I absolutely adored this book! Slow burn romance, characters you can't help but fall in love with, magic and plot twists at every corner. The pacing was perfect, the action sequences had me on the edge of my seat, and the happy ending is always a bonus!

I would definitely recommend this book.

Hugely enjoyable YA fantasy that captures some wonderfully classic-feeling quest atmosphere. The pace was high, the characters and interactions really enjoyable, and the plot a fun rollick through a magical medieval Wales. I really enjoyed Lloyd-Jones' atmospheric and fun writing style, and I'm definitely going to read her other books! One of the more unique YA fantasies I've read.

It was super hard for me to get in the book. It was fast paced which was nice but the characters neither the plot grew on me. I had to keep pushing myself to finish it, and honestly it just made it a bit worse. I had a different idea for when I started to where it led me.

I didn't know what to expect but I was drawn to the cover, the title and (being Welsh) to the Welsh fairy-tale aspect of it. Turned out to be one of those books you pick up on a whim and it becomes an instant hit upon starting it and hard to put down. Lloyd-Jones' writing style was absorbing, the plot gripping and the characters vividly portrayed. A very engaging read, full of twists and turns, magic and adventure.

I love stories that give you that fairytale-like feeling. The prologue and the epilogue of The Drowned Woods absolutely fulfilled those needs of mine. I fell in love with the writing from the first paragraph.

I loved the magic system, especially how the water magic works and what can be done with it. The elemental magic is nothing new but I think I have never seen it used in such a clever way. I loved how Mer could sense the water - maybe better say 'fluids' - everywhere and use it in many different ways.... I don't think I've ever seen a character controlling an element like that. The way Mer could use the moisture in the eyes or feel the water in the wood was bloody genius.

This book retells the Welsh myth of Cantre'r Gwaelod, or translated into English, the Lowland Hundred, which explains the origins of Cardigan Bay on the west coast of Wales, which is super interesting. Overall, I loved the Welsh influences and the mysterious Otherfolk (fae folk) from the forest. I really liked that the author included Welsh words! Weah, I am a sucker for languages.

The plot kept me hooked, and I truly enjoyed the ride. Two twists I did not see coming... I wasn't thinking about it much, but I usually know things before they happen. Here it surprised me. And overall, I felt like there was more action and twists than in The Bone Houses, which I was reading and reading, waiting for the story to unravel and finding myself in love with it by the very emotional ending. Speaking of the ending… this one was emotional as well. I did not cry, but it made me afraid for the characters' wellbeing. And the epilogue which connected it all to The Bone Houses was golden. It was an imaginary cherry on top of a very good cake!

I've seen people talk about how flat the characters felt, but I did not struggle throughout the reading. I did not have trouble rooting for them or finding myself unable to empathize with them. I liked Mer and was interested in the relationship between her and her former handler, Renfrew, the Prince's ex-Spy Master. Moreover, I was invested in Fane, the fae-cursed young man, and his past. And while I would appreciate seeing even more of Mer and Fane's interactions, I enjoyed watching their relationship build into what it ultimately becomes. And don't forget the amazing and adorable corgi companion, who may or may not be a spy! My heart belongs to Trefor ❤️❤️❤️.

While I can agree that the childhood traumas could have had a greater impact on the characters - especially in the flashbacks - plus that the middle part where the characters are just getting ready for the heist may feel a bit slow, I did not feel bored as I was trying to figure out how it all fits with The Bone Houses. That kept me going.

Overall, the book is not perfect and the characters can make it or break it, but for me, it was a very enjoyable book. I loved it! It's not perfect, no book actually is, but it is so captivating and quick to read.

Thank you Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fantastic prologue, amazing ending, dragged and remain one out and mediocre middle. The characters start and remain one note and the writing has elements of the author trying too hard. This book could have been condensed to 250 pages, given a more concise and natural flow and lacked the repetitive similes and metaphors (seriously, there were far too many comparisons to a frozen lake or statements of fighting the ocean feeling like battling a mountain or something else of the sort...)

The plot was the strongest part of this book, and I will try more from this author in the future, but this book just needed several more rounds of edits to get to its fullest potential. Soooo 2.5?

As someone who is new to Emily Lloyd-Jones' books, I definitely went into this book not expecting anything. But WOW, this book was something.

A really common issue I personally find within YA fantasy is the lack of well crafted writing - they often tend to feel childish, or insufficient for a fantasy novel, where description and explanation are crucial. However, the writing in the drowned woods was far from childish or insufficient, but rather intriguing. Even just within the first few pages, I could tell this book wouldn't be added onto the endless list of YA fantasy icks.

The writing was just amazing, the plot felt so engaging, and I truly enjoyed every moment of reading this. Proud to say I'm a huge fan of Emily Lloyd-Jones now!

This is the first book I've read from this author, and after reading it, it makes me want to delve into some more. I Really enjoyed the writing style and it kept me wanting to keep reading, really drawing me into the story. I loved learning about welsh names & the mythology.

Mer is water diviner, she’s ‘other touched’ (aka gifted), and hunted by the Prince did her gift and the death and destruction it can cause. After escaping his grasp, she’s found by her former handler (and father figure), the king’s spymaster, who wants Mer’s help in a heist to take down the throne.
Mer is inherently good, she’s easy to like, she’s brave and noble and just wants to stop hiding in her bid to never be used as a weapon again.

Fane is a sweetheart, he’s big, he looks dangerous, his can kill easily and without control, like Mer he himself is a reluctant weapon, and yet he too is desperate not to hurt anyone. His conflict on the page, him trying to wrestle with the blood on his hands, and his growing feelings for Mer, are charming to follow as he comes to accept himself and acknowledge his feelings towards himself. Together they start to heal the closer they become. There’s also a dog, an adorable corgi called Trefor (and spoiler - he lives!) and every story needs a dog, or, y’know, a zombie goat :D

Ifanna is a fun character, morally grey when you consider a few decisions she makes, but as Mer’s former girlfriend and an ally in this mission, she’s awesome and a badass. You can’t necessarily agree with some of her decisions but you understand them, she’s a survivor and I can see why Mer fancied her, I think I do too.

I liked the world building, I liked the Welsh folklore and how you were transported there, and I adored how The Bone Houses, one of my favourite reads, linked with this in the epilogue.

You wouldn’t necessarily expect this from a book sold as a heist story but this is warm and charming due to strong, likeable and endearing characters and a rich, vibrant setting and I really enjoyed it.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review

Another hit from Emily Lloyd-Jones! I read the bone houses a few years ago and absolutely fell in love with it. I’ve been highly anticipating this book from ELJ and she did not disappoint. As Welsh person it so good to see my culture, history and folklore being used in a way that is respectful and so exciting. If you’ve read from Emily before then I know you’ll love this book, but if she’s a new to you author I would highly recommend you try it.

It took me ages but I finally finished it.
I enjoyed the plot twists & the characters but sadly this book wasn't as dynamic as it could have been. It was missing a smooth flow of words and lacked an intensity that would have made this story epic.

There wasn’t as much action as I thought there would be but that didn’t spoil the story, I thought this was a very well written fantasy with great world building and I loved the characters. I enjoyed this overall

I loved it. I think it was be close to a five star but I somehow expected a bit more of actions? It was slow but there were still a lot happened and some revelations, but I don't know, maybe I just wanted even more? haha Also I felt like a map would have been needed, I was a bit confused on the distance between everything and were the cities were, etc.

The story was really interesting, I also loved all the small things put into Mer's water diviner power and Fane's ironfetcher power, it was well done. All the problems surrounding Garanhir and Renfew were revealed slowly and it sometimes hard to come through and sometimes it was just another story to hate one or the other. Welsh legends got me really intrigued as I discovered them, and I loved how everything happened about it! I feel like I'm going to spoile everything if I talk more than that vague review, I'm sorry, but I loved it!

I loved the characters SO much. We get both Mer and Fane's point of view, but we also get sometimes Ifanna's one. I loved all POVs, how deep the Mer and Fane's characters were made by the author. And here once again (after The Bone Houses) I deeply loved the relationship build between Mer and Fane even over the spang of a few days, as here again it's based on trust, believing the other, and conversation. This book isn't really based on the romance as it's more of a sub-plot, but I was both into the story and rooting for them hard.

Also. TREFOR MY BABY BOY I loved this cute corgi SO MUCH, it was honestly the cute touch and a love fluffball, I loved how all important characters were attached to Trefor and cared about him, how Trefor was more or less helpful, etc. He's my baby and I went aww every single time he appeared. I couldn't help it. Sorry.

I love reading new takes on Welsh myths. I wish this had been longer so that the setting could be properly explored. Well written and a great bunch of characters.

I enjoyed The Drowned Woods by Emily Lloyd-Jones for the most part, but I did want more. I tend to assume fantasy will be a series, but this is a stand-alone. Even so, I don't think there was quite enough. I didn't want flashbacks of before Mer escaped being the Prince's water diviner, I wanted to actually be there and see it. And I felt the same for when Fane was a fetch for the Otherfolk.

It's not just because it's a stand-alone, it just didn't feel like there was much to this story. And I really liked the characters, the worldbuilding, the glimpse of politics we saw. I just wanted so much more from it. If it had to be a stand-alone, it should have been much longer.

I loved learning about Mer and Ifanna, though I would have liked to have seen more of it - again. I didn't quite see the romance between Mer and Fane though. I was kind of surprised by it; there wasn't much in the way of chemistry or flirting, or really any kind of indication that they were actually into each other. I assumed they would be friends, and it would be a story without romance. So it was quite a shock when that's the route it took. It really wasn't developed enough.

I did enjoy this story, I just wanted more from it.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton for the eProof.

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features blood, vomit, corpses and skeletons, violence against women, and torture.

Thank you Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to read this fantastic book.

I really enjoyed reading this book, especially the last few chapters. The ending was so beautiful and made my heart full.
I really liked the heist part of the book, it was fast paced and with really interesting plot twist happening at the end.
I loved all the characters and I will forever hold Mer, Fane, Ifanna and especially Trefor in my heart.
Although I think some part of the plot were a little predictable, I really liked the Welsh legends aspect.
Now that I know that The Bone Houses is set in the same world I really want to pick it up read it.

I enjoyed this book and felt very similarly to how i felt with the Bone Houses. These books are easy and fun reads that have enough drama to keep you reading whilst being incredibly accessible. This book is fast paced and steeped in worldbuilding, with character who are well developed and nicely relatable. I probably wouldn’t have preferred to lean in to the romance more but that is just personal taste.
I do think some of the Welsh representation is a little questionable, but I doubt anyone without Welsh heritage would notice and I can see why the minor errors have been made.

Just pointing out The Bone Houses is also set in this world which I think definitely adds to this! I enjoyed this one more than I originally thought, it kept the world building to a minimum which is great when the other book is out in the world, it allowed it to be a little more fast paced for me. I liked the secondary plot of the romance running through; that was lovely and for it to not be the main point of the book was great. I just think this has everything I wanted, magic, mystery and of course a heist! Really liked this one. Also stunning cover!

This book seemed to be an attempt at becoming the next Six of Crows, but sadly did not reach that same high. The set up of the story was good, but the characters were not interesting nor very likeable. The middle of the book was very slow due to the lack of interesting characters, but the plot did pick up near the end. All in all it was not a terrible book, but it also was not very memerable.

Colby Mills once felt destined for a musical career, but tragedy grounded his dreams. Now the dust has settled, he spontaneously takes a gig playing at a bar in Florida, seeking a rare break from his duties at home.