Reviews
From Astounding Award Winner and Crawford Award Finalist Emily Tesh
A Buzzfeed Summer 2020 Must-Read
A Book Riot Must-Read Fantasy of 2020
“The tender, frustrated romance between the dramatic Henry and taciturn Tobias shines. Tesh’s second outing is elegant, evocative, and irresistible.“—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Complex, dreamy. . . . A beautiful tale full of quiet courage, magic rooted in the soil or the curling branches of trees, and a strong, determined queer love.”—Booklist, starred review
“If you’re looking for a strong ensemble of characters, high stakes, and a delicious tension-filled lovers quarrel, it doesn’t get any better than this.”—Book Riot
“Drowned Country really is a beautiful book, the sort that makes you happy to live in a world where you can read it. It abounds in humour, adventure, tenderness, magic, and a sort of poetry. The story is peopled with characters I care about, and above all, it is haunted by a Wood that I both dream of and fear to be lost in.”—Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
“The love story between Henry and Tobias is a charming addition to the plot as they rekindle their former relationship during their journey. . . . Following Silver in the Wood, this latest installment is just as magical.”—Library Journal
“Drowned Country is even more of a triumph than its stellar predecessor. . . . It’s great to read queer romances, and it’s even better to read complex queer romances.”—Geekly, Inc.
Praise for Silver in the Wood
“A wildly evocative and enchanting story of old forests, forgotten gods, and new love. Just magnificent.”—Jenn Lyons
“Alive with old magic, Silver in the Wood made my hair stand on end even as it beckoned me to go deeper, and in the end I couldn’t resist.”—C. L. Polk
“Exquisitely crafted. . . . This fresh, evocative short novel heralds a welcome new voice in fantasy.”—Publishers Weekly
“A gorgeous novella that feels somewhere between fairy tale and myth, only it’s the kind of myth that is probably true.”—Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
“Find a quiet place in a nearby wood, listen to the trees whisper, and thank the old gods and new for this beautiful little book, of which I intend to get lost in again and again.”—Book Riot
“It is easy to praise flash and sparkle, but the beauty of the simple and lighter-than-air is more difficult to capture. Silver in the Wood’s sparkle is that of clear water; its flash the snap of a crackling fire, and Tesh’s prose reads like returning to a dream long-forgotten or a song half-remembered. It is, needless to say, excellent.”—Alexandra Rowland
“Tesh lured me into her rich fairytale narrative with the warmth and strangeness, then hooked me on her intricate characters. Silver in the Wood is a novella of quiet yearning and old secrets, gentle woodsmen and fierce dryads and mothers you really shouldn’t mess with.”—Kerstin Hall