A review by voxvenati
Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh

emotional hopeful mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Five star fantasy needs to hit certain notes for me: Does it feel like a fairytale? Does the world have a consistent  internal logic? Do I love the characters? Silver in the Wood gets a perfect yes, yes, and yes.

The fairytale aspect of this work is only emphasized by its concise page count. Normally, I find issue with shorter works feeling incomplete, but not here. The narrative is fully contained and not overworked.

I do love Tobias. Who wouldn’t love a man who so lovingly keeps cats? I also loved Silver
and his mother
.

In general, I’m rather taken with Tesh’s prose. This is true across both books I’ve read by her. It’s a simple, lyrical sort of prose that you only notice when you’re meant to - a funny bit of dialogue or a sweet little description. A sample of it below in spoilers, though it’s not much of a spoiler. Just to be safe.

It was Pearl, looking healthy and pleased with herself, tabby coat dappled in the moonlight…
There was a pinkish quality to the dimness which meant that dawn would come soon.


This was a short and sweet novella you could easily consume in an afternoon. It was funny, it made me cry, and it was absolutely worth it for fans of works like Uprooted