"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!)

This book had an interesting premise, but a slightly confusing execution. Following Phuong as her family negotiates a marriage with a man who has been wed before, but his wife is no longer in the picture, as she is living else where. This, in and of itself, was interesting enough. Missing wive(s)? Excellent idea. What happened to them? Where did they go? Who did it?
The story is on track to have an ending that makes sense - the husband did it, he's offed all his previous lovers. The only thing left to uncover was why he was doing it. Then, about 85% of the way through, the family suddenly shift into fox-like creatures that lust for human flesh. An excellent plot twist, and hinted at briefly earlier on in the novel, but it was so completely jarring, and derailed everything that had been building up previously. A short novel, easy to consume in a sitting or two.

It's the first book in the series that I've read (they can in fact be read as a standalone) but now I'm running to catch up with the others too!

This made me particularly curious about the gothic vibes and I wasn't disappointed.

Definitely particular and unique but it immediately involved me and I devoured it!

Another absolutely lovely book in the singing hills cycle! I will say that I wasn't really sure where this was going at the halfway mark but the ending really stuck the landing. I find that I prefer the novellas in this series that focus primarily on the storytelling, whereas with this book it felt like we were witnessing a historical event that was going to be written down. I found this book to be quite a bit darker and more plot forward than others in the series. After reading the masterpiece of an ending, this is my third favorite novella in the Singing Hills Cycle! The ending was incredibly surprising and impactful. I will forever continue with this series!

This might be one of my favorites so far! I don't want to spoil anyone on the lovely reveals in this little novella but this is exactly why I love short fiction - all the little details, the way everything has to fit so tightly and perfectly together to weave an intriguing story in such a short space.

I’ve long been a fan of this series, and I can’t get enough of these novellas! I loved the gothic, atmospheric vibes from this book. As always, Vo’ carefully cultivates each character’s development. If you haven’t tried this series, I highly recommend you give it a chance. Each novella is like a perfect slice of a differently flavored cake, but it all goes together in the end.

This was just as good as any other book in this series, but it moved much faster and there seemed to be far less story with in the story and more actually happening to Chih. It was also very twisty with some horror vibes. And there certainly wasn't enough of Almost Brilliant. Still, I enjoyed it very much and hope this series goes on for a long, long time.

Since my NetGalley account is educator, I want to add an educator perspective on this.

I think this or any book in this series could be very useful in a college composition or literature classroom. I teach a lot of less than I used to when I made this account, but if I ever teach a class again where I use fiction, Singing Hills might be on my students reading list. The texts are short, entertaining, inclusive, and could spur lots of discussion.

The biggest of thank yous to Netgalley and Tor for this eARC, this was one of my anticipated reads for this year and it did not let me down!

Nghi Vo is beyond reasonable doubt a master of the short story. With "Mammoth at the Gates", we saw Vo start to branch away from the series' story-within-a-story format to great success and I loved that she takes it a step further in this book. Each new installment of The Singing Hills Cycle reveals a new layer to the world, and “The Brides of High Hill” is no exception. Though the book clocks in at just under 130 pages, Vo manages to encapsulate a fully fleshed out story, this time touching on a genre previously unseen in this series: gothic mystery.

The storytelling is incredibly clever, unraveling in cyclical layers as Cleric Chih accompanies bride-to-be Pham Nhung as she prepared to wed Lord Guo and in the process learning the true depths of the monstrosities at Do Cao. Vo's foreshadowing is fun and witty, with just the right aura of mystery to add to the intrigue of the story without being too vague as to lose readers. The story itself touches upon themes of the ugly violence of patriarchal society, colonization, and land reclamation, all themes which feel especially important today.

"The Brides of High Hill" is without a doubt my new favorite Singing Hills Cycle installment. Truly, the story is in a league of its own within the series and I'm so excited for everyone to be able to get their hands on it.

-"The Brides of High Hill" releases May 7th of this year-

The Brides of High Hill by Nghi Vo is the fifth book in the Singing Hills Cycle that follow a cleric named Chih and their bird companion, Almost Brilliant. All of these books can be read as standalones and they all have a different vibe to them.

This one had almost a gothic feel to it that I really enjoyed. I love Chih as a protagonist. I love following them on all their adventures. I thought the way this one ended was really well done. I do think I prefer the fourth installment slightly more just because of the subject matter but this is definitely my second favorite in the series!

I love the unique way this series is written. It’s not a writing style that will work for everyone but I enjoy it!

This was incredible! I loved being back with cleric Chih again, and this entry in the series was thrilling, kind of a twist of gothic mystery/horror. The book starts with a Bluebeard-esque situation, as Chih accompanies a girl who is set to marry a rich lord, and they begin to look into the secrets of the manor, from tight-lipped servants to previous wives to a mad son. I was totally enthralled, on the edge of my seat the whole time, hoping to discover more clues before it was too late for Chih or the girl. I did not see the ending coming in time and I absolutely loved it. I also adored seeing Chih flustered as this young woman is subtly flirting with them... so much fun. I think this might be my favorite in the series yet!

The Brides of High Hill by Nghi Vo is a great novel! Great writing and story, very interesting concept.

Another entrancing instalment of The Singing Hills Cycle. The Brides of High Hill has the same lush storytelling that I loved in the rest of the series but this one had a gothic mystery kind of vibe that I really enjoyed.

<i>*Thank you to Netgalley and Tordotcom for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

The Singing Hills Cycle by Nghi Vo – The Singing Hills Cycle follows a wandering cleric protagonist, Chih of the Singing Hills, as they travel the world collecting myths, legends, stories, and rumors. Their companion is a powerful sentient bird who has a flawless memory and works as a living repository for stories. The series examines all the different ways myths and legends shape who people and cultures become, and the importance of myth at both a micro and macro level. Vo has paved the way and led by example on what a novella series should look like. These stories are self-contained vessels of polished themes with a powerful connecting thread that links them all together but doesn’t make them reliant on one another. The fifth installment of the series, The Brides of High Hill, comes out in May and once again continues the series’ storied tradition of absolutely killing it.

A Gothic book that is a stand alone although also part of series of novella books, the Singing Hills.

Cleric Chi has been asked to escort a young bride-to-be and her family to marry a much older man. There are more misadventures for the Cleric in this book. It is more of a straight forward narrative than some of the others in this series. I think this is why it is my favorite in the series.

Of note - I am a great fan of the masterful storytelling that Vo creates. She is simply a treasure for our contemporary times.

This is actually my first time reading any of Nghi Vo's work, and it definitely won't be my last! I was entranced by this mysterious and creepy tale, and I think Vo did a brilliant job at setting an almost horror-like story where nothing in this estate is as it seems, and no person is who they initially appear to be.

This is a brilliantly crafted gut-punch of a novella. Despite the blurb stating that this is a standalone book, I get the sense that I'll better the story having read the previous installments of the Singing Hills Cycle. Either way, if you are a fan of lush and vivid worldbuilding and uneasy mystery, I would highly recommend The Brides of High Hill!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC!

Did I just get this? Yes. Did I just devour it? YES. In this book we're back on the road, but instead of listening to or telling stories, this time we are living through one. I found this change really interesting. It definitely made it more exciting and the TENSION. I couldn't put this down! Very horror-esque. Now idk which is my fav, this one or book 2!

New shelf made for this called BRUHHH because I was left...speechless. So unexpected and chaotic and *good*!