Over the course of this series, we’ve slowly given Cleric Chih a voice/character - in books one and two, they only tell long form stories, in book 3 they travel and tell a shorter story, in book 4 they experience conflict and listen to some short stories, and now in book 5 they are living a story.

I really liked Nhung with her clingy flirtation, her fear of dark crawling things, and her “girlish” sense of adventure. I think she makes for an interesting push to spur our cleric into action.

I also really liked the way we’re led to believe one thing (which is very much also true) only to find the story going in a completely different direction. It was such a shock that I went through the last ~20% in kind of a daze. Would have liked a bit more foreshadowing to look back at, but honestly genuinely enjoyed this one

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
I was so impressed by the most recent in this series that I wondered what Vo would do to follow up on it--and this was perfect. Not as emotional, but throwing a little horror in there to keep us on our toes. Yet another winner. I love this series.

Cleric Chih is on a new adventure, this time accompanying a young woman and her family as they travel to her betrothed's estate. When they get there, something seems not-quite-right, but Chih can't quite figure out what. The lord's son is mad, none of the servants will meet their eyes, and there are rumors swirling about the fates of the lord's previous wives. Determined to protect their new friend, Chih starts exploring, but there are more secrets than even they expect.

This book definitely leans more towards gothic/horror than the rest of the series, and Vo does such an excellent job at worldbuilding that I didn't mind at all. There are twists at the end, some that were obvious and others that were less so, but it's really about the journey, not the destination, right?

“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.”

I really enjoy that each novella in this series so far has had different tones and themes, while all still fitting seamlessly together. This installment of the series had some excellent gothic horror vibes to it, along with a few twists for good measure!

As always, I quite enjoyed this adventure with Cleric Chih and I’m eagerly awaiting the next foray into the world of Singing Hills.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Tor for this advanced copy!

Nghi Vo does it again! This series is one of my favorite reads over the last few years, and The Brides of High Hill was no exception.

Cleric Chih finds themself in the middle of a story instead of the one telling the stories. This novella had more of an element of horror than the others in the series as monsters reveal themselves and Chih begins to ask questions. It was a really good read, and I continue to love this series.

There's a long tradition of ghost stories in Asian myths. I haven't read too many of them but the few I have read feel different than Western ghost stories. There's a palpable sense of implacable rage that has nothing to do with any sort of morality. Most of the stories I have read end when the ghost or spirit or demon wins.

Nghi Vo leans into that tradition with The Brides of High Hill. When I saw the cover I was expecting the trickster fox spirits and there is indeed some trickery here. But that's not the point. Chih is dragged into a drama that they didn't seek because of random supernatural notice- there's nothing deserved about it, or undeserved either. This supernatural is honestly sort of a force of nature beyond human understanding. Chih doesn't realize what sort of story they are in, or even that they are in one at all.

This book felt darker than the others, spookier. It's not what I expected from the title or the cover.

4.25 STARS

CW: death, blood, violence, mental illness, confinement, murder, domestic abuse

I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Whenever I read an installment of the Singing Hills Cycle, I immediately find myself drawn into the story and usually I read these novellas in a sitting or two. This one was no different, I loved this new story about Cleric Chih. I was trying to figure out what was going on in Doi Cao but I was blindsided by the revelation in the end (I really loved it tough!). Once again, there were some interesting juxtapositions addressed in this book (original ownership vs thievery, monster vs human, truth vs fiction), many of which have already played a role in previous installments.

The main reason I enjoy these books so much is two-fold: 1. I love stories about stories (and the value of storytelling) and 2. these books always make me think about many topics and question my preconceived notions of some thing or another.

I will always look forward to the next novella that is released from this series and I will definitely read all of them as soon as they're released!

Cleric Chih is traveling again. This time, they are accompanying a bride and her parents to the home of the man she will marry. However, when they get there, they find that things are not what they expected.

While the writing in this series in still beautiful, this entry had a strong horror element. It was gruesome at times, and many shocking events occurred. I do not typically read horror, but this was not too much for me. I wonder if the series is going to get darker in general.

I loved being with Cleric Chih again and hope to continue with them in future travels. (In other words, I really hope there are more books in this series!)

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for supplying me with an eARC of this book.

This one so far has definitely had the most different vibe out of all the Singing Hills novellas. Once agin tho Nghi Vo's writing is stunning, CHi is just lovable and the story is great!

Nghi Vo's latest novella in the Singing Hills Cycle finds the story-recording cleric Chih escorting a young bride to the estate of her wealthy husband-to-be. His mansion is lush and sinister, his servants close-mouthed, and his mad son full of dire warnings. Chih fears for their young friend, but maybe they should be worrying for themself…

Vo's Gothic fairy tale is made vividly real by her descriptions of concrete objects: a mildewed book, a sweetened peach, a willow tree. Once again she merges the fancifulness of folklore with the immediacy of contemporary fiction, to intensely readable effect. Clues are woven into the story with skill, tantalizing at first, obvious in retrospect. I sped compulsively through this book the first time, then reread it more slowly, enjoying every minute.

Recommended for fans of dark fairy tales, nonbinary protagonists, and great East Asian–style world-building.

(Note: I received a galley of this book in exchange for posting an honest review.)

Unsurprisingly I ended up loving "The Brides of High Hill".
This series keeps getting better and better and I can't compliment Nghi Vo's writing enough. It is just so good.

I received an ARC from NetGalley.
This is the first book I’m reading in the Singing Hills Cycle Series since you can read the novellas all by themselves.
In this standalone gothic tale, Cleric Chih escorts a young bride, Pham Nhung, to her marriage with a wealthy lord. But when Chih and Nhung arrive in Do Cao, they start to realise some things are strange. In this mystery, the characters witness weird things that unfold for a plot twist I was not expecting. This has an unsettling feeling throughout the whole novella, it almost feels like a horror story. It’s a nice quick read if you like this type of story, I really liked the atmospheric feeling and the writing is immersive, pulling you into this world.

I LOVED this installment in the Singing Hills cycle. Each novella brings us a new spin on the story-within-a-story framework, and each explores a new corner within that framework - grief and memory (Mammoths at the Gate), history's storytellers and shapers (When the Tigers Came Down the Mountain), history's celebrated and forgotten (Into the Riverlands), the power of the forgotten to bend and break empires (The Empress of Salt and Fortune), and now, with the Brides of High Hill, the illusion - and temptation - of control. This story is an expertly woven tale that almost feels like a fever dream, as it leans more into horror than previous installments. I've loved the entire cycle, but this one now ranks among my favorites.

Cleric Chih returns in The Brides of High Hill, Nghi Vo’s fifth entry in the Singing Hills Cycle. Chih is once again on the road and collecting stories. This time, they have fallen in with a small family on their way to see their daughter married to the wealthy lord of Do Cao. This daughter has insisted that Chih follow along to keep her company. The daughter’s parents are less cheerful about their newest companion. Politeness keeps them from tossing Chih out on their ear. Before long, I daresay that Chih would have preferred to be tossed out on the road.

As soon as Chih and their new best friend, Pham Nhung, arrive in Do Cao, things start to get strange. The servants don’t want to talk to their guests. Chih keeps smelling decay in odd places around the palatial grounds of Do Cao. The lord of Do Cao’s son behaves erratically and is dismissed as mad. The tension rises as everyone around Chih tries to behave as though everything is normal at this first meeting of an aristocrat and his young bride.

The very first night they’re in Do Cao, Chih and Pham Nhung sneak out of their villa to speak to the mysterious son. As Chih follows their nose, hunting for stories to explain the strangeness pervading Do Cao, Pham Nhung appears to be following her own sense of whimsy. She barrels into rooms and digs into chests, causing Chih (and me) to grow even more unsettled. It’s clear that nothing in Do Cao is as it appears.

Alas, to say any more would ruin the astonishing twists in this book’s plot and the joy in all of the Singing Hills books always comes from seeing where the various stories take us. Readers of the series will be pleased.

"Nghi Vo's Hugo Award-winning Singing Hills Cycle returns with a standalone Gothic mystery that unfolds in the empire of Ahn.

The Cleric Chih accompanies a beautiful young bride to her wedding to the aging ruler of a crumbling estate situated at the crossroads of dead empires. The bride's party is welcomed with elaborate courtesies and extravagant banquets, but between the frightened servants and the cryptic warnings of the lord's mad son, they quickly realize that something is haunting the shadowed halls.

As Chih and the bride-to-be explore empty rooms and desolate courtyards, they are drawn into the mystery of what became of Lord Guo's previous wives and the dark history of Do Cao itself. But as the wedding night draws to its close, Chih will learn at their peril that not all monsters are to be found in the shadows; some monsters hide in plain sight."

I mean, I love this series, but a standalone Gothic? HELL YES!

Another delightful installment of the Singing Hills series. The Brides of High Hill finds Cleric Chi accompanying a young bride-to-be to her future household–alongside her parents and their entire household. But all is not as it seems and Cleric Chi needs to shift their perspective on stories–who’s the villain and who’s the protagonist–in order to survive.

This was probably one of my favorite installments of the series so far. As with all of the previous novellas, the prose is gorgeous and Cleric Chi’s curiosity about their world is infectious.

5/5 stars
Recommended if you like: fantasy, novellas, queer characters, light horror

This review has been added to Goodreads as of 1/29, my review blog on 3/5, and to Instagram on 3/15.

In this volume of Cleric Chih's journey, they're accompanying a young woman and her family to the woman's wedding. While the bride-to-be is charming, her parents are more suspicious of Chih than anything, and the groom's household is filled with mystery.

As usual, the story opens with Chih traveling and being with people who have the potential of a story. In this case, Chih sticks with the young woman, Nhung, as she explores what is to likely be her new home. Chih does attempt to talk to the kitchen staff and other workers, but they all shun them for reasons unknown. I was definitely curious because it seemed to have something to do with Chih's proximity to the Phams (bride's family) but more about the Phams' position at the household than the family themselves.

Nhung was charming and vivacious, and I liked her eagerness. She also showed compassion to the groom's "mad" son when everyone else seemed more disgusted or willing to dismiss him. For all her liveliness, she's still young and worries about things in dark corners and the rafters.

Zhihao was an interesting character in this one. He was written off as "mad" by his father and the workers of the household, but Chih clues in immediately that the young man isn't mad but has something else going on. While he does come across as rather abrasive, I think he genuinely was trying to warn Chih and the others.

I'll say this, I knew something was up, not just with the groom's household (which was obvious) but with Chih, I just didn't know what. I'll also say that Chih made some decisions that I was questioning but which made sense once the whole picture had been revealed.

I think this novella is most similar to When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain since both novellas feature some light gore (I actually think there's more in Tiger than this one but similar ideas). I'd seen another review mention horror elements but I was still pleasantly surprised at the turn of events. It felt like it was going more in the direction of Rabbit's story (re: her lover) from Empress but then things took a turn and we got to meet some devourers of flesh.

Overall I really enjoyed this addition to the Singing Hills Cycle. All the characters are pretty likeable even when they don't appear they will be at first. I really liked how the story ramped up and the light horror elements that were added to the latter parts of the book. I'm definitely looking forward to the next installment of Chih and Almost Brilliant's adventures!

This was a great book. I really love the world building and the characters. The pacing was really good and it kept the story moving and I was engaged the entire time as a reader

(CWs: moderate for gore, blood, murder, confinement, mental illness, minor for body horror, drugging, domestic abuse)

HOLY SHIT.
(Apologies for cursing in a Netgalley review; I hope that's not a faux pas, because no other phrase captures how I felt upon finishing this book better than HOLY. SHIT.)
Incredible addition to the Singing Hills cycle - this one's definitely one of my favourites. So atmospheric, filled to the brim with tension and the unnerving feeling of things not-quite-right, with the kind of terrific twist ending that makes me want to immediately restart the book so I can spot all the foreshadowing I didn't pick up on. Mwah, loved it.

(Thank you to Tordotcom and Netgalley for the ARC!)