i’ve been a huge fan of this series ever since i first read “the empress of salf and fortune”. i absolutely adore the main characters and i am always left amazed at how nicely crafted the atmosphere is in every novella. i think nghi vo is an undeniably talented author, as every single one of these short books felt like a hug in book format to me. i don’t know why i find the stories so comforting, but i do, so i will patiently wait for the next ones as well.

nghi vo’s writing style is absolutely phenomenal and i think it fits the novellas quite perfectly - just the right amount of action, dialogue and descriptive pharagraphs to create an amazing atmosphere. this book is set in a castle and, throughout the story, there’s a feeling that something is definitely wrong, and i think the author did such a good job at defining this eerie, creepy atmosphere. the story is well paced - the action isn’t too fast and everything is revealed at the right time to keep the story going without it feeling too rushed.

i ADORE chih and almost brilliant. i think both of them are brilliant ;) main characters - they’re witty and so human in all of the books. i really liked seeing the friendship between nhung and chih - well, most of it anyway. i think the author is amazing at writing relationships between characters, but friendships in particular shine in these stories. none of the characters are just bad or just pure, each of them have flaws and i really like how, especially in this story, we get to see why some of the characters act the way they do.

the worldbuilding is insane in this one as well, so that’s consistent with the previous novellas as well. granted, the setting in quite limited - the action is all confined to the lord’s castle, but it’s quite nicely crafted. we get to see a lot of the space even if the story is pretty short.

this novella was a bit different compared to the previous ones, but i think it’s a nice change of tone - we no longer get the “storyteller” aspect that was so prevalent in the other books. i did like how this one combined horror and fantasy elements and how we got to figure out what was happening alongside chih. the reveal was also quite interesting and not something i saw coming. up to that point, i didn’t imagine that’s the way the story would go, but i could tell something was definitely wrong.

overall, i’m absolutely in love with everything about this series and i wish it could continue on forever, but alas. highly recommend picking up this book, because it’s slightly different than the previous installments.

Matrimonial predators

We catch up with Chih, who is accompanying the Pham family -- Mr and Mrs Pham and their daughter Pham Nhung to the castle of Lord Guo. The Phams are a family of merchants down on their luck, and Nhung has been proposed in marriage to Lord Guo. She and Chih met cute, and she asked them to accompany her to Lord Guo's castle for the marriage negotiation. Chih appears to have a mini-crush on Nhung, which she appears to encourage. Chih desperately misses their neixin Almost Brilliant, who is mysteriously absent. Nhung is naturally worried about being married. Chih, who knows many stories, true and fictional, about husbands and wives, would like to reassure her, but cannot honestly do so.

Stuff happens. You will recognize the story pretty quickly. <spoiler>It's Bluebeard. You probably already figured that out -- the plural "Brides" in the title kind of gives it away.</spoiler> In this one Chih faces serious personal danger, more immediate than in any other Singing Hills book. Also, they get to be an action hero in this one. Unlike When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain, when Chih and their companions were in real danger of being eaten by tigers, Chih can't get out of this one just by telling stories.

I enjoyed this a lot. It was simpler and more straightforward than the other Singing Hills stories. The Singing Hills stories are stories about story-telling -- very meta. While I appreciate that -- Nghi Vo is a master story-teller, and it is a delight that she teaches her craft. But in this installment we get something more like a simple (well, honestly, not THAT simple) story straightforwardly told.

Thanks to NetGalley and TorDotCom for an advance reader copy of The Brides of High Hill. This review expresses my honest opinion. Release date 7-May-2024.

This was a fantastic book. Consistent tonally with the rest of the series, but also, creepy and unsettling and gothic in a way that made it my new favourite. The narrative unfolded beautifully, information coming at exactly the pace it needed to. It also did not shy away from its darker elements. I also appreciated the way in which it let Cleric Chih be fallible - they are a fantastic character, and it was a new and brilliant facet to them. Absolutely excellent, what more can I say?

Y’all, I am not exaggerating when I say this might be one of my favorite series. This novella packed a serious punch and I LOVED it. This installment was dark and had me on the edge of my seat. It felt completely different to the others, but it was still very enjoyable. The writing continues to be gorgeous. Each book reads like a fairytale, with this one being creepy and dark. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I am now depressed that I have to wait for book six.

I didn't know what to expect with this one. It is short, but not too short and definitely not sweet. The author draws you in with a tale as old as time: young bride-to-be meeting her questionable husband for the first time before the wedding. The bride is a seemingly naive Nhung Pham on the road with her parents and cleric companion, Chih. Something feels off, but you can't figure out what it is. It is only when they reach their destination of Doi Cao that the story bursts into colour. When we meet Zhihao, the prince of the palace, you think you have it all figured out. Dear Reader: you do not!!

This is an atmospheric gothic horror, with some fantastical elements, that are not overdone or hyperbolic. The story felt drawn out in certain areas but this feels intentional rather than accidental. I'll be honest, the beautiful prose made the reveal all the more shocking. It was genius how beauty and innocence masked such horror. The relationship between Nhung and Chih was endearing enough to believe they were lifelong friends.

Spellbinding and compelling, with charming characters... and Almost Brilliant!

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