Unfortunately I found the narrator of this audiobook very annoying and I couldn't for the life of me continue with listening. I DNFed at about 15%.

Sitting side by side on the clifftop, he turns to her solemnly and says, ‘The water witch is real.’ She rolls her eyes and grins, teasing him. ‘Sure. A psycho mermaid. Got it.’ But now he’s gone forever… will she find the truth beneath the waves?



Brittany, France. Ariadne Walker’s fiancé Simon drowned in the stormy Atlantic Ocean doing what he loved: searching for the lost underwater city of Ys. Local legend says it was destroyed centuries ago when the princess of Ys became a water witch, cursing the name of the man who betrayed her.



Ari never believed these tall tales. And the letter Simon sent before he died finishing their relationship is a devastating secret she’ll take to the grave. But arriving in Brittany, Ari encounters a man emerging from the sea in a rocky cove, saltwater dripping from his dark hair. Rafael swears the legends are true: and his ancestor was cursed by the water witch. Now, his own life is in terrible danger. And the secret to breaking the curse lies hidden in the lost city.



When Ari finds a strange engraved mask on the sea bed, and a cryptic map amongst Simon’s things, she has no choice but to believe Rafael’s plea. Can they follow the trail and save Rafael’s life? Poring over the map by candlelight, the flickering flames only add to the heat between them… but will Ari’s fragile heart soon be shattered all over again? And will they ever find Ys and break the curse – or will the water witch demand another sacrifice?



An absolutely addictive romantic fantasy read filled with passion and mystery, that will sweep you away to the wild coast of northern France. Inspired by real myths and legends from this magical place Narration of this book was so good, brought the book alive for me and I easily followed the storyline. This one kept me hooked and entertained until the last page…
I read the book and listened to the audiobook version and really enjoyed the narrator so much!! Five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was so pleased with this book. It has everything you could want: romance, magic, fantasy, treasure hunts, moody coastline.... a french billionaire hero..... it was nicely paced throughout and kept the mystery alive. One of my new favorites!

I love everything about this! The setting. The characters. The myths its based on! More fiction out of the Ys legends, please and thank you.
Ari is so great. Love Jason. Nico is the sweetest of sweethearts! And again, the setting! Brittany is gorgeous. I simply loved everything about this.

Full of suspense, folklore and magic, The Water Witch is not a book you'll want to miss. I absolutely adored this story from page one. It is beautifully written and gripping in a way that made it impossible to put down. I read the entire thing in one evening.

Ariadne begrudgingly returns to Brittany, France to assist her brother with his quest to uncover the lost underwater city of Ys. Ari swore she'd never return after she lost her fiancé to the sea as part of the very same expedition but when her brother called and begged, she couldn't resist.

Rafael has found himself back home to care for his aunt, who holds onto the stories about Ys with a passion. He does not know how to handle his aunt's insistence that Ys be found because the stories cannot possibly be real - or can they?

Ari was a well written character with whom I really connected. I found her to be relatable and felt each and every one of her emotions right along with her as she confronted her part and tried to figure out how to move forward. Her brother and his best friend, Jason and Nico were great supporting characters who truly added to the story. Rafael, too, was well-written and full of unexpected depth. I found myself loving him a bit more with each and every layer that was peeled back to reveal his deepest desires and character.

Check out the Water Witch if you are a fan of any of the following:

- Vengeful witches
- Magical realism
- Love after loss
- Found family
- Costal French towns
- Lyrical prose full of lore
- Treasure hunting
- Light academia
- Lost cities
- Family drama
- Suspense-filled stories

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I love how Jessica Thorne weaves the supernatural and folkloric elements into a contemporary love story. I also like how a lot of the folklore in this story is based on actual folk tales.

Ari Walker is roped in, by her brother, to carry on the search for the City of Ys. A search that probably led to her late fiance's death. Raphael Du Lac is haunted by his family curse - which means that all men in his family die at the age of 35. And Raphael has a month left.

This book starts quietly and builds to a crescendo. It's full of spookiness and adventure. The characters are well rounded and the descriptions of the settings are so vivid, I could taste the salt.
I loved it.

A fantastic tale of love and fantasy. Ari has lost her love, but after a journey of discovery with a few twists and turns she finds herself on a path, where does it end you ask, dip your toes into the water and find out!