A review by mariebrunelm
Drowned Country by Emily Tesh

dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 Drowned Country is the sequel to Silver in the Wood, one of my favourite books of all time. It came out 2 years ago, I secured a copy last year and I still hadn't read it. You know the comforting feeling of knowing there's a book you're sure to love waiting for you? That was the one for me. I also wasn't in a hurry to read it because as far as I know there's no volume 3 planned and I didn't want to be finished with these characters. But on my birthday I treated myself to it, and I'm glad to report that the book lived up to my expectations. As in Silver in the Wood, the cast of characters is very small, but let me tell you I loved the new one with all my heart. She was so unexpected and quirky and endearing that I kept smiling the whole time.
To give you a bit of context, Silver in the Wood & Drowned Country are two novellas following two men, Tobias Finch and Henry Silver, in Victorian England. One researches the presence of folklore creatures in real life, and the other is sort of the embodiment of the same folklore. Their banter made much of the first volume's appeal to me (though I also loved everything else about it). In Drowned Country, the setting expands a bit as the two are asked to investigate what appears to be a case of vampirism... Except of course reality is stranger than fiction.
Having read and re-read Silver in the Wood, I've become quite familiar with its writing style, and I thought Emily Tesh had even stepped up i Drowned Country. The turns of phrases made me swoon. It's really gorgeously written and I can't wait for the author's first novel. It's announced as found-family sci-fi, which is a new favourite sub-genre of mine. 
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