Dark Woods, Deep Water by Jelena Dunato

I would like to thank Ghost Orchid Press for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review

Publisher – Ghost Orchid press

Published – Out Now

Price – £12.99 paperback £3.99 Kindle eBook

In the depths of a remote forest, an enchanted castle preys on unwary travellers. The servants of the Goddess Morana sacrifice to their dark mistress every soul who crosses its threshold. One terrible night, three people who should never have met find themselves trapped there: a spoiled lady escaping an unwanted marriage, an aging warrior-prince on a deadly mission, and a resourceful rogue caught up in a botched heist. As their destinies entwine and the dawn approaches, the solution to the castle’s riddle becomes clear: if they want to escape, one of them must die.

A dark fantasy tale inspired by Slavic folklore, Dark Woods, Deep Water is the debut novel by Croatian author Jelena Dunato. Set in an intricately imagined world that staggers the line between fairytale and brutality, this novel will appeal to fans of Katherine Arden and Naomi Novik, as well as lovers of classic Gothic fiction.

The concept of folk tales being cautionary ones for young impressionable adults are of course well known. Be careful going in the woods, of course you can and should trust and obey a new husband; and various other lessons that we now hope kids do not learn. The violence and sexual overtones are sanitised but looking at such tales with adult eyes it is harder for us to miss and then who knows what types of tales created the ones told to us in our childhood? In Jelen Dunato’s stunning and deliciously mysterious fantasy novel Dark Woods, Deep Water we get a unique tale of how three very different characters all end up playing their parts in a tale of gods, dark magic and revenge with an added exploration of Slavic folklore. It is rather brilliant!

Ida in 361 AC is a young woman who tends to find and create trouble. Living a hard life on the roads of Abia she has recently partnered with another confidence man to create the work of Doctor Bellemus who offers medicines that cure all things for a handily expensive but just about affordable price. Keeping their eyes out for the guards they’re constantly running around the country when Ida is betrayed by her partner and ends up having to accompany three upper class rogues seeking their own prey and head towards a unrecognised castle.

Elisya in 320 AC is a young noblewoman on her first trip to the capital. Her first exposure to the royal family, jousts, the nobles and so much more than she is used to with her eternally angry father and unpleasant brother. Eliysa finds herself suddenly taken by one of the handsomest and most forward men she has ever met. But young love within the nobility is not part of the game all these people are playing and very soon Eliysa is off to be forcibly married in disgrace to a stranger in a rundown castle she knows nothing about.

Telani in 361 AC is a young clerk to the acclaimed war hero; The King’s fixer, a man who has talked to the gods themselves. Tehani has always been there as witness and some would say accomplice. The King has once again asked for help and his furious lord tells him this will be the last time. They’re to pick up and bring back to court a fairly minor nobleman. A nobleman who immediately distrusts Telani and their team and so in winter they find themselves on a chase and a simple unknown castle ends up being the climax to a long-standing game of wits.

This is a stunning piece of fantasy storytelling and Dunato should be praised for creating a complex web of three compelling storylines all eventually intersecting each other. It plays with folk tale, myths and fairy tales to create its own powerful narrative that is clearly adult focused but may remind us of tales heard in the past without immediately copying any and its very much its own unique thing. The reader is in new territory here and one thing very clear from the off is these are not the simplest group of characters as each tells us their side of the tale.

Ida is a woman who will be very matter of fact and warn you that she may be lying. She tells us from the off two different plausible versions of how she grew up – she cares little what you believe. The key aspect to her is she is a survivor and perhaps shocks herself sometimes how far she will go and when she will decide not to do the worst possible thing. Perhaps less con-woman with a heart but more a vaguely annoyed subconscious. She’s my favourite character because she is unpredictable (even to herself at times) and yet always compelling to listen to. She’s definitely not the character we tend to have in our usual folk tales and myths and yet she drives the present-day action in a tale of betrayals, revenge and reversals which really keeps us on our toes.

With Eliysa we do have the more natural princess in danger. But when posed with someone this naïve and certainly entitled as she believes she can always have her own way she is initially someone hard to warm too. Its only when Eliysa realises she is but one small fish in a pond of many piranhas that we feel more empathy for her situation and Dunato makes us feel the shame and pain of a young woman that realises that the world really doesn’t care about her feelings, only that some duty is performed. For her side of the tale it is what can Eliysa do herself to escape her eventual confinement; will she have the energy and strength to take a stand now she’s been beaten once. She’s not our story’s heroine but I think the triumph of her storyline is that we understand why she is as she is and we may show empathy even if we sometimes want to scream no at her too (a lot).

Telani is in many ways the most passive of the characters more the knight’s squire or the witness to the main events. Surly and used to the reality of nobles and politics he knows hands often get dirtied but it’s a job to be done. What though is clear is his adoration for his Lord who we only see from Telani’s point of view. A mysterious honourable man who balances knowledge of human affairs with magic and gods. Without going into detail, we feel this duo have had a long hard life in war and on the road, but they serve the King no matter what. Telani does though know the Gods are often interested and he brings perhaps the more supernatural elements to the fore. Throughout the three plots we get to understand the beliefs and magic here but this tale is where the Slavic gods really make themselves a force to be reckoned with and we move towards the epic side of fantasy. Reality can be played with; life and death are interchangeable and the final finale is wondrously strange and ethereal

What really works is that by getting to know all these characters is that we care about their situation well before they reach their individual castles. At that point it is almost like another plotline entirely takes over and merges with the character’s own in surprising ways and then our three leads finally start to meet each other on top and have to react to each one’s strengths and weaknesses. Dunato knows when to let rip and these scenes have menace, action and a mild sense of horror to them as our three humans find themselves up against a very different type of opposition. The foes here feel like they’ve been waiting and playing with their guests for a very long time and how each gets through this will be costly. By the end we are well away from simple roadside adventures and into a truly epic battles of gods and lost souls being on the line. Its delivered throughout by lush lyrical prose and the scenes flow with brilliantly timed pace.

I absolutely was surprised just how involved I got into this brilliantly told standalone story. It feels fresh, inventive and echoes with older tales but very much feels like one of its own. Adding to a trend I have been seeing in my fantasy reading. Dunato has put the hard work into creating these three voices and perspectives and created a truly impressive tale. I strongly recommend this and look forward to what comes next from this author.