This second volume of the Greenhollow duology once again invites readers to lose themselves in the story of Henry and Tobias, and the magic of a myth they’ve always known.
Even the Wild Man of Greenhollow can’t ignore a summons from his mother, when that mother is the indomitable Adela Silver, practical folklorist. Henry Silver does not relish what he’ll find in the grimy seaside town of Rothport, where once the ancient wood extended before it was drowned beneath the sea—a missing girl, a monster on the loose, or, worst of all, Tobias Finch, who loves him.
I pride myself on writing long, detailed reviews for everything I read, but sometimes there's just not much to say.
It was fine. Wish the stakes were a little higher and that the new character that was introduced in the middle of this one was given more time to shine. I wouldn't say the ending felt unearned, but it wrapped everything up a little too nicely for my tastes.
Or maybe I'm just a grumpy old bastard who doesn't like happy endings anymore.
I LOVED this. I really liked the first one, but I think this one was better. The plot rode this line of the familiar, but never once felt cliched. It wasn't the twistiest story, and yet it always surprised me. And it's beautiful and sweet, sad and heartwarming. A lovely way to spend a couple of days.
DROWNED COUNTRY picks up two years after SILVER IN THE WOOD to show how Silver and Tobias are adjusting to their new lives, what begins as a hunt for a vampire twists into something stranger as the girl they were sent to rescue is no damsel in distress.
SILVER IN THE WOOD didn't really feel like it left anything hanging for DROWNED COUNTRY to pick up, so while this does bring more of a resolution than the first book did, I don't really thing it wrapped up anything left loose, per se. The main storyline begins here and was not present in the first book, and contains several major things which are both introduced and resolved here. It is the last book in the duology and while SILVER IN THE WOOD had a satisfying ending, DROWNED COUNTRY brings a more emotionally complete ending which I like much better as a …
DROWNED COUNTRY picks up two years after SILVER IN THE WOOD to show how Silver and Tobias are adjusting to their new lives, what begins as a hunt for a vampire twists into something stranger as the girl they were sent to rescue is no damsel in distress.
SILVER IN THE WOOD didn't really feel like it left anything hanging for DROWNED COUNTRY to pick up, so while this does bring more of a resolution than the first book did, I don't really thing it wrapped up anything left loose, per se. The main storyline begins here and was not present in the first book, and contains several major things which are both introduced and resolved here. It is the last book in the duology and while SILVER IN THE WOOD had a satisfying ending, DROWNED COUNTRY brings a more emotionally complete ending which I like much better as a stopping point for observing this story. The point-of-view character changed from the first book, rather than following Tobias we're getting Silver's perspective. The third-person parts of the narration feel very similar across both books, but the two men have very different manners of speech and thought and the text conveys that well. This wouldn't make much sense if you skipped SILVER IN THE WOOD to read this. They're both novellas and DROWNED COUNTRY simply doesn't have room to retread the ground that SILVER IN THE WOOD already covered. There's enough context to be an adequate reminder for anyone who waited between reading the two books, but it's referential instead of explanatory, and I think someone who tried to start at here would feel like many things are missing.
At first I was a bit confused by the way the book starts out with Silver and Tobias somewhat estranged, given how the previous book left things, but it does circle back to show what happened before. I like this as a follow-up, it gives a much more satisfying ending as a duology than what SILVER IN THE WOOD had on its own.
The new Greene Man is sulking when his mother turns up, asking for his help. She and his predecessor — and former lover — need to save a young woman from a vampire. But there's more to things than there seems. And why are things so frosty with the now-mortal Tobias?
Both parts of this duology are gorgeous views on some mythological settings, with a heartwarming m/m couple at their heart. I'm only sad that we won't see more of Tobias and Henry, who made my queer heart sing.
