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A review by laelyn
The Drowned Woods by Emily Lloyd-Jones
4.0
This book made me order the author's previous novel set in the same world, which should already tell you that this is going to be a positive review.
I haven't read anything from Lloyd-Jones before and admittedly didn't know of her existence before stumbling over "The Drowned Woods", immediately enchanted by the promises of its description. A fantasy set in olden times Wales, inspired by a "Welsh Atlantis"? Count me in!
The world is fascinating, steeped in Welsh mythology. The writing is beautiful and there is an atmosphere throughout the whole book that draws you right in. It's a darker approach to ya fantasy that I quite enjoyed. The world, the mythology and the beautiful prose are what made me order that previous novel. It's really where this book shines.
Now, the characters are definitely lovely too, though I did find some of them rather flat or recognized their type of character from many other ya books, which kept me from feeling all too invested in them. I enjoyed Mer as the primary protagonist and loved her tragic backstory, and I absolutely LOVED LOVED LOVED her complex relationship with Renfrew. It was honestly the one relationship I was really invested in - I am, admittedly, a sucker for complicated father-daughter-stories. Fane is another protagonist with his own pov, and I really enjoyed his backstory too. I also liked that he wasn't described as yet another incredibly handsome perfect dream boy. He's rugged, he's scarred, he's flawed. Obviously he must also be a giant because apparently giant boys are The Big Trend in ya literature right now, but I do like giant boys so I'm not complaining. The third pov belongs to Ifanna, the lady of thieves who should have been my favourite character because she's just my type, but alas, she doesn't really have a lot of actual content in the book.
There is a bit of a romance, but I'm honestly glad that this was just a verrrrry minor part of this story (and I was honestly a bit more interested in the side romance).
The side characters are honestly just kind of there. I couldn't tell you much about them beyond their on page motivation and like, one character trait maybe if at all. They're forgettable. Well, all of them but the bestest of best boys Trefor of course. I'd honestly read a book just telling me stories about Trefor's travels and I would enjoy absolutely every single second of it. He's the best and the most important.
The plot is a little slow-paced in the middle part of the book, but the epic ending and the general atmosphere of the setting make up for it. Considering I did read that Welsh Atlantis note beforehand I was kind of guessing at what was going to happen, but it still happens in such an intriguing, exciting way that I fully enjoyed it.
All in all, this is a really fun, atmospheric read with beautiful prose, set in a fascinating mythological world. The characters aren't very memorable, the side characters especially forgettable, and there are some pacing issues but it's still absolutely a 4 star read for me.
Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the arc.
I haven't read anything from Lloyd-Jones before and admittedly didn't know of her existence before stumbling over "The Drowned Woods", immediately enchanted by the promises of its description. A fantasy set in olden times Wales, inspired by a "Welsh Atlantis"? Count me in!
The world is fascinating, steeped in Welsh mythology. The writing is beautiful and there is an atmosphere throughout the whole book that draws you right in. It's a darker approach to ya fantasy that I quite enjoyed. The world, the mythology and the beautiful prose are what made me order that previous novel. It's really where this book shines.
Now, the characters are definitely lovely too, though I did find some of them rather flat or recognized their type of character from many other ya books, which kept me from feeling all too invested in them. I enjoyed Mer as the primary protagonist and loved her tragic backstory, and I absolutely LOVED LOVED LOVED her complex relationship with Renfrew. It was honestly the one relationship I was really invested in - I am, admittedly, a sucker for complicated father-daughter-stories. Fane is another protagonist with his own pov, and I really enjoyed his backstory too. I also liked that he wasn't described as yet another incredibly handsome perfect dream boy. He's rugged, he's scarred, he's flawed. Obviously he must also be a giant because apparently giant boys are The Big Trend in ya literature right now, but I do like giant boys so I'm not complaining. The third pov belongs to Ifanna, the lady of thieves who should have been my favourite character because she's just my type, but alas, she doesn't really have a lot of actual content in the book.
There is a bit of a romance, but I'm honestly glad that this was just a verrrrry minor part of this story (and I was honestly a bit more interested in the side romance).
The side characters are honestly just kind of there. I couldn't tell you much about them beyond their on page motivation and like, one character trait maybe if at all. They're forgettable. Well, all of them but the bestest of best boys Trefor of course. I'd honestly read a book just telling me stories about Trefor's travels and I would enjoy absolutely every single second of it. He's the best and the most important.
The plot is a little slow-paced in the middle part of the book, but the epic ending and the general atmosphere of the setting make up for it. Considering I did read that Welsh Atlantis note beforehand I was kind of guessing at what was going to happen, but it still happens in such an intriguing, exciting way that I fully enjoyed it.
All in all, this is a really fun, atmospheric read with beautiful prose, set in a fascinating mythological world. The characters aren't very memorable, the side characters especially forgettable, and there are some pacing issues but it's still absolutely a 4 star read for me.
Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the arc.