anuajit's review
3.0
I came for the heist and the Welsh folktales, but I stayed for the Corgi. That's it, full stop. Trefor has my whole heart. His little sneezes stole my breathe....I could go on!!!
Many thanks to Netgalley, Hodder & Stoughton and the author, for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The story follows Mer, a water diviner, who was in the service of the prince of the land who is now on the run and a refugee. She is tracked down by her mentor who wants her to join him in one last heist before going into hiding again. Mer who unknowingly became a villain leading to the death of hundreds of people at the hands of the prince, sees this as her redeeming arc to make it up to her kingdom as this heist will result in bringing down the tyrant of a prince who branded her a criminal to the people for life. Mer and her mentor Renfrew assembles a crazy crew consisting of a body guard able to do fairy magic who is on his own mission, a historian, a miner, a thief (the princess of thieves might I add, who has a past with Mer) and one cute ass Corgi, Did I say it enough....A corgi...who can sniff magic...called Trefor. As they navigate the streams of betrayal, loyalty, love, hate, war, magic, trauma and earth shattering calamity, Mer might find solace after all.
This book did hold my attention from the very beginning, but kind of lost me somewhere along the middle. But when sh*t began to go down, I am not ashamed to say, I was worried only about Trefor, my immortal good boi! The prose is beautiful and I adored the descriptions, yet it felt too stretched for my liking. The book promises folktales, a heist, found family, betrayal, and welsh folktales. It does keep some of the promises. The twists at the end was good enough for me not to regret keeping on reading the book.
Many thanks to Netgalley, Hodder & Stoughton and the author, for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The story follows Mer, a water diviner, who was in the service of the prince of the land who is now on the run and a refugee. She is tracked down by her mentor who wants her to join him in one last heist before going into hiding again. Mer who unknowingly became a villain leading to the death of hundreds of people at the hands of the prince, sees this as her redeeming arc to make it up to her kingdom as this heist will result in bringing down the tyrant of a prince who branded her a criminal to the people for life. Mer and her mentor Renfrew assembles a crazy crew consisting of a body guard able to do fairy magic who is on his own mission, a historian, a miner, a thief (the princess of thieves might I add, who has a past with Mer) and one cute ass Corgi, Did I say it enough....A corgi...who can sniff magic...called Trefor. As they navigate the streams of betrayal, loyalty, love, hate, war, magic, trauma and earth shattering calamity, Mer might find solace after all.
This book did hold my attention from the very beginning, but kind of lost me somewhere along the middle. But when sh*t began to go down, I am not ashamed to say, I was worried only about Trefor, my immortal good boi! The prose is beautiful and I adored the descriptions, yet it felt too stretched for my liking. The book promises folktales, a heist, found family, betrayal, and welsh folktales. It does keep some of the promises. The twists at the end was good enough for me not to regret keeping on reading the book.
waffulmunkie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Torture, and Murder
goldenraes's review
4.0
As a previous reviewer wrote - a solid four stars. The plot was done well, the ending seemed a bit rushed. However, the characters are all really interesting and move the story along at an excellent pace. I also liked the fact romance was not front and center.
whatyoutolkienabout's review
5.0
I had wanted to read this book and when I received it in my August illumecrate box I finally stuck to a read-a-long and finished it!
Set in an old and magical Wales we meet Mererid who knows how magic and conflict rule through the kingdoms. Being the last living water diviner she has spent years running from the prince who bound her to be his puppet. He once used her to locate and poison the wells of his enemies. It is only when Mer’s old handler returns with a proposition, one that she can hardly turn down, that Mer stops running in the hopes of using her powers to bring down the very prince who abused them both.
With a rag-tag crew formed of fae-cursed man, the lady of thieves and a corgi who may or may not be a spy Mer could finally find her freedom. Part dark fairy tale and part heist this book ended up ticking a lot of my boxes.
Okay, let me be honest. If you add in any sort of animal that joins the crew you have me hooked. Make it an adorable corgi that could be spying for the fae and with a fondness of boots and I am suckered in. So, what I am trying to say is I was pretty sure this would be a five star before I started!
Emily Lloyd-Jones manages to create characters that are well developed, likable (sometimes not likeable) and that create a fantastic story. I was a bit worried with Mer being the last water diviner we may fall into the trap some YA fantasy do of the perfect protagonist who can solve everything. I am thankful to say we don’t. Mer is far from perfect with a sketchy past albeit at the Prince’s orders and having run with thieves she is far from perfect but that is what makes her likable and believable. I actually loved Mer but have to say my favourite characters where Fane and Trefor.
The novel itself is paced perfectly with action, adventure and problems along the way. Lloyd-Jones manages to combine beautiful prose with sometimes dark and dangerous situations. Melding a ‘normal’ world and imbuing it with believable magic and legend that made the whole novel a joy to read. I became invested quickly, more so when Trefor and Fane arrived, and could hardly wait to find out what happens next.
I tend to avoid spoilers but the ending was just superb. Both the actual ending and then the ‘tale’ told by the bards. It really reinforced the element of fantasy and realism which I adored. Being an avid fantasy fan and Dungeons and Dragons (as well as other games) player I couldn’t help but feel this perfectly captured the issues and obstacles that come from forming a motely crew of different people to try and pull off a mission. Sometimes funny, sometimes dangerous Lloyd-Jones captures the frustration and joy of trying to complete the mission and includes the losses along the way as well.
All in all I adored this book and will definitely be reading more by Emily Lloyd-Jones in the future!
Set in an old and magical Wales we meet Mererid who knows how magic and conflict rule through the kingdoms. Being the last living water diviner she has spent years running from the prince who bound her to be his puppet. He once used her to locate and poison the wells of his enemies. It is only when Mer’s old handler returns with a proposition, one that she can hardly turn down, that Mer stops running in the hopes of using her powers to bring down the very prince who abused them both.
With a rag-tag crew formed of fae-cursed man, the lady of thieves and a corgi who may or may not be a spy Mer could finally find her freedom. Part dark fairy tale and part heist this book ended up ticking a lot of my boxes.
Okay, let me be honest. If you add in any sort of animal that joins the crew you have me hooked. Make it an adorable corgi that could be spying for the fae and with a fondness of boots and I am suckered in. So, what I am trying to say is I was pretty sure this would be a five star before I started!
Emily Lloyd-Jones manages to create characters that are well developed, likable (sometimes not likeable) and that create a fantastic story. I was a bit worried with Mer being the last water diviner we may fall into the trap some YA fantasy do of the perfect protagonist who can solve everything. I am thankful to say we don’t. Mer is far from perfect with a sketchy past albeit at the Prince’s orders and having run with thieves she is far from perfect but that is what makes her likable and believable. I actually loved Mer but have to say my favourite characters where Fane and Trefor.
The novel itself is paced perfectly with action, adventure and problems along the way. Lloyd-Jones manages to combine beautiful prose with sometimes dark and dangerous situations. Melding a ‘normal’ world and imbuing it with believable magic and legend that made the whole novel a joy to read. I became invested quickly, more so when Trefor and Fane arrived, and could hardly wait to find out what happens next.
I tend to avoid spoilers but the ending was just superb. Both the actual ending and then the ‘tale’ told by the bards. It really reinforced the element of fantasy and realism which I adored. Being an avid fantasy fan and Dungeons and Dragons (as well as other games) player I couldn’t help but feel this perfectly captured the issues and obstacles that come from forming a motely crew of different people to try and pull off a mission. Sometimes funny, sometimes dangerous Lloyd-Jones captures the frustration and joy of trying to complete the mission and includes the losses along the way as well.
All in all I adored this book and will definitely be reading more by Emily Lloyd-Jones in the future!
bogwitchreads's review
5.0
First of all, thank you Illumicrate for picking this book and letting me off the waitlist in time for it, because I probably would not have read it otherwise, but I really, really loved it, more than I expected to.
It felt very much like a fairy tale, and it had me hooked from the very first page. I thought the writing was beautiful, I loved the characters (Trefor the corgi in particular is an icon), and I was very invested in their relationships. It was also surprisingly funny, and I really liked the world and the magic within it.
The thing that really made me love this book, though, is the strong emphasis on people, on community, on what we owe to each other. The entire last third, I felt that strongly, and it made me experience very strong feelings with the direction the story took. It was so good!
This book felt very much like water, which I suppose is fitting. It was beautiful and flowing and harsh, and I haven't stopped thinking about it since I finished it. I will definitely be checking out the other book in this world, because while I will miss these characters, I absolutely need more that feels like this.
It felt very much like a fairy tale, and it had me hooked from the very first page. I thought the writing was beautiful, I loved the characters (Trefor the corgi in particular is an icon), and I was very invested in their relationships. It was also surprisingly funny, and I really liked the world and the magic within it.
The thing that really made me love this book, though, is the strong emphasis on people, on community, on what we owe to each other. The entire last third, I felt that strongly, and it made me experience very strong feelings with the direction the story took. It was so good!
This book felt very much like water, which I suppose is fitting. It was beautiful and flowing and harsh, and I haven't stopped thinking about it since I finished it. I will definitely be checking out the other book in this world, because while I will miss these characters, I absolutely need more that feels like this.
reid_more_books's review
4.0
The Drowned Woods is a retelling of the Welsh myth of Cantref Gwaelod, which I had never heard before. It’s hailed as the Welsh Atlantis, which I can see: Cantref Gwaelod is a kingdom lost to the sea. In the old tale, Mererid is a maiden who neglects a well that then floods the land; in The Drowned Woods, Mererid is a frigging hero!
So what do a water diviner, a fighter who doesn’t want to hurt people, the heiress to the thieves guild, a man of mysterious origin, a scholar with debts, and an ex-spymaster have in common? A heist, of course! This ragtag team bands together to find the magic well in order to steal the treasure found in its depths. But obviously things are complicated and plans go awry, otherwise this would have been a very short story.
This book is a fast, easy read full of action. As somebody who maybe empathizes too strongly with fictional characters at times, I found myself genuinely shocked at some of the outcomes. I also full on sobbed towards the end, so maybe have a few Kleenex within reach. Overall, The Drowned Woods was really fun and full of Welsh mythology that was brand new to me. I enjoyed it a lot!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review!
So what do a water diviner, a fighter who doesn’t want to hurt people, the heiress to the thieves guild, a man of mysterious origin, a scholar with debts, and an ex-spymaster have in common? A heist, of course! This ragtag team bands together to find the magic well in order to steal the treasure found in its depths. But obviously things are complicated and plans go awry, otherwise this would have been a very short story.
This book is a fast, easy read full of action. As somebody who maybe empathizes too strongly with fictional characters at times, I found myself genuinely shocked at some of the outcomes. I also full on sobbed towards the end, so maybe have a few Kleenex within reach. Overall, The Drowned Woods was really fun and full of Welsh mythology that was brand new to me. I enjoyed it a lot!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review!
jordansreadingnook's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
egklesch's review
4.0
Up until the 2/3 mark I was thinking this book was going to stay at a very average rating, but the ending portion made me like it a lot more. The world was interesting, but wasn't so complex that I couldn't wrap my head around it quickly without having read the previous installment in this universe beforehand. I also enjoyed that the romance was not a main focus of the story– even though the protagonist has two romantic partners in this novel, neither of them are so romantic with her that it's distracting from the plot like with many other non-romance genre novels.
I didn't like the writing style all that much because it was very simple and repetitive (there was an instance where Mer's hair was described as "honey-brown" three times within the span of three or so pages), but it is a YA story so it could be a lot worse. I don't usually like YA novels but I did really like this one which I think says something. I also thought the characters could be a little more fleshed out but I'm not too angry with it. Not a bad book at all, but probably not one that will stay with me for very long after reading.
I didn't like the writing style all that much because it was very simple and repetitive (there was an instance where Mer's hair was described as "honey-brown" three times within the span of three or so pages), but it is a YA story so it could be a lot worse. I don't usually like YA novels but I did really like this one which I think says something. I also thought the characters could be a little more fleshed out but I'm not too angry with it. Not a bad book at all, but probably not one that will stay with me for very long after reading.
morticia_59's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
grims_ley's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
obsessed with this book, such a good read & i would def recommend for anyone who likes fantasy mixed with heists