The Drowned Woods, by Emily Lloyd-Jones. Little, Brown and Company. 2022

Mererid (Mer) is on the run. She’s insanely powerful- a water diviner or water witch who can control water in any form- but she lives in constant fear of discovery. When the wrong person finds her waiting table in a pub, her past comes rushing past. She was the prince’s property, a man who used her powers for evil. Now her trainer, the prince’s assassin, has her again and she’s sure she’ll be heading back to be killed. But that’s not what happens….

What evolves is a heist story. Renfrew, the prince’s former spymaster, wants to lead them against the prince. Mer will be the way into the treasure hoard. Fane is an iron fetch, who manipulates iron- even the iron in blood- who can open all locks. Ifanna is the daughter of the chiefs of the thieves guild, a master thief herself, who has a past with Mer. Emrick is a scholar, who has read every magic book and history available. Gryf is the muscle. Trefor is Fane’s corgi (this story is set in Welsh mythology), who may be a spy for the fae. No heist goes smoothly, though, and the group must fight foes human and supernatural all the way. There is a long passage through chambers that are filled with seawater at high tide that put my tension at 10- it’s a really claustrophobic situation, along with the monsters. And there are betrayals all around.

This young adult novel is a great read. I found myself engaged all the way through, unwilling to put the book down. The characters are well done- there are a couple who are pretty much just space markers, but most seem true to life. The world seems real and livable. I will definitely seek out more of this author’s work.

The Caillech, by Rachel Patterson. Moon Books, 2016

                        

This small book focuses on the British goddess who started as a creation goddess but morphed into a blue faced hag of winter. She was the goddess of midwives and of evil, sharing a connection with Brigid. Patterson relates the many tales of her from all over the British Isles, and also shows connections to places further away- even to Spain and possibly to the Hindu goddess Kali. Many of the stories are similar; a lot of natural features in the British landscape are attributed to the Cailleach carrying stones in her apron and the apron strings breaking, dumping the rocks in the landscape. Those show how widespread the worship of the Cailleach was.

In the final chapter the author shares her experiences with the Cailleach, and a ritual to honor her. It’s a nice little book for both pagans and students of lore. 

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neither of these things influenced my review.  

The Golem of Paris, by Jonathan & Jesse Kellerman. G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2015

“The Golem of Paris” is a much, much darker tale than its predecessor, “The Golem of Hollywood”. At the end of that story, protagonist Jacob Lev found out that his mother, Bina, who he thought had died when he was a child, was alive, catatonic, and locked up in a mental institution.  This book is in large part her story, of what she went through that drove her mad – and how it ties into the mystical Golem storyline.

The other main storyline is the police case that Lev is on. Assigned to scanning and digitizing cold cases in an old warehouse, he finds himself intrigued by a gruesome ten year old case of the murder of a mother and son. It’s a very unique MO, and Special Projects (the division of LAPD that Lev became of part of in TGOH, which seems to be staffed mainly people who may not be quite human) okays him to go to Paris to investigate.

Like TGOH, TGOP is all over the map. Millionaire Russians, a really intense fight scene that seems unwinnable, Czech black ops, the supernatural; it’s all in there. Like TGOH, TGOP does not resolve all the issues by the end, but Lev (and us readers) have learned enough to make us even more avid to find out how it all resolves. What exactly are the Special Projects people? Why is the spirit of the Golem so dangerous? And what else is Lev’s father, a rabbinical scholar, hiding? He hid that Bina was alive and that he and Jacob are direct descendants of the Rabbi of Prague; there has to be more. He’s in the story too much *not* to be more than he appears.

The story can be hard to follow at times. I found myself having to go back to the start of chapters frequently to figure out exactly who and when the scene is about. But I found it worth the effort. Looking forward to seeing where this series takes us. 

The above is an affiliate link. If you click through and buy something- anything- Amazon will give me a few cents. 

I received a copy of this book free from the Amazon Vine program in return for an unbiased review. 

Neither of these things influenced my review.