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madisonrose1519's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This sequel to Silver in the Woods made me love the first book (and the duology as a whole) even more! I walked away from this one feeling so much more satisfied than after the first. I’m SO glad I picked up the second book and truly hope Tesh continues the series. The door was certainly left ajar for a trilogy, but on the other hand, loose ends were neatly tied and would make for a tidy finish.
Let me just say…THE. ROMANCE. IN. THIS. BOOK!!! Never have I read a more titillating love story. Henry and Tobias’s fluctuating interest in one another truly drives the story from the very start of the first book and throughout the second. Every ounce of information about their affection (or lack thereof) left me wanting more. Considering how there were almost no descriptions of physical intimacy in a book otherwise filled with so much descriptive imagery and beautiful prose, it was amazing to me how enthralling the romance and how obvious the acts intimacy still were. Tesh has a keen sense for just how much…and how little…is necessary to paint enticing pictures.
Just as I mentioned in my review of Silver in the Woods, Tesh’s ability to turn a phrase is enviable. Her prose is near perfect. Never too much, and always enough. Isn’t it lovely to marvel over the words you're reading without being distracted from the story?
I also can’t help but appreciate how this duology was a perfect little dip into magical fantasy. This isn’t my typical genre, so I was pleasantly not overwhelmed with verbiage that was hard to grasp.
Again, I’m hoping for a third book!
Let me just say…THE. ROMANCE. IN. THIS. BOOK!!! Never have I read a more titillating love story. Henry and Tobias’s fluctuating interest in one another truly drives the story from the very start of the first book and throughout the second. Every ounce of information about their affection (or lack thereof) left me wanting more. Considering how there were almost no descriptions of physical intimacy in a book otherwise filled with so much descriptive imagery and beautiful prose, it was amazing to me how enthralling the romance and how obvious the acts intimacy still were. Tesh has a keen sense for just how much…and how little…is necessary to paint enticing pictures.
Just as I mentioned in my review of Silver in the Woods, Tesh’s ability to turn a phrase is enviable. Her prose is near perfect. Never too much, and always enough. Isn’t it lovely to marvel over the words you're reading without being distracted from the story?
I also can’t help but appreciate how this duology was a perfect little dip into magical fantasy. This isn’t my typical genre, so I was pleasantly not overwhelmed with verbiage that was hard to grasp.
Again, I’m hoping for a third book!
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood, Death, Gore, Kidnapping, and Animal death
kal517's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Gore
Moderate: Confinement and Kidnapping
Minor: Body horror and Sexism
beanaroni's review
adventurous
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content
quinnyquinnquinn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Death
Moderate: Kidnapping and Confinement
Minor: Sexism
surdiablo's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Definitely an improvement over the first book, with better pacing and insertion of flashback events without it being tiresome. Just like its predecessor, the prose is wonderful and the author is simply excellent at creating an immersive atmosphere. Things didn't feel abruptly rushed either, although I still feel like it could have benefitted from being stretched out further. However, romance novels aren't exactly my cup of tea anyway, so chances are I was never really gonna love this no matter how good it may have been, so don't let my rating stop you from checking this out if you are into comfy mythological romance.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping, Gore, and Toxic relationship
sproutedpages's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Body horror, and Gore
Moderate: Kidnapping, Ableism, and Sexism
Minor: Toxic relationship and Emotional abuse
meganpbell's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I revisited Emily Tesh’s deliciously atmospheric forest- and folklore-infused fantasy Silver in the Wood before embarking on its sequel, the eerie and otherworldly Drowned Country. I loved seeing how the weight of an eternal wood has altered Henry and Tobias’s relationship, the expansion of the world, and all the character development—plus fairies, vampires, a plucky new heroine, and more folklore studies!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Body horror, Gore, Kidnapping, Confinement, and Toxic relationship
shadowspinner's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Confinement, and Death
maeverose's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.25
My favorite thing about this duology is the descriptions of nature and the settings. Second favorite is the romance. I really like how everything concluded in this one.
The tone of this book feels a bit different than the first because we follow Silver’s pov in this one instead of Tobias’s. Their personalities are pretty different and show through the narration of each book pretty distinctly. This could be a pro or a con for some people, but personally I really liked it and thought it was done well. I do prefer Tobias as a character but I think it was cool to see from both their perspectives and it helped me connect to each character better.
Minor nitpick: I was a little annoyed with how often we were reminded how big™️ Tobias was, but halfway through it became less frequent thankfully.My biggest complaint is that I wish we actually got some interactions with the vampire. Instead he was killed before they even met him and it turned into a plot about finding fairies.. which I wouldn’t have minded so much if I hadn’t been promised a vampire story lol
Obviously these are novellas so you can only fit so much into them but I would maybe like a companion novel/novella of Tobias’s (or Mrs Silver or Maud’s) adventures in monster hunting. We don’t get to see much of that in these books and honestly that sounds like it would be pretty fun to read about.
The tone of this book feels a bit different than the first because we follow Silver’s pov in this one instead of Tobias’s. Their personalities are pretty different and show through the narration of each book pretty distinctly. This could be a pro or a con for some people, but personally I really liked it and thought it was done well. I do prefer Tobias as a character but I think it was cool to see from both their perspectives and it helped me connect to each character better.
Minor nitpick: I was a little annoyed with how often we were reminded how big™️ Tobias was, but halfway through it became less frequent thankfully.
Obviously these are novellas so you can only fit so much into them but I would maybe like a companion novel/novella of Tobias’s (or Mrs Silver or Maud’s) adventures in monster hunting. We don’t get to see much of that in these books and honestly that sounds like it would be pretty fun to read about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Gore, Kidnapping, and Blood
Minor: Gun violence
Description of a beheaded corpsechris_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment and Kidnapping
Minor: Body horror