I received a digital ARC of Drowned Country by Emily Tesh in exchange for an unbiased review.

My initial reaction to Emily Tesh’s first book, Silver in the Wood, boiled down to “more please,” so I was very excited when I found out that a sequel would be published this year. In the Drowned Country, we’ve jumped ahead from the events at the end of Silver in the Wood and Henry Silver finds himself living (sulking) alone in his crumbling house until his mother bullies him into traveling to a seaside town to hunt a vampire. The main problem with this (aside from interacting with his mother) is that it forces him back into working with Tobias Finch, whose relationship with Henry is far colder and more strained than when we left them in Silver in the Wood. What starts as a simple hunt for a vampire abducting local youths turns into a dangerous expedition into Fairyland itself, with Henry and Tobias in far over their heads against an unimaginably powerful foe.

I thoroughly enjoyed Drowned Country and I was thrilled to be back with these characters, but the reading experience of Drowned Country was very different from Silver in the Wood. The first major change is that Drowned Country is told from Henry’s perspective rather than Tobias’s. I was a little disappointed by that at first, but I also felt like I knew Henry’s character much better by the end of the book. Henry and Tobias’s relationship is still a major focus, but the feel of that part of the plot is very different. Where Silver in the Woods was wistful in tone and sometimes achingly sad, it had a thread of hope and renewal through it that kept it feeling lighter. Drowned Country is darker and in some ways almost bitter. Instead of the hopeful beginning of a new relationship, we’re seeing the aftermath of a failed relationship, where neither party is fully comfortable or sure how to proceed after a breach of trust. Emily Tesh’s descriptive skill is still exceptional and even when I was mad at a character, I was always drawn in by the narrative and Tesh’s turns of phrase.

The shorter version of this review: welcome to Emily Tesh’s Drowned Country, brought to you by Henry Silver’s consistently bad impulse control and poorly thought-out decisions. Come for the angst of a functionally immortal, emotionally immature avatar of a primal forest, stay for the beautiful language, the clever twists on folklore, and Tobias Finch’s long suffering need to take care of everyone in general and follow Henry Silver in particular into whatever new danger he just deliberately jumped right into. This duology is amazing and I highly recommend Drowned Country for anyone else who finished Silver in the Wood and then despaired because Emily Tesh didn’t have any other books out.

I really enjoyed this follow-up novella to Silver in the Wood, perhaps even more than the original. I loved the setting of the gothic seaside town and the drowned forest and it introduced a great new character who I adored and a fun spooky plot.

<I>Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy in return for an honest review.</I>
<B>This review contains a major spoiler for book one of the series.</B>

An excellent follow-up to Tesh's lovely <I>Silver in the Wood</I>. While the first one spent a lot of time building up the world of the Greenhollow and the relationship between Tobias and Henry, this one is a bit more plot focused with the two, now broken up, having to work a case together (and don't worry, that information is page one, so not a spoiler).

There were several things I thought Tesh did well here. First was the case itself/the main story line which starts with the characters hunting one creature and ends with something completely different. The multiple different mythologies came together well to create a unique whole. I enjoyed expanding on the history of the Greenhollow and Tesh's imagery effortlessly brings the different landscapes to life.

Second, I appreciated that Henry was handling being the Wild Man very differently than Tobias did. This made sense not only due to their personalities but also the amount of time they had each, respectively, spent in the role.

Third was the romantic drama. I liked that Henry and Tobias handled the difficult situation of working together like adults instead of constantly descending to snipping at each other like bickering school children, as is seen in many other books with a "we used to date now we have to work together" situation. The reason they broke up was also sensible and fit their characters.

Last was the ending. Despite most of this book being rather melancholy, Tesh ties the duology up with a happy ending that fits the rest of her story both in tone, characterization, and logic. I would have happily read more stories of Henry and Silver being "practical folklorists," but was also very satisfied with the ending.

I loved this, and feel so privileged to have been able to sink into it several months early, because this was precisely the kind of story I needed to soothe the ache of not being able to go on a planned trip to the UK to explore ruined abbeys and ancient forests and dramatic coastlines. Both of these little novellas are essentially a love letter to folklore and to the secret histories of landscapes, while managing to also be a wonderful love story. Together they pack quite the thematic and stylistic punch: so many fascinating ideas in so few (beautifully chosen) words.

Really really loved this lushly written mythology and folklore-laden tale of the woods, the Green Man, and an adorable couple’s quest to find Fairyland.

Drowned Country is a follow-up to Silver in the Wood. Tobias Finch has left the wood, leaving Silver behind to... well, mostly mope, actually. It's a bed of his own making and he has to lie in it: it's slowly revealed that he managed to drive Tobias away, despite the deep affection between them. But he has a chance to make things right: Silver's mother returns to the wood to get him, in order to help with a particular case of supernatural shenanigans she and Tobias are dealing with. There's a vampire roaming around, a young girl is missing, and they require Silver's particular talents.

It's a little disorientating to start where we do, but it makes sense: it allows a slow unfolding of how exactly Silver could mess it up so badly. We're also in Silver's point of view now, and get to see Tobias from the outside; that's rather enjoyable, and the close-third POV is livelier and a little more human in outlook than the close-third to Tobias from the previous book. It gives everything a little more depth, and a different colour; the light has changed in the forest, though the trees are all the same.

It's not a simple adventure, and the relationship between Tobias and Silver isn't the sole driver of the plot. Instead, we get a little glimpse of other things deep and strange.

And of course, you still have to love Silver's mother.

The two novellas are very easy reading, and beautifully written. Very worth it!

Link will not be active until 4th August per Tor's usual rules on not posting the review until two weeks before publication.

Going in a sequel, you always hope it gives you the magic you experience in its predecessor and Drowned Country did just that..

It defies words. It is a stunning sequel about the raging fire of obsession, the simmering flames of duty, and full of precious characters.

This is a slow burn of a story. I read one of the other reviewers describe this story as having its own music. It dances and sways to its own rhythm and prose. Much like the beat of the forest, you get the sense that there is a deep thrumming that exists from page to page. It adds a deep atmospheric quality to the narrative. The only issue is that it is a very specific type of story. It has an almost misty type quality to it that is like viewing a story through a keyhole.

Tesh wove a lovely and romantic but restrained love story around the green man myth. Instead of just a myth steeped in legend, Tesh humanizes the green man with backstory. Tesh explains how the green man experience time, yet tries to humanize himself and not get lost with the woods. Once again Heart of Flames is full of world building. Introducing new myths and creatures in such a short amount of time. I can only hope Tor someday publishes these novellas in one full length novel because story deserves to be much more noticeable on my bookshelf.

I felt that although the lore and the characters are well thought out, the romance aspect is a bit forced. Honestly might work better as a straight-forward fantasy tale. Appreciate the representation but not a series I would recommend.

[Initial reaction, posted 11/04/20] I read two more volumes of What Did You Eat Yesterday, and Drowned Country, the sequel to Silver in the Wood. Somehow I'm feeling a bit more grounded in myself, which isn't what I expected to happen after reading a story that's explicitly about being unmoored from yourself and time itself, but what can I say. (Henry Silver is an unrepentant little shit who never deals with any of the consequences of his actions, and I don't know what it says about me that I still like him.)

Great novella follow-up to Silver in the Wood. Love the atmosphere evoked by Tesh's writing. Deep feelings, deep magic, and lovely writing.

This was just as beautiful as the first book in the series. It uses mythology so perfectly, but what really makes these novellas rise above the rest is Tesh's ability to explore relationships of all types. I don't know what could happen next, here, but I hope something does because I don't want to leave them behind.

(Review will be posted on other platforms closer to the pub date.)

If you’ve already read Silver in the Wood, you pretty much know what to expect from the second book (and if you haven’t, please do so immediately before continuing), but what you need to know up front is: this part is even better.

There’s no need to say that the characters are well fleshed out because we’ve all been in love with them for months already. But somehow they all get to shine more and brighter in Drowned Country. The switch of pov to Henry Silver was an inspired choice. He’s the most dramatic gay person you will ever meet and he’s sulking. It’s a beautiful thing to behold.

I would say this book is less focused on the plot (although of course it’s still there and it’s really nice and offers some twists!) and more on the characters. Which means it’s also more focused on the (gay) pining and the romance in general. Not everyone will be a fan of that, but personally I couldn’t have been offered a more perfect gift.

That attention to the slightest change in emotions, to details in interactions between characters, coupled with the Henry constantly thinking about Tobias - all of that means Drowned Country reminders readers of fanfiction. And that’s the highest compliment I can give any piece of writing!

Like I said, Drowned Country isn’t all romance. It brings us different magical lands and creatures, all of them with the same sense of mystery and ancient-ness as in the first book.

A fantastic sequel to Silver in the Wood, Drowned Country takes a less atmospheric route and gives off more of a dracula/frankenstein vibe. Personally, I liked the first book a lot more as I really loved Tobias' connection to the woods. If you prefer more plot than character you'll probably like this one more, but either way fans of Silver in the Wood are sure to like this as well.

This is entirely as good as the first one. I love this sweet, simple, forest-green story. I cannot wait for what Emily Tesh does next.

After surfacing from the spell of the related novella, Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh, I could not stop thinking about the opportunity to return to the leafy paths of Greenhollow Wood in Drowned Country. I have never been so eager to be lost in the woods.

Drowned Country is a story of epic love, and the complexity of the burden of love too. Set within an ancient mythic forest, every character seems to have an archetypal echo. Yet they battle with the boundaries of their power so entangled in human flaws. The deep love between Henry Silver and Tobias, both enigmas to each other, is not just their love story, but the timeless ever told tales of the wild man of the woods, green man stories and the kings and queens of fairy.

In Drowned Country, more of Greenhollow's folklore is unearthed to readers, from supernatural dryads and demon lords to the human folklorists who have both kept and destroyed the history and stories of the forest. Perhaps the most fearsome power of all is Henry Silver's mother, who despite being quite mortal, seems to have the most formidable control of all.

The seasonal cycle of dark and light in the forest and the recurring patterns of folklore and myth whirl the reader along with Henry Silver, Tobias and company, as they venture across the threshold of the wildwood into faery to find a missing girl, Maud Lindhurst. There are unforeseen and epic consequences. Although an expedition tale, I love the pace of this story that pauses for delightful dialogue and description of Greenhollow's forest glades. It's a tale told in the mystery of old forest-time, over aeons and day.

I could read so much more of Greenhollow Wood, and Tobias and Henry Silver. I hope that Drowned Country isn't the last time the thorny thickets and brambles beckon readers through a gap and into this world of wild gods.

The forest of Greenhollow feels like a personality in itself, alive and interacting in the story. In this way Drowned Country reminds me of powerful mythopoetic stories of portal woods, such as Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock. Lovers of the likes of Neil Gaiman's Stardust or Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke will particularly enjoy the dark brooding menace of fairy in this adventure beyond the mortal boundaries of Greenhollow Wood.

Drowned Country is the sequel to Silver in the Wood, which I am sad to say is apparently only a duology! Weeps forever.

Where Silver in the Wood started us off with a beautiful eerie forest setting, Drowned Country is different. Instead we find the eerie more through our characters who are trying to just find their way in the world as the end of the last novella changed it for them. Especially Henry is finding it hard to find his way as the new wild man of the forest.

Next to finding some of our eeriness in the characters we do find the forest in a part of the story. Henry can only go as far as the forest but the forest used to be so much bigger. He finds a part underwater as he becomes bait in his mothers plans. I found that especially interesting, how he could connect with the older parts of the forest, the ones that technically didn’t exist anymore.
We also get some creepy ass fairies. No cutie tiny fairies here but those bend on taking it all. Which added to the setting. But most of all, the story is about our characters. About Henry who struggles with who he is now. About trying to hold on to the past when there is only the present.

In moments it gave me the absolute warm fuzzies. For the cuties Henry and Tobias. But also tiny things as Henry feeling guilty about what happened to his mom. The way he cares about the young girl they are trying to save (who by the way doesn’t quite need saving in the way they thought). I just wanted to hug them all.

And even though this is a novella duology I do hope that Emily Tesh will continue writing with these characters with some different settings. Because the team up at the end there just makes me want it. The girl they’ve taken in driving mom Silver and Tobias up a wall while Henry eggs her on. I wants it.

The characters are interesting, pretty realistic. There were spots where my attention slipped, but I still enjoyed the story.

Copy provided by NetGally for an honest review

Some minor spoilers may be mentioned

I am so so happy to have been recommend Emily Tesh. Back last year when Silver in the Wood was doing the rounds, all my friends were talking about it. And for good reasons too. There was something...just right about it. I mean, I'm a fan of all things whimsy, and fairies and fairy tales always tick the box for me.

Drowned Country brings us back to Silver and Tobias Finch, two years after the events of Silver in the Woods. Silver, being the pampered dolt he is, has gone and fucked things up with Tobias. I can't say I expected that, when we left off last, things were just beginning. Alas. The bulk of the story is such; Silver's mother, ageing monster hunter, needs the power of the Wood to help track down a vampire. Only for us to find out that was just a feint. I'm glad, honestly. I feel like monster hunting is far too common within the genre sometimes, so having found out that that whole scenario was already taken care of and we can move on to the next, is rather nice for a change.

Instead of getting a story about vampire hunting, we get two academics charting their way to fairyland. Now, I'll say that this is where the story lost me a little. But only a little. I do wish it was longer, with things more fleshed out. There are parts of this that are so compelling and fascinating and just leave me wanting more. But, on the whole of it, it wasn't something that distracted me from the story.

Tesh has some wonderful writing in both this and in Silver on the Tree. Silver, and the taciturn Tobias feel like fleshed out people - something I always find impressive in the shorter form fiction. I swear, I spent half of the story yelling at them "get back together, be happy, you idiot!", which I guess brings me full circle towards being on of those types who's far too invested in fictional characters.

All in all, Drowned Country is a whimsical, gorgeously written story. It's simple in scope, but what it does it does oh so well. Recommended for fans of the Fey, those who love tight stories, and above all smarmy idiots who grow up at the end of the day.

I don't usually get into short stories but this series in general didn't feel like a short story.

These books are so well written and descriptive that you just get sucked right in! I didn't want to put it down.

I'm a sucker for anything "green man" and folklore! This series does not dissapoint. So much creativity and intrigue.

The characters are dynamic and cared about them in the short times I've had with them.

If you like folklore, magic and a good love story, I HIGHTLY reccomend this series!

5 stars and a huge thanks to Netgalley and Publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the first book in this series, and gulped this one down the second it landed on my kindle. These characters are just brilliant, and the magic is unique and inventive. You could read this for the lush descriptions of nature alone and still have a great time.