rather than a heist book - the focus of the book is not the mission to steal from the well, but rather these characters working out how to come to terms with what they've done and how to become the people they want to be.

Plus having more than one POV worked very well for the ending where they were split up trying to deal with the heist fall-out. I think the ending was what made this book work so well for me, the way it really challenged the characters and forced them to reckon with their past bargains and work out who they'd be up against the wall.

The narrator, Moira Quirk, was great - bringing the pacing the life with varying narration speeds, and also all the Welsh accents too. I was listening to this right around when I was very distracted (heat! so many chores! deadlines!) but I was still sucked in every time, despite it being a set of circumstances that should have made listening hard, and I attribute it to the narrator bringing it so vividly to life.

This is apparently set in the same world as the author's previous book, which doesn't currently have a UK publication. Hopefully this does well enough that the publisher for this book picks up the other book as I want to read it now!

The story sounded like an absolutely beautiful and fanciful tale that would take my breath away like the leaves on the wind in autumn. Unfortunately this was not the case and I really did struggle to get into the story. The character I just did not connect with and her attitude towards everything and the story itself just wasn’t for me.

*3,5 stars*

The Drowned Woods is a retelling of the Welsh myth of Cantre’r Gwaelod. We follow Mer, who has been running from the prince who wants to use her magic as a water diviner to kill thousands of people. Her old mentor and royal spymaster recruits her for a mission to topple the prince’s kingdom, with the help of Fane, a fae-touched human.

This concept kept me hooked from the start. The characters were intriguing, the Welsh setting was magical and the magic system was interesting to me, although all of the above I would have loved to see more development of. Maybe this is because this is the first book in this universe I’ve read, I don’t know, but the world and especially the magic system did not seem very well-developed to me, which is too bad.

My biggest problem with this book was the pacing. In the middle part it slowed down a lot and the ending was incredibly rushed. The epilogue was cute, but I didn’t really appreciate it because I was confused by the many things that happened so quickly in the span of like 20 pages. In the end I just wanted more from everything in this book, but I did still enjoy reading it. I think I need to read the Bone Houses now.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with this audiobook!

I binge listened in one sitting and thoroughly enjoyed it!

What a great audiobook, the narrator does a brilliant job here. The dialect really adds to the experience and there is good differentiation between character voices and each is engaging to listen to and easy to identify. There are even some sound effects and some atmospheric music to introduce new parts to the story, this really made for an immersive experience.

The plot is pretty non stop, if you love a heist and magical characters you will love this book. It's got twists and turns and the ending really is gripping and full of surprises. I feel like the author does a great job of moving the story on quickly enough to hold attention and understanding and not so quick that you get lost in an unnecessary battle or fight scene you didn't see coming at all which I find can often happen in YA plots. Each scene builds layers and makes you think about each character more and more.

As with other heist based books, the characters are quite varied and individual and the author does a great job of character building and development in this book, their experiences shape who they are and the decisions they make towards the story line lending to a fulfilling end.

The world is an interesting one but you may need to use some imagination to fill in the gaps here, if like me you enjoy a rich world for your fantasy reads. I enjoy world building possibly more than others though, so I would suggest that the level of detail is perfect for its intended young adult audience.

If you love characters, for better or worse and enjoy a plot twist or foreshadowing this could be a great experience for you too.

Massive thank you as always to Hodder and Stoughton who continue to approve me for their fantastic books, that I love to read and review, to NetGalley for allowing that to happen and to author Emily Lloyd-Jones for allowing me into your world.

4.5⭐️

First, thank you to NetGalley and Hatchette Audio for providing me ARC, however all opinions are my own.


This book would’ve been a solid 3 stars, until the end. Well paced. I loved each character (even if they had limited amounts of time, or virtually none in the story)

To lament on the characters, each were well fleshed out! I loved reading about Mer and her merry band (even if not hers). The chemistry between her and Feign was so cute, but this book is by no means a romance, but a very well written subplot.

I received the audio ARC, where Moira Quirks narration really shined. The flow of the story was.. no words honestly. That’s how amazing (for lack of a better word) it was

Writing was well paced, worldbuilding was well done & complete, and I think this served as a wonderful introduction to Welsh literature. I loved the various twists, and every bit of the story was fleshed out and well written.

This certainly won’t be my first Emily Lloyd-Jones book, and I’m excited to read (or listen) to more of her writing.

Such an addictive and lighthearted read. I binged this in one sitting!

I absolutely loved the characters, they were so well written and I was so invested in Mers journey from start to finish.

Would recommend to all fantasy lovers

I received an audio ARC from the publishers through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. It has not affected my opinions.

It's an interesting story, but I felt bored through out the story. And lost the interest in listening to the audiobook.
But I do belive some would love this story. But it was not a match to me.

I listen to the audiobook at speed 2.0, and the narrator did a good job.

But the fact I felt bored had an impact on my rating of this book.

Thank you so so much for giving me the opportunity to listen to this audiobook. I very much enjoyed the listening experience. And yes this means I liked the story very much.

The way I feel after this book... Dang.
Listen if you are a fan of fairytales, magic and heists- READ THIS.
It is a read infused with Welsh folklore and magic and loveable characters.
The reason this isn't a 5 star is because the world building seemed a bit lackluster HOWEVER it may just be because the plot took centre stage. The narrator did an excellent job at making me feel things because I... I was almost on the verge of bloody tears at one point.😭
On to more positives, it's like a dark fairytale with love, friends and a plot twist I must admit I didn't see coming (I'm hurting Emily Lloyd you did this to me😭).
Also I kind of just felt this book packed a punch at the start and end. The middle was a bit less exciting but I'm not too bothered because I still enjoyed it.
Overall I loved this book and I loved the narrator!

An Atlantis-esque Welsh-legend inspired  retelling with magic, thieves and a heist? Yes please!

"It was that day the girl learned that water could save a life- or take it."

Mer is a powerful water diviner. Taken as a child and raised in the Princes household, he uses her powers for his own gain until she eventually escapes. Living on the run all Mer longs for is freedom. When the Princes ex-spymaster tracks her down and offers her a shot at the one thing she longs for, they team up to take down the man whose ruled their lives.
 I thought this was a fab story. I really enjoyed the mini- story teller like insight we got to each of the main protagonists, setting up  bit of their backgrounds and legends before we got their first POV chapters. I felt these really added to the depth of the story and I enjoyed how they made the story flow.

"Mer was a woman born with magic. And he was a man who had traded seven years of his life for it. Perhaps between the two of them, they could do the impossible."
I thought the magic system and the idea of some humans being "other-touched" was a really interesting concept, and love how ELJ wove this into a beautiful story steeped in Welsh legends and world building. 
I loved the beginning and the end, but found it did slow down and plateau slightly in the middle. I would honestly say the saving grace was the narrator- I absolutely adored the accents and personality she instilled into each character and found myself unable to stop listening.

I enjoyed the plot and characters and found this a fun YA fantasy. I've never read anything by this author before but this has definitely made me want to try out more books by her! Personally, I would have like a tad more romance, but I understand this was not the focus of the book. Kudos for the LGBTQ+ rep though 👌

Thankyou to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of this book. Emily Lloyd-Jones is an author where i will buy anything that she releases and her latest installment did not disappoint. i loved the characters, the plot was unexpected but i liked all the twists and turns and the way that everything was wrapped up.

I was so excited to receive an advanced copy, and it didn't fall short of expectations. Emily Lloyd-Jones has a talent for building a world which you can dive into, you can visualise the scenes with her detailed descriptions. The narrator was also excellent, her accent and pronunciations were spot on.
The story itself was a beautiful, well paced enjoyment, I am looking forward to future books by this author.

Sadly, this story fell flat for me. I was very intrigued with the opening of the story, but unfortunately, it only went downhill for me. I didn’t feel any connection with any of the characters, and thus I found it hard to care about their story and their journeys. The plot line of the story started off good, but I just did not feel like it had anything particular that had me gripped to the story. I don’t really like prolonging a negative review since I don’t have anything particularly good to say, however I do recommend the audiobook to those who love listening to audiobooks. The narrator really brought out the magical aspect of the story.

Huge thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for the eArc!

Magic, Welsh mythology, diviners and a motley crew planning a heist? Yes please. I loved the characters in this, and the story as a whole was enticing and entertaining.

I loved all the Welsh mythology and the plot was a steady runner. It was one of those that draws you in and keeps you going by offering twists and turns and you just have to keep reading to find out what’s going to happen. It hooked me instantly and it was a fab world to set a book in.

Oh and Trevor. Great addition to the character cast and I want him! The cutest little dog companion! Any book with a little furry friend gets an extra thumbs up from me.

The writing was amazing and effortless to get into as well. I’ve never read anything from this author before but I definitely want to read more now!

3.75⭐️

I had the audiobook version of this YA fantasy based in Wales which is a perfect setting with all its myths and legends.
Narrated by Moira Quirk her accent and pronunciation of the Welsh names was excellent, she put so much feeling into the narration. It was excellently acted.

The story is based upon the myth of Cantre ‘r Gwaelod. It really feels like the setting is historical reinforced with some of the language used. The world was created in the previous book called the Bone Houses, I didn’t realise that this was a part of a series.

Mer is the last water diviner in the kingdom, she had escaped the Prince when she realised how he had been using her powers. When she hears that she is the last surviving water diviner she knows she has to hide as her powers will be at a premium and they won’t stop hunting her.
A band of unlikely people come together for a quest, they sounded a bit little Robin Hoods band of merry men, without the male stereotypes. One of them is Fane who provides the love interest for Mer. There’s even a corgi, who was a loveable scamp. No idea why a corgi when Wales is teeming with sheepdogs (collies)
There’s a bit of a character arc with redemption as a theme.
The plot is ok, I thought that the beginning and the end were the strongest. The prologue very much had the feel of a fairy tale. The narrator kept the interest going during in the mid section.
I enjoy some YA but genre not a fantasy fan, but the audio sample and the narrator really grabbed me.
I enjoyed this for a light easy read, I enjoyed the ending.

This was neither great nor awful. Quite middle of the road. I did enjoy the narration and the Welsh accent was done great with no exaggerated twang. The story however was just OK.