Salka: Lady of the Lake

by Francesca Simon, Iestyn Arwel (Narrator), Hannah Lloyd (Narrator)

Salka, the faerie Lady of the Lake, can't help but appear to Owain, a shepherd who has already captured her heart. He needs only to see her to fall deeply in love. But her father has one condition on their if Owain strikes her three times she must return to the Lake forever.

Despite their married bliss, Salka is not like the other inhabitants in this small village. Gossip turns against her and as prejudice and suspicion breed, Owain finds himself wishing his wife was more ordinary, that she tried harder to fit in, that she was less ... herself.

What is more of a strike than to question her very nature? The first heart-blow is struck. And now, desperately, their future lies in his hands . . .

Genres: Fantasy, Retellings, Audiobook, Folklore

Audible Audio

Published December 1, 2025

About the author

Francesca Simon grew up in California and attended both Yale and Oxford Universities, where she specialised in Medieval Studies. How this prepared her to write children’s books she cannot imagine, but it did give her a thorough grounding in alliteration.

She then threw away a lucrative career as a medievalist and worked as a freelance journalist, writing for the Sunday Times, Guardian, Mail on Sunday, Telegraph, and Vogue (US). After her son Joshua was born in 1989, she started writing children’s books full time. One of the UK’s best-selling children’s writers, Francesca has published over 50 books, including the immensely popular HORRID HENRY series, which has now sold over twelve million copies.

Francesca won the Children’s Book of the Year in 2008 at the British Book Awards for Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman. HORRID HENRY is published in 24 countries and is also an animated CITV series. She lives in London with her husband, son, and Tibetan Spaniel, Shanti.

Reviews

[Katrina Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really flew through this delightful mythological Welsh fairy story of enchantment and belonging

[amie · Rating 4 out of 5]

“No good can come when you marry away.”

I loved this!! Nice to see a Welsh myth retelling too in a sea of so many greek mythologies.

It really captured Salka’s beauty, how utterly in love they both are, and the hysteria/bitchiness of small villages. I enjoyed the extra perspectives we got so much.

This was soooo fun to read, really whimsical and engaging. Deffo pick it up!!

[Oumeima Djema · Rating 4 out of 5]

nothing more to say other then I ate this up 4.5 ⭐️

[Kayla Wareing · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️

Thank you Mollie Stewart from Faber for sending me this fabulous advanced copy!

A very addicting retelling of the Welsh folklore legend of the Lady of Llyn y Fan Fach. It’s so nice to read something that appropriately included Welsh— albeit there wasn’t much of the language itself, but still, it was so refreshing to read snippets of the language in song and Welsh folklore appreciated.

I absolutely loved the very fast-paced way this was written; it was extremely addicting. I also loved how many perspectives there were too, but it didn’t once feel too much - I loved that Simon added the perspective from Mati, the dog, too. A touch I really enjoyed.
I think other than that, for me it just felt a tad bit flat - I think mostly because I wanted more! It wasn’t overly imaginative in what Salka’s life was like previously, her family, or her land. I wish it included more.
ALSO! Owain would surely say, “mam.” Not “mum.”

[el ✯ ࣪ ˖ · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3) ARC sent by Faber in exchange for a review!

SALKA by Francesca Simon is a delight of a book, written in a simple yet haunting style.

Told in multiple perspectives, SALKA reads as a blend of The Little Mermaid and Rumpelstiltskin, following a lake woman who is allowed to marry a human, on the condition that if he hits her three times, she will return back to the lake.

I'm not familiar with the myth and folklore surrounding Llyn y Fan Fach, but Simon weaves a slow and steady story, her experience with children's literature clear in her easy command of fairy-tale motifs and language. Short, and easy to follow, Simon uses interesting metaphors and repetitive to create literary prose. I would say that the constant shifts in perspective, while creating a constraining effect, also have the byproduct of making Owain's perspective rushed. Domestic ab*se is not really explored in full, and Owain's reaction to Salka's inability to fit in feels forced almost, without the full nuances of his emotions.

Simon makes some efforts to diversify (again may be in the original, l'm not familiar with it) characters, especially considering the experiences of people of colour and other minorities, who are often alienated and abused as Salka is.
Overall, Salka is a good, quick read. While there is some attempt at complex concepts with different perspectives, the characters are ultimately stock-like, as they often are in folktales. I would have liked more depth of emotions and expression of said emotions. In a tale that is ultimately about the hatred of minorities, domestic ab*se, and peer pressure, Simon does not effectively handle these issues, and instead quickly forces the tale through them, preferring a mystical, bittersweet approach to the tale.

[Feriha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Salka is a Welsh mythological retelling in which Salka, the faerie Lady of the Lake, appears to Owain and the two fall madly in love. On the condition that Owain must never strike Salka three times, her father allows them to marry. However, as suspicion and gossip surrounding her origins grow, Owain struggles to accept her faerie nature, and what is more of a strike than questioning someone’s very essence?

Salka was a super quick read and had such a distinctive style and concept. It was very lyrical (which makes sense considering it was inspired by a musical piece), and I found that it grew on me the more I read. I also enjoyed the different perspectives and the overall message that no matter how outsiders may view something, you shouldn’t let that make you project your worries and insecurities onto the people you love.

However, I found that the way it was written almost made me feel like it was unfinished and emotionally underdeveloped. The story felt very surface level and too much show, and not enough tell, which I personally didn’t enjoy. I’m also not the biggest fan of insta-love and since the two main characters fall in love without even speaking, so I couldn’t really connect with them

[thank you to Faber Books for sending me the arc!]

[Mara · Rating 5 out of 5]

The way this book is written reminds me of fairytales I read as kid, in the absolute best way. Don't get me wrong, this novel is absolutely written wonderfully for adults, but it gives me the same feeling reading fairytales gave me when I was a kid. But more haunting. You can see the ending coming, everything comes full circle, but there are still surprises. I don't think I've read a reimagining of a folklore or fairytale like this in a long while, maybe ever. Genuinely recommend it.

[Klaudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting read and I really enjoyed myself, it’s not something I usually read but it was surprisingly lovely!!😍

The writing is very poetic, with each ‘chapter’ being someone else’s POV with only a couple pages or even sometimes a couple sentences. I have never read anything like this before and I enjoyed it a lot!🤩
With the chapter being 1-3 pages long it was a very quick and lovely read about a forbidden love story.

Salka is a faerie and she falls in love with Owain who is human so she chooses to leave her home to live in his with one condition that if Owain ‘Strikes her heart 3 times’ she has to go back to the lake. I really loved how this was done as the ‘strikes’ weren’t physical but emotional and mixed with the poetic writing was just phenomenal!

I love fairytale retellings and this was no exception 😍

Thank you to Faber Books for this Arc copy in exchange for an honest review 🫶🫶

[Laura Latham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really interesting retelling of the Lady of the Lake folktale, set by Llyn y Fan Fach in Bannau Brycheiniog which brought the original story to life. Simon added a wife variety of characters to expand this tale which I thought worked well, and this has made me wish that there were more retellings of Welsh myths! I just felt that this read as being a little bit unfinished, I think some of the characters needed a smidge more development.

[Kinga · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an early reader copy of this book, and I am so glad that I did. It’s such a beautiful story that shows exactly how people’s fears and worries project on to outsiders and the fallout of forgetting in the end we are all one.

It was such a simple yet complex story and I couldn’t help but admire how beautifully it was structured and told. Definitely recommend this gorgeous telling of the Welsh Myth

[Soph · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

really fast paced and i enjoyed the multiple perspectives, however, i wish it had been a little more fleshed out

[Katy Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Welsh traditional tale retold.

Loved this as an audiobook, with accented voices bringing this to life. It's not a tale I know well, though I have heard versions of it before. It's the original 'two different worlds' story of a Fairy and a Human, who fall in love. Are they destined for happiness?

Telling this with multiple voices really worked. Not only do we see Salka and Owain's love story and passion, but Owain's mother, his jilted lover/neighbour, friends and villagers, even animals play a small role in the narrative.

From the moment they see each other, the fairy and the human are in love and both determine to be together, despite their obvious limitations... Salka will leave her lake home behind to be with her beloved. The condition - if he strikes her (in the heart) three times, she must return to the lake, never to walk on dry land again.

This is surely an update? Without searching for older versions, would they have been physical blows more likely? A quick google search and one is a 'pat on the back'... I'm glad the author chose 'heart' blows, which are much more cutting. And realistic for today's audience.

Though I did find it simply didn't feel fair. Salka is a fairy, yes. And can see into the future. She can see death and has very different reactions to humans about dying. So is it fair when Owain is upset with her and 'strikes her in the heart', even though she too has hurt him and his neighbours with her own words and actions? Felt very one-sided a deal. And hardly in the spirit of two worlds trying to live together.

A true fairy tale in its ending, in the most traditional sense, the Hans Christian Andersen style. I liked it. I liked the Welsh songs, the feel of the period and place. It was refreshing to listen to something different, a tight narrative with foreshadowing and foreboding throughout, angry and ignorant voices and the time-honoured 'I told you so' just behind the characters all the time...

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample audio copy.

[Balguthrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Celtic folklore frequently features mermaids and selkies who emerge from the sea, and in this book, we discover Welsh mythology has a twist to this familiar folktale by introducing us to a fairy who lives in a lake.

In this is unique reimagining, a beautiful lady of the lake, Salka, falls in love with a handsome shepherd, Owain, and gives up her world to live on land with him. But, as with all good folktales, the quest for happiness comes with a caution – her father warns that if her new husband should strike her three times she must return to the lake.

Salka and Owain may live in newly wedded bliss, but the prying eyes of the villagers question Owain’s newfound luck and his strange, shoe-less wife. Seeds of doubt begin to form in Owain’s mind, and soon his enchanted bride does not seem as enticing as he first thought. These are the strikes that Salka’s father warned her of, and sure enough Owain’s irritation with the otherworldly Salka grows, and she flees back in the lake.

Francesca Simon’s first book for adults has a ballad-like feel to it with short, crisp stanzas. The story is recounted through the multiple voices of the villagers, and is filled with humour and pleasant descriptions of Welsh pastoral life. Simon’s take on what constitutes a ‘strike’ serves as a timely reminder that questioning someone’s identity and sense of self can be as damaging as a physical blow. I especially appreciated that Simon showed one of the most doubting voices of all, Owain’s mother, changes her opinion of Salka after simply taking the time to get to know her.

Despite a slightly hurried feeling at the end, this engaging novella is a perfect introduction to folk tales and Celtic folklore, and could easily be aimed at the Young Adult market as well as adults.

Thank you to Faber and Faber and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Bethany Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very quick and beautifully written novella about Salka, a lake faerie based on Welsh mythology. I love anything fantastical novellas, so when I saw this on Netgalley as an audiobook, I had to request it.

I wasn't a huge fan of the instalove, but I do understand this can be common in fairytales, which is what the writing style reminded me of. It felt like an old tale, both in an ethereal way but also in a narrow minded way.

While I appreciate that the village folk are supposed to be closed minded, the way that Salka was portrayed as flawless and other women referred to as "hags" felt a bit sexist. I understand that the writer is a women and also that this was probably not intended, but it just felt uncomfortable to read about.

Frankly, the only likeable characters were Angharad, the children and the dog. Anwyn was fine but didn't have much characterisation or chapter time. It's okay not to like characters, of course, but I'm a character driven reader, so this irked me a lot.

I will say, as an autistic woman, I did relate to Salka, whether this was intended or not. That said, if I did the things she did, I would feel really bad afterwards. I'm not excusing Owain's actions, but I felt she had a part to play and there were faults on both sides honestly.

There was a lot I liked in this book, but also a lot of shallowness that I hoped would be fleshed out. There is one point where I got hopeful, when Owain reflects on how unrequited love can destroy a person, but nothing is done with this. Maybe him doing nothing is a reflection of Owain as a character and how fickle he is, but I feel it's too vague to be certain.

Overall, this is a well written story but one that I ultimately wanted more from.

The narrators both did amazing jobs and I would listen to them again.

Thank you to Bolinda audio and Netgalley for the ALC

[Aurélie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Salka is a medieval Welsh tale, re-told with a more modern voice by Francesca Simon after having collaborated on a cantata on the topic. It's a lovely, classic fairy tale and a short read. Salka, a fae from the lake, and Owain, a simple shepherd, fall madly in love. But Salka never gets fully accepted by the villagers and the strain of ostracism weighs heavily on Owain.

Reading this tale as an audiobook was exactly the right choice for me. The two narrators are Welsh themselves, and their lovely accents really shone through, highlighting the beauty of the language in a way that would have been invisible to me in print. They both do a great job of impersonating the various characters, and I especially enjoyed Salka's songs in (I assume) Welsh.

The book itself is told through the point of view of each character in turn. My favourite chapter was told from the perspective of a shepherd dog! Sometimes, this carousel of narrators makes the chapters incredibly short (there are 157 sections in my audiobook!), with some chapters being just a sentence or two. In audio format, this was sometimes a little grating, especially when passing from one character to another back and forth during a conversation. The audio pauses, the narrator says the name of the person, we get one sentence, then we do it all over again. On this count alone, I think I might have enjoyed reading the book in print better as it might have made for a more seamless (and slightly faster) experience.

Other than that, this was a very lovely read. I very much enjoyed getting to know this classic fairy tale and the theme of the fear of the stranger who's not like you was very well handled by the author. Do recommend!

[Advanced copy obtained through Netgalley]

[J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 starts rounded up

I was so excited to see this telling of one of my favourite Welsh folktales. And to be honest, most of my enjoyment came from the fact that it stuck very faithfully to the shape of the traditional story. It went with the "three heart-blows" version rather than "three strikes," which obviously makes Owain more sympathetic to a modern audience (no domestic violence, whoo!) and allowed an examination of the dynamics within a insular rural village - Owain's outbursts are all in response to the villagers perceiving and disapproving of his wife's obvious fairy differences. Ultimately it is his discomfort with social disapproval that causes him to chase his wife away.

But wow was it insufferable to actually read. The audiobook was just under three hours long, but there were 150 chapters, making it an average of 1 minutes 12 seconds per chapter. Each chapter is in one point of view, so we get a couple of paragraphs in one character's head before jumping to another, and another. Each scene of plot is comprised of multiple of these POV chapters, so it jumps back and forth constantly. If this had been accomplished with a third person omniscient narrator, I wouldn't be complaining, but it's told from close third person so you're literally jumping from head to head. Also there are fifteen POV characters in total. That's too many!!!!!! There are two, maybe three main POVs, and all the rest added very little additional value to the story. By the 30% mark I was just irritated, constantly.

I received a copy of the audiobook from NetGalley in return for an honest review. The narrators Iestyn Arwel and Hannah Lloyd did a wonderful job.

[Olga · Rating 4 out of 5]

(ARC via NetGalley & Belinda Audio - thank you!)

What an utterly enchanting little gem. Salka: Lady of the Lake feels like being dropped into a dream- cold mist on your cheeks, lake water whispering at your ankles, and a whole village watching from the shadows, waiting to decide whether you belong. Francesca Simon gives us a folk tale retelling that’s both feather-light in pace and heavy with meaning, and I loved it.

This is myth retold with teeth: an insular community suspicious of the Other, a love that flares bright but can’t quite survive the weight of human fear, and a faerie woman whose very nature is treated as an offence. Simon explores how quickly a village can turn on someone who doesn’t fit the mould, how love is sometimes not enough to bridge a world built on prejudice, and how grief echoes differently depending on where you stand. It’s tender, sharp, and quietly devastating.

And the audiobook? Sublime. Fifteen POV, narrators slipping seamlessly between voices, accents, and moods. It’s such a rare joy when an audiobook actually honours the language it’s using, and hearing the Welsh names pronounced correctly felt like a blessing. The structure is daring - tiny chapters, some only a breath long - but the cast pulls it off with grace. It’s theatrical, intimate, and perfectly suited to the story’s folkloric bones.

A beautifully wrought tragedy with a beating heart, a sense of place you can taste on the air, and an emotional arc that lands exactly where it should.

4.25 out of 5 from me. I’ll be thinking about Salka’s voice in the water for a while.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really fun mythological retelling told from so many different perspectives! Francesca Simon and composer Gavin Higgins developed the original Welsh legend of Llyn y Fan Fach into a cantanta. Simon then turned the cantanta into this novel, making Salka a short and fast paced retelling of this myth. The short chapters of many perspectives meant that reading the book had a particular rhythm, as though you can almost feel the cantanta trying to peek through! The side effect of having many perspectives is that there isnt a lot of third person description to set the scene, which did make the story feel a bit empty. Although it did feel like I was reading a series of diary entries, which was really interesting. I will say, the fast paced nature of the book sort of turned into feeling a bit too fast or even rushed towards the end, and I was left wanting a little bit more of everything. However I can understand that this isn't meant to be a sweeping epic, just a short, quirky, rhythmic retelling of an ancient myth.

[Kuu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to this audiobook!

The narrators did a wonderful job, and I like that they seemed to be familiar with the Welsh language (one of my biggest pet peeves with audiobooks is when the narrator can't be bothered to figure out how to pronounce any language that isn't English...). Sometimes, I didn't like the voice acting (e.g. with Nefyn), but generally this was done very well.

The story was very enjoyable too. Short, but it didn't feel too short, nor too long. Just right for this story, though some chapters felt a little odd as an audiobook, and would probably have worked better with a reading copy (e.g. chapters that were only a sentence or two).

I liked the way it was written, the way Simon crafted the story and worked with the words to create certain atmospheres, and how she added characters whose POV we get to the original legend (according to other reviews - I am not familiar with the original legend, but I am inclined to trust the other reviewers on this). All in all a very lovely little book.

[Andreea · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful retelling of the Lady of the Lake from Welsh folklore.

This was a fairly short and really engaging book that I managed to read in just two sessions. I loved both Salka and Owain, and although it ends in tragedy, there is so much beauty to be experienced in their story.

There is a lyrical feel to the writing that goes really well with the setting, and based on the author's note, makes a lot of sense given that she was inspired by a musical piece covering the same story. I enjoyed hearing not only the POV of Salka and Owain, but also various side characters, including some cute animal friends! The transitions were smooth and provided additional details to the story while keeping me immersed, so I appreciated this choice vs. a more traditional narrator.

If you're a fan of Welsh folklore, Fae folk and epic love tales that are doomed to end in tragedy, you'll love this one.

✨ Disclaimer ✨ I received a free copy of this book and this is my honest review.

[totesintobooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautifully retelling of the Lady of the Lake from Welsh folklore. Salka, a faerie, falls in love with Owain, a human, and chooses to leave her home beneath the lake to be with him—on one condition: if Owain ever “strikes her heart three times,” she must return to the water. I really loved how this was handled—the “strikes” weren’t physical, but emotional, which made the tension so much more poignant and heartbreaking.

The writing has a lyrical, almost musical quality to it that fits the setting perfectly. After reading the author’s note, it made even more sense—it turns out the story was inspired by a musical piece based on this same legend. I also appreciated the multiple POVs. We hear from Salka and Owain, of course, but also from side characters (including a few adorable animal friends!), and the transitions between them felt really smooth. It added richness to the world without pulling me out of the story.

If I could change one thing, I’d add illustrations—this story is so vivid and dreamy that I think some art sprinkled throughout would’ve made it even more magical. I would’ve loved it a hundred times more!

I read this in one sitting! If you’re into Welsh folklore, fae, and star-crossed love stories that tug at your heart, I think you’ll really enjoy this one.

[Haxxunne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stylish retelling of a Welsh myth
—
In this stylish novella, Simon expands on her cantata The Faerie Bride with a retelling of the Lady in the Lake. Composed of short chapters told in first person by a broad cast, this tragic fairytale betrays its opera roots, relying on the reader to fill in a lot of the gaps. Character names mark each new chapter/shift in perspective, helping to obscure the relatively unchanging tone of the telling, even in moments of high emotion and turn of scene.

As a character, Salka is more passionate and wanting in the water than when she is outwith; and the reasons for her final choice are opaque within the tale but revealed to the reader, with the tragedy for the humans of her making, rather than by circumstance or the clash of human and other. Telegraphed from the off, to me the obvious ending takes all of the oomph out of this retelling, and although not significantly better, the recent Greenteeth offers a more resolved novel.

[Yamini · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I knew the way this story was about to break my heart.

This is a multiple PoV narrative novella that weaves the story of a water Nymph who falls in love with a human and their tale afterwards. For them to be married the father presents a condition, the human must not strike her 3 times else she will habe to return back to her world. And as much as love blossomed between the two, what was meant to happen will happen.

The book holds a.lyrical note to it, and the narrators of audiobook caught it perfectly well. Even tgough I couldn’t understand the songs she sung, I was attached to the story. While this is a retelling, the story was totally new to me and this version took me by surprise. I am also amazed at how something so smal lcan capture your heart and attention so well. As was hearing the dialogues transpiring between the couple, I couldnt help but feel tge pain of what was happening. Beautiful story and great narrator

[Imogen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some well-written prose, but it felt very thinly sketched, very surface level. I also expected more from the epilogue - a detailed exploration of the fallout, but as with the rest of the novella, it was lacking in narrative, character, and emotional complexity (Angharad doesn’t even mention the loss of her grandchildren, but mentions the cows?). The pacing felt off; personally, I feel it should have been longer. It bothered me that the three heart-blows centred around the same issue, and I really didn’t like that Salka took her sons with her. At least in Sealskin by Su Bristow, the father was left with the children.

[TheHighlandBookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you like fairytales? Myths? Legends?
Listen up for the tale of Salka, Lady of the Lake 🌊

This is a story of multitudes with narration from 15 different voices. Through Salka, Owain, Angharad, and various villagers, we see the world with all its vices and virtues open up.

This sweet novella mirrors those of classic folk tales, witnessing the blossoming love between two souls from separate worlds, Salka of the faery realm and Owain the shepherd boy. According to all rhyme and reason, never the twain shall meet. But as Angharad laments:

"I knew how it would end.
I warned him and warned him.
Faeries and humans our worlds are separate.
Divided by the lake.
Dangerous to mix.
But would he listen? When has a reckless, love-struck boy ever listened to his mother?"

Striking a sorrowful tune, from the very beginning of the Lady of the Lake, we hear the notes of ruination begin to play.

I loved this book so much I finished it in an afternoon. Thank you to @faberbooks for the proof copy I adored reading this bittersweet love story.

[W.S. Luk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This atmospheric rendition of fairy-bride myths is distinguished by how Simon forms the story out of numerous speaking voices, from the bride and her husband to their neighbours and dog. This feature, a relic of how the novel began life as a cantata, makes for an aptly musical story that presents its doomed romance through an array of unreliable perspectives. Her vibrant portrayal of classic fairytale tropes (love at first sight, magical gifts, prophecies doomed to come true) contrasts with the realistic romantic and social tensions that SALKA presents, creating an unusual and moving story of star-crossed love.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Salka: The Lady of the Lake—the first book for adults by Francesca Simon, author of the Horrid Henry series—is a beautiful retelling of a Welsh myth. Initially written as an opera cantata called The Faerie Bride by the author, it was later transformed into the haunting novel it is today.

I escaped and relaxed while reading the short, dreamy chapters, some only a few sentences long. These chapters let fifteen different character voices breathe, from the titular character, Salka, to her shepherd-boy husband and love, his mother, his friends, and the girl he once knew, with her unrequited love for him.

The writing has a poetic style, exploring themes of suspicion, fear, longing, and prejudice.

[Julie Friar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on a Welsh mythology story we meet Owain who falls in love with Salka, the lady of the lake. He is a farmer who everyone thought would marry a local girl. Salka leaves the lake and they wed but if he strikes her three times she will return to the lake. The villagers do not really accept her as her ways are so different to theirs.

Very well written and well narrated novel (I listened to the audiobook). Very good characters in a well paced story. She always stands out and speaks her truth which others find offensive. Will their own marriage survive?

[Lucy Waves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adored this. Beautiful, tragic, deceptively simple - had me mesmerised and I read it in a few hours.

Wonderful retelling of a Welsh myth that feels magically timeless without being twee and has contemporary resonance on issues of attitudes to 'other', and to outsiders.

One of the best things I've read this year.

[chelsea reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

salka is a lady of the lake retelling. those who are familiar with the tale will enjoy this reimagining. those who don’t know much about it will find it unique and interesting. i read a lot of retellings or reimaginings, but nothing quite like this one.

the storytelling is very unique and different. i admit, i did struggle at first. once i got into it though, i hardly noticed the things that bothered me at first. being quite short, salka is very fast paced. events happen way too quickly (for example, it’s definitely instalove/love at first sight). but as you progress, their relationship is actually really well written and i like how things progressed.

i loved and adored salka, the lady of the lake. she was different but in a good way. she was really fun to read about and i genuinely wanted the best for her. owain was interesting at the beginning but towards the end i wanted to slap some sense into him 😭 there’s a series of side characters who are also quite interesting and add depth to the storytelling. owain’s mother became a favourite towards the end, and i really enjoyed the random chapters from the dog.

one thing i would love to learn more about was salka’s life before and what happens to her next. i’ll have to do some googling and see if there’s other retellings because i was completely fascinated by her.

while this book isn’t poetic or filled with purple prose, i still had a fun time reading this book. it took a little bit to get into but once i did, i couldn’t put it down.