The Bone Houses was a great book, steeped in Welsh mythology and telling a tale of a world where magic had almost completely faded away. But the remnants were still dangerous and stories about them are still told. It was fantastic mix of fairy tale and reality.

And when I heard that The Drowned Woods was set in the same world and contained a magical heist I knew I had to read it.

Set a couple of hundred years before The Bone Houses the world here is still full of magic and mysticism. While before it was really only artifacts that had magic power, here it is very much in the hands of the people. Diviners are those with a calling to control certain elements, like rock or water, and they are born, not taught. And when the ex-spy master of a king tracks down the water diviner his master was hunting and offers her freedom and riches the con is on.

There is some great story telling moments in here. The shifting loyalties and uncertain goals from every good heist story work brilliantly against a backdrop of cruel kings and vicious magic. Obviously I don’t want to risk spoiling anything, as the plot twists and reveals are what make heist stories great. I’ll just say that the crew put together was fascinating and engaging, though maybe a few were not as developed as I’d have liked. But it was the world building, the food that they ate and the lives that people lived that really caught my imagination. I enjoyed reading through it all and I almost wish we got to see more of the world and it’s inhabitants.

And yet if I had to pick a complaint about the book it’s that I think it carried on a little too long. Not by much, maybe a chapter. But that chapter and the epilogue seem determined to tie this book as tightly to The Bone Houses as possible. And after a fantastic book it seemed a shame not to let it just finish by itself, maybe with a few odd references to things that were relevant but leaving it vague. You still don’t need to read the other book but the last wee bit is basically just a big wink to those who had. And it’s a shame because I feel it makes the world a little smaller.

So all in all it’s a fantastic and vibrant book that manages to stumble just a bit at the end.