This was SO much fun. I quickly came to love these characters, especially Trefor, and after getting to the end and somewhat freaking out about how it connects to Lloyd-Jones' other work, I had a great time.

This is a Welsh inspired heist story following Mer, a water diviner and her ragtag group of miscreants. This includes her ex-girlfriend a Thieve's Guild leader, the man who basically raised her but works for the prince as a spy-master, a fae-blessed young man with a cute corgi, and more.

After loving <i>The Bone Houses</i> I was even more intrigued to receive an early copy of this for review. Anything to do with water/the ocean always strikes a chord with me because it's what I studied in college, and I've always felt most at home in the ocean.

I loved how we went about getting the crew together, the heist was compelling, I enjoyed the setting, and the main characters were so much fun to read about. They were all connected and I enjoyed watching them have to work together and not knowing who they could trust.

The epilogue was the final nail in the coffin for me. I was waiting the whole time for where the connection would be, and as time went on I was worried I'd just missed it somehow. Now I am desperate to read even more Welsh-inspired tales because I am super intrigued after reading this one.

I will definitely be picking up what ELJ publishes in the future, she becoming an auto-buy author for me.
A huge thank you to Netgalely for the e-ARC! Can't wait to get my finish copy.

“Mer had been raised not as a child, but as a weapon. As something to be sharpened and honed and then turned against the prince's enemies. She was a diviner trained to spy, to kill, to slip behind enemy lines.
She could have brought kingdoms to their knees.
Maybe she would yet.”

All you had to tell me is that it’s “part heist novel, part dark fairy tale” and I’ll come running. And let me tell you, this did not disappoint whatsoever! The Drowned Woods is a lush fantasy mixed in with betrayals, secrets, heists, magic and just a little bit of Welsh mythology. Give me more!

“In the end, it was not bravery that saved her. It was sheer stubbornness.
People wanted her dead.
And in her contrary heart, that made her want to live.”

I loved the characters! Mer and Fane were great together and I loved the subtle dynamic between them. Ifanna added a little bit of danger to the mix and who wouldn’t love Trefor, our adorable sidekick corgi who steals boots for fun? The plot kept a steady pace and we weren’t bogged down with info- dumping at all. I did wish we got to see some more background for the characters, but we got to see some which allowed for a connection to the characters to form, although it wasn’t as strong as I would have wanted. Despite that, I loved the characters and how complex and different they all were.

“The tragedy of death was distance. Death cleaved the world in two, leaving the living and the dead standing on either side of some impassable chasm.”

The Drowned Woods is a perfect dark fantasy and I had a great time reading this! While this is set in the same world as the The Bone Houses you do not need to read that first to understand The Drowned Woods.

"Treacherous sea caves," she said. "Potential magical traps. And the chief of all boars guarding the Well." She folded her hands beneath her chin, leaning on them indolently. "And here I thought this might prove difficult.”

I enjoyed this book, and liked most of the characters, but felt while reading that something was missing. The characters were likable but there wasn't any point in the story where I felt like I would die for them. I was bored a few times while reading too. However, even though this gets only three stars, I still enjoyed it and would recommend it to people who love Welsh fairytales.

This book has everything: someone who looks like a cinnamon roll but would kill you, someone who looks like they would kill you but is a cinnamon roll, a be-gay-do crimes gal with a heart of gold, and a corgi who may or may not be a secret spy. Add in Welsh mythology, casual queer rep, a heist, and high stakes, and there’s almost no way it could get better.

Did I mention the corgi? Trefor has my whole heart.

As the last water diviner in Gwaelod, Mer has spent most of her life in service to the cruel Prince Garanhir. When she finally escapes his hold, she’s not about to turn back- even if she can’t run far enough from the memories of the atrocities in which she was complicit.
However, her life on the run is upended when a figure from her past returns with an offer she can’t resist- use her power to aid in one magical heist and deal a devastating blow to the man who held her captive for so long. To succeed, she must decide if she can trust Fane, a quiet man with a deadly curse, and work once again beside Ifanna, the heir to thieves’ guild with whom she has a messy history. But if she succeeds, she can have her revenge- and her freedom.

Apparently some people are mad about the queer rep in this book and those people are thoroughly silly. Ifanna has two moms, Mer is bi, and Ifanna herself is also queer. Everything is casual and just presented as part of the story in the same way as straight characters are and it was just so lovely. Having to pull off a heist with your ex is a dynamic I didn’t know I needed and I really related to the dynamic of broken first love between Mer and Ifanna. Mer’s dynamic with Fane was also very sweet and I enjoyed the level of maturity in the relationships between the main trio. I also loved how this story deals with grappling with trauma- it’s not something characters move past, but rather something they learn to carry without letting their traumatic experiences control the path they set into their future.

Everything about this book worked for me- the pacing, the twists, the themes, Trefor the corgi. Highly recommend and I can’t wait to read the Bone Houses!

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review; all opinions expressed above are my own.

I had previously read Emily Lloyd-Jones' The Bone Houses and absolutely fell in love with their writing style! The Drowned Woods did not disappoint, it had a bit of a Six of Crows feel but with a twist that kept me thoroughly captivated throughout the entire novel! It had a bit of an angsty feel, which I really enjoyed! Would highly recommend!

This book was a solid 4.5 stars but I am going to round up to 5 because of the beautiful language. I have always been interested in Welsh mythology due to my ancestry and this book did not disappoint. I loved the world-building, characters and the overall heist vibe that the book had. I went into reading this book with no expectations and I came out of it impressed and with a desire to immediately buy and read all of Emily Lloyd-Jones’ other books. I’m big on romance and the one in this book was so sweet that I would have loved a little more of it. However, while I was reading, I didn’t even notice it was missing. In conclusion, I loved this book and I look forward to reading many more by this author. I recommend it to anyone who likes heists, Welsh lore, and a cast of unique characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was granted an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!

This is a lovely reimagining of the Welsh myth of Cantre’r Gwaelod. I’m glad I was unaware of the tale prior to reading because I wasn’t sure what to expect. Mer, the last water diviner, teams up with her former spymaster, a man gifted by the otherfolk, a corgi named Trefor, a thief, a scholar, and a soldier in search of a way to dismantle the reign of a corrupt prince. The story itself seemed really self-aware with characters commenting on the simplicity of some of the action and would often say the very thing I was thinking while reading. I found the writing itself very lyrical without being flowery. I felt very much like I was present in the journey, which was anxiety inducing in several situations. As far as pacing goes, a lot of time was spent getting everyone assembled and then the actual heist events were very quick. I would have liked to see a better balance. In terms of the characters, we've seen a lot of these character tropes before, and I would have liked to see a little more depth or something new. They felt flat at times. They weren’t terrible by any means. I still cared about where the story went but could have definitely cared more. The exceptions being Fane and Trefor. I love the “big muscle with a big heart” character and Fane had that for me. Trefor was just adorable, and I loved the question of whether or not he was a spy for the other folk, super quirky. Without giving any spoilers away there was a relationship in this book that tugged at my heart and then something happened to completely flip it on its head. That had me feeling something hard, but I wished I could have felt it more from the perspective of those particular characters. Dammit that’s so vague haha Although the book wasn’t the fastest paced one, I’ve read this year, it had me excited for what was next. Altogether this book was a really fun read and has me very interested in learning more about Welsh mythology and the creatures found within. 3.5/3.75 stars for me. Coincidently, I have The Bone Houses by this author on my TBR shelf so I will be picking that up next. I’m not ready to leave this world behind.

Rating: Loved It, 4.5 stars, rounded to 5

I was so excited when I learned that Emily Lloyd-Jones was returning to the world inspired by Welsh folklore that she crafted in The Bone Houses, which is one of my all-time favorite standalones, and The Drowned Woods did not disappoint.

This is a retelling of how Cantre'r Gwaelod came into existence a sunken kingdom that supposedly once stood where Cardigan Bay now exists. I don't know the original tale, but in her explanation of the book, Emily Lloyd-Jones calls it the Welsh Atlantis, and I am so glad that I read this. The pacing was a little bit off, and I wasn't completely hooked until about the 60% mark once we finally got into the mission, properly. The characters fall a bit flat at first, but ultimately the flaws just didn't matter that much because I ended up loving it so much.

For much of the story, Mer felt like a somewhat generic YA heroine. She has a really cool power, but there wasn't much of her personality that set her apart for me. However, once we get into the mission/heist itself and the aftermath, she really shows a lot more depth than I was expecting for the majority of the book.

In addition to Mer we have Fane, a young man who traded 7 years of service as an ironfetch for the fae for 7 human lives, his corgi, Trefor, a breed that is often thought to be a spy for the otherfolk, and Ifanna, a lady thief, and heir of the Thieves Guild. Trefor was 100% the highlight of this book, but Fane was an excellently written character who has a fantastic arc throughout the story. Ifanna was a fun side character who I liked, but I feel like I didn't get to know her very well.

The ending is where this book shines, and it made the first less-interesting bit so very worth it to me. Especially reading the prologue and learning where this fits in with the world of The Bone Houses was so very satisfying. I think that this book delves into what it means to make amends for past mistakes, and also had themes of revenge vs forgiveness. I enjoyed seeing the characters make tough choices.

Also, I love the dark and magical world that Emily Lloyd-Jones has created. Her writing is just as beautiful as it is in The Bone Houses and is what kept me going when I wasn't as invested. It's not so much that it's lyrical, per se, but just the way that she crafts sentences feels like a magical old fairy tale, and I love it so much.

I wept for the last bit of the book, and for me, that is a sign that the author did something right. So ulitmately I didn't love it as much as The Bone Houses, but I still loved it and recommend.

The Drowned Woods releases August 16, 2022. Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Check here for a full content review: https://www.novelnotices.com/the-drowned-woods

Short version:
I wasn't sure what to expect coming in to this, but the synopsis sounded interesting so I gave it a go.  It wasn't that it was bad—it just read like an early draft.  The pacing was off and the characters weren't fully fleshed out.  I wish I could give it a better rating because there were some parts I enjoyed, but overall it was still a two star read.

Long version:
First of all, beautiful cover! Even after reading the entire book though, I still have no idea why the book is called The Drowned Woods or what the cover has to do with the story. The story had a really great synopsis and the first few chapters of the book really had me. I thought for sure this would be a four star read, maybe a three star. I am debating rounding my 2.5 rating up to three, but the more I think about the book, the more I realize that it was actually a struggle to get through and there were parts where I was both confused and bored.

Next, the characters. In the first few chapters, I thought the characters were being shaped excellently, but then their development stopped. For the next seventy percent of the book, they were flat and one-dimensional. I felt like I was rereading the same passages over and over because the characters only have so many thoughts to cycle through.

The pacing was also weird to me. Some parts that seemed like they would be important were completely skipped over, while conversations that didn't seem to add much that hadn't already been said were dwelled on far longer than necessary. The romance factor also felt very forced to me, and Mer's feisty personality was used as a scapegoat for the few occasions when she was petty. The Bone Houses had been on my list to read, but unfortunately, after reading The Drowned Woods and learning that they are somehow connected, I don't think I will be giving it a try. At least not any time soon.

I apologize to the author if my expectations for the book prevented me from enjoying it for what it was, but The Drowned Wood was not for me.

I absolutely loved this book. It was a pretty quick read, yet still managed to contain the elements of a fantasy story that I love. A ragtag group of misfits (some with magic and some without) on a quest to take down an evil king. Add in a cheese loving corgi that is a part time spy for the fae and I'm sold! Will absolutely be recommending to family, friends, and customers of my bookstore.

This book was good. Has all the elements I wanted in a book. Definitely to my family and friends. I think they’d definitely enjoy it.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Little, Brown books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Drowned Woods is a YA fantasy retelling of Welsh folklore. As the last living water diviner Mererid (Mer) has the magical ability to control any form of water in her vicinity. It’s because of this magic that she was once held captive by the cruel prince who rules the land. The prince used Mer’s abilities for his nefarious ends, and branded her so everyone would know she belonged to him. She’s now on the run, hiding her brand, and living in constant fear of being recaptured. Just as she thinks her luck has finally run out Renfrew, her former trainer, and former spy master to the prince, comes to her rescue. He’s got a plan to take down the prince, but needs a water diviner to destroy the magic that protects him. Together with a rag-tag crew of allies, (including one adorable, possible fae spy, corgi), Mer heads out on a quest to take down the man she has feared for so long.

This book honestly has my heart right now. Firstly, I love a good heist story! I had so much fun with this book! I absolutely loved this world and these characters. The book was so fast paced and so well told. I was hooked from the first paragraph, wanting to delve into Mer’s story. She is such a fantastic main character. She’s vulnerable, but tough, wears her heart on her sleeve and wants to fight for what she believes is right. Her journey was both heartbreaking and hopeful, and I loved seeing her develop into such a strong heroine. The magic in this world was also fascinating. Elemental magic is just so cool! I’m hoping we get more of it in Lloyd-Jones’s future novels. Bottom line, If you like a good heist story, in the vein of Six of Crows or Mistborn, I think you’ll love this book!

3.25 stars

Thank you to the publishers for giving me an e-arc of this book through netgalley, and thank you to Libro.FM for including this in their educator package monthly. This made me able to experience the story through multiple meetings and get through it much faster than when I began reading this story with only the e-arc.

I had pretty mixed feelings about this, but I am glad I read it overall. Here's what you should go in expecting (and not expecting) based on the marketing:

- Somewhat dark fairy tale/folkloric aspects. It very much is darker than I expected--the US cover suggests that, though I cannot for the life of me tell what the tree has to do with the story, but the UK does not at all. I think overall I just had a very different idea of what this story would be. There is fairy tale type-magic in it, and brief glimpses of Welsh folklore, but other than that, this story is not, per se, a fairy tale. It reads like a slightly folklore-inspired YA heist. The world does not feel folkloric or fairy tale-esque at all. This is honestly the backstory of how a part of Welsh folklore is created, and somewhat of a retelling, but it has none of the vibes of it. What I mean by this is it does not follow fairy tale or folklore plot beats or writing style very closely at all. It does not really feel like a fairy tale--it just has the origins of one used as a kind of blanket.

- Speaking of which, the Welsh folklore is very much... background. The sweet sounds of Moira Quirk putting on Welsh accents with the audiobook was the most Welsh thing about this book. The conceit of it does come from Welsh folklore, yes, but nothing about this book really screams "uniquely Welsh fairy tale/folklore story." Maybe this is a me problem--I am obsessed with Welsh folklore, Welsh tradition, and Wales in general. That's what originally drew me to this story. However, I've seen reviewers voice this issue with The Bone Houses, this author's other book, as well. It does not feel Welsh or utilize Welsh culture well. Again, maybe it's me--I went in looking for something deeply folkloric, like what Juliet Marillier does for Irish folklore or Slavic folklore, or what Katherine Arden's Winternight trilogy did for Russian folklore. I wanted that, and that's just not what this story is here to deliver. It is much more focused on its plot: a heist plot.

- Our main character is a water diviner who gets wrapped up in a heist plot after escaping the prince that branded her as his slave for years. Her old handler is putting together a team to go and destroy the well of this prince's power, and he needs our main character's water powers to find the well. She, along with a fae-touched fighter with his corgi and her ex, get entangled into this mission, along with the handler's chosen helpers. This is largely a travel story to the heist, and these sorts of plots are very hit or miss for me as they generally need me to love the characters, and I just didn't. Let me tell you why.

- The characters all felt pretty flat to me. Mer, the main character, was written okay, and so was the fighter. They had some interiority that was good. However, neither were particularly lovable, even if I thought they were okay. They weren't people I cared about enough to carry me through this story. I also felt like this book advertised its "quirky crew" a lot and... that's not really what this was. There was a corgi, literally only there for cuteness factor, and that was about the end of the quirky crew. We have the untrusting dynamic between Mer and her ex, which fell pretty flat to me. The handler and Mer's relationship was complicated, but also fell flat for me. The two people the handler brought along were the most one-dimensional characters ever, and the story would've changed little without one and not at all without the other. The only character dynamic I halfway cared about was Mer and the fighter boy, and even then, I didn't care much at all. So in many ways, this book felt like a Six of Crows-ian arc for the heist... but I still don't even think I could recommend this to Six of Crows fans because you will not be getting a lovable & hateable crew who all have complex pasts and dynamics with each other. I was pretty unimpressed in general. However, the ending was pretty good.

- The ending's stakes were pretty big, and there was some emotional moments that hit the investment I did have. It actually felt somewhat darkly folkloric at the end, for the first time through the whole book. There was definitely some conveniences in tropes, but I did enjoy where we ended up with this book.

In the end, I don't know who I'd recommend this to. Not someone looking for the character-driven heist like. Six of Crows, and not someone look for a deep girth of folkloric content, like Juliet Marillier provides. But maybe someone who is okay with a faster, travel plot and just a wisp of folkloric content. Maybe if atmosphere bogs you down, you'd like this one. It's just not what appeals to me to the greatest degree.

Thank you to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the ARC. This was a really enjoyable atmospheric read based on Welsh folklore. It follows Mer, a water diviner who was taken to serve the prince when she was little and is now on the run after he used her power to do something evil. Her old mentor finds her and recruits her to help find and destroy the magical well that protects the prince’s lands, therefore lessening his power. They are joined by an eclectic group of people, including a man with the power of death and a corgi who sneezes when he senses magic.

I enjoyed the characters in this story - Trefor the corgi was obviously my favorite, what a cutie! I also loved Fane and learning about his history with the Fae. Mer was kind and strong and her character growth was great. I didn’t see the twist coming although I’m not sure if I was 100% convinced by the villains’ motives. I do wish I had read The Bone Houses first because it seems like it would have made the ending more impactful. Overall would recommend this!

Ratings 4 stars

*I received an ARC from NetGalley for my voluntary and honest review.

The Drowned Woods is a standalone fantasy that follows Mererid or Mer. She is a water diviner that had been for years forced to serve under a war-mongering prince. He had been using her powers to locate wells on enemy lands and then poisoning them without Mer’s knowledge. She ran as soon as she found out and has been on the run since. Her former handler is able to track her down and asks for her help to take down the prince for good by destroying a magic well that keeps his kingdom safe. They form a ragtag team and set about on their journey.

This book is a retelling of the Welsh myth of Cantre'r Gwaelod, which is basically the Welsh version of Atlantis. I’ve always enjoyed stories based on mythology so reading one based on something I was unfamiliar with was a good read for me. While the beginning of the book was a bit slow, there were a lot of characters to introduce, I found myself pulled in by the time the heist started. But it was the last few chapters that really grabbed me. As an introduction to Emily Lloyd-Jones I enjoyed this book and will look to more of her work to add to my never ending TBR

Ok, I loved LOVED the ending!!!!!

I am utterly grateful this book started to moving in a solid direction. I thought it would be a lot more exciting and action packed. But it reminded me of Part 1 of HP and the deathly hallows where all they did was hide in the woods😑😑😑 (see what I did there)

I adore Mer (water wielder), Fane (loveable man/Trefor's owner/iron and finder of metals) , Ifanna (princess of thieves) and Trefor (the sweet corgi whom sniffs out magic).

I would have rated this higher but that middle part damn near took a sista out😭😭😭

The magic was pretty cool, but the magical killer water mare's were badass. So much sorrow, bloodloss, greed, and heartache🥺🥺🥺 luckily this story ended on a positive note or I would have SERIOUSLY been done with this author🤣😭👏🏼 I appreciate the nod to her previous work The Bone Houses at the end🥰

Emily Lloyd-Jones used the foundation of Welsh folktales to create an undeniably lush story with exciting characters. Mer, Fane, and the other character kept me engaged from the first page. Mer is a water diviner on the run from the crown for refusing to do their dirty work. She dreams of leaving and starting fresh, but remains stuck. When her mentor returns, she decides to try to pull off one last heist to get out. Along the way, they recruit Fanr and his corgi. TBH the corgi descriptions made me laugh and it was a very fun read.

It reminded me a lot of the Grishaverse but never in a way that ruined the story. I do think that the world building needed a little bit more time and the stakes are somewhat unevenly balanced. The back quarter felt like it wanted to go 4 different routes but she couldn’t decide, so everything happened. Similar to some of the Grishaverse books. I’d love to return to the world with a little more space to give to the world and less focus on why Mer is running. Fane deserves a bit more of a backstory, but a good outing overall.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book. Every. Single. Page. Let me tell you why.

1. A majestic corgi who sneezes when near magic.
2. A morally grey MC
3. Secrets, lies, and intrigue
4. Heist story
5. LGBTQIA representation
6. A world that I'd love to se spin off stories set in.
7. Also the perfect stand alone story

I loved The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd Jones so it was really no surprised that I loved The Drowned Woods. The characters, setting, and exquisitely morally grey elements made this story sheer perfection.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I absolutely adored the use of mythology in this story, and the writing style kept me so entertained and hooked. Corgi's are my favourite dog, so that was definitely a plus, but I had such a fun time reading this book that I actually finished it in a day. The names of places and characters were very well done and overall this book slapped.

I recieved an e-arc of this book by the publisher through NetGalley in return for my honest review.

I'm not going to talk about what happens in the book because you can find that elsewhere, so here are my reactions, the things I thought about while reading, the things I liked, and the things I didn't like:

FOUR STARS

- This book is written in an interesting voice, a bit old-fashioned sounding, but definitely sets a certain tone.
- Irish-inspired mythology, especially the fae (not SJM fae, but Irish folk tale fae) exist.
- The author leans on certain phrases and ways to express sentiments so that they begin to feel repetitive.
- The magic-smelling corgi is my favorite character. Would read the book for him alone. 100000/10.
- Eventually we meet the main character's Sexy Sapphic Ex, Ifanna. She is also a 1000000/10 character. I want that pre-quel. 👌 Things are finally heating up and getting more interesting.
- Bisexual MC? yes, please! This book is not focused on romance, but it's there, and I loved it every time it emerged.
- The book starts slow, and then picks up and picks up until the end which really elevates and deepens the story. I was going to give the book 3 stars, until about the last 25%, which knocked it out of the park. So I'm giving the book 4 stars, since you still need to slog through the first 25% until things pick up at all.

The only thing that bothered me- other than the book being quite slow to start-- was that the scale of Mer's power and its limitations was sometimes inconsistent. She struggles to do big things, but then some of those big things are 1000000x bigger than the other 'big things' she does, making you wonder why she struggled with those smaller 'big things'. Why would a person who struggles, but succeeds, in picking up a 100 lb weight struggle at all with a 10 or 50lbs??? Anyway, this inconsistency didn't ruin the book for me at all, but it felt like something that could really annoy another reader so I wanted to mention it.