The Drowned Woods
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3.0 • 1 Rating
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
In this magical, ethereal fantasy novel from the bestselling author of The Bone Houses a crew led by a magic welding woman fight to take down the overpowered prince that used and abused them.
Once upon a time, the kingdoms of Wales were rife with magic and conflict, and eighteen-year-old Mererid “Mer” is well-acquainted with both. She is the last living water diviner and has spent years running from the prince who bound her into his service. Under the prince’s orders, she located the wells of his enemies, and he poisoned them without her knowledge, causing hundreds of deaths. After discovering what he had done, Mer went to great lengths to disappear from his reach. Then Mer’s old handler returns with a proposition: use her powers to bring down the very prince that abused them both.
The best way to do that is to destroy the magical well that keeps the prince’s lands safe. With a motley crew of allies, including a fae-cursed young man, the lady of thieves, and a corgi that may or may not be a spy, Mer may finally be able to steal precious freedom and peace for herself. After all, a person with a knife is one thing…but a person with a cause can topple kingdoms.
The Drowned Woods—set in the same world as The Bone Houses but with a whole new, unforgettable cast of characters—is part heist novel, part dark fairy tale.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Hair-raising narrow escapes and unlikely alliances encumbered by bitter, uncertain loyalties abound in this thrilling heist tale by Lloyd-Jones (The Bone Houses), set in a melancholic world of fae magic drawn from Welsh mythology. When farmer's daughter Mererid was eight, she was taken from her family by cold-blooded human Prince Garanhir for her ability to manipulate water. After years under his thumb, Mer, now 18, has escaped and is horrified by the atrocities that Garanhir committed with her unwitting help. She is soon recruited by former spymaster Renfrew, one of the prince's closest confidants, for a quest. Renfrew proclaims he has betrayed the prince and is building a team—which includes Fane, a man endowed with magic by the fae; Fane's pet corgi, Trefor; and Ifanna, a thief from Mer's past—to pull off a daring caper to destroy the heart of Garanhir's power, a hidden magical well containing unknown treasures that protect his land. Each of Lloyd-Jones's characters is plagued by guilty consciences, past grievances, and personal traumas, making for a profoundly detailed, fully formed cast. Tense romantic entanglements, intricate lore, and Trefor's well-timed comic relief elevate this moody, ethereal read. Protagonists present as white. Ages 14–up.
