Listened to the audiobook with Matthew Lloyd Davies – well-read, I particularly like his Tobias.

I always appreciate shorter forms of fiction. I don’t think they ever really went away, but to me personally, I feel like they have become a little more accessible lately because of audiobooks. I think the way I – but probably most people – usually consume literature is by buying a novel-length book of the shelve, and that means that novellas or short stories only ever really show up on the radar if they get collected. With audiobooks – especially in the library-style streaming apps we have today – it feels equally natural to pick something shorter.

Now, admittedly, Silver in the Wood and Drowned Country were collected in the Greenhollow Duology and I did listen to them back to back.

But I really wonder whether I would have picked these up if I would have had to buy a hardcopy from a store, especially since they are marketed as romantic fantasy – and that is a real pity!

If I had to rate the two novellas separately, I would probably give Silver in the Wood a 4 star-rating, and Drowned Country a 3 star-rating.

I think Silver in the Wood precisely hits that sweet spot between mystery and familiarity; it draws on familiar tropes and atmosphere while at the same time giving very little away and allowing the reader to guess a lot. The tension between the main characters is tangible and even though the plot itself is very simple, the emotions and characters make it a very satisfying read.

Drowned Country is still good, but it is at its best before the main plot of the novella takes off, when it focuses on the new relationship between the two main characters of the first story. I like the new character that was introduced and if Tesh ever continues the story, I am more than curious to read more about her. But the core adventure of Drowned Country feels a little more haphazard than Silver in the Wood, almost a little out of place with the atmosphere of the rest of the story. There is enough around that episode to enjoy in the novella , and it didn’t get in the way of my enjoyment of those other aspects. But I hope that the next setting will draw me in again like Silver in the Wood did.

Still, I think Silver in the Wood and Drowned Country are great examples of fantasy stories with heavy overtones of romance that still work as stories, where the (romantic) tension between the main characters adds to the narrative rather than getting in the way of it.

Overall, I think the Greenhollow Duology is a nice read for anyone who can appreciate a little atmospheric fantasy in a fresh setting – and I, for one, hope that Tesh will expand the story into an ongoing series of novellas similar to the Singing Hills Cycle!