Drowned Country by Emily Tesh is the second book in the Greenhollow Duology.

In this book, Tobias and Henry’s roles have almost been swapped. Tobias is off being a monster hunter with Henry’s mother and now Henry is tied to the Wood. But Henry takes badly to his connection to the Wood. Especially in comparison to Tobias. Henry is wallowing and Greenhollow Hall is going wild around him. 

When Tobias arrives at the behest of Henry’s mother we learn that there has been a falling out between Tobias and Henry. This makes Henry all the more sulky, but he agrees to heed his mother’s summons. Besides, there might be an ancient Vampire at play and that is enough to win him over.

I liked Drowned Country more than Silver in the Wood. I think it may have been in part because we had more insight into the characters from the first book. However, Drowned Country relies on one of my least favourite literary devices, 

We know that there has been some sort of falling out between Henry and Tobias. But, we don’t find out what that falling out entailed until nearly the end of the story. For me, this actually decreased the emotional tension. If I had known why these characters had fallen out, I would have been more emotionally invested. It would have provided an opportunity to show character growth as Henry tries to address the problem rather than just pretending nothing really happened and making everything awkward.

Despite this, I found the story really engaging and I loved the way the magic of the wood shone through. While Silver in the Wood was a more melancholy story, Drowned Country was a story that had more to do with perseverance and hope.

I have to say that I like Tobias a lot more than Henry, but I enjoyed Drowned Country’s plot a lot more than Silver in the Wood.

If magical forests and queer romance appeal to you, I would recommend giving the Greenhollow Duology a shot!