by Jessica Thorne
A legend of a lost city, a cursed princess, and the servant of death… cheery! Also, a dead fiancé AND romance? All set on a French beach… sounds… fun? And a little creepy. Let’s find out!
Read if you like: folklore/mythology, mystery, love lost and love found, treasure hunts, French seaside vibes, melancholy feels, slow burn, fade-to-black romance, dual POV, smart and sassy leading ladies, and dark and broody love interests.
A great read if you like historical mystery and want to try out the paranormal genre.
Ariadne Walker is back in Brittany, France even though she said she would never return to the place her fiancé died. Her life was left crumbling in the wake of his diving accident. But her brother can’t let the quest for the legendary lost city of Ys die with his friend. And he needs Ari’s academic presence to credit his findings and win financial backing. Are they truly on the brink of a huge discovery? But before they can continue, they first have to persuade the du Lac family fund their exploration. But the du Lac’s are more than financially connected to the region. The legend and curse are tied to their familial history and Rafael has secrets of his own.
A big thanks to NetGalley, Bookoture, and Jessica Thorne for an eARC of The Water Witch.
This book was unique and interesting. I was pulled in by the mythology and mystery. The costal setting was a fun bonus. I really liked the characters and the dual narrative POV. The blurb didn’t give us a lot about Rafael so I was excited when he started getting chapters regularly. The chemistry and banter were great and I thoroughly enjoyed the depth of even their brief connection and mutual understanding of their histories. Truly lovely character development.
The prologue was great and provided a solid foothold into the lore. After that, it was a bit slow to start because as Ari was reminiscing it felt like more like a guided tour or an overly enthused friend’s geographical info dump of the area and I was wishing for a map. But it quickly picked up when our two main characters meet, quite dramatically, and realize how they will affect undoubtedly each other’s lives.
What bumped it down from 5 to 4 stars, besides the overemployment of geography, was just the general feel of melancholy. I don’t really do sad… not sad books, or movies, or songs; and Ari is really sad. Her grief has been weighing her down for years. And Rafael has his family legacy, and crazy family to contend with so he’s not having a party either. They both want more from life but can’t see a way out of the paths they have created. The hunt for truth among lore and their chemistry balanced everything out for a very enjoyable read that I could see myself revisiting in the future.
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