I feel like I’m in the minority reviewing this book compared to some other reviews I have seen regarding this book. I really went into this thinking I would love the concept - anything ocean/lost at sea related or with this scenery really has me attached but this book just wasn’t it.
Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t good. I also think it’s one of those books I will tuck away and never blink an eye at again.
The major issue? It was slower than my grandmas driving. I honestly kept expecting something to happen but nothing did and when it did, I didn’t care because it took four decades of no build up to get there.
I also didn’t vibe with the relationships - romantic or friendly. It felt forced and when there was a semblance of something, it was bogged down by cringe.
I also think more development needed to happen. More character development, more holes needed sewing with the plot line and setting and more romance build up.
I will say, the redeemable thing of this book was I quite liked the writing and I can see potential in future books for this author.

<i>I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

What a beautiful, atmospheric historical romance/mystery! I used to read a lot of Susanna Kearsley novels, and The Water Witch reminded me of them a lot. The story of the lost city of Y's and the "treasure hunt" to find it was very fast paced and suitably dark. I liked Ari, the main character, a lot - I feel like I rarely read books like this with mature, rational women in their mid 30s. My only real complaint is that the romance felt like kind of an insta-love situation, which I don't love. I felt like there was so much emphasis placed on Ari still pining for her lost love that it didn't make sense for her to automatically fall for Rafael.

I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.

Devoured this in just two days. It’s fast-paced, utterly enchanting and unputdownable. The Water Witch is a book that has many elements inside, and the fusion is working perfectly. The book explores themes of treasure hunt to find a lost city with many spices as cursed family stories, folklore, romance, and historical mystery.

First of all, hands down, for the melancholy French coastal setting and also the folklore/mythology part! It’s beautifully described, and they have many historical landmarks with magical-sounding names. The best part about the folklore part is: most of them inspired by real folklore. Such as Ankou, the servant of death, is a Breton, Cornish, Welsh and Norman French folklore. Some place mentioned such as Ile Tristan is also real.

The story told from 2 POVs, Ariadne (Ari) and Rafael. I love Ariadne the most. She is smart, sassy, and works in details. Every scene when Ari immersed with her work and investigation was fascinating to read. Like Jason (Ari’s brother) said about her: “She follow the breadcrumbs left in place names and stories.” It's not that I didn't love Rafael, but there are times when his personality can be contradicted. Yet, I can’t lie that I enjoy their chemistry and their character development.

Although I enjoyed Ari and Rafael's chemistry, I'm not a fan of the romantic part. Ari is mostly in her sad state, grieving for the dead fiancée. Often their relationship feels stagnant, I can't see whether their romance will go well or not. But then, at some point, suddenly it escalated quickly. Another downside, at least for me, is the identity of The Witch herself can be guessed easily from the start. In other words, a less revealing surprise. Some description of Rafael’s family tree was also quite difficult to understand.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and highly recommended if you like reading folklore/mythology, treasure hunt, and French coastal waves.

A legend of a lost city, a cursed princess, and the servant of death… cheery! Also, a dead fiancé AND romance? All set on a French beach… sounds… fun? And a little creepy. Let’s find out!

Read if you like: folklore/mythology, mystery, love lost and love found, treasure hunts, French seaside vibes, melancholy feels, slow burn, fade-to-black romance, dual POV, smart and sassy leading ladies, and dark and broody love interests.
A great read if you like historical mystery and want to try out the paranormal genre.

Ariadne Walker is back in Brittany, France even though she said she would never return to the place her fiancé died. Her life was left crumbling in the wake of his diving accident. But her brother can’t let the quest for the legendary lost city of Ys die with his friend. And he needs Ari’s academic presence to credit his findings and win financial backing. Are they truly on the brink of a huge discovery? But before they can continue, they first have to persuade the du Lac family fund their exploration. But the du Lac’s are more than financially connected to the region. The legend and curse are tied to their familial history and Rafael has secrets of his own.

A big thanks to NetGalley, Bookoture, and Jessica Thorne for an eARC of The Water Witch.

This book was unique and interesting. I was pulled in by the mythology and mystery. The costal setting was a fun bonus. I really liked the characters and the dual narrative POV. The blurb didn’t give us a lot about Rafael so I was excited when he started getting chapters regularly. The chemistry and banter were great and I thoroughly enjoyed the depth of even their brief connection and mutual understanding of their histories. Truly lovely character development.

The prologue was great and provided a solid foothold into the lore. After that, it was a bit slow to start because as Ari was reminiscing it felt like more like a guided tour or an overly enthused friend’s geographical info dump of the area and I was wishing for a map. But it quickly picked up when our two main characters meet, quite dramatically, and realize how they will affect undoubtedly each other’s lives.

What bumped it down from 5 to 4 stars, besides the overemployment of geography, was just the general feel of melancholy. I don’t really do sad… not sad books, or movies, or songs; and Ari is really sad. Her grief has been weighing her down for years. And Rafael has his family legacy, and crazy family to contend with so he’s not having a party either. They both want more from life but can’t see a way out of the paths they have created. The hunt for truth among lore and their chemistry balanced everything out for a very enjoyable read that I could see myself revisiting in the future.

This book had the potential to be so good, so I'm kind of bummed that it fell absolutely flat for me. At no point of the story was I invested in any of the characters or the plot, and I didn't even like the romance.

Additionally, my review copy was completely in italic, which was extremely dirstracting for me to read. I hope this is not the case for the final copy of the book.

I wholeheartedly enjoyed this, I’ll admit I’m a sucker for anything with witches but this story was so different than anything I’ve read recently! The world building was beautifully done and while some parts seemed a little slower, over all I really loved this. Thanks for the ARC, Netgalley!

This book is unlike any I’ve read recently. Full of magic and mystery. Although enjoyable and interesting, the story seemed to slow at times and perhaps even stall. But it picked up and carried on and on the whole? I enjoyed it.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for my arc.

A completely enchanting read that I couldn't put down. Everything about this book was amazing from the writing, the premise, the characters and the world building. I loved it.

“True love is a fire that cannot live alone”
“Who sees Sein, sees their end”
I don’t think I have enough words to describe just how good and amazing this book was!!!
As a fan of the Bookbinders daughter when I realised that the same author was writing another fantasy romance book I decided to dive right into it without any second thoughts!!
I just thought if the book was green then this one should be too right?
I am so glad to say that I was right “The Water Witch” was so good it was almost as good as the first book if not better!!!
The plot the mystery the adventure the romance and the entire background behind it was the best!!!
I love how the author letexplore the Celtic culture with its legends, with its myths, with its curses and ancient cities lost to the sea!!!
I loved how it took back the myth of the lost city of Atlantis-Ys … and how every single piece of the story,at the end, seemed to fit right where it should have been !!!
The characters are so good and the relationship’s dynamic, happening between them, caught me so deep in the story that I simply couldn’t let it go!!!
I’m so glad I had the chance to read this book and I literally cannot wait for it to be out!!!!!
“In the sea, Rafael … is like some fisherman’s brat. Anything could happen”
“You sound like him. Like Simon. That’s all”

This book was magical can captivating from the first line to the last page, it was beautifully written and the world making was engaging. I throughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it!

If you're searching for a fantasy mystery that doesn't involve mystical high fae, vampires add this to your tbr list. Do it!

This for me should be in its own book category, it does feel like a lighter form of fantasy. The Water Witch is fantastical, has good world building, mystical characters, lore, but it is all done in a way that wasn't hard to follow. This was easy and fun to read, with great storytelling and a quick pace.

All of the characters were interesting, I think the villains arch and the story tied up very tidy at the end, perhaps too quickly which would be my only criticism. Otherwise this is a great read! This book is a beautiful paranormal French inspired mystery. I really enjoyed it. It did take a good couple of chapters to get into this book but once it took off I loved it.

The spoiler-free version:
I really wanted to enjoy this book but it was a chore to get through it, I kept waiting for it to get better. The last 60-75% of the book was more interesting but I felt more excited to just be done with it.

The characters were bland and underdeveloped in what sounded like a promising story. I wanted to care about these characters but I don't. I read the whole book and I feel as though I don't know any of them, many of the character traits we do learn seem to be contradicted later in the novel. The world-building is just as underwhelming in detail.

The Water Witch isn't quite a fantasy novel, it is more of an adventure novel with a sprinkling of folklore that has fantasy elements haphazardly thrown in there. It read like an adventure novel with fantasy elements added to explain aspects through it being magic
The leading group of characters is trying to prove the existence of a lost underwater city that local folklore discusses and the book is set in reality. Yes, there are some elements of mystical elements at play but they hardly impact the story and seem very random. The final "battle" or concluding events also felt so randomly slapped together in some aspects and predictable in others.

The spoiler-filled version below:

The Characters:
Right off the bat, I didn't like Rafael. He read as arrogant and vapid. Describes Ari as having a "slim athletic body" and then chastises Ari for wearing shorts and a T-shirt that his supermodel ex would never wear. He seemed materialistic at first but then is later described as not being like his sister who is just that. This felt contradictory since he seemed to notice materialistic things like this. He then calls her out for "running" from Simon and running from everything in her life but he doesn't know her. HE doesn't know her story and he feels entitled to say things like that? It's icky and hypocritical when at the end of the story HE RUNS and leaves her for a while. He does come back but it was so wildly out of character after constantly being there for her.

Ari on the other hand I did like. She was spunky but lacked depth beyond doting over her dead ex and being smart. I only felt I got a handle on her when she was manically combing over records and maps. I wish we got more content of her having a personality beyond being sad about Simon and gushing over Rafael. Also, Ari praises Rafael for not getting upset with her when they were going to go have sex and she changed her mind. PRAISES HIM. She needs higher standards.

Nico and Jason, same font different person. They both felt extremely underdeveloped. We somewhat see Jason being hotheaded and Nico being the calm, suave guy that cools him down but we don't get much personality from them either. They are there to further the search for the Ys and do so without having an independent persona. I can't even go into detail about any secondary characters they were friends with because there is even less to know about them if that's possible.

I despise Simon. He leaves his fiance for some other girl and gets killed. Everyone talks about how much he loves her but he cheated. He didn't go with her to Oxford. He left her for Gwen and then told her to stay away so Laure didn't kill Ari. I just kept getting mad at Ari for holding a candle for this man who wasn't even that great.

Gwen was predictable. By the description alone I knew she was Dalut and then it was never described as to why she was able to grow up with the Du Lacs but also be ageless, just "magic". Her story was all about honesty and wanting trustworthy men yet she fell for SIMON WHO HAS A FIANCE! That seemed so out of character for her. She even goes on about how Ari is a Poullain because Simon thought of her as his wife. Yet Dalut is all chill about Simon being a cheater and being with Gwen/Dalut while practically being married.

Laure was probably the worst character. We see nothing except that she is rude and suddenly she's the villain and responsible for the deaths of Simon and the other diver. That came out of nowhere and was frankly quite annoying. All the build-up to this being a magical curse to it just being a random girl.

The Story:
The book was slow to start but that is expected with fantasy novels due to world-building. This was simply slow to start though and lacked the world-building. There wasn't a lot of explanation of where things were or what they looked like or anything to set the scene for what was to come. Any description that was given never arose organically. It felt out of place and do not flow with the text. Rather than learning details as they arose, they were simply spelt out to the reader. A lot of the speeches also had the same pitfall. Characters said things like "sister of mine" which sounds very forced. This all takes out of the immersion of reading and reminds you this is a book.
This lack of description was an issue in other aspects like suddenly going from one house to another as if they teleported. How close are these houses? How far? How are they suddenly appearing there? Also, how did Laure suddenly pull out a gun in the cave? Felt very forced, it literally says "She pulled a gun from somewhere".

The ending felt like a letdown. All along it was Laure, a character we hardly see who was orchestrating the events. She killed people and it was covered up and now she wants to kill more people and somehow become powerful from it? Yet another point that is underdeveloped and underdescribed. I wish we had seen more of her plotting or suspicious behaviour from the start. If she had been more involved in the story and was trying to hide why she was interested in finding the Ys. She could have pretended to want to save her brother so she tagged along to help but ultimately was doing it for her selfish gain. It could have been more interesting than her suddenly walking in with a gun. Dalut hardly had anything to do with the issues that occurred in the story so it also felt like a fantasy letdown that the fantasy elements didn't even matter that much.

Dalut and the legends also go on about protecting the Ys and maintaining its secrets. The protection is how Rafael's family broke the curse. So why is Dalut suddenly okay with the universities, etc doing archaeological searches of the Ys ruins now? Why is it suddenly no longer a secret? Wouldn't she want to keep it protected still? That is never explained and I am left with so many questions.

Overall:

I enjoyed the premise and found the storyline interesting but I was disappointed. This could've been a great book if it was more descriptive. I yearned for more character development and world-building. I wish the book was longer so we had more opportunities to get to know the characters better so I would feel more invested in their fates. I wanted more description of the scenery and places they went to. I wanted to be immersed in the little town by the sea but it fell flat for me.

I have to admit, I went a little bit out of my comfort zone reading this one. It was a good book, I just don’t think it was the right fit for me personally.

The premise of this book was super intriguing to me. An ancient curse, that must be broken in order to save a life. Ari, the main female character, must carry on the explorative work of her late boyfriend in order to help the man she has just met. His whole male bloodline have been cursed by The Water Witch.

The characters within this book are so easy to love, and the plot is good for the majority of the time. My only issues with it, were that at times, especially to begin with it felt rather slow, as if the story wasnt really progressing. And the book is written in third person, which for me personally is just something that I dislike. But the premise and the plot once it got going were very good!

This for me should be in its own book category, fantasy-lite perhaps? The Water Witch is fantastical, has good world building, mystical characters, lore, but it is all done quite simply - and I mean that as a complement! This was easy and fun to read, with great storytelling and a quick pace. All of the characters were interesting, I think the villains (maybe a bit too villainous?) and the story ties up very tidy at the end, perhaps too quickly which would be my only criticism. Otherwise this is a great read! Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4 Stars
One Liner: Engaging read with some great description

Ari Walker’s fiancé drowned in the stormy Atlantic Ocean two years ago. His words about the water witch, the lost city of Ys, and the curse continue to hound her. Ari wants nothing more than to bury herself in her university work. But when Jason asks her to visit him in Simon’s town, she has no choice but to go.
As a non-believer in fantasy tales, Ari is confused and unsure when she finds a mask during her archeological dive into the sea. Her interaction with Rafael gets complicated as she is torn between accepting the strange happenings in the town and dismissing them.
But Rafael has everything at stake. After all, every man in his family got killed before their thirty-fifth birthday. With less than a month away from his own thirty-fifth birthday, Rafael is desperate and determined to get Ari’s help.
Can they break the curse by finding the lost city of Ys before it is too late? Will Ari and Rafael acknowledge their feelings for each other?
The story comes from the limited third-person POV of Ari and Rafael.

What I Like:
The book starts slow but picks up pace once the basics are established. I love the seamless blending of reality and fantasy.
The descriptions are beautiful and vivid. I could visualize the settings with ease. It adds to the atmosphere and elevates the storyline.
I remember how the FMC in The Book Binder’s Daughter didn’t feel capable of carrying the story. Here, Ari does a great job of taking the story forward.
Ari and Rafael are well-etched. They are confident yet vulnerable. Capable but doubtful. They work well together in the book, even if the love track didn’t get enough depth to double the impact.
While it is a mystery at its core, I could guess most of it. Luckily, I didn’t read it as a mystery book but more as a fantasy read.
The storyline is based on local folklore in the region (in Brittany, France). I love the way the author wove her plotline around it.

What Didn’t Work for Me:
My only grouse with the book is that some aspects were left without explanation. A certain character seemed to be created for the sake of it. There just isn’t enough backstory. I wanted more about Ari and Rafael’s past.
It’s not common for me to wish a book to have more pages (I prefer smaller books), but this one needed another 15-20 pages to provide more depth to the main characters and use the side characters to their full potential.

To sum up, The Water Witch is an engaging and entertaining read if you like contemporary fantasy with some mystery and romance thrown in.
Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

A perfect treasure hunt, magical fantasy story that just kept giving. The characters were brilliantly developed and I was very invested in their stories. I loved the twists towards the end and want to travel the cobles to Ys.

The story moved marvellously. I finished the book overnight. The book supercharged me. That’s says something. For one, I am motivated enough to read her other books.

4.5☆ - The Water Witch is a treasure hunting, whodunit, (lite) fantasy romance.

I really loved the French history and the fantasy folklore. It made me think a lot of Atlantis, National Treasure, and The Spells for Forgetting. The treasure hunting and mystery really kept me hooked and I finished this one pretty quickly!

Overall I was super entertained, but expected more from the romance plot. Still enjoyable! But I'd recommend this book for readers who are more into mystery/adventure with a romance subplot.

This was my first book from Jessica Thorne, and I loved the writing style! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I had the chance to read and review two books by Jessica Thorne in 2021 so I was excited when I saw The Water Witch was available because I was hoping it would have the same flavour as her previous books.

The story is set in Brittany, France and follows a group of treasure hunters looking for the lost city of Ys (France's version of Atlantis). What they discover shocks and surprises them which pulls in their wealthy funders who have an eerie connection to the legendary city. A vengeful sea goddess, cursed love, and haunting ocean depths crash a wave of mystery and mythology in this gripping tale.

I wasn't familiar with the mythic Ys so I enjoyed learning about it along with the culture of Brittany. The writing had a cinematic quality to it with its suspense and believable descriptions of underwater explorations. I do think this would make an entertaining tv series.

With all that being said, I can only rate this book 3 out of 5 stars because the treasure hunting plot was not my cup of tea. I felt Ari's romance was unnecessary and I was hoping for a much bigger finale.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a free arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.