Cleric Chih of Singing Hills is a collector and keeper of stories. This novella following Cleric Chih on their journey as they accompany Pham Nhung toward her wedding day to a mysterious husband. Once they arrive at the husband-to-be's estate, Chih realizes not everything is what it seems. They will do what it takes to protect the lovely Nhung, and collect stories along the way.

This was such a fun read! It's my first read within the series, so I went in unsure what to expect. It definitely moves at a fast pace, and that left me somewhat confused at times, but I was entranced by the language and the world, so I stayed engaged. It ended up being enjoyable to fill in the blanks in my imagination. I felt as if I'd been brought into the plot, helping to solve the mysteries that Cleric Chih is presented with.

This book left me with questions: What is a monster, and how is one created? Does it all depend on the way our stories are told?

I recommend this book for anyone who loves sci-fi or fantasy!

A nice shake up in the world of Singing Hills. This installment is much more of a mysterious, gothic tale rather than the storytelling/monster of the week we've had previously. There's a horror element and at times I felt myself actually getting scared. Nghi Vo writes so well, so lyrical and beautiful! While there is definitely a standalone quality to this, I think you won't be as riveted in the story or Chih if you haven't read any of the other Singing Hills novellas. I love Chih and Almost Brilliant, I can't wait to read more!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Returning to the Singing Hills, this time in the likes of a Brothers Grimm fairy tale-esque gothic tale, Cleric Chih continues to collect and share stories. While more intense than the previous installments, it still does capture the coziness that one expects from a Singing Hills novella. The Brides of High Hill lightly touches on family and mental health, and notably on memory, storytelling, perspectives, and community. A beautiful and haunting addition to the series. It’s tough to write much about the plot without spoiling, but it is fantastic and a welcomed shift in a new direction.

If you loved What Moves The Dead by T. Kingfisher, this is the novella for you! Thank you to TOR and Netgalley for my ARC.

The Brides of High Hills is the fifth book in the Singing Hills series, and I have enjoyed reading the series so far. The author, Nghi Vo, has a captivating writing style that I really enjoy. However, this particular novella was darker than the previous ones, and I was surprised by the plot twist. I initially thought it would be about the previous brides, but it turned out to be a very different story. Although it could be read as a standalone, I highly recommend reading the other books in the series too. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

God I love this series! The Brides of High Hill has a gothic horror flavor to it that I quite enjoyed. Cleric Chih is accompanying a young bride to the home of her much older husband-to-be, but there are dark secrets hiding at his estate...

This was excellent and a major tonal shift from the last novella in the series. But I will follow Chih on whatever adventures they go on. Definitely one to read! I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

I love Nghi Vo’s style. This book was so fresh and unique. I definitely want to read the other books in the Singing Hills Cycle, I’m wholly invested in Chih’s journeys. They were such an interesting character and I want to know more about the clerics, and Chih’s companion, Almost Brilliant. There was so much talk about her that I missed her without ever having met her, and when she finally appeared I wished she was there all along. 😏

Doi Cao and the Guo family had a sinister and mysterious air. I, like Nhung and Chih, was very intrigued by Zhihao. I was desperate to know what his deal was. The third act of this book was just absolutely UNHINGED. I was stunned and enthralled and just, I don’t even know. I don’t even have words. What a book.

Another fun outing in the Singing Hills cycle and this time our favorite cleric Chih is escorting a new bride along with her family to her husband’s estate. Right from the beginning, there is a sense of foreboding, lots of secrets and whispers, and adding to the suspense is the issue of Chih being forgetful and maybe bewitched, missing their familiar Almost Brilliant a lot, and finding themself too attached to a teapot.

I usually like when stories are narrated to or by Chih in this series but I felt that element was missing here, except just a few glimpses of the past. So while this may not be a favorite of the series for me, it was still a fun read, albeit definitely darker than the rest of the series. Definitely looking forward to more adventures of the delightful duo.

This felt like a fairytale to me. What a wonderful - though gorey - little story.

I went into this not knowing it was part of a whole series of standalones. Well now I need to read the others as well. Loved the characters and the vivid descriptions by the author! They even managed to sneek in some mystery which I wasn't opposed to at all.

Still I was a little confused at times and had problems immersing myself into the story. This I blame mostly to the fact that english isn't my first language. It wasn't like the author used extremely complicated words, just some old-timey words that threw me out of the story because I had to think about the meaning of them twice.

All in all a solid 3-star story. I already downloaded the first and the second book of the series on audible, can't wait to read more from Vo!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

Of course this was another great installment in the series! I loved this latest tale that Chih collected, of the story of the brides of High Hill-why there's been so many, and the history of the estate. It definitely went in an unexpected direction!

It's been said that this series can be read in any order. That might have changed in these later volumes since this book mentions the passing of his mentor which happened in the previous book, though this book does play with the expectation that things from previous books hold true in this one. I'm trying to be vague, but I loved how that part worked!

With the mutterings of the lord's son, we do have a pretty good idea what had happened to the previous wives, which just made it all the worse that this young lady that Chih had come to care for, was going to have to go through that.

I love the fact that Chih's memory and love of stories helped solve things in the end, to resolve things to the best ending that could happen, given what had already occurred. It made it all the more satisfying to read! But it did give Chih a heck of a story to bring back.

Loved reading this book, and I can't wait for whatever story comes next!

Book Name: The Brides of High Hill
Author: Nghi Vo

ARC
Thank you to Tor Publishing Group, Tordotcom for a Copy of Nghi Vo’s The Brides of High Hill

Stars: 4
Spice: 0

Book 5 in Short Story Anthology "Standalone" Series
Fast Paced
One POV
High Fantasy Folklore-esque Short Story

- Thoughts.
- First Vo Novella
- 5/5 Story Telling
- Dark and Mysterious and Fantastical
- World was so Rich
- Cant Wait to go rest the rest of the series
- The “Bad Guy” was Compelling
- Didn’t See the Twists
- Short but Strong

The writing style follows her other books, and her fans will be delighted as they reenter the world she built. I stopped after chapter 2, but easy four to five stars for the target audience, like all her work.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the ARC.

"The world starts with a story. So do dynasties and eras and wars. So does love, and so does revenge. Everything starts with a story."

The first couple of books in The Singing Hills Cycle involves someone else telling Cleric Chih a story. The Empress of Salt and Fortune was clever and discreet allowing the reader to unravel the mystery along side the Cleric. When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain saw two cultures clash as Cleric Chih sought out to hear what came close to the truth of the story the tigers had to say. All the while the threat of them being eaten kept the reader on their toes.

However, by the third book the series switched gears and now focuses more on the adventures of the Cleric then them gathering stories. We get better insight into Cleric Chihs personality as they become a more rounded and fleshed out character. The Brides of High Hill was entertaining and slightly dark but it didn't captivate me the same way the first two books did. Personally, I think it's because it's predecessors successfully captured the magic and suspense you feel while listening to a story being told. Watching Cleric Chihs adventures unfold is still enjoyable it just doesn't ensnare you in the same way.

Thank you Netgalley and Tordotcom for giving me an advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review. All quotes come from an arc and may change.

before i give my thoughts, i would like to thank the publisher TOR for providing me an advanced digital copy of the book for an exchange of a review. i may not have read very many works from nghi vo but i very much enjoyed this. i didnt know this was part of a series where you could read each of the books as a standalone so i was a tad confused but regardless i enjoyed reading this. i love the world building and i think i'll definitely catch up at some point. be sure to pick up this book on release day: may 7, 2024

There is something about this series that just sucks me right into the story each time. I adore Chih and Almost Brilliant so much and they have such wonderful adventures! This installment was a bit more spooky than previous ones which was a good twist.

Vo once again proves she can teleport her audience time and time again into the land of Singing Hills with a fully encapsulating story that feels like a full length adventure in a short novella. The Brides of High Hill is another celebration to add to lightweight but hefty series that dips its toes ever so slightly into the horror genre.

We return (rather jarringly) to our Cleric Chih who is escorting a beautiful bride to her new husband and to bless the marriage. With Almost Brilliant no where to be found, Chih finds themselves wound around the finger of this blushing bride as they enter the desolate Do Cao to meet the feared Lord Cao. With his mad son shouting warnings and a string of Gao's previous brides missing, Chih finds themselves in the middle of a nightmare where the monsters are hiding in plain sight.

I think Vo really flexes her ability to silently terrify you in this novel as it dips its toes ever so slightly into a horror genre. although I felt disjointed and confused at some plot stops (perhaps that was intentional), it tied together well that is sure to please fans of the series. 4.5/5

Wow! Another fantastic story about Cleric Chih and Almost Brilliant.

If you haven’t read the other Singing Hills novellas, I highly recommend starting there. Technically all of the novellas stand alone but you’ll have a much great appreciation for the world and the characters if you start with Empress of Salt and Fortune.

I’m not really sure how to review this one without giving away a ton of spoilers but basically the story begins with Cleric Chih accompanying a young bride to meet a prospective husband but something is not right in the lord’s house and Chih is determined to figure out what it is.

There were several moments throughout the first half of the book that I found myself questioning my enjoyment of the book and the feeling that something was just off. If you also find yourself in this position (and are somehow magically reading this review) all I can say is keep going! Nghi Vo will not let you down!

Fantastic twist I didn’t see coming and another satisfying story in Singing Hills. So glad we get 3 more books!

Very unlike the rest of the books in this series, but I'm definitely not mad about it. Gothic and gory while still being true to its roots.

Excellent. In this entry, we follow Chih's first foray into the forbidden world of affection. I will admit that the first third felt confusingly slow, but it all came around full circle—I was relieved I stuck with it. One of Nghi Vo's many strengths as a writer is displayed handily here in how quickly and solidly she moves between genres; this book was convincing with each switch it made. Near the end I felt the complaint rising that this was the first book in the series not to prominently feature storytelling as a thematic thrust, but even this was dealt with so fluidly near the end that I felt not bereft at all. Deft, compelling, and fascinating writing. I continue to show up for every single entry in this series with great enthusiasm and strong recommendation.

The Brides of High Hill is another excellent addition to the Singing Hills Cycle from Nghi Vo. I love that you can read these books in any order, and Vo continues to create a realistic and wonderful fantasy world for her characters to inhabit. I just hope that Almost Brilliant returns soon!

"The Brides of High Hill" is a fantastic installment to the Singing Hills Cycle by Nghi Vo. It is beautiful and violent, haunting and alluring. Vo uses a mastery of language to transport the reader into the world where foxes take the forms of humans, and birds can tell all the stories of the world. This addition to the series brought was a perfect addition to the series. Following Chih into the story without knowing exactly how they got there was unfamiliar, as previously we follow them to a story, but this time, we were with them from after the first chapter had been told. I felt Almost Brilliances absence keenly just as Chih does throughout the story. I found myself in a state of discomfort without knowing why, only to realize with Chih where the monsters were lurking. Truly a beautiful work, and I cannot wait to see where Chih will travel next.