T;LDR: A fairytale novella set in a forest, Silver in the Wood features beautiful prose, interesting characters and is an enchanting read.
Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A novella set in fairytale style, with old magic, some explained and other parts not, The Silver Wood is written from the point of view of Tobias, a giant but gentle soul called the Wild Man, who lives and is tethered in a magical forest. His usual existence is thrown into chaos as a newcomer, Henry Silver, purchases the local hall and investigates the folklore surrounding the Wild Man.
Overall, it is a well-written book. The world is engaging, the magic telling has a light touch, the prose is gorgeous and the characters have depth. For this reason, it gets my top rating – 5 out of 5 stars.
Plot
A Wild Man lives in the woods of Greenhollow, an old magical forest. Tobias, the Wild Man, lives peacefully in his cottage, with his cat and his Dryad friends. He also tends to any unruly or evil spirits dwelling or passing through the woods. In short, he’s deeply connected to it, being unable to leave it, and lives his life quietly.
That is, of course, until Henry Silver purchases Greenhollow Hall and begins digging in to the folklore in the area. A chance meeting connects Tobias and Henry, but the conversation and light flirting that occurs between them deepens it. When Tobias is injured by a local hunter, Henry nurses him back to health.
As more and more secrets are dug up by Henry, Tobias must face his past and the old secrets deeply buried in the wood. For in fact, not all folklore is fake and the consequences for assuming it is so is dire.
T;LDR: A new owner of the local Hall, Henry Silver, forces Tobias to re-engage with life, face his past, and figure out his future.
What I Liked
I loved the prose. It was beautifully crafted without being flowery or too complicated. I never felt like I needed to reread a passage to understand what was going on.
The worldbuilding has a light touch. You aren’t spoonfed the information and are expected to make the intuitive leaps the novella’s short form demands.
The backstory is presented in a smooth way in the narrative, but you never quite know who Tobias is and who the villain is until they meet. This I liked because the pieces clicked together in a satisfying way.
While I liked all of the characters, Mrs. Silver is the epitome of the old battleaxe character, who cares too much and knows more than she should. I loved her duels with Tobias.
What I didn’t Like
There isn’t much to this list. I did feel that the villain wasn’t as scary or as badass as I’d like him to be. The battle with him was short, had a few twists, and was satisfying. But…based on the folklore, I wanted more.
There were a few moments where I wanted just a smidge more of worldbuilding exposition. Not much, but a few sentences here or there to solidify the world in my mind.
To Sum Up (too late!)
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I reached, a bit, for what I didn’t like, because it had a lot of what I do like – fairytale-esque format, fun and diverse characters, mystery, twists, and a little lighthearted romance.
About the Author
According to her website, Emily Tesh is a fantasy and science fiction author, with a Master’s degree in Humanities at the University of Chicago. She now lives in Hertfordshire, England, where she passes her time teaching Latin and Ancient Greek to schoolchildren who have done nothing to deserve it.
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