Welcome to Litsy!

Apparently, I have a thing for second books in fantasy novella series that (purportedly…barely) feature vampires. I was quickly reminded of the second book in Seanan McGuire‘s Wayward Children series, Down Among the Sticks & Bones. I liked that one better than the series opener, Every Heart a Doorway, & I liked this one better than the first in this duology, Silver in the Wood. I think this may be an unpopular opinion but it‘s one I stand by! 👇🏻

I'm not sure how to feel about this installment. Tobias feels like a shell of himself in this one. The romance feels forced, there is simultaneously too much going on, and also too little. Silver's mother is at least very interesting.

There is a lot here that could be improved. I think if this was longer and had more time to develop it would work better. Otherwise it feels like an overflowing pot.

While I was initially horrified to learn that Henry & Tobias had parted ways - they did need the time apart. I didn‘t have to wait too long until Henry‘s mum manages to reunite the band - and these two idiots slowly work their way back to each other (adding a new folklorist to the found family along the way! I could read stories of their future exploits forever. Poor Tobias is locked into being the [ignored] voice of reason forever).

Ohh. This was just beautiful. I listened to this on audio book and this was truly beautiful

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!

4/5

This is a very satisfying end to the duology that really fleshes out the mythology that was established in the first book. I really appreciated that while the first book was from Tobias's point of view, the second was from Silver's.

This wasn't technically an #auldlangspine read, but since it was a sequel, I'm still kind of counting it. @Soubhiville @monalyisha

This was just as good as Silver in the Wood, which isn‘t often true of sequels I think.

Quick queer modern fairytale novellas, yes please! Gritty, dark, and made me feel like I was there in the murky, mossy, dangerous forest with Tobias and Silver. I hope Tesh writes more, I‘d like to spend more time there.

I enjoyed this book just as much as the first one. What absolutely magical books these are! I'm so glad I read them.

I've had some hard times getting into the second part of the duology. Which I thought was a bit strange, since I especially liked Maud and her attitude. But as the story goes on, I got into the plot more and more. What a fascinating tale Tesh wrote here! Different, deep and marvelling. Drowned Country should be read after the first part, since the whole story is built on the first book.

@TheAromaOfBooks #Doublespin

I need some short reads to help me catch up with my yearly reading goal (think I might've bitten off more than I can chew this time with a goal of 300... but I always think I can still read like I did when I was doing a literature degree and hit 500 books a year!), and I've been wanting to reread this since I got it for my wife for Christmas.

Forgot how cranky the opening made me feel because where'd the happy ending of the last book goooo?!

I listened to Drowned Country on audio, and I have to say at the beginning I was a bit disappointed by a certain sudden change even if it was meant for character growth. Tesh‘s world building is lush and dark, just as a fairytale should be. But I wasn‘t totally convinced of the romance due to how short both books were, and I wish there was more focus on the mythical creatures. Overall, I would say both are picks that were close to being so-so.

Drowned country was amazing and a wonderful follow up to silver in the woods.

I have decided to go straight on with the second in this duology…shame the library only has it one book.

Book 2 to the Greenhollow duology! Also a short and very satisfying read! I‘m just sad it was over so soon.

Quite enjoyable duology available on Scribd.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I liked this second book so very much compared to the first. The story was excellent. The relationship between Tobias and Silver was so wonderful! I felt like I understood this world better. Really great and would definitely love to check out a full length novel by Tesh!

#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks
Square 15 ✔️

Loved this one just as much as the first book. Definitely not a book for everyone, but i adored it

I liked this one even better than Silver in the Wood. It definitely feels more robust. We get more character development, a kickass new character, and quite a bit more fae. I enjoyed the way Tesh constructed the narrative to give us flashbacks/glimpses of Henry and Tobias sprinkled throughout. And I found the ending much more satisfying—fitting, I suppose, for the second book in a duology.

I‘m a catalogue of woes today, friends. I slept on my neck funny, I‘m too damned cold, it keeps randomly raining whenever I try to walk Casey, and I‘m scared to go out due to local case spikes

So I got all bundled up in silk and wool this morning, and I had cup-a-soup for lunch, and I read an excellent novella. Emily Tesh has a real feel for that all-important balance between the mythic and the personal. I‘m excised to see what she does next.