Nghi Vo’s The Singing Hills novellas from the beginning have centered on the stories as they are remembered and retold and lived out. Their framework at the start has been a story within a story; a traveling cleric Chih being the recipient of a story or a legend, with the readers seeing how the stories are made and shaped and how it turn they shape the events. The previous novella in the series, Mammoths at the Gates, broke out of the pattern by actually having Chih at the center of events, and this one follows suit with one more twist — Chih here is part of the story itself.

“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.”

As it quickly becomes clear to the reader, this is a version of Bluebeard, but with a bit of variation to make it interesting. If something about the way the story unfolds seems a bit off, a bit suspect, it’s because it’s meant to be. It’s still quiet and unfolds gently, but this time with a slight aftertaste of horror and a good helping of unsettling tension.

“Chih finally understood that the monsters were everywhere.”

I loved the first and the third book in this series, but this novella did not hit all the high notes those two had. I think I miss the story within a story framework although I do appreciate seeing more of Chih again, involved in a story itself instead of being part of storytelling. The story “twist” was both interesting as it derailed the expectations and a bit of a whiplash, abruptly changing the narrative flow. And the gothic feel — if this is what you like, you’ll probably adore this one, but I’m usually left a bit cold by that tone.

Still a good one, although not my favorite in the series (that honor goes to The Empress of Salt and Fortune and Into the Riverlands).

3.5 stars. I will definitely continue with this series.


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Thanks to NetGalley and Tordotcom for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'll keep reading about Cleric Chih's adventures for as long as @nghivowriting keeps writing them! I adore the Singing Hills Cycle so much. Every story is unique and Chih and Almost Brilliant are two of my favorite characters in fantasy right now. If you haven't read The Empress of Salt and Fortune and its sequels, I'd highly recommend checking out this series!

The Brides of High Hill has a gothic mystery vibe to it, which was fun. Seeing Chih unravel the mystery was entertaining, but once again Almost Brilliant kinda stole the show by the end. Nonetheless, I loved seeing another side of Chih in this story. I adore this series and I can't wait to see what Cleric Chih gets up to next!

Thank you to @tordotcompub for the eARC of The Brides of High Hill!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for my copy in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Nghi Vo's "The Brides of High Hill" is the fifth installment in the Singing Hills Cycle, and this time, we follow Cleric Chih into a chilling Gothic mystery that involves missing wives, a doomed marriage, and ghosts. Like the previous Singing Hills novellas, "The Brides of High Hill" packs a lot into a small amount of pages. Vo's writing is lyrical and haunting in this installment and it lends the story a very different tone from previous stories. The absence of Almost Brilliant hit me just as hard as it hit Chih. Without Almost Brilliant there to sort of defuse tense and chilling moments, I felt just as scared and nervous as Chih did. Although, without Almost Brilliant, watching as Chih had to figure things out on their own was really engaging and interesting to see. This installment has to be my favorite from the Cycle purely for how creepy and ghost story-like it was. It reminded me a lot of Vo's novel, "Siren Queens," especially with a certain reveal.

As always, I recommend anything from Vo. Their writing is beautiful, haunting, and lyrical and all of that punches forward pretty strongly in this installment.

Imgur Link goes to Instagram graphic scheduled for April 30th
Blog Post goes live on April 30th
Will be discussed in April Reads Pt 2

**TL;DR:** My favorite of the Singing Hills Cycle so far - this one has a very different tone and it was amazing.
**Source**: Netgalley - so many thanks to the publisher!

**Plot**: Cleric Chih is traveling with a family as they marry off their daughter, and things unfold… poorly for some involved.

**Characters**: Cleric Chih is our main PoV again and we get a few new characters I’m not going to spoil too much, but I enjoyed them all. We also get a little bit of Almost Brilliant, my absolute favorite bird ever.

**Setting**: A closed estate before a wedding, it was well drawn and felt very isolating for the story, which really added to the impact by the end.

**Magic**: Much more magic than I think we’ve seen in a hot minute with Singing Hills, and I love that.

**Thoughts**:

I’ve been a long time fan of this novella series and it’s honestly a crime it’s not talked about more. I’ll also freely admit I didn’t love the last volume in the series. This one completely redeemed that last one for me, this was amazing. Cleric Chih is traveling with a family as they take their daughter to an arranged marriage but small things don’t seem quite right. Chih can’t remember things they should remember and something is lurking in this isolated estate.

I can’t give too much of the plot of this one away, it is a novella after all. The tone of this one has a much more horror leaning feel than anything else, and if you have a problem with gore this might challenge you. The strength of this one is the setting and the idea of history coming back, especially in the worst way possible. Nghi Vo does this wonderfully while making it very disturbing and low key horrifying.

If you haven’t tried the Singing Hills Cycle and you love a good bite sized fantasy story, I will always recommend this series. They’re magical, and transportive and draw a fun and rich world with each installment. Each also feels very different from the last and this one really shows how Nghi Vo is growing as an author.

5 out of 5 Creeping Foxes

Another excellent addition to the series!

I found the tone here to be very different from the previous ones? The atmosphere was heavier in a way and it took me a little while to fully get into the story. I still very much loved how Nghi Vo developed the story and the little bits and pieces of the puzzle we got along the way.

Almost Brilliant's absence was very much felt, however, which added to the shift in tone. There were some pretty tense and mysterious things happening in the background which tied to that and it was entertaining when it all came crashing down.

The ending did feel a bit rushed, though. I expected a little more from it than what I got. Still loving this fantastic world <3

I thought I knew what to expect from this series by this point, but this installment felt totally unique! Instead of the story-ception thing the other recent books have done, I liked that Chih didn’t know they were in the story since before the book started.

I can see how some readers might feel like the twist was too obvious, but to me, it was what propelled me through the story. I knew Chih was in danger even if they didn’t, and their trusting attitude gave me goosebumps and made me want to keep reading to see how things resolved.

The foxes on the cover and the foreshadowing every time they were mentioned, were a fun motif. And of course Nhung would be horrified to find the fox pelt. To me, the biggest twist was Almost Brilliant being the teapot, although I should have seen it coming with the calico pattern mentioned so often!

Overall, I found this a fun take on the Bluebeard story, and a fun, skin-prickling read.

I had never read anything in this series before this one. I read the synopsis and some reviews and was excited to hear it was leaning more horror than that others. I read a lot of horror so that was exciting.
I wouldn’t say this was scary by any means but it was unsettling at parts.
Novellas are hit or miss for me. I really like having the time yo get to know our characters and that can be difficult with a shorter story. But I really felt like the characters were well written and interesting. The story was also well paced for how short it was. I’m not sure if I will go back and read the others in the series but I enjoyed this one.

I received a free copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review

Is that all? I WANT MORE

Tension fills this novella as dainty elegance is produced for arranged weddings to pre-wed bachelors, you know something will occur but the story is mainly observed by a character within who shares that unsettling feeling, not to give anything away but the reveal is a jumpscare, a BOOK GAVE ME A JUMPSCARE. In just 80 pages The Brides of High Hill accomplished what most full-length horrors can’t do.

I haven’t read the other books in this series, but I’ve heard a lot about them! And being the lazy reader that I am sometimes, after dutifully checking through the previous books, I decided I was more than capable of just jumping right in on the fourth book! It helps that these are all stand-alone stories that feature the same lead character, so this wasn’t really much of a feat on my part at all. And, while it may have taken a while, I’m glad that I’m finally aboard this hype train!

Other than a passing review of the other books’ plots, I wasn’t exactly sure what sort of fantasy novel I’d be getting here. This being the case, I also can’t speak to how well this one follows in tone to the previous books. But whether it is diverging from a norm or typical of the series, this is exactly the sort of fantasy story I like! I’ve made no effort to hide my glee that gothic fantasy has been having a moment in the sun recently, and I was incredibly excited to realize that what we were getting in this book. It also might not surprise the savvy fantasy reader that this is a loose retelling of the “Bluebeard” fairytale. Gothic fantasy plus fairytale-retelling: just my cup of tea!

I very much enjoyed the balance of fantasy and horror elements in this story. For such a short book, it was very successful at building a sense of suspense and dread. There was an almost claustrophobic feel to the entire story, which I think works perfectly for gothic stories which often take place in confined spaces. Our main character also seemed to struggle to find their footing in this situation, having the goal to protect the bride not being unclear about what was going on or how to move forward. This precarious-feeling narration only increaed the disturbing mood of the story as a whole.

I also very much enjoyed the final quarter or so of the book. There were a lot of twists and turns, as well as a rather open-ended nature to the conclusion. That being the case, it’s hard to really write much of a review about the plot itself as many of my thoughts would quickly veer into the territory of spoilers.

I also liked the main character. Now, this is probably where I missed the most, jumping in on the fourth book in the series. I simply was not as familiar with this protagonist to know what was new to them in this book versus what was drawing on information that readers should have picked up from the previous books. That said, I don’t feel as if I missed out too overly much, but if you have the time, reading the first few books would likely add to the experience of this one.

Overall, I really liked this book and can understand why the series has received the acclaim it has! I’m going to add the previous books to my TBR for sure (though given the ridiculous length of that list, I make no promises!)!

Rating 8: Mixing gothic fantasy/horror with a fairytale retelling leads to an excellent, creepy, thrill of a ride!

(Link will go live on The Library Ladies on May 29)

BIPOC Fantasy Novella in which a traveling cleric accompanying a bride to her wedding to an aging lord at a crumbling estate soon realizes somethings not quite right.

4/5 stars: This is the fifth entry in Vo's Singing Hills Cycle series, which is a Fantasy Novella that features the ongoing tales of a traveling cleric and his talking bird companion. With a twisty turny plot, Vo's writing and character work is stellar; the characters are well-rounded and complex while remaining incredibly likable. I keep coming back to these books because I love Cleric Chih and his beloved companion, Almost Brilliant. This book leans a bit on the Gothic and has light horror elements and Vo tackles some very sensitive topics, so take care and check the CWs. While you could read this as a stand-alone, you'll gain so much more by reading the series from the beginning; plus they are incredibly fast reads... so be sure to pick up book one, The Empress of Salt and Fortune.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tordotcom in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This series is so reliable! I love Chih and I love following their adventures. At first, I wasn't totally sure about this one--it takes a slightly different route than the past entries in that the focus wasn't on storytelling in the same way the others have been. That's easily my favorite part of this whole little series, so when it became clear that it lacked that I was a little worried!

It came through though! It was cool to see Chih kind of in the action instead of just hearing about it, and they are just such a cute main character. It leaned a little more horror-ish and I thought that was really cool! By the time everything came to a head, I was so invested and I thought the climax was super satisfying and interesting.

it's a spoiler, but fox girls are so in right now! this is the third new release i've read about them this year, and i'm not mad. they're cool as hell.

this didn't feel at all like an installment of this series, which is normally slow, storytelling-centered, and thematically meaningful. this was a fun creepy mystery with a plot twist. not what i expected, but again, good with me.

i do think this fell apart towards the end, having bit off more than its barely 100 pages could chew, but who can blame it. i don't think we needed all of these characters, and i was annoyed by the traces of romance, but if you have the opportunity to cram upsetting taxidermy, crumbling old castles, scary girls, fatal flaws, mysterious teapots, talking birds, booby trap planning, messy libraries, murder-based secrets, manually turning a mansion haunted, estranged adult sons who are biters, and bad seafood in one book, you take it no matter the cost.

I imagine one very fun bit about writing a series of novellas set in the same world and with the same characters is the ability to be more playful with each slice of story, and mix up the genre now and again. Thus we have the new Singing Hills book being all the usual kinds of wonderful, but with a darker, almost horror-tinged feel.

We start off well enough, with Cleric Chih accompanying a young bride to her new husband. Chih is pleased to be able to offer her the support, especially as her parents seem a little uncouth and grasping, and her betrothed is much, much older than she is. There are rumours about him – and his former wives – and a mad son wandering the grounds, too. But just as you start to think you know what this story is, you might find yourself surprised. And that’s as much as I want to say, because trust me, you want to be surprised 🙂

I hadn’t been expecting the slight chill of gothic horror that this book adds into the series, but oh does it work well! It’s such a tonal shift from the previous books, and yet, didn’t each of them have a darkness lurking under the surface? Tigers eating people, betrayed Empresses – it’s never been sweetness and light.

Which is a perfect juxtaposition for the character of Chih themself, who really is just lovely. Honestly, I would follow them into any genre, any time, and I just hope the series runs and runs to give us all that chance 🙂

The books in the Singing Hills cycle can be read in any order, so you could jump in with this one. But honestly, they’re all just so good you might as well go back to the beginning.

I've yet to read a Singing Hills novella I didn't love, and Brides of High Hill is right up there with Tiger as my favourites of the lot. Like every preceding volume, it's clever, twisty and gorgeously written; though in this one we take a genre turn which brings us closer to horror than ever before. It's dark and creepy and deliciously gothic, and I thought the shift in tone suited this instalment brilliantly. I couldn't put it down. Can't wait for the next one!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor for the eARC in exchange for my review!

To say I was delighted to receive this ARC is a massive understatement. This series of novellas was one of my best discoveries last year and I have adored every single one to date!

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘏𝘪𝘭𝘭 may be my favourite yet (although, 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘊𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘋𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 still tickles my brainwaves on the regular months later so idk). I read this 70-odd page story in a single sitting because I couldn't put it down!

Every novella in this series of stand alones has a slightly different feel to it. This one has a twist of gothic horror and I absolutely loved it! I don't want to say too much because of spoilers but I was on the edge of my seat for the entirety of the second half 😳

A huge, huge thank you to Netgalley, Tor and Nghi Vo for the eARC! I'm so happy I found these novellas last year, they may be short but they have enriched my brain and my life (my husband also reads them all and we discuss each one at length). 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘏𝘪𝘭𝘭 comes out on 7th May 2024.

If you've not read these yet, do it! You won't regret it.

<b>As soon as I saw this cover on NetGalley, I instantly recognized the unmistakable style as one of the books in The Singing Hills Cycle series by Nghi Vo.</b>

I wasn't sure how far along the series was, but I decided to take a peek at the book description and was pleasantly surprised to find that while it <b>is</b> indeed part of the series, it's considered a standalone! I also saw this story featured "an extremely murderous teapot" - and, well, I just <i>had</i> to know what THAT was about. Y'all, I clicked that request button so fast!

As evidenced by my star rating, I had a good time reading this novella and will absolutely be prioritizing the previously published books in the series. Do I agree that this is a standalone?

<b><i>Sort of.</i></b>

It is a complete story, but the beginning was a bit rough as the character of Cleric Chih was written as though the reader will already know who they are. It felt a bit disjointed and choppy at first, but that did smooth out as I continued. I learned who Chih was through the observations and interactions they had with the other characters in this novella and so it worked out for me in the end.

I was quickly drawn into the fairytale-like quality of the writing style - it began as whimsical and exciting, then shifted into dark and foreboding with an unpredictable outcome by its end. I thought I had it all figured out because I was lulled by the fairytale feel of the beginning. Boy, was I in for a shock. (I'm sitting here laughing at myself as I write this, just remembering my reaction at the end..)

If you have read and loved books by authors such as T. Kingfisher, Leigh Bardugo and Seanan McGuire, then I believe you would also enjoy Nghi Vo.

I do believe that current readers of The Singing Hills Cycle series will benefit the most as far as overall reading experience. For readers who have been curious about the series, this novella would be a great "taste test" as it can be easily consumed in an afternoon. (Then you can join me in reading the first 4 books in the series! Ha!)

There has yet to be a Signing Hill Cycle installment I didn’t like. This one was spooky, with unexpected twists and turns. A great starting place, and a great continuation.

This was quite a fun adventure! I loved all the gothic and horror elements and it was a quick and captivating read.

What a great little gothic-style magical mystery! For a novella, it sure packs a punch of eeriness and horror. Hate the description though; it's far too specific.

Welcome back to the Singing Hills, where each plum of a story is a different taste than the last. "In Brides of High Hill", Nghi Vo follows the structure of a classic gothic tale. As with any gothic, there is an old house, an old lord, a young bride, and a nefarious force at play. Within these halls, our steadfast cleric, Chih, may be in more danger than they can possibly imagine.