Series Review: “The Greenhollow Duology”, by Emily Tesh

This series started well, but it turned out to be a disappointment.

The wood of Greenhollow, where Tobias Finch lives, itch with fairy tales… and something more sinister, incredibly ancient. When the folklorist he learnt to know and love takes a step into the legends, will he be able to bring him back?

Let’s start with saying that this series was right up my alley – I’m a sucker for folklore and nature, so it started by checking all the boxes. Also the character of Tobias is so charming, that you end up liking him since the very few pages, when you have no idea what is going on.

So… what went wrong with the book? Mainly the sequel, but we’ll get to that.

The captivating and descriptive style of Emily Tesh strikes you from the very beginning – yesterday’s incipt comes from this book! She doesn’t waste time setting the scene, you’re just thrown into the action and good luck with that. Which makes her ability to set the right atmosphere shine, but failes to make up for the lack of world building.

And the tales. The tales! You’ll think that you’ll end up with a juicy fantasy, right? Beasts popping out left and right? Think again – a couple of them are briefly mentioned, but only two will keep you company through this book (and even series). So if you’re thinking to pick it up just for that… it’s the atmosphere. The atmosphere, and nothing else.

The characters are only half well-written. Like I said, you’ll love the main character Tobias, but you won’t know what to think of the other one, Henry Silver. Probably that he’s only some badly written fanfiction happening to Mr.Finch, but he gets worse, WAY WORSE, in the second book.

If in the first book the point of view was from Tobias, in Drowned Country is from Silver. And I’m glad we didn’t get to be inside his head before, because I would have not make it so far.

The books takes place two years after the conclusion of Silver in the Wood, and I’ll leave it at that to keep the review as much as I can spoiler free.

If the story went on chronologically, it seems that the author’s ability to develop plot and characters went backwards in comparison.

Do you remember how we said that the second character, Silver, is the reason I wouldn’t have finished the series in the first place? And how it’s something that happens to Tobias, worthy of being called a fanfiction character?

Well, brace yourself to be reminded at least once a page how tall, silent, and strong Tobias is. And you’d think you could get over it to get to the plot, if it wasn’t so… flimsy and virtually non-existent.

I would classify this series as a hybrid between surrealism and magical realism. Since the very beginning, the author wants you to feel like something dreamlike and magical is going on.

And then it has an explanation in folklore.

Except that it doesn’t… not quite. You have to believe what she’s telling you, without actually showing anything.

If the plot in the first one was simple and somehow predictable, here it just seems that it’s thrown in to make the duology (and the two characters) reach their conclusion.

Which is… good, and bad. Emily Tesh manages to close a series that is really short (barely 300 pages total), but it feels like the ending is rushed, and exactly how you’d expect it to be.

The best for last.

Through all this – the lack of folklore, the fanfiction, the faith in the author, and the ice thin plot – you have to suffer through Silver too. You think it couldn’t get any worse than him acting like a teenager girl in love? Think again.

The character of Silver comes with a side dish of deceit, manipulation, selfishness, zero regrets, and self pity. All for the greater good of redemption, and the bigger question about eternity.

Final Thoughts

Did I enjoy reading this series? If you don’t take into account the second book (beside the knowledge that it was going to be over soon): yes.

Would I recommend it to somebody? Not particularly. If you’re in for a fantasy book without backbones and with clichés that slowly turns into a cheap romantic novel with an aftertaste of higher purpose and meaning, then go for it.

Rating: unfortunately, only 2 stars. I liked the first book with all its flaws, but the second instalment was a train wreck.