‘It was the day the girl learned that water could save a life or take it. It was a lesson she couldn’t forget’ – The Drowned Woods

‘But this was not an old folktale; there were no heroes.’

Plot
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, named Garanhir, 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, Renfrew, 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.

About the book
A group of misfits comes together to perpetrate the ultimate heist in a fantasy novel filled with Welsh folklore elements. It is a risky plan, full of high stakes, dark magic, a treacherous journey and impredictable turns, but in the end, whoever survives gets a share in a mythical treasure. And if their heist also happens to help remove corrupt Prince Garanhir from power, so much the better. Their crew includes Fane, a cursed ironfetch; Trefor, his corgi; and Ifanna, a thief and Mer’s old flame, who once betrayed her. As their dangerous journey progresses, the ragtag band realizes nothing and no one is as it seems, and their heist has much bigger consequences than they expected. Infused with Welsh folklore and mythology, this beautifully written, otherworldly stand-alone fantasy packs a punch as it examines topics relating to power, agency, and accountability. It features a twisty plot that is full of surprises, well-developed and grounded queer characters with fully formed backstories, funny moments as well as deeply emotional ones, a touch of romance—and an adorable dog companion (who survives in the end).

-martie