Mer, a young woman with the ability to manipulate water, is drawn into a heist that promises not only riches but her long-sought freedom. Joined by the spymaster who trained her, a new acquaintance with a dubious bargain with the Otherfolk, and a princess of thieves that Mer shares a history with, Mer must survive monsters and myth and come to terms with her past in order to determine her future—and the future of her country.

The first thing you need to know—regardless of its impact on the story itself—is that this book includes a corgi who may or may not be a spy for the Otherfolk. And it’s fantastic.

Now that’s out of the way—this was a fun book to read! I haven’t read many heist stories before (where have they been all my life??), but this was a fun addition to the genre.

The plot was exciting, especially the last 30–40% or so. And I loved the Welsh mythology that was sprinkled throughout. I just wanted more of it—It would have been lovely to learn more about the Otherfolk and the fae creatures of Welsh lore!

The characters were interesting enough. Once again, I just wished for a bit more out of them. Because the story spent quite a while (about 50%) in the ‘gathering participants’ stage of the heist, I felt like I should care more about these characters, and while I enjoyed learning their backstories and motivations, it was never quite enough to make me feel strongly about them. That said, I did like the slow-burn friendship between two of the main characters.

The magic system is also pretty cool! It’s hard not to draw comparisons to Avatar water benders, but this story still adds unique elements. And another character’s ability to sense iron is really intriguing and used in unexpected ways!

Overall, while I hoped for more out of the mythology and characters, the plot was well written and the twists and turn made it a delightful read!

I did not expect to be able to read this book early but BOY am I thrilled! I adored The Bone Houses, so when I heard there was another standalone fantasy in the same world, I knew I had to request an early copy.

I don’t know what it is about Emily’s writing style, but it is so beautiful and pulls me in with ease. I fly through these books because every word flows so nicely.

She is also just phenomenal at characterization. I fell in love with Fane and Mer, and even Ifanna who was only in about half of the book, because of how well the author writes their personalities and makes you root for them.

The Drowned Woods was one of the first books in a while where I did not see what was coming at any point. I’m usually really good at picking up context clues and able to predict what might happen, but I was wrong at every turn. Impeccable ability to confuse the reader into thinking things would go one way, when they went somewhere completely unexpected!

I loved going on this journey with these characters, I really felt like I was alongside this crew with their heist. I highly highly recommend this authors books, especially The Drowned Woods. I can’t wait for more from this author!

Lyrical writing and interesting premise. I love the inclusivity featured with the characters, what a great month to be able to give it a read! I hadn’t really been familiar with the legend in the story prior to this book, so I really appreciated that. That said, I tend to engage more fully to a more straightforward writing style, so I did struggle a bit at times for that reason. I have no doubt whatsoever that this book will do well for the audience it’s marketed to though! I would recommend this to readers that enjoyed A River Enchanted, Naomi Novik, or anything that’s a bit more of a quaint, practical fantasy.

the writing here is beautiful, and the magic is really really cool, but i had trouble connecting with the main character. id love to try reading this again in its final form though, because the atmosphere of this book is really nice and creepy and fantastical. it really does read like a fairy tale.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for allowing to me read this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars
This was a very good Y/A fantasy novel. Allow it was very slow and hard to remember stuff in the first 25% the rest was quite enjoyable to read.

I enjoyed The Drowned Woods. I was issued an eARC by NetGalley for a review.

The title of the story was apt. I felt like the story took a little bit to get going, but once it started it all built upon each other. Mererid was a lovely MC with her own flaws as well as strengths that she brought to the story. I loved getting to see Mer interact with the characters. She talked about how you could tell how a person was by how they treated the powerless. That was a very moving line.

The ragtag group of adventurers set off on a “heist” that ends up dealing with some twists along the way. Overall this was a very enjoyable read. It could have been a little longer though, as I wished to get to know the characters around Mer a bit more, we get snippets but nothing to emotionally pull at the reader, minus maybe Fane’s story. The rest are just kind of there. I would have liked to see more character interaction, however the plot was solid and the characters well rounded.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. To be honest. I was expecting a bit more unfortunately. I LOVED The Bone Houses, but this one just didn’t hook me quite as much as that one did. I enjoyed the magic system and the heisty vibes, but honestly this book just dragged a lot for me. More than half of the book goes by simply getting the team together and not much progress is made. It was just a bit too slow-paced for my liking. I did appreciate the world building and characters though, especially Mer! She was a strong, courageous, and well-rounded heroine and her slow burn romance was enjoyable! Also any book that includes a dog character (in this case a corgi) deserves extra brownie points! All in all, I love the Welsh fairytales that Emily Lloyd Jones is sharing and I hope she continues, even if this one wasn’t quite my favorite!

A big thanks for NetGalley for this advanced copy! This has not affected my opinion of the book because I already preordered the book before I got this ARC.

I honestly really loved this story! It was a firm 4 star read for me! The idea of a person being forced to use their powers for the benefit of someone evil captured my attention right away and I knew I had to read this book. The plot was great and the twists that were included were great and really gave the story a new purpose as it went and I definitely wasn't expecting them! I also loved the ending of the book as it does really help wrap everything up while giving you a hint at what their future could hold. It also allows you as the reader to imagine what their ending could be like as it's left pretty open to interpretation for what happens next.

At the beginning of the book the pacing is definitely a little slow as it is setting everything up for the world, how the powers work, who the characters are and so forth. However, it does pick up really quickly once you get into the meat of the story and then the pacing works incredibly well throughout the rest of the book.

The characters are also really great! Mer, Renfrew, Fane, Trefor, and Ifanna are all really great characters and lend very well to the story! Mer is a great main character. She's very strong willed and brave and also deals with a lot of guilt over what she was forced to do and how her actions and nonactions affected those around her even if she never meant for them to happen. She also has to deal with repercussions that came from those decisions even if she never meant any harm. Fane, Ifanna, Trefor and Renfrew do a great job in helping Mer develop throughout the story while also adding to the plot. They were side characters with a purpose and it really helped move the story along and they relationships they had with Mer were well developed and didn't leave you questions how or why they were a part of the book. I also loved both sets of romance that we see throughout the book because one gives a glimpse into the past and one into the potential future. I will say Trefor, the corgi, was my favorite character as I just absolutely ADORED him!

Overall, I loved the story and can't wait for my physical copy to get here!

You know that scene in Finding Nemo when Bruce gets a whiff of Dory’s blood and his pupils dilate and he says, in that creepy voice, “oh, that’s good”? That’s this book. I swear, I said “oof that’s a good one” almost every chapter. I read it in a DAY. I haven’t had a book I couldn’t put down in a long time, and I am so grateful to the author for giving me a book that reminded me of that feeling.

Think Ocean’s 11 meets Lord of the Rings meets Reservoir Dogs. With a corgi (and for those worried about dogs who become main characters and what happens to them usually—don’t worry). The plot was amazing. The twists were unexpected. And the characters really held onto my heartstrings and PULLED.

It wasn’t a slow starter or slow burn at all. Everything was well paced, and it made sense. There is a subtle hint of romance, but it’s so natural that I didn’t realize until later like, well duh, of course that works out that way. It’s one of the few fantasy books lately that isn’t in your face about romance. Also, there’s LGBT representation without it being token.

I do wish the book could’ve been longer, just because we do get a lot of flashbacks. I wish those were more fleshed out, but I don’t know if that’s because it would’ve benefitted the story (which is already such a 10/10) or my own desire for MORE.

I can also see why some might want more from the villain. The prince is sort of this overarching figure that drives the plot from afar and acts as a boogeyman. We don’t see much of him until the end, but I do think that was handled well (one of the main characters has a realization about him that feels so raw but in a good way).

Overall, 10/10 book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this opportunity to read and review! I give my review freely and honestly. All opinions are my own.

The Drowned Woods
By Emily Lloyd-Jones
Review by Jamilla (@ LandsAwayBooks on Wordpress)

Thank you Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own, given freely and honestly.

I knew, or at least had great hope that I would love this book after finishing the prologue.

The prose is a thing of subtle, restrained beauty, bursting with vivid descriptions, sly banter and a fascinating setting.

The world building and the magic here was one of my favorite parts of this book! Magic that’s close to the land, that’s about listening with more than your ears, and feeling with more than your skin, is always my favorite!

Mer, our protagonist is basically a war criminal, unknowingly or not, running away from what she did, and the person who made her do it. The book opens with with her living a monotonous life (there is safety in monotony) working for food and board at a regular bar, hiding who she is. Her life is thrown into chaos when an old mentor, a father figure to her asks for favor, wrapped in the near impossible: return to the kingdom where she’s being hunted, sneak in and steal the riches of the prince who branded her and foil his plans for world domination.

An easy peasy, heist.

Money and a bit of revenge, all a girl can ask for in this world.

But the course of heists, do not run smooth and this world is one where the magic runs deeper and more violent that you’d think!

If you going into this expecting a HEIST story, with found family vibes and bickering and banter and stealing and planning , you’ll get some of what you want, not all, so beware! Think of this more as a story of facing up to the things you did wrong, dealing with past trauma and being brave in the face of total calamity, with powerful magic rooted in nature and mysterious otherworldly being that we don’t see enough of!

“One life for thirty. It was the right choice.”

Fans of Uprooted by Naomi Novik will enjoy this one as they have similar vibes.

This was a really good read something different but really fun I'll be purchasing this and sending to others to read

Thank you Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the early opportunity to review "The Drowned Woods," by Emily Lloyd-Jones. All opinions are my own, given freely.

"But she gritted her teeth and called every drop of water she could find, forcing it into his lungs."

This was a wonderful, Welsh adventure that centered around Mer, the last living water diviner who had been taken from her family when she was young, to work for the prince, Fane the ironfetch who was on his own mission to avenge his family before he met Mer, and Trefor the adorable corgi who adores boots and sneezes when he senses magic. They team up with an old flame, an old teacher and some new companions, and the group sets out to bring down the prince that branded Mer, and brought death and abuse to so many people in their lands.

The group goes into their quest as a unified front, but will they be successful together? Or will the Prince stop them before they even begin?

I absolutely devoured this book and couldn't put it down. Emily Lloyd-Jones has truly written a magical adventure, full of humor, strength, betrayal and friendship. I found myself smiling every time Trefor graced the page. A fantasy book with magic AND puppies? It doesn't get any better. I also loved that our MC, Mer is strong and knows how capable she is throughout the whole book.

There is some LGBTQ representation in this book that I appreciated. A bisexual MC and a lesbian couple who are very influential in their thief guild. There are also many welsh terms that I had to look up for pronunciation and definition, but I am all for learning new things!

This review will be posted to my IG today, but I will follow up with an additional post/story closer to the publication date and a post when my physical copy arrives!

As a fan of The Bone Houses I was excited to learn that Emily Lloyd-Jones has written a new book in the same world. The Drowned Woods expands on the magic of the world from her previous novel and we follow the last living water diviner as she and a ragtag group of people, including a corgi who may or may not be a spy for the fae, try to pull of a major heist against an unjust prince.

There is a lot to love about this book: the characters are complex and interesting, the magic feels grounded without feeling too mechanical, the danger feels real, and there are many twists and turns to keep the reader guessing.

Some of the pacing feels somewhat slow towards the middle of the book, before the third act twist is revealed. There are characters that feel ancillary, as though they simply exist to become body counts, which they eventually do. I guessed part of the big twist based on a few clues scattered throughout the opening of the manuscript, but that didn’t change my enjoyment. I would have liked the relationships to be developed better so that the payoff at the end could feel more poignant and meaningful.

This is a very enjoyable book for those that enjoy heist tales with a fantasy twist. I’d very much look forward to reading anything the author writes next.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

Loved, loved, loved this book. Shocking moments as well as a slew of interesting characters and a fantastic female lead. I love the magic bits as well as the inclusion of sexuality in a very tasteful way that also doesn't make it the main focus. Will be looking up more of the author's books to read, for sure.

This was my most anticipated book of the year and I am so thankful NetGalley allowed me to read the ARC. This is my honest review:

The Bone Houses was one of my favorite books of the past five years. I loved the way the narrative flowed, the subtle humor, and the beauty drawn out of a very creepy world. It held a type of magic I craved, but I worried a second novel wouldn't quite feel the same. I should not have worried, because the flowing narrative and the humor must live in the author and it wound through, over, and around every moment of this tale.

This story begins with a baby being born, a fifth child to two loving parents. This little daughter just happens to be born with magic, a water diviner. I loved this magical system and it being grounded in balance. A water diviner finds themselves dehydrated from using their magic. A metal diviner finds they are weak due to a lack of iron in their blood. This system puts a price on all the magic used and it means no character gets to be all powerful and it makes the stakes of using a power real. I enjoy this in books with a magic system because without a checks and balances system, I find myself not caring for the characters because you know going into it they will come out on top - when you have unlimited power, you can accomplish anything.

Mer, the water diviner we meet at the beginning, doesn't lead an easy life and I felt myself caring about her from the beginning. Mer isn't the only character in this story we travel with through the city of Caer Wyddno and the surrounded isles. We also travel with Renfrew (a spymaster), Fane (a sweet boy gifted/cursed with a different sort of magic), Emrick (a scholar), Gryf (a mound of muscle from one of the surrounding cities), Iffana (princess of a thieves guild), and a corgi who may be a spy named Trefor. Trefor will undoubtedly win your heart from the moment he bounds into the story. What makes this grouping so well written is none of the human characters being fully good or fully bad, but them all having a past, feelings, wants, and a reason for being in the story beyond just moving the main plot along and I loved it. Too many authors throw in a large group of side characters just to throw them to the side lines or kill them off just to push the main character in one direction or the other.

Mer is a strong main character and a female who never sees herself as weaker than or less than because she's a female. In the world of Gwaelod, you never get the feeling that being a woman should slow down or hinder any of our characters. Mer is blessed with magic, but she's also capable with a blade and her fists and has a whip smart mind. She is strong and brave, but she's far from perfect. She's made many mistakes before the story takes place which haunt her steps and she makes even more missteps during the narrative. She is relatable to the reader on a very real level even if she is touched by magic. The author has the ability to bring this character to life without ever us having doubted her abilities. The author gave this same grace to all of the characters we journey with - strength and weakness blending together to build a character who feels true to narrative and the reader.

The characters in this story find themselves together for a heist, which seems very simple in the beginning. Find a magic well on a close isle and steal the riches to weaken the hold Prince Garanhir has on Caer Wyddno. Each character has their own reasons for agreeing to the journey and each character has their own skill set to assist the group. The heist is well planned, the relationships well written, and the pacing of the story is perfect. The reader feels curious, anxious, heart broken, betrayed, shocked, and by the end - nearly as exhausted as all the main characters, but just as joyous at the conclusion as our main character.

I do not give five stars often. Five stars is only given when I feel wrung out at the end of a story and I still desperately want more or when I'm not only emotionally connected with characters, but relate to them and fully understand their choices and experiences. When I finished this story I felt both of these things to the core of my being. I would have spent another few hundred pages finding out about the lives of our characters after the story concluded, but it ended exactly where it needed to end. (I wish so much I could go into details about just how perfect the ending happened to be and how far my jaw dropped when I got to the last few lines.)

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a brilliant magic system, people who love the tension and push and pull of a good heist, readers who crave a strong female main character, anyone who enjoys plot twists, individuals who love a cute corgi, and to anyone in need of a happily ever after. I also believe this is a must read for anyone who enjoyed The Bone Houses - your joy at the end of this story will be mighty!

This book was my first by Emily Lloyd -Jones and thank you to Netgalley for the eARC!
I enjoyed this book. Was I captivated and eager to finish it? Not particularly. The book follows Mer, a water diviner and a crew of a former spy master, a thief/former lover, a fighter and a handful of others on a heist. I felt some of the interactions forced. I liked the dynamic between Renfrew and Mer the most I think. The (very tiny bit of) romance came kinda out of left field and I would have like for that to either be nixed completely or have it been built up a bit better. All in all it was a fun read.

Have you ever read a book and known within the first few pages that it’s going to be a favorite? That was me with The Drowned Woods. Lloyd-Jones has a way with words — her writing is simple, but not stupid, and lyrical and descriptive enough that you feel as if you are right alongside the characters. The basic gist of the story is this — our main cast of characters have to destroy a magical well to break the evil prince’s hold on the land. To put it simply — The Drowned Woods is part fairy-tale and part heist novel.

The plot is rather simple, but there’s no need for it to be incredibly complicated. (And, not to mention, this is technically a YA novel.) What Lloyd-Jones has done works. She brings together a memorable cast of characters and lets them tell the story.

There’s Mer, the water diviner — someone who can sense and manipulate water. She’s got some serious baggage, with good reason. She’s frequently quite prickly, and slow to trust after being betrayed by someone close to her in the past. There’s Fane, the ironfetch, and his pet corgi, Trefor. Fane was my favorite of the bunch — he is under service to the Fae, and was enchanted by them to be able to sense iron. They “gave” him another power, but I won’t spoil what that is. He spends a good chunk of the novel frequently afraid for everyone else, but he’s rather stoic about it. Trefor is a corgi, and he’s the bestest good boy out there. Other characters include: Ifanna the lady thief, Renfrew the spymaster, Emrick the scholar, and Gryf the…well I’m not going to spoil that, either.

There is a deep betrayal in this novel, that I saw coming, but wanted to pretend that I did not. But ohhhhh, how it hurt when I finally got to it. Ugh.

The Drowned Woods is a fairy-tale type novel (I’m reading a lot of these lately, apparently!) — it is based off of an old Welsh legend or tale, so that explains the general feel of the story. There is incredible magic to this tale, and I’m so, so glad that I got the chance to read this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC!

This was an interesting book. Started off so good, then kind of went downhill, unfortunately.

Characters: They were decent. At the beginning of the book they were quite interesting and I wanted to know more about them and understand them, but I never got much of that. They did not develop much, and they essentially were just thrown in their surroundings and reacting to the goings-on, so I did not get to know much about them other than their pasts and how they have 'grown-up' as a result of what happened to them previously. In short, they were pretty one-dimensional and stereotypical.
The corgi. This is a fantasy novel, but there was a corgi. Felt out of place to me. Sometimes it works to have random things like a corgi in novels but this was not one of those cases.

Plot: Good. I was invested in it pretty much the whole book. Except for a few times where I considered not finishing it due to other reasons besides the plot. The plot was probably the best part of this book. It definitely had potential to be better, but it was still good. There were a few things that I thought were predictable and obvious.

Writing: Nothing spectacular.
Some of the names of places and a certain boar seemed like they were made up by keyboard smashing (like what even is this name: Ysgithyrwyn). My dyslexic brain cannot handle names like that...
The world building was a bit vague, but the general idea was portrayed (most likely this is because most of the world building was done in the Bone Houses book which is in the same world, and I have not read it). Chapters were a bit inconsistent and the narrator. It started off with just Mer and Fane, but a few others were pulled in near the end which I thought did not add much to the story.

Conclusion: could have been a lot better. Had potential. Did not deliver. Not memorable.

2 stars

Mererid, aka Mer, has the power to control water. Taken from her family at a young age to serve the prince, she unknowingly caused hundreds of not thousands of deaths under his thumb. Now on the run and looking to get far away an old mentor from the past offers her the heist of a lifetime, one that would help her escape the prince's grasp for good. Fane promised servitude to the otherfolk, magical beings that offered him power to avenge his family's murders. How will Fane and Mer's paths cross? And will they be willing to continue no matter the cost?

Emily Lloyd-Jones does it AGAIN! Her first novel, The Hearts We Sold, is my all time absolute favorite book. I truly enjoyed the Bone Houses as well, but The Hearts We Sold has continued to be my recommendation to readers asking for a quick and powerful read. The Drowned Woods is another story I'm excited to put into recommendation rotation. The characters are flawed, the story feel hopeless, and you aren't meant to feel like it's a happy ending, but instead a meaningful one. Fane's story was woven beautifully and it was great to see him rationalize and not lose himself as much as he could have. I was very worried he was going down the Percival De Rolo/The List path but was impressed with how different from Percy's story it ended up being.

I wish I could give this story a hundred stars, but as I'm limited to give it's what I'll give it. I highly recommend this and Lloyd-Jones' entire body of work for those who love a deep story that has a deeper lesson and meaning. Age range 12+ as nothing graphic or sexual occurs.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free eARC!

Unlike The Bone Houses, this isn’t horror, it’s a fun and fast fantasy adventure. The cast is fairly large, but easy to keep track of. I loved the intricacies of the protagonist, and the way her sexuality is just a non issue. Like, probably not the most realistic for olden times wales, but so what it’s a book for a modern era and there’s magic so there’s more than gender equality that isn’t realistic here and I just loved it. This is another book that preteen and teen me would have obsessively reread.

One big thing I loved: I did NOT see the big twist coming! Or a few of the smaller twists! And that’s fairly rare these days bc most books tend to telegraph them pretty obviously. Here it’s entirely logical and makes complete sense but STILL isn’t what I saw coming!

I love also that it’s rooted in welsh folklore and mythology; I don’t know a ton of welsh folklore but I do know that it’s one of my ancestral contributors, so it was fun to dive in!

The magic was sensible and neat. I enjoyed how it imbued the different characters’ personalities. Also wow for a YA novel, this book does NOT shy away from killing people! It’s got trauma and love and deep emotions and conflicted motivations and questions of ethics and I love it.

Note: if you’ve read The Bone Houses, I think you’ll really get a kick out of this, even if it’s sort of a different genre. Trust me, they DO tie together…