Silver in the Wood, by Emily Tesh
Series: The Greenhollow Duology #1
Published by Tor.com, 18th June 2019
Genres: Fantasy, Novella, LGBTQ+
Format: eBook
Source: Gift
Synopsis
There is a Wild Man who dwells in the quiet green depths of Greenhollow and there are many legends and stories about him in the local village. Tobias lives a perfectly unremarkable life in his cottage with his cat, and his dryads. He listens to the wood and keeps himself to himself. Until, however, Greenhollow Hall acquires a new, handsome and very curious owner in Henry Silver. Old secrets better left buried are dug up, and Tobias must confront his troubled past.
My thoughts
This is one of my favourite reads so far this year! I read this as part of my Diversity Reading Challenge, for the theme: diverse folktales/mythology and I absolutely loved it!
I don’t read novellas very often, but I have read two so far this year and both have been amazing. Although very short, there is so much beautiful detail and storytelling in this book. The world created by the author is just wonderful and I found myself immediately transported into this beautiful green forest. I don’t think I will be able to walk in an old wood now without thinking about this book and looking out for dryads.
I loved the relationship at the heart of this novella. It developed so organically that one of the parties was completely unaware it was even happening! In a short amount of time, the author managed to create an epic and believable love story. One of the other characters which I love is Mrs Silver. She is such a fierce and indomitable old woman who doesn’t suffer nonsense from anyone and just gets things done.
The ending left things perfectly poised for the second book in this duology, which I already have on hold at the library because I can’t wait to read it.
My rating: 5/5