Review: The Drowned Woods

The Drowned Woods by Emily Lloyd-Jones
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book.
I have had a very hard time reviewing this book, because I loved The Bone Houses so much. But by the time I got about 1/3 of the way through The Drowned Woods, I was very disappointed. It felt like the author was trying to follow a step-by-step manual to writing a YA heist fantasy novel and it just wasn't working. Tropes are only fun when they're done well or when they're tossed on their head. Neither was the case here. Everything felt flat and like the author was trying too hard to force everything to work. I skimmed most of the book, and so the ending, which I am assuming should have had some real emotional impact, just left me underwhelmed.
As I said, The Bone Houses was one of my favorite books, but I wouldn't recommend this one. I might read another by this author, but I am not sure.

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