Silver in the Wood

Beautiful, warm, spooky and new. The story of Tobias Finch, the Wild Man of Greenhollow Wood, was not quite what I thought it would be and a lot more. When I read a sample of it I thought it a cottagecore excuse for a steamy queer romance. It was not. It was romantic and touching and a little sexy, but it also had some great drama and grit, and an ending that suited the overall faerie vibe. The prose is lush and grounded, the dialogue right on point, and the characters painted with skill and reverence. This might be the best novella I've read in the past few years.

Sometimes I want to tell developing writers “You can do whatever you want, you don't have to obey all these little rules. As long as you do it well.” This story does everything well.