Silver in the Wood and Drowned Country by Emily Tesh
/The Greenhollow Duology
Available Now
I had seen a lot of buzz around Emily Tesh’s latest novella, Drowned Country, and never once did it click in that it’s the second book in The Greenhollow Duology. So, much to my dismay, I had to wait for book one to come from the Library before I could dig into it, but the wait was more than worth it.
Both books in this series are novellas so it’s pretty hard to discuss them without major spoilers. In Silver in the Wood, we are introduced to Tobias Finch who has a deep connection to Greenhollow Wood. He protects the woods from harm and in return, the wood provides him shelter. Living in the woods for centuries, he has seen many landowners come and go but none have captured his interest like Henry Silver. Silver, young, intelligent, and fascinated by the lore surrounding the wood is even more interested in the giant man living in the woods. When a dark force returns to the woods and places Silver in danger, Finch must confront dark secrets from his past to save him.
Drowned Country continues the story of the Greenhollow Wood and delves deeper into its secrets and history. We also get to know Silver’s mother better and she is a powerhouse of a woman!
Both of these novellas are just wonderful. I love Tesh’s writing style. The stories feel very dreamlike and are incredibly atmospheric. You can feel the trees moving in the wind and the vines growing around the cabin. There are dryads, nymphs, and other woodland creatures that live in the woods and the way the woods will move and shift to protect Tobias was magical. Tobias is a quiet man, used to his own company and that of the wood. He is able to communicate with the wood and has a close relationship with the dryad Bramble who is very clear on her feelings towards Henry and his presence in her woods. Henry is the complete opposite of Tobias. Talkative, inquisitive, and brash, he turns absolutely adorable in the presence of Tobias. He is also obsessed with his study of folklore and is always writing notes in one of his many notebooks. The lore surrounding the wood was fascinating and I love how each book gave us insight into the history and magic of the forest.
They are both very quick reads and incredibly delightful. It takes real skill to create such an atmospheric and magical world in so few pages and Tesh pulls it off beautifully.
If you would like to add these books to your collection, you can find ordering information here:
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