Thank you to Netgalley and Tor.com for providing me with an eARC of this novella, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I read somewhere that someone believes that each of these is an examination of different types of writing and genre. I can totally see that now that they mention it. This one is the gothic horror examination mixed with a retelling of Bluebird. It’s not quite what I was initially expecting from this novella, however, I have to admit that I caught on pretty quickly to what was going on. I don’t want to speak too much as to the plot of this because it is a novella, but I found it to be quick paced and a bit eerie in terms of vibes.

This installment doesn’t involve so much the story within a story aspect. There are a few moments where Chih is being told things by other characters, but they’re not fully stories like in the first few installments of this series. They’re historical snippets and fragments of larger stories, but they are more the backstory to what is happening with Chih in the present.

It was fun to see more of an older sibling sort of vibe with Chih. They took the young bride sort of under their wing and tried to keep her out of trouble, while also doing what they thought would be best for the girl. Especially with the Bluebird aspects mixed into this. Chih was quite worried about their charge. There is a lot of talk about what the worse things that can happen to a woman are. I feel like that’s a theme with a lot of books recently.

Overall, I think that a lot of fans of the other installments of this series will enjoy this one as well. It’s a bit different, but I think that is what makes it charming in its own right. I think I personally miss the story within a story aspect of the others, but I think that evolving how this series unfolds is not a bad thing. This is a story that Chih will be able to give a first-hand account of rather than be told about it from others.

The Singing Hills Cycle novellas are something I look forward to every time a new installment is announced. They never disappoint in any way and The Brides of High Hill is no exception.

We’re used to mysterious adventures, spooky adventures, dangerous adventures, and sad adventures being in store for Cleric Chih, but never before has the adventure been scandalous…even a little salacious. Chih is in over their head and Almost Brilliant isn’t even around for some reason!

As with most of the Singing Hills Cycle books, the messages here revolve a lot around gender norms, feminine rage, class warfare, and the theft and/or destruction of one’s heritage by a group of people who see themselves as superior to you and yours. Whereas previous installments in this series have either taken place during travel or otherwise mostly in open air, The Brides of High Hill has a distinctive gothic feel to it, with everyone trapped inside a walled-in compound for the duration of the book. This places the threats as coming all from within, as opposed to the other novellas, where the threat was always coming from without.

The storycraft here was clever and sharp-witted, with a razor-edge thrill to it. The story was absolutely compelling to read, but as with all the Singing Hills Cycle stories, Nigh Vo gives us the perfect amount of story to satisfy us. It’s another job well done.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinion, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: 5 Star Review/Book Series/Epic Fantasy/Fantasy/Fantasy Series/Historical Fantasy/Mythological Fiction/Novella

Another solid entry in the series, although this one had a slightly different vibe to the rest. Cleric Chi accompanies a young bride and her family as she goes to marry an aging lord. It focused less on stories/storytelling and more on the present-day action. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I'd gone in expecting a gothic mystery, but since I was expecting something more like the previous books I found the ending scenes a little abrupt. Still very fun though and I always enjoy this world and Vo's writing.

I have loved all of the novellas in the Singing Hills Cycle, but this one took me a minute to get into. However, once I did, it was fabulous. The plot here is far more straightforward than some of the other books, which I wasn't expecting but it goes in some pretty exciting directions, which I really appreciated. Overall, another great addition to the series which demonstrates Nghi Vo's writing talent in a new and impressive way.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is the fifth novella in Vo’s Singing Hills Cycle and it is her darkest yet. Readers dive back into the world with our beloved Cleric Chih as they accompany Pham Nhung and her parents to Lord Guo’s castle where she is to be married. Nhung is a curious person, though, and Lord Guo’s son is said to be completely mad. Chih and Nhung quickly confide in and trust each other, so Nhung ropes them in on a mission to find out what awaits her as Lord Guo’s future wife (she isn’t his first wife, but how many wives has he had before?). It isn’t long before Chih begins to notice missing memories and they begin to uncover secrets about Lord Guo’s castle, his son, and even the lovely Nhung. Will they figure out what plots lie underneath the surface before too much is lost?

The Brides of High Hill is grisly and horrifying in some of the best ways possible. Touted as a gothic mystery, it lives up to the hype and is, perhaps, my favorite installment in the series so far! While I thoroughly enjoy anything Vo writes (especially this series of novellas), the tone of this book stands out in stark contrast to the previous books in this series. There is less contemplating of deeper theories and concepts, though it certainly is not fully absent. Fans of gothic horror and mystery: now’s your chance to get in on this series!

3.5 Stars!

Well, that certainly took an unexpected turn!

As per the blurb our beloved cleric Chih finds themselves accompanying a would-be bride to meet her potential husband to engage in a 3 day event of negotiations and hopefully, celebration. However, suspicious event after suspicious event makes Chih slowly realize that everything is not as it seems.

I really don’t want to spoil things. I applaud Vo for throwing such a curveball as Chih’s usual efforts at discovering any story they can results in finding themselves eyeball deep in the making of one.

My personal favorites of this series are those with more of an emotional heft such as The Empress of Salt and Fortune and Mammoths at the Gate, but despite a more mystery vibe with layers of horror, this was still a captivating look at a fantasy world reminiscent of Imperial China.

Overall, I have enjoyed myself with these varied adventures of Chih and their companion bird Almost Brilliant, and I will do so for as long as Vo continues to write them!

Thank you to the author and Tordotcom via NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review posted to Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6463320344?book_show_action=false

We’re back with Cleric Chih on another adventure. This time, they’re traveling with a bridal party to an impending marriage. While the young (and broke) Nhung is optimistic for her marriage to an older lord, as Chih explores the desolate palace grounds, not all is as it seems.

Do not be deterred by the nebulous beginnings - similar to Vo’s other works, the beauty of The Brides of High Hill comes together slowly, and then all at once. This gothic horror novella rapidly built all the spooky vibes and the twist was delightfully executed.

As with much of Vo’s work, I often feel like I’m missing references to other fairy tales within the novellas, but it never detracts from the storyline. These juicy gems of story are punchy and plot based which make some of the fantasy-building-fumbles forgivable.

Overall a delightful read, and I once again am anxiously awaiting the next installment of Cleric Chih’s adventures.

Can we please have a hundred more Singing Hills novellas? Because I would read, recommend, and sell all of them. Nghi Vo is a master at creating such a strong world in such a small book, and this is no exception. In this volume we get to see Cleric Chih in a slightly different setting and completely out of their element. This story is a bit more gothic than any of the previous novellas, and also more mysterious. I'll admit to re-reading it immediately after finishing, in order to see what clues I had missed the first time around. I will read anything Nghi Vo writes, but especially these lovely little snapshots into life in the Singing Hills.

a haunting ghost story this time.
I’ve been reading this set of stand alone novellas featuring Cleric Chi since the beginning. I tend not to read deep into series; but this one is different. Whenever I discover a new release, I’m instantly ready for another story from this collection. Maybe it’s the bite size novellas; maybe it’s the quality storytelling; maybe it’s because I don’t have to remember much of anything from previous stories to enjoy the new installment; maybe it’s the cinematic quality; or the fact that each story reads like a fairy tale. Regardless, I’m always ready for a new adventure. This one might be one of my favorites. A curse, a labyrinth, monsters, hidden evil. Read this one for yourself, regardless of how many others you’ve tried. The hidden surprises are delightful.


Thanks to Netgalley and tordotcompub for the opportunity to preview this book. Look for it 5.7.24

An abbreviated version of this review is up on Goodreads as of today. The full review will be posted on my blog on May 7th.

Thank you to Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of the book in return for an honest review! The Brides of High Hill comes out today, May 7th, 2024. I found this novella through NetGalley, and since I've had a growing interest in mythological fantasy stories told by people from their own culture, I picked it up.

The Bridges of High Hill fell perfectly into my interests: a thrilling gothic mystery based on Asian myth and folklore. On top of that, the main character and narrator is non-binary - awesome! I enjoyed it as I read it to the point of reading the whole novella in one sitting. For the most part, the unfolding mystery was fun and the Asian folklore quite intriguing, but towards the end, the plot suddenly shifted far too quickly for me to make sense of. Although things were explained afterwards, the plot never fully made sense to me until the end, which was a shame since it'd been great until then.


Cleric Chih accompanies Nhung Pham, a beautiful young bride, to her husband-to-be to bless their wedding. But as they arrive at the dilapidated Doi Cao estate with the Pham family, things quickly seem off. The servants are terrified, the mad son of Lord Guo gives cryptic warnings and messages, and Lord Guo himself has had a worrying number of young brides before Nhung.

Chih and Nhung wander the grounds of Doi Cao, exploring abandoned buildings and digging into the history of Lord Guo and Doi Cao itself. Yet the closer they get, the graver the danger.

The novella is the fifth in a series of standalone novels called the Singing Hills Cycle. I went into it completely blind to avoid spoiling myself, and I can confirm that it can indeed be read mostly fine without having read the others in the series. I have heard that the others are quite enjoyable, however.


Although the novella is quite short compared to my usual reads (coming up at 88 pages on my e-reader), The Brides of High Hill manages to set out a detailed and intricate world within that timeframe. Although the characters are mainly reduced to one or two traits, that is to be expected of a novella with so many characters getting screen time, and the story's pacing made it easy to forgive. The hooks are set out at a steady pace, drawing you further and further into the mystery as you go.

The story is also unapologetically queer. Cleric Chic is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. This is regarded as something completely normal in the world; everyone uses gender-neutral terms for them and their identity isn't questioned or even mentioned once. The story also features queer romance and a strong female character, which I can certainly appreciate.

The Brides of High Hill isn't the type of story I'd usually read. It's closer to literary in its writing style, with advanced prose and more unusual words that focus on conveying the beautiful atmosphere that turns into horror as the book progresses. As someone who generally prefers to read young adult and middle-grade stories, it took a little while to get used to, but I eventually found my rhythm.

However, that rhythm only lasted to the great reveal of the story and the following climax. To me, the reveal came as a complete surprise that didn't make sense. I re-read the passage a few times to ensure I hadn't read over something, but I couldn't find anything. I continued confusedly going along with this new plot, hoping the pieces would fall together, but they never did until it was spelt out at the end, and even then I couldn't see where the change had come from.

I think this may be a combination of my not being used to this writing style and being new to mystery stories (I get too distracted by enjoying the story to piece together the puzzle), as well as that some of the hints hinged on knowledge of Chih's character, which you'd only have if you read some of the other novellas in the series. If they're sharper, other readers might not have the same difficulties I had.

Something I did greatly enjoy was the atmosphere and the setting. It took me to another world with different customs, rituals, architecture, and food. One where the creatures of myth - myth I'm not familiar with yet but would love to be - are alive and lurking in the shadows. The story conveys this in a great way for the limited amount of words it has, and the worldbuilding has me impressed.


Overall, while the writing and worldbuilding were great, the story didn't end up being for me due to the twist it took and my difficulty in seeing it coming and understanding it. However, for those who are more experienced with (gothic) mystery or have a sharper mind and who want to read a queer novella in an Asian-inspired setting that reads well and conveys the atmosphere excellently, I highly recommend The Brides of High Hill.

-=-=-=-

Content warnings:
Domestic abuse and implied sexual assault
Nhung is beaten by Lord Gao, and it's implied she's sexually assaulted. She is also publicly humiliated by him.

Death and gore
Multiple characters die, both on- and off-screen. It can get a little gorey, including dismembered body parts such as heads.

Drugging and confinement
One of the characters, the mad son of Lord Gao, is drugged against his will and kept in a cage.


Brownie points:
LGBTQ+ inclusion
The main character is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, as is the second character mentioned in the novella. This is treated as completely natural and isn't addressed even once in the story.

BIPOC+ inclusion
The characters are likely all people of colour since the story is set in an Asia-inspired world.

#OwnVoices
This story is about Asian folklore, written by a person of Asian descent. Vo is queer as well.

"A mysterious new entry in the Singing Hills Cycle.

Cleric Chih joins a beautiful young bride as she arrives at a crumbling estate to have marriage negotiations and get married. In the middle of extravagant events, Chih also sees frightened servants and cryptic warnings from the lord's mad son. The cleric and the bride-to-be explore the mostly-empty estate and get drawn into the mystery of what became of Lord Guo's previous wives and the history of the estate. But as monsters are revealed, Chih realizes it's more dangerous than they thought.

I've enjoyed every book in this series, and this is another great installment. I liked that this one takes the form of a gothic mystery, giving it a bit of a different feel from the other books that chronicle Cleric Chih's travels. The writing, as with all of Nghi Vo's books, is lyrical and really makes you feel immersed in a fairytale.

For whatever reason, this more mysterious book didn't hit quite the same for me as most of the others in the series. I think this is perhaps because this story does not lend itself quite so well to a fairytale-like writing quality. The mystery element meant that I felt like I had to predict what would come next rather than just being along for the ride. However, it was still very good.

Overall, if you've enjoyed the other tales in this series, this one is also excellent and I would recommend it. I don't think this is the best place to start the series, but it is a perfect spooky read to enjoy with a cup of tea."

I have been an avid lover of the Singing Hills Cycle, and I have always loved each new entry more than the last! Unfortunately that wasn't the case this time, but that doesn't mean I was disappointed either! The story this time has a bit of a shift compared to most of the previous entries; while it wasn't my favorite, it was still interesting. I like that Vo explores different stories and styles in these novellas and look forward to the next one as always!

Admittedly, though I have read and enjoyed some of their other work, I have never picked up one of Nghi Vo’s novellas. So, when given the chance to read an ARC of The Brides of High Hill, the latest in their Singing Hills Cycle series, I was beyond excited.
Having previously only read Siren Queen and The Chosen and the Beautiful I was fully unprepared for how fantasy orientated this was. While the novels I have read play with aspects of the jazz age and magical surrealism, The Brides of High Hill is completely high fantasy with roots in eastern mythology. Despite being such a departure from what I expected, I adored this immensely. The truest testament is that I went into this book completely blind, and was still able to comprehend, enjoy, and engage with this story in a way that left my body and mind haunted by its fable-like quality—and believe me when I say haunted, I mean HAUNTED!
The imagery of the crumbling estate juxtaposed against the beauty and curiosity of the characters. The slow descent into mystery and building tension as the story slowly unravels—I read this in one sitting and believe me that wasn’t because it’s only 128 pages. I literally could not put The Brides of High Hill down.
Overall, I would say I definitely recommend this. It’s a great read if you’re craving that fantasy hit but also want something a little more sinister.

On their never-ending quest for stories, cleric Chih has found themself in the company of a bride-to-be and her parents on the way meet the groom at his estate. When they arrive, however, something seems off, with fortified walls surrounding the compound, odd sculptures spread throughout, and, perhaps most unnerving, the groom-to-be's insane son locked in a labyrinth. Soon Chih learns that stories are even more powerful than they thought, and that monsters are not always hidden in the shadows.

This is the fifth entry in Vo's Singing Hills Cycle of novellas, and just like all the others, it's excellent. Not really much more to say than that, and also, read these books (in any order, though I wouldn't necessarily start with this one).

What an atmospheric book! This had beautiful writing, interesting characters and a genuinely surprising twist!
This is my introduction to the singing Hills cycle and I am intrigued how it compares to the other books in the series.

I would have liked to spend a bit more time after the twist, but overall the story is enjoyable as it is. It definitely felt like a mysterious fairy tale for adults.

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC.

The Brides of High Hill is another stunning installment of the Singing Hills Cycle which I have been avidly following since I think around book two. In this book we lose a small amount of the 'being told a story' element that has been prevalent in the books so far and instead see our travelling monk caught up in the periphery of a story. I was surprised by this but it ended up being a welcome surprise and I thought it meant that the book felt very distinct and memorable. I won't spoil elements of the story but I thought that the various twists and turns were masterfully handled and I was genuinely surprised by the direction the book went in on a number of occasions.
I don't know how many novellas are planned for this series but if they continue in this trajectory we are sure to see something marvellous next!
I received a free digital review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

4 stars

This series is an absolute blast, and I enjoy the variations and inspirations so much. This time, the novella is giving "Bluebeard," and it's a mysterious but gratifying adventure.

I'm really interested in the way these pieces can be read both individually and as a collection, and prospective readers should know that while they can jump in at any point, if they're leaning into their Type A life like I usually am, they will appreciate starting from the top.

This is one of my favorites of the group so far, and I hope there are many more to come.

Thanks to TorDotCom for an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

This was not what I expected in the best way possible! This installment threw me into a loop in finding the monsters lurking in the shadows while Cleric Chih assists Pham Nhung to Doi Cao to meet her husband-to-be, Lord Guo. A gothic mystery in nearly 130 pages is truly a feat! Nghi Vo weaves themes of colonization, land reclamation, and patriarchy into a well-written and well-paced story. Cannot wait for the next installment in this wonderful series!!

Another excellent installment in The Singing Hill Cycle by Nghi Vo. I'm always amazed by how Vo manages to pack so much content into only 100ish pages. This time around, Cleric Chih is on the road with a wealthy bride and her family, traveling to the house (which has seen better days) of her husband-to-be. But when they get there, things are off, and Chih must figure out what's going on before it's too late.

I admit I missed Almost Brilliant, who is again off mysteriously doing other things. I definitely enjoyed the last novella better than this one, but I would still highly recommend!

The Brides of High Hill is already the fifth installment to the Singing Hills Cycle and every time Nghi Vo adds something new to this world. For the record, I keep miss typing the title as The Brides of High Hell and after reading it, that seems quite fitting as well.

The book starts off very straightforward. Cleric Chih is accompanying a future bride and her family to her future husband. At first nothing seems off. After the last two books, it doesn't seem weird when their companion isn't along for the ride this time. There is an odd vibe around the family but one can have nerves about an upcoming wedding.

But then things start to not add up. Her parents don't seem to care too much about what happens to them. They meet her future husband's son who is deemed mad. He shares things about his fathers previous brides. I love how the author manages to drop crumbles for us, that don't stand out at first instance but when looking back, make sense.

My biggest complaint is that after having read The Mammoths at the Gates, I miss a little bit of depth. This is still a great book. I just really loved getting more from Cleric Chih personally and that is less in this book.