The Witch Below the Dreaming Wood

This book combines so many things I like (Arthurian Legend, Welsh Mythology, Librarian FMC, Magical Creatures, Stories about Stories, Retellings and more) that I might be a bit biased, but I really enjoyed myself reading The Witch Below the Dreaming Wood and think it was a great take on the diversity of Arthurian legend and the question of what we can do in hard times, even when all hope seems lost. The book is set in WW II Britain/Wales and during the end of Arthurian Times and loved how the two protagonists Elaine and Nimue were portrayed, how they learned and grew throughout the book, had their believes challenged and went about making hard decisions. I loved how rounded all the characters were, how there was room for flaws and edges that didn't get polished. I also liked how both WW II and Arthurian times were shown with all the struggles and good moments, nothing was glossed over. Also, I'm a sucker for Welsh mythology and Wales in general, so that helped my enjoyment a lot. The twists were well done and I didn't see all of them coming, the friendships and (barely present) tender romances were very sweet and loving and I liked how they developed. They only thing I kinda have to criticise is that it's very eurocentric / anglocentric with its ultimate dream of Arthur returning to save the world - that point left a bit of a weird feeling in me, even though I get the ideal. Anyway, a very enjoyable read that was right up my alley, I'll be keeping an eye out for other books by this author! Thanks to orbit and netgalley for the e-arc!