the water witch by jessica thorne
Treasure hunting, small-town secrets, and century-old myths ā The Water Witch is an intrepid story set in Brittany, France following a marine archaeologist and her brotherās team of adventurers. After the death of her fiancĆ©, trying to find a mythical lost city, Ariadne Walker finds herself at the very place she meant to avoid. In the fictional town of Sainte SirĆØne, she meets the affluent de Luc family ā Madame de Luc, the generous sponsor of her brotherās expeditions, and her gorgeous grand-nephew, Rafael de Luc, who initially didnāt believe in his familyās tale and curse. An exhilarating string of events leads her to be a part of the search for the underwater city of Ys ā the very thing that took her fiancĆ©ās life and the one that could save Rafaelās.
Personally, I think Adventure would be a better-fitting genre than Fantasy to describe this book. It was action-packed and rich in culture and worldbuilding. Thorneās writing took me a little bit to get the hang of, but it eventually got me hooked and had me chained to my phone for hours. Her writing style, in general, is easy to read and is great for beginner fantasy readers. However, most of the book revolved around their quest to find the lost city; learning old stories passed from generations, collecting solid evidence, and deliberating whether the city is indeed real, rather than exploring its lore as a fact in their world.
The bookās worldbuilding gave me mixed feelings. Thorne painted the picture of Sante SirĆØne, Pointe de Castelmeur, and the other locations beautifully ā but maybe too much at once. Everything was dumped too quickly in the first few pages. To someone unfamiliar with Franceās geography, itās hard to differentiate what was real and what was fiction. The abundant use of French words without translations didnāt help as well. I recently took a semester of French and was only able to comprehend some of the foreign words thrown in. These factors made the narrative feel convoluted and all over the place.
I did like the main character being a highly skilled archaeologist. Realistic and beneficial to their quest, it balanced the gravity of their work and the importance of the place they were searching for. In most parts of the story, Ari seemed like the older sibling instead of Jason. (I did believe that for a while until Jason called her little sister). He and Nico felt one-dimensional, apart from that [redacted] scene in the cave. I wish their characters were more explored and given depth. Rafael also needed more personality other than being rich and being able to buy anything.
She looked like a classical statue, beautiful and untouchable, a dream he didnāt even know he had until he met her.
Ari and Rafaelās romance was rightly paced. However, I did not really feel invested in them. In all honesty, I was more interested in the other couple in this book. They had very little exposure, but I savored every crumb I could find.
The Water Witch is a good read for those looking for a deep-sea adventure. This book reminded me of Journey to the Center of the Earth. It successfully took me through France and to the lost city itself. Iād recommend this to people into old myths and expedition adventures.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Water Witch publishes on August 5, 2022.
My Rating: 3/5 stars
Genres: Adventure, Romance, Mystery, Science Fiction, Fantasy
Trigger Warnings: death, grief
This piece was originally posted on WordPress on July 22, 2022 and migrated to BearBlog on March 19, 2026.