Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for giving me a copy of the book in exchange of an honest review.

mer is a powerfull water diviner who was once used by the prince to do something that she will always regret. She teams up witha group of people and they plan a heist to steal from the prince and mayb e end with him.

I loved Mer. She is a really well made character who is both complex yet reliable. During the whole book we see her experience different situations and see how she grows from them. The probelem is, there were people from the group thatjust didnt have any personality. We only caught the smalles glimpse about them at the end and i truly could not feel anything about them. It was a pity seeing as if the author had developed certain characters and their story there could have been really ineteresting discussion and situations and everything would have changed completely. The pacing was odd. At first i thought it was slow and then things that felt like filling happened. The ending felt rushed in a odd way yet i liked the epilogue a lot.

I loved the idea and the setting and atmosphere but it felt like it needed more development.

I wanted to read a Emily Lloyd-Jones's book for a long times and I decide this one would be a great first read.

I'm a huge hight fantasy reader so I really like a strong world building. Here I didn't really get that, There are kingdoms, fea and magic but sadly I find everything a bit a blurred. We don't really get details about the how or why. I think it's my main complain about this book.

Mer is a nice MC, she is a fighter wanting to be free and when her old mentor find her she is the opportunity to find freedom. I like her she is strong and human. You see the layer in her.

About the plot. It was not the most innovative book but it was action pack with a lot of fun and I had a great time. It was fun and quick to read perfect for summer.

This was a huge yes.
I have to admit I wasn't completely satisfied with Lloyd-Jones' previous book, The Bone Houses - it seemed a bit too rush in presenting the characters and the final relationship- so I was a bit sceptical with this. But I'm so glad I read it beacuse I liked it a lot

It's a very interesting reimagining of folklore and mythology, a well organised idea of a heist that later turns out to be something more, and with a good variety of characters and unexpected plot twists
There was a good attention to the details and the story itself, it was clearly a plot driven novel, but at the same time we had a good picture of the main characters - thanks also to the many flashbacks at the beginning of some chapters, which were something that I appreciated a lot (together with the prologue and the epilogue and how they were written, they said a lot in a few pages and help us in getting a clear and vast idea of what happened) - so that we could know them better and understand their relationships with others better

They narration was a bit pompous and with a lot of short sentences, which I'm not a great fun of, but I know it's the writing style of the author so I didn't have a great problem with it. I got carried away soon, and it also helped in putting the reader in the right mood for the story and environment and also slowed down a bit the pace, but not in a bad way: even if it is a not-so-long book it seemed longer and held on to the reader more (even if in some parts it seemed a bit underwhelming- I don't think it is that suitable for climaxes scenes or fighting scenes)(or for describing in a clear way the process of falling in love of the characters)
But I'd still recommend it a lot

As a rather proud Welsh woman, I was really excited to see this fantasy set in Wales and based on so much of the Welsh mythology I grew up with. I'll be honest, I didn't just like this book, I completely loved it, way more than I imagined I would.

Meriden is a Water diviner, she was born with the ability to manipulate water. As a child, she is taken from her family and forced into the service of a Welsh Prince. As an adult, she's on the run from the Prince when her old Spymaster and mentor Renfrew appears in her life, promising her a way out. The pair are joined by a group of others as they attempt a heist that promises riches and an end to the evil Prince. It all seems far too easy.....

God, I was totally hooked by the characters. Mer is so strong, a weapon honed to kill and cause destruction who battles the demons from her past. The heir of the guild of thieves, a scholar of magic and a mysterious spy join her. My favourite was the wonderfully rendered Fane, gentle and kind, but carries the curse of death, though the story was stolen by Trefor the Welsh Corgi!!! I very quickly found myself invested with the characters and their pasts.

This is essentially a fantasy heist story. Characters brought together by greed, a sense of vengeance and a desire to appease the mistakes of history. There's tons of deception, a fairly diverse cast of characters. As someone who has grown up nestled in the hills of North Wales and knew some of the myths and legends the story features I really liked seeing them being brought to life again. Apparently, this story is loosely linked to another by the author called The Bone Houses which is now on my TBR.

I really strong enjoyable quick read. Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an e-arc in return for an honest review.

4.5⭐️
This is a great book, it felt like a badass fairytale.
The story is well paced throughout but the last 25% really had me hooked with it’s twists and turns.
If you want a book with magic, action, laughs, animal sidekicks and found family this is a must read!

The Drowned Woods follows two characters: the last living water diviner named Mererid, on the run from a corrupt prince, and an enchanted man named Fane who used to work for the otherfolk as an ironfetch, and Mer’s ex, a lady thief. Her former teacher and spymaster of the kingdom has turned against the prince they used to work for, and brings Mer back for one last job so they can both be free of the prince forever. Part fairytale, part mythology, part heist job.

I liked the characters, and the plot as well, but everything seemed not very memorable and easy to forget ... in short, nothing really surprising and captivating!
An enjoyable fantasy book, a good romance and normal characters, not excellent but enjoyable and fun.
The thing I liked the most is definitely the Welsh mythology and the fact that there was a Corgi in the book, I love dogs !!!
It is also highly recommended if you want a fantasy book that is not part of a series but remains a standalone.

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

This was good. Really good. The cast of characters is diverse, interesting, and enchanting. Right away I was invested in Mer and everyone else quickly followed.

This was well paced and exciting and very nuanced. Mer- the main character is multi-faceted and fascinated. She's a complex mix whose motives are clear throughout. Fane was lovely and earnest and I love his storyline throughout the whole novel.

The world-building is great and intriguing and I'd like more in this world. I liked the meld of old Celtic folklore and original magic and mythology.

I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did but I blew through it and absolutely loved it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this in exchange for an honest review.

Heists, Magic, the Other Folk, a heroine and a dog what more could a story need? A slow start but the world building was on point and I could imagine myself there.
My only issue was the ending and how it felt rushed and tied up too nicely.

However, the link to The Bone Houses means I have another book to read.
Thank you #netgalley for the ARC

The Drowned Woods is everything I look for in YA fantasy and then some.

The world was great. It felt vast and, considering this is a standalone, the amount of detail, history, and politics was amazing. The magic was really well explained and I loved how rooted everything was in Welsh mythology. This isn’t super heavy fantasy, and I think that was the perfect choice for a standalone.

I loved the characters. Mer and Fane had my heart as soon as they were introduced (though no one comes close to Trefor, of course.) Their friendship felt very natural and it was really refreshing to read about a couple that didn’t jump straight to romance. I really liked Ifanna and Renfrew too and I feel like the author did a great job of making me care even for the side characters.

The pacing was absolutely spot on. There was the perfect blend of world-building to action and the last 20% put me through about a million emotions. The ending might be one of my favorite YA fantasy endings.

I was already intrigued by The Bone Houses but I’ll definitely be picking it up now. This is officially my favorite YA book of the year and I’m so excited to read more from Emily Lloyd-Jones.

Content warnings: Violence, slavery, death, war, grief, poisoning, death of an infant, mass murder/genocide, branding, fire. The dog survives :)

⭐⭐⭐.5
(I did promise harsh)

What I loved about the drowned woods was the gorgeous inspired setting, which I'm fairly sure is Scottish inspired / based given the names of a few dishes I recognised! The descriptions of gorgeous villages and castles was wonderful - as was the casual bi rep which was simply excellent. The main character, Mer, is easy to like and to feel kinship enough to follow her story. (As is the corgi / spy!).

This is definately a YA book. That's not a criticism, it's simply a fact! The story moved along at a brisk pace, introducing new characters and events as fast as a bookworm buys new releases. On the whole, though I don't think the pacing did anything to take away from the story, it simply wasn't quite for me. I found my mind drifting in the beginning, as I struggled to latch on to the extra detail I crave. All of the characters are interesting and creative themselves, but I simply felt I didn't have the time to fall in love with them in the way I would have liked. This meant rather than enjoying the drama, I felt I was more picking over repeating metaphors (sharpened into a weapon was, I feel, overused) instead of mourning the childhood mer could have had if she's wasn't used as the prince's tool. This was what inevitably dropped my rating from four to three point five.

Despite my wandering brain, I did really enjoy certain scenes involving mythical monsters, and some of the banter between characters - and, as I said, the setting was simply perfect for the story. It's definately worth a read!

Though I might not pick up The Bone Houses soon as I thought I would want to, I do think this was an imaginative and fun read, full of lovable characters. I only wish I were able to find it before I started to move away from YA. Or perhaps, I wish I'd picked it up when I wasn't in the mood for something a little more detailed!

This book was actually a surprisingly short read.

we follow a heist with a group of characters set in a Welsh-inspired land with a magic system based on elements and power. Our main character Mer is a water diviner- the last to exist- and she has escaped her role as an assassin for the prince. We also follow another POV from Fane, who is an ironfetch. He’s got an interesting power- whoever he fights, dies. And then we have three other characters on this adventure to an ancient well to save the land.

I absolutely adored the writing. It was rich, immersive and I felt every word of it. The world was truly very intriguing. I liked how the power system was portrayed throughout the story. Mer is a very strong character. She is fierce and clever. Her quick thinking saves the others multiple times. I did expect a more heavy romance between Mer and Fane, but I’m glad it was sort of a slow burn. Fane is one of those quiet, lurking in the background characters. He doesn’t get as close to anyone because he’s afraid to hurt them, but with Mer he takes a risk.

The atmosphere of this book is definitely what kept me reading. I did want to stop reading multiple times, but I really liked the character-driven story and I wanted to know what happened to these characters. My expectations weren’t too high, but I still enjoyed this story. It is definitely a book to read when you want a slow-paced adventure with a memorable cast of characters, a magical corgi, and filled with tragic pasts and actions. The twists near the end were really surprising. I wish the world had been expanded so we got to know more about the ‘otherfolk’ with magic, and about Mer’s past as an assassin for the prince. But as a standalone, this stands very well on its own.

Overall, an atmospheric read full of lush descriptions and great banter sprinkled in. I really liked the last quarter and the epilogue. I would recommend!

This book was shocking.

The prolog was intriguing, apparently the MC has the ability to control water, and everyone would want to have a control of her because of her ability. One day she was picked by the prince's spymaster from her house, and then they cared for each other since.

I had troubles to get into the narrative. The writing was too hard and heavy to my liking. Not to mention the difficult names and unfamiliar terms. See, I've had zero knowledge about Welsh myth and I'm not the kind of reader who immediately browsing anything I don't understand. So throughout the story I just tried to feel about the magic system and skipped it when I had no idea about that. A glossary would be helpful but this book is lacking of it too.

To be honest I was going to give it 2 or 3 stars BUT apparently it DID get better, all the twists came at once and it felt a little bit overwhelming, but the conclusion was perfectly put. The last few pages made me cry but it was a good cry so at the end I decided to give it 3,75 stars rounded up. A good debut indeed, can't wait to see what Emily will bring next!

I love when stories are narrated as if they were fairytales and especially the prologue and the epilogue gave me this feeling.
The plot is full of betrayals and plot twists that kept me hooked up and I almost read it in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down. It definitely convinced me I want to read the Bone Houses very soon.
Mer has a rare power that has been exploited by men to do evil without her knowing, still she feels responsible. She does what she has to survive but she remains quite noble and stick to her morals and that’s what I appreciated about her.
At the beginning the crew and the sort of heist they must accomplish gave me Six of Crows vibes.

thank you netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. i really enjoyed this book; it was not perfect by any means, but it was an enjoyable book, and i really liked the characters and how the plot developed, all leading up to that ending. taking all of this into consideration, i am going to give the book 4/5 stars because i really did have a great time reading it.

Mer is a water diviner. She has the power to control water. Since escaping from the Prince who wanted to use her for her powers Mer has been keeping her head down in taverns and working small jobs. Until Renfrew comes to find her, the princes spymaster, and man who pretty much raised Mer. He has deserted the Prince and has a proposition for her. Help him to find a magical well, that holds a multitude of treasures, and she can keep some treasure and run, never having to worry about the prince again. A magical heist, with plenty of twists and turns throughout.

So this book for me was alright but it had the potential to be amazing. The story was slow to start, and written in third person. Third person writing for me, just isnt my favourite in any book. I struggle to form the attachments to characters, and therefore struggle to get involved with the story.

The basic plot of this book, i loved! A magical heist for treasure, even though some of the twists were a bit obvious it didn’t take away from them. Mer is a queer main character, who we see involved with both males and females and two female characters married to one another so there is great LGBTQ+ representation in the book which we love to see!

The last 100/150 pages were the best part of the story, I flew through them much faster than I did any other part of the book. And Trefor the dog is amazing and I love him!

A dark, magical tale based on Welsh folklore. Enjoyable read!

The Drowned Woods is another book that I’ve fallen completely in love with due to it hitting so many of my niche interests. A water diviner girl (the last of her kind), a fae-cursed boy, a chaotic-good heir to a thieves guild, and a corgi who may or may not be a spy. Along with three other characters, they’re on a quest to destroy a magical well that keeps the prince’s lands safe. It’s a story about folklores and magic and heists. It’s wonderful.

First love: the setting. This book explores more of the world that was introduced in The Bone Houses. The majority of this book takes place in a city that is full of both hustle and bustle and iron to ward off magic, and a cave system which is where I truly fell in love with the author's descriptions and her imagination in general. The Welsh influences and folklore were the perfect choice for a horror-influenced novel. I’ve grown up near Wales and heard about all the ghost hauntings and supernatural sightings and other assorted spooky stuff. I will say that there was a suspicious lack of woods for the majority of this book. However, this was balanced out by an acceptable amount of drowning.

Second love: the folklore. This book truly showcases how magical and dark Welsh folklore can be, and it's disappointing to see so many reviewers who don't appreciate that and describe the Welsh language as a keyboard slam or a fictional language. I’ve had a fixation with local folk tales for my entire life and this book appealed to that niche interest. I loved reading about tales that are already so close to my heart and I love that it’s getting well-done representation. This book retells the Welsh myth of Cantre’r Gwaelod, a sunken kingdom that supposedly once stood where Cardigan Bay now exists, affectionately referred to as 'Welsh Atlantis' by the author. The tale has many variations, but at the centre of several is a young woman who is a keeper of a magical well. Many of the myths say that it was her fault that the kingdom was sunk. This book shows what the story would be like if it was told from her perspective.

Third love: the epilogue. Also the final scene from the final chapter. These two moments in the book contain references to The Bone Houses and I was audibly squealing when I caught on to what was happening. I don't think I can elaborate on either moment without giving a spoiler to either book, but the links between the books made me appreciate the characters' stories and their struggles so much more. It was a beautiful thing to read.

Fourth love: Mer, our leading lady and the narrator for the bulk of the book. She is a water diviner who was stolen from her family for her powers and forced into working for the prince. She feels as if she's never had control over her life and her only choice was to run away over and over again, and I felt that her emotional growth was realistically written. I am a sucker for anyone with water powers, especially someone who uses the water inside someone else's body to their advantage. I did have a fear that she would be an overpowered character due to the extent of her magic abilities, but there were consequences of her using her power - especially in the finale - and it just made me appreciate the author further. She describes herself as someone who is saved by stubbornness rather than bravery, and I've never related to a character more. She is also bisexual and her attraction to both genders is explored on the page, and I also love how subtly and naturally it's introduced.

The thing that stopped me from rating this book higher was the other characters. I did prefer the main characters of The Bone Houses, I think because there were only two for most of the book so they didn't have to compete for time on the page. They had two clear, distinct, contrasting personalities while the larger cast of The Drowned Woods blended together for me, and one of the characters did not feel significant to the plot at all. Most of the characters were only there for the heist and their storylines revolved around it so there wasn't much room for character development or a satisfying arc that did not focus on becoming rich or getting revenge, and I felt that the amount of space they took up on page could've been used to delve deeper into Fane's curse or the Otherfolk (or more corgi content). However, the large cast did allow for some exciting reveals later in the plot which showed how their paths have crossed in the past without some of them knowing.

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year and I do not have the words to express how pleased I am that it both lived up to and exceeded my expectations. Emily Lloyd-Jones has earned her place on my list of favourite authors and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Drowned Woods. I absolutely devoured it in about 3 hours, and it was non-stop from start to finish. The pacing was excellent, the characters likeable, and the plot was interesting. The author integrated world building into the story very well, it never felt like there was information being dumped or things done for the sake of world building.

I enjoyed the short storytelling sections at the start of each part. It gave the whole book a fairytale vibe, as if we were being told the story around a campfire. It didn’t feel out of place at all, and flowed into the narrative very smoothly.

There were enough twists and turns and reveals to keep the reader engaged, and evoked emotions on behalf of the characters - pity for Fane as he was trapped by his own unwitting bargain, anger and pride on behalf of Mer, sadness near the end for the loss the characters went through. I almost cried when Mer faced the waves near the end. When she stood up and chose her path.

If you are looking for a novel that is part heist, part fairytale, and fully enrapturing, then The Drowned Woods is the book for you!

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a review copy in exchange for an honest review!

This is a richly descriptive and atmospheric fantasy set in Wales, featuring the last water Diviner. I thought I knew where the story was going then it completely surprised me (in a good way!). I loved the complex protagonist, Mer, who is running from the trauma of her past but my favourite character was, of course, Trefor, the corgi. And the tie-in to THE BONE HOUSES was perfect.

This is a hard book to rate. It read very flat, and never turned into a hill (an upwards or even downwards hill), just stayed flat throughout.

That's not to say that it wasn't still fun to read, to an extent. I finished it in one sitting just fine, and it didn't feel like I was reading an average length book at all, so it has that going for it.

The world building was okay too, I liked the use of mythology.

The plot needed some more development, it felt very shallow and predictable in parts. It was also unserious, so I think it might be a good fit for middle grade readers, they might appreciate it more.

The characters are where it gets tricky, they make or break the story for me and here I fear it was the latter.

I felt no attachment to anyone except the two dogs. One dog shows up at the start and finish and the other is a constant companion. They're the best characters. Everyone else? Meh. They could've all lived or died and it would've been the same to me.

I didn't realise that this book was "connected" to another book by the author which I haven't read. Maybe if I had I'd like this one more, but since I haven't it is what it is.

*Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Being welsh I was so excited to read this book which is a retelling of the Welsh myth “Cantre’r gwaelod” which is said to tell of the creation of Cardigan Bay.

The Drowned Woods is a magical tale which fantastic world building that transports you to the beautiful lands of Wales.

It has a lot of my favourite elements which are executed beautifully - Slow burn romance, a heist and of course magic. I am not usually a huge fan of kingdom politics but I think the way it’s woven with Welsh mythology really works.

Lloyd-Jones writing is beautiful and their character development is spot on- I really enjoyed Mer and found that her strong nature along with her story really drove the book on.

The plot is slow but I enjoyed the ride and when the writing is this beautiful it’s worth savouring the journey.

It’s a solid 4/5 stars.