Silver in the Wood (The Greenhollow Duology, 1)

I loved this book. The main character feels haunted, stoic, and lonely. Silver is bright, the literal opposite to him in some ways. The events in the story were compelling, it all fit very well together. Pros: An earthy fantasy that really feels ethereal Compelling characters Intriguing world building

Cons: The relationship between silver and the green man feels odd in the beginning, but eventually grows into something that fits. The book was much too short. I blasted through it in a morning :((((. I wish the author spent more time on the world or their budding relation ship.

In the end, solid, good, short read.

In this duology, Emily Tesh weaves a surreal tale of the wild woodlands, enchanting and soft and stunningly serene.

With dreamy prose and magical lore, reading these books is like taking a walk through the quiet forest—and finding space and solitude to just breathe and dream in the sun. Sit for a moment with Henry and Tobias as they spin stories of the butterflies, ancient monsters, and the magic of the woods.

These books tell a story of love, a story of roots, a story of change. I read each in one sitting, and it was as if time stood still—they were both quick reads that were so easy to get lost in. These novellas are perfect for lovers of fae fantasy and folklore! Highly recommend!

I always love a great faerie story and Silver in the Wood, by Emily Tesh is a gem. It reminds me a bit of Garth Nix's, Ambrose and the Ancient Spirits of East and West in the To Hold the Bridge anthology. There's something about a tale that mixes the oh so normal, boringly mundane, almost staid day to day activities with utterly fantastic supernatural elements that most people can not see are right in their midst that I absolutely love. Emily Tesh's elegant turn of phrase and graceful, lyrical writing captures that otherworldly ethereal beauty, giving us all a glimpse into things we usually can not see. Like all good faerie tales, some of the beings are benign, some are benevolent, and some are a menace to humanity. There's mystery and intrigue as the story unfolds and I found myself caught, unwilling to stop reading and finished it all at once. I was left satisfied and gratified at its close. I sincerely hope Emily Tesh wants to continue writing about this universe and will give us more supernatural adventures to enjoy.

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Greenhollow Duology. I bought this book for my Kindle.

Story (5/5): I loved this story. It is just such a calm and beautiful story about a Green Man and his forest. Things do get kind of shaken up when he has to face the fearsome Summer King. There is a lot of wonderful mythology and description and some light humor. It was a very pleasant and beautiful read that I enjoyed a lot.

Characters (5/5): The characters in here are amazing and contrast each other wonderfully. I loved Tobias’s steadfastness, Henry’s enthusiasm, and Henry’s mother’s determination. All the characters are so engaging, complex, and lovable.

Setting (5/5): The majority of the story is set in Greenhollow town and the forest there. It was a beautiful setting and the fantastic description really made the setting come alive. I felt like I could really see and smell and be part of the forest there and loved every second of it.

Writing Style (5/5): The writing here flows beautifully and is calm, quirky, and engaging. The story sucked me right in but also had a sort of calming quality to it while also keeping me entertaining and smiling.

My Summary (5/5): Overall this was such a pleasant surprise and I really loved it. I enjoyed pretty much everything about this story and immediately went out and bought the second book in the duology. If you enjoy folklore/mythology, forests, and magic I would definitely recommend this book. It was just so well done.

I honestly had absolutely no idea what to expect from this going in, because no one could really tell me except that I had to read it. I’m here to tell you all today … read it. It’s fabulous, even though I sometimes struggle to say exactly why. It’s just … everything.

Silver in the Wood is a light, atmospheric, slow burn romance between a cursed man and the younger man who teaches him that life can be more.

It’s actually really hard to distill this novella down to just one sentence, because even though it’s short, it does a lot, and it’s not really about one thing. It feels very much like a character study of Silver and Tobias, but in this gorgeously described world that feels almost like a Grimm’s fairy tale.

My Thoughts:

• Silver in the Wood is written with an atmospheric, almost old fairy tale feel, where the forest practically comes to life right off the page. Tesh has such a beautiful way of writing that really invoked a feeling of a Grimm fairy tale to me—beautiful, almost ethereal, but with a dark underbelly. It immediately dragged me in and had me wanting to know more about the world and the wood. Make no mistake, though, there’s dark forces afoot. The forest is such a serene, idyllic setting that it makes for the perfect juxtaposition midway through the book when it unravels little by little and the reader gets to see the true nature of the forest and, particularly, Tobias’s relationship with it.

• The romance in this is slow burn and so sweet and unexpected, but between two men that I just can’t help but love, which made it all the better. I felt Tobias in my soul: the old caretaker of the wood (though, it’s more than that, really) who’s a bit too jaded, a bit too cynical. Pair that with the young, effortlessly charming Silver, who so easily wormed his way into mine (and Tobias’s) heart. There was really so much to love about this. I particularly enjoyed the almost naive, shy, childlike way Tobias approaches the relationship, especially paired with the earnest, confident advances Silver makes, which flips the dynamic in an interesting way.

• The bond Tobias has with his wood is both beautiful and tragic in the way it’s described. This forest feels real, like it could be set anywhere really, seamlessly blending the real with the fantastical. It’s basically a character unto itself in the way responds to Tobias and interacts with him, and he feels a part of it. I love the way that, at first, this feels sweet, like a woodsman who loves his home, but morphs into something darker and less benign.

• This is such a short read, which can be both a positive and a negative, because while it’s packed full of all kinds of goodness, I felt the plot suffered a little due to the length. The story felt a little disjointed to me, like little personal vignettes of their time together that didn’t quite connect into a full, comprehensive story. It felt like the timeline was a little jumpy and brief, rather than one full, solid thing. Granted, I have this complaint a lot with novellas, so it may just be me, but I wish the plot had been explored a little further. As much as I loved the characters and spending time getting to know them, I wanted something more from the plot.