Before The Drowned Woods I had never read something by Emily Llyod-Jones before. I knew of The Bone Houses, but nothing yet had led me to actually read her prose. Until now.

Who was gonna tell me that Emily just likes to stab readers' hearts out?! Honestly, I was expecting a fun heist story with some darker elements but not this!

Inspired by Welsh folklore, The Drowned Woods follows a water diviner, iron fetch, thief, spymaster, and entourage as they journey to takedown the tyrannical prince. Mer, the water diviner, has been hiding from the prince for years after he tricked her into finding a well, which led to the poisoning of villages' water supplies. She was branded a traitor for fighting back against the king once news of the poisoned villages got out, so now she jumps between towns, working odd jobs but currently as a waitress. That is... until Renfrew, her father-figure and spymaster to the king, shows up asking for Mer's help in stopping the prince in his plans to invade the lands of the Otherfolk, leading to all out war. All they have to do is find the magical well that helps the prince keep power, poison it, and then get the heck out of dodge. But with obstacles baring their path and betrayal mounting, will the plan work?

I adored this book. I loved the cool confidence of Mer, and her relationships with Renfrew, Ifanna, and Fane only added to her strength because of her unique connection to each of them. A great cast of characters can really build a wonderful story, and that's exactly what happened here. The flashbacks for all of the characters made me care about them more. Fane's work with the Otherfolk makes him extremely interesting because he's been around magical beings more than humans these last few years. What toll does that take on someone? Ifanna is the daughter of renowned leaders of the guild of Caer Wyddno, but she specializes in thievery. She alone could have a story dedicated to her antics with the nobility. Basically, what I'm trying to say is that Emily gives phenomenal growth and characterization to each of the characters, whether the protagonist—Mer— or not. Plus, all of them are extremely shady, so it was fun to have distrust underline nearly every interaction because as a reader, you don't fully understand the characters' desires... at least until they want you to see them.

Moreover, romance is a VERY subtle sideline to the story. Mer falls somewhere between bisexual and pansexual with her sexuality in particular. She and Ifanna were in a romantic relationship before the events of the book, but they ended on extremely bad terms. Betrayal just isn't good for a healthy relationship— LOL. One of my only critiques of this book is that I didn’t believe the romance at the end. It felt very rushed and sudden, and I’d already sold my heart to Ifanna, but I do understand why Ifanna and Mer weren’t endgame… It just wasn’t what I wanted.

As I was reading the book, I was enjoying it, but I didn't think anything particularly stood out to make this book a five star read. I was content with a rating somewhere around four stars, leaning towards three and three quarters, but once the final act began with the crew going underground and journeying to the well... Chaos ensued, and my rating started to creep upwards.

The ending is truly where this book shines, in my opinion. I did not think I was that emotionally connected to Mer until I was sobbing like a baby. I'm serious. I was a blubberly what-the-frickedy-frack is going on throughout the last 50 pages. Again, I thought this book would be a fun heist with some darker elements but never this! Chapter 29 is going down as one of the best chapters that I have ever read too. It's short, emotional, and packs a punch straight to your heart. Post-chapter 29 left me with complicated feelings, but I’m not going into too much detail because spoilers.

8/15: UMMM. I DID NOT EXPECT TO BAWL MY EYES OUT.