What do you think?
Rate this book
The Singing Hills Cycle #5
The Brides of High Hill
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.
The Singing Hills Cycle has been shortlisted for the Lambda Literary Award, the Locus Award, and the Ignyte Award, and has won the Crawford Award and the Hugo Award.
The novellas are standalone stories linked by the Cleric Chih, and may be read in any order.
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.
The Singing Hills Cycle has been shortlisted for the Lambda Literary Award, the Locus Award, and the Ignyte Award, and has won the Crawford Award and the Hugo Award.
The novellas are standalone stories linked by the Cleric Chih, and may be read in any order.
116 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 7, 2024
101 people are currently reading
8315 people want to read
About the author
Nghi Vo
41 books4,412 followersNghi Vo is the author of the acclaimed novellas The Empress of Salt and Fortune and When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain. Born in Illinois, she now lives on the shores of Lake Michigan. She believes in the ritual of lipstick, the power of stories, and the right to change your mind. The Chosen and the Beautiful is her debut novel.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,201 reviews
May 28, 2024
i hope this series goes on forever.
it's a spoiler, but 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.
and the cost is not that steep.
bottom line: this book has everything. except the right page count.
(3.5 / thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)
it's a spoiler, but 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.
and the cost is not that steep.
bottom line: this book has everything. except the right page count.
(3.5 / thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)
September 23, 2024
♡ thank you so much, tor, for sending me a finished copy!
1.) The Empress of Salt and Fortune ★★★★★
2.) When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain ★★★★★
3.) Into the Riverlands ★★★★
4.) Mammoths at the Gates ★★★★
“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 love nghi vo and everything she creates, but this series takes up an extra big space in my heart. This series is all about story telling, and we follow cleric chih who is in the middle of documenting a new tale for us in this fifth installment. this novella feels very different than the rest, and i will let you know why in the next paragraph - but i highly recommend you don’t read it until after you’ve read the last page (and maybe even the acknowledgements - that made me tear up at the very end!!) but the bare bones of this story is that chih is traveling with the pham family to doi cao, a walled city with many stories of its own, where they are going to be having wedding negotiations with the lord of the city. chih becomes very close with the bride to be, and together they start to explore the grounds of what could be her new home, but there is also a mystery of lord guo, and his maybe cursed son, and whatever else lurks in the shadows.
that really is all you need to know, but the reason this story got a five star from me is because it really did something bold and different and really left me impressed. because ultimately, this is a story about lies and deception, and how sometimes people who portray themselves as docile and innocent can be the ones who hurt you the most. this really is a story about monsters, and how they come in many, many forms. this also touches on how people who wrong you will really have the audacity to be upset that you’re upset they wronged you. this 100 page story had better twists than 500 page mystery thrillers out there, and i am just very thankful for every sentence of magic nghi vo weaves.
trigger + content warnings: blood, spider mentions, mention of sickness in past (also regarding a child), captivity, drugging (sleep), power dynamic situations, manipulation, death, murder, talk of poisoning, abuse, body horror, violence
blog | instagram | youtube | kofi | spotify | amazon
☆ The Chosen and the Beautiful ★★★★
☆ Siren Queen ★★★★
April 27, 2024
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.
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.
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.
——————
Thanks to NetGalley and Tordotcom for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
——————
Also posted on my blog.
“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.
——————
Thanks to NetGalley and Tordotcom for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
——————
Also posted on my blog.
September 5, 2025
“They used to call sleepwalking being fox-led,” Chih murmured, closing the chest and coming to sit next to Nhung. “They used to say that a fox would lead someone out of bed and confuse them so badly they would never find their way home.”
Cleric Chih accompanies a young bride-to-be and her parents on a visit to a Lord's estate for the marriage negotiations and eventual wedding, until they realize there is danger everywhere with monsters in plain slight, and they try to do what they do best to escape with the innocent.
The spaces between the manor’s pavilions were dark, and while there were the occasional bursts of noise from the servants’ quarters or the guards calling to one another, there was a density to the quiet, something a little like anticipation, and they walked faster.
The Brides of High Hill is another story of Cleric Chih's travels, filled with an unreal lull, sleepwalking until the spell breaks and the real visceral danger is revealed. The plot soon turns out to be more sinister, and the world-building building less of empires and legends, but more of strange beasts in the dark returning to claim what was theirs. Nghi Vo's concise, writing conveys all the horror of being trapped, whether as a bride in a lord's mansion, a young man by a curse, the servants who have no real power, or as lords in the face of real monsters.
On the whole, a stranger read than the other books in the series, but recommended for those who liked Nghi Vo's writing style in this series and generally read horror.
🌟🌟🌟1/4
[3/4 star for the premise and the whole book; Half a star for the characters and their growth; 3/4 star for the plot and themes; Half a star for the world-building; 3/4 star for the writing - 3 1/4 stars in total.]
In the final years of the Ku Dynasty, the empire was eaten from within by rich bureaucrats and from without by strange beasts. These beasts, it seemed to me, walked in darkness and in the high places and the low ones, as sly as the scarf of a dancing girl trailed over an unwary nape, as deadly as poison offered by a friend or a lover.
Cleric Chih accompanies a young bride-to-be and her parents on a visit to a Lord's estate for the marriage negotiations and eventual wedding, until they realize there is danger everywhere with monsters in plain slight, and they try to do what they do best to escape with the innocent.
The spaces between the manor’s pavilions were dark, and while there were the occasional bursts of noise from the servants’ quarters or the guards calling to one another, there was a density to the quiet, something a little like anticipation, and they walked faster.
The Brides of High Hill is another story of Cleric Chih's travels, filled with an unreal lull, sleepwalking until the spell breaks and the real visceral danger is revealed. The plot soon turns out to be more sinister, and the world-building building less of empires and legends, but more of strange beasts in the dark returning to claim what was theirs. Nghi Vo's concise, writing conveys all the horror of being trapped, whether as a bride in a lord's mansion, a young man by a curse, the servants who have no real power, or as lords in the face of real monsters.
On the whole, a stranger read than the other books in the series, but recommended for those who liked Nghi Vo's writing style in this series and generally read horror.
🌟🌟🌟1/4
[3/4 star for the premise and the whole book; Half a star for the characters and their growth; 3/4 star for the plot and themes; Half a star for the world-building; 3/4 star for the writing - 3 1/4 stars in total.]
In the final years of the Ku Dynasty, the empire was eaten from within by rich bureaucrats and from without by strange beasts. These beasts, it seemed to me, walked in darkness and in the high places and the low ones, as sly as the scarf of a dancing girl trailed over an unwary nape, as deadly as poison offered by a friend or a lover.
May 14, 2024
3.5 Stars
Well, that certainly took a very 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 Gates, 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
The Singing Hills Cycle
1. The Empress of Salt and Fortune - 4 Stars
2. When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain - 3.5 Stars
3. Into the Riverlands - 3.5 Stars
4. Mammoths at the Gate - 4.5 Stars
5. The Brides of High Hill - 3.5 Stars
Well, that certainly took a very 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 Gates, 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
The Singing Hills Cycle
1. The Empress of Salt and Fortune - 4 Stars
2. When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain - 3.5 Stars
3. Into the Riverlands - 3.5 Stars
4. Mammoths at the Gate - 4.5 Stars
5. The Brides of High Hill - 3.5 Stars
May 29, 2024
Another banger in this amazing series - I think this officially makes SHC one of my all time favs series. Very proud that I guessed the trajectory based on my knowledge of the regional mythology inspo - my Asian mythological literacy is growing!
October 1, 2024
I would like to thank Edelweiss and Tordotcom for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
For my first Nghi Vo this was pretty amazing! I loooooved the narrative style and tone, found the characters interesting and engaging, and got the creeps properly when the story took a turn and embraced its dark side! I was not expecting gothic horror, especially how the story started, but this was so well done that I'm certain I can read anything this series offers up and still sing Vo's praises! I've not read the rest of The Singing Hills Cycle but that won't be true for much longer! This was a great introduction to Vo's work for me, and I'm very excited to read everything else she's ever written because this novella length simply wasn't enough AND NOW I ABSOLUTELY WANT MORE!
For my first Nghi Vo this was pretty amazing! I loooooved the narrative style and tone, found the characters interesting and engaging, and got the creeps properly when the story took a turn and embraced its dark side! I was not expecting gothic horror, especially how the story started, but this was so well done that I'm certain I can read anything this series offers up and still sing Vo's praises! I've not read the rest of The Singing Hills Cycle but that won't be true for much longer! This was a great introduction to Vo's work for me, and I'm very excited to read everything else she's ever written because this novella length simply wasn't enough AND NOW I ABSOLUTELY WANT MORE!
February 28, 2024
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.
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.
January 18, 2025
Love me some chaotic trickster foxes.
May 20, 2024
This was delightfully mysterious and dark-humoured, which kinda makes me regret not having read this in July when my sister is gonna get married.
Because the premise of this installment is cleric Chih accompanying a young bride to her potential future husband. However, not only is the guy significantly older, his estate has also seen better days AND it is situated between two warring factions.
Weirdly, that is far from the strangest thing about the place though, because the prospective groom's son is positively haunting the place, people mysteriously keep forgetting things, and the staff is definitely trying to hide something.
Look at that cover, isn't it gorgeous?! OK, I'm biased since I LOVE foxes, but having a skulk of foxes is also absolutely perfectly representing the characters and events in this 5th installment of the Singing Hills cycle.
What sets this apart from the other books in the series is that is has an actual mystery vibe to it. Almost like an Asian-style Agatha Christie novel. I did miss Chih's bird companion, who wasn't with us after the events of the last book. I have to admit, though, that certain plot points might not have worked out this nicely if the hoopoe had been there (). Plus, the supporting cast did make up for it (almost).
Great addition to the series. So satisfying.
Read
June 30, 2024I absolutely adore this series. Long novella series aren’t incredibly common, and this one is especially unique in that its installments function both together and separately, allowing its readership to dip their toes into these stories one by one, enjoying the world on a scale both large and small.
To be honest, I had left the past couple books in this series feeling slightly lackluster. The first book, THE EMPRESS OF SALT AND FORTUNE, was a riveting and gorgeous story. The second one, WHEN THE TIGER CAME DOWN THE MOUNTAIN, contained such a wind of whimsy. But then the third book, IN THE RIVERLANDS, felt like Nghi Vo had already run out of story structures. The third book was a fun read and had lovely writing and characters, per usual, but honestly tried too hard to replicate the exact emotional arc and payoff of the first book, and fell short in that attempt. The fourth book, MAMMOTHS AT THE GATES, was better than the third in that it clearly was forging its own path, but it felt more like a separate reprieve from the other adventures. It lacked an impact that the initial two books had.
So when this fifth book came around, I didn’t have very high expectations. Don’t get me wrong, I was still excited for another installment, as I’ve definitely grown attached to this series regardless of its narrative accomplishments and was looking forward to reentering this world. But boy oh boy, Nghi Vo has found her footing again and we are so back, baby.
Nghi Vo brings the gothic into this installment of The Singing Hills, paying homage to classic stories like Bluebeard.
Though the structure of the pacing was still reminiscent to the other stories in this series, the use of information and lack-there-of was much more precise and complex than in the stories we’ve seen so far. Utilizing a dream-like, unsettling atmosphere, the approach to this book was so well-done and really served the story at hand.
Vo also brilliantly called back to a narrative thread from one of the other tales (I won’t say which) with such tact. Though some readers may find that repetitive, I found it to be a really strong choice. It allowed the installments, though primarily standalones, to start holding some elemental conversations, without causing either story to lean on the other. It was exactly the right installment to start bridging the gaps between the stories at hand without rupturing their ability to function on their own. Regardless of which order you read these books in, this parallel will be an exciting and unexpected familiar face amidst these otherwise mostly unconnected narratives.
As I mentioned earlier, in the third installment, the narrative parallel felt more like “oh, we’ve seen this trick before.” It didn’t quite work. Whereas in this installment, it was precisely BECAUSE we had seen this trick before that it worked for the narrative. It felt like that thread had concluded, now resting off to the side, because of the way its presence functioned in the structure of that previous story. So of course we fell for the trick again, because we thought we had left it behind.
I think this is also the first time in The Singing Hills series that Vo has really made use of limited narration. We’ve, at this point, come to rely on Chih as a truthful and honest storyteller, whose sole purpose is to chronicle information, which allows us a consistent and trustworthy perspective in which to view the world. And wow, does Vo capitalize on this lens in this one.
I am so pleased to see something new and invigorating pumped into the lungs of this series. After the lull of the past few books, it was really exciting to read an installment that is definitely competing for my favorite of the books out so far.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
CW: dead body, drugging, blood & gore, decapitation (offscreen), alcohol, sexual content (implied)
To be honest, I had left the past couple books in this series feeling slightly lackluster. The first book, THE EMPRESS OF SALT AND FORTUNE, was a riveting and gorgeous story. The second one, WHEN THE TIGER CAME DOWN THE MOUNTAIN, contained such a wind of whimsy. But then the third book, IN THE RIVERLANDS, felt like Nghi Vo had already run out of story structures. The third book was a fun read and had lovely writing and characters, per usual, but honestly tried too hard to replicate the exact emotional arc and payoff of the first book, and fell short in that attempt. The fourth book, MAMMOTHS AT THE GATES, was better than the third in that it clearly was forging its own path, but it felt more like a separate reprieve from the other adventures. It lacked an impact that the initial two books had.
So when this fifth book came around, I didn’t have very high expectations. Don’t get me wrong, I was still excited for another installment, as I’ve definitely grown attached to this series regardless of its narrative accomplishments and was looking forward to reentering this world. But boy oh boy, Nghi Vo has found her footing again and we are so back, baby.
Nghi Vo brings the gothic into this installment of The Singing Hills, paying homage to classic stories like Bluebeard.
Though the structure of the pacing was still reminiscent to the other stories in this series, the use of information and lack-there-of was much more precise and complex than in the stories we’ve seen so far. Utilizing a dream-like, unsettling atmosphere, the approach to this book was so well-done and really served the story at hand.
Vo also brilliantly called back to a narrative thread from one of the other tales (I won’t say which) with such tact. Though some readers may find that repetitive, I found it to be a really strong choice. It allowed the installments, though primarily standalones, to start holding some elemental conversations, without causing either story to lean on the other. It was exactly the right installment to start bridging the gaps between the stories at hand without rupturing their ability to function on their own. Regardless of which order you read these books in, this parallel will be an exciting and unexpected familiar face amidst these otherwise mostly unconnected narratives.
As I mentioned earlier, in the third installment, the narrative parallel felt more like “oh, we’ve seen this trick before.” It didn’t quite work. Whereas in this installment, it was precisely BECAUSE we had seen this trick before that it worked for the narrative. It felt like that thread had concluded, now resting off to the side, because of the way its presence functioned in the structure of that previous story. So of course we fell for the trick again, because we thought we had left it behind.
I think this is also the first time in The Singing Hills series that Vo has really made use of limited narration. We’ve, at this point, come to rely on Chih as a truthful and honest storyteller, whose sole purpose is to chronicle information, which allows us a consistent and trustworthy perspective in which to view the world. And wow, does Vo capitalize on this lens in this one.
I am so pleased to see something new and invigorating pumped into the lungs of this series. After the lull of the past few books, it was really exciting to read an installment that is definitely competing for my favorite of the books out so far.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
CW: dead body, drugging, blood & gore, decapitation (offscreen), alcohol, sexual content (implied)
November 24, 2024
Cleric Chih is part of a bridal shower group, traveling to a groom's house. The groom is evil, but the bride is worst! this could have been a horror novella if it was longer and built upon.
September 2, 2024
reading vlog: https://youtu.be/b0mSH9_iMKE
absolutely ADORED this one - by far my favourite in the series! such beautiful writing and i adored the setting
absolutely ADORED this one - by far my favourite in the series! such beautiful writing and i adored the setting
October 26, 2025
This was a good read for most of it, but the ending made it even better.
May 23, 2024
3.5
I feel like we kind of already saw this story earlier in the series. But regardless I thought it was clever! I think I’m done with this series now. I’m just never wowed.
I feel like we kind of already saw this story earlier in the series. But regardless I thought it was clever! I think I’m done with this series now. I’m just never wowed.
July 25, 2025
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. 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. 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.
Blog review.
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. 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. 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.
Blog review.
April 11, 2025
I absolutely love this series of fantasy novellas following nonbinary Cleric Chih and their quest for stories. This installment was a bit spooky, and a great twist on Bluebeard. Chih actually finds themself right in the middle of the action this time when they accompany a young woman to her wedding at an old estate. I love how old fashioned these magical tales feel and how much they are about story itself. Beautifully narrated by Cindy Kay!
October 9, 2025
“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 was very excited about this new novella in the The Singing Hills Cycle since I found out that it would have gothic horror elements. And although I enjoyed it and was surprised by the turn the story ends up taking, I must admit that I missed my favorite aspect of this series: Cleric Chih collecting different stories. It was something barely present in Mammoths at the Gates but in this one it practically disappears, changing the structure to put Chih at the center of the plot instead of focusing on the story-within-a-story element.
The premise is that Chih decides to accompany a young bride to meet her future husband and assist her in wedding negotiations. But when they arrive at the estate, they begin to realize that something strange is happening there: the behavior of the lord’s supposedly mad son, mysterious figurines scattered around the estate or how the servants seem to be frightened.
Overall, The Brides of High Hill is an entertaining gothic fantasy novella with a touch of mystery that is different from previous installments. As always, the author’s prose is a delight to the eye, something accentuated by Cindy Kay’s wonderful narration of the audiobook (I’ll not tire of recommend physically reading these novellas and listening to the audiobooks at the same time). I look forward to discovering what new stories the author will surprise us with in the following installments.
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Previous installments:
1. The Empress of Salt and Fortune ★★★★
2. When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain ★★★
3. Into the Riverlands ★★★
4. Mammoths at the Gates ★★★
Instagram | Twitter
May 28, 2024
I think you could still read this book independent of the publication dates of the other books in this series but the context of the relationships established in the earlier books add so much to this instalment.
This story is fantasy inspired by Asian folklore. Be prepared for horror. Scary stuff. It was so good!
This story is fantasy inspired by Asian folklore. Be prepared for horror. Scary stuff. It was so good!
July 18, 2024
So, this was a letdown. Not totally unexpected due to reviews from friends (thanks! For all its many bugs, that is something Goodreads is unbeatable at, finding people whose taste you trust), but hope springs eternal, and surely it would work for me. But even with lowered expectations, this was odd.
An Asian (Vietnamese?)-inspired gothic-tinged fantasy, the further adventures of cleric Chih. The gothic bits are there, but I would say this goes more strongly into straight-out horror themes. There was a frustrating vagueness to Chih and the story here, Chih seemed out of character compared to how they were defined in previous stories, though that ends up being less objectionable than I thought it was going to be. It also ends up tying up better with the themes of the rest of the series. Her writing quality, which is usually so dazzling for me, was not as sparkling as usual.
I noticed an unusual part of the acknowledgements: "Usually this is where I talk about something in my life that’s relevant to the novella you hopefully just read. However, given that The Brides of High Hill is specifically about lies, I decided that for legal reasons, I’m going to stick with a few useful truths, and then thank everyone who made this book what it is.". Ok, then.. It sounds like there might be personal backstory to the difference in tone and themes of this book, but without knowing that context, I can only judge it for what was in front of me, and I decrypted nothing and did not much get the book as it was.
An odd story, that I did not like. The rating is probably 2.5 stars, but considering how good the rest of the series is and how well Vo can write and plot, sorry, but I am rounding it down. Though I am aware I might just not be "getting" what this was really about.
An Asian (Vietnamese?)-inspired gothic-tinged fantasy, the further adventures of cleric Chih. The gothic bits are there, but I would say this goes more strongly into straight-out horror themes. There was a frustrating vagueness to Chih and the story here, Chih seemed out of character compared to how they were defined in previous stories, though that ends up being less objectionable than I thought it was going to be. It also ends up tying up better with the themes of the rest of the series. Her writing quality, which is usually so dazzling for me, was not as sparkling as usual.
I noticed an unusual part of the acknowledgements: "Usually this is where I talk about something in my life that’s relevant to the novella you hopefully just read. However, given that The Brides of High Hill is specifically about lies, I decided that for legal reasons, I’m going to stick with a few useful truths, and then thank everyone who made this book what it is.". Ok, then.. It sounds like there might be personal backstory to the difference in tone and themes of this book, but without knowing that context, I can only judge it for what was in front of me, and I decrypted nothing and did not much get the book as it was.
An odd story, that I did not like. The rating is probably 2.5 stars, but considering how good the rest of the series is and how well Vo can write and plot, sorry, but I am rounding it down. Though I am aware I might just not be "getting" what this was really about.
May 10, 2024
I love Nghi Vo and I love this series.
While this is probably slots in as a third favorite after Mammoths and Riverlands, this was still a great entry and did not disappoint. In this novella, we follow Cleric Chih as they attend a wedding at a great estate where dark secrets hide in every corner. Nghi always has great character work, doing so much with so little; getting to know a new set of characters in each novella is a nice contrast to the familiarity of Chih and Almost Brilliant.
While this is probably slots in as a third favorite after Mammoths and Riverlands, this was still a great entry and did not disappoint. In this novella, we follow Cleric Chih as they attend a wedding at a great estate where dark secrets hide in every corner. Nghi always has great character work, doing so much with so little; getting to know a new set of characters in each novella is a nice contrast to the familiarity of Chih and Almost Brilliant.
Read
May 4, 2025Me, at the beginning: Hm. I'm never THAT into retellings of Bluebeard.
Me, at the end: WTH?! I didn't see THAT coming!
*I am not rating books read for the World Fantasy Award.*
Me, at the end: WTH?! I didn't see THAT coming!
*I am not rating books read for the World Fantasy Award.*
April 7, 2025
Finally, after the disappointing Mammoth book, we got this beautiful and rather unsettling story. First time the series took the suspenseful route and I love it. Also enjoy how the author described the character Nhung. Glad I did not pay attention to the cover because it is spoilery.
November 14, 2024
On reflection, this is about 3.75 to 4 stars. I've stretched the library checkout renewal to its limit because I thought I would write a long review here, but ultimately this is a fun fall read that's not sticking with me the way some of Vo's other work has.
The atmosphere on this one in great. Cleric Chih is accompanying a wedding party to a remote estate and taking note of all the strange details about the aging groom, his mad son, and the strange aura of fear around the estate. The narrative plays loosely with gothic-house story beats without committing to any of them in detail, and it makes for a lot of fun guessing about who will end up being the most dangerous in the end. It's also refreshing to see this style of story outside the normal British and American "rotting old manor" setting-- instead, this estate consists of many buildings of different sizes, and different cultural expectations are in play.
The most striking detail for me, though, wasn't the atmosphere but instead a bit of writing craft sleight-of-hand. In the early pages, there are some elements that feel a bit clumsily explained, to the point that I wondered if the edits on this book has been rushed-- but then that subtle friction is explained beautifully with a plot point near the end. It's striking that Vo is so strong with details that reading this after her other work that the slightest apparent issue stands out, and that nothing is accidental.
In the end: a nice fall read for those who want something spooky but not outright horror, and I'll definitely watch for the next book in the series. Vo is doing a great job of telling different moods and styles of story across these novellas.
//
First impressions: 4 stars for a nicely Gothic-flavored entry in a series I enjoy. I'm glad I saved this one to read in the fall. Something about the ending didn't quite hit for me (perhaps it needed more setup, or more explanation), but overall, a good time with cleverly laid-out details. RTC.
Other recommendations:
- If you enjoyed this one, I think the eerie tone shows up strongly in the first (and best) entry in the series, The Empress of Salt and Fortune.
The atmosphere on this one in great. Cleric Chih is accompanying a wedding party to a remote estate and taking note of all the strange details about the aging groom, his mad son, and the strange aura of fear around the estate. The narrative plays loosely with gothic-house story beats without committing to any of them in detail, and it makes for a lot of fun guessing about who will end up being the most dangerous in the end. It's also refreshing to see this style of story outside the normal British and American "rotting old manor" setting-- instead, this estate consists of many buildings of different sizes, and different cultural expectations are in play.
The most striking detail for me, though, wasn't the atmosphere but instead a bit of writing craft sleight-of-hand. In the early pages, there are some elements that feel a bit clumsily explained, to the point that I wondered if the edits on this book has been rushed-- but then that subtle friction is explained beautifully with a plot point near the end. It's striking that Vo is so strong with details that reading this after her other work that the slightest apparent issue stands out, and that nothing is accidental.
In the end: a nice fall read for those who want something spooky but not outright horror, and I'll definitely watch for the next book in the series. Vo is doing a great job of telling different moods and styles of story across these novellas.
//
First impressions: 4 stars for a nicely Gothic-flavored entry in a series I enjoy. I'm glad I saved this one to read in the fall. Something about the ending didn't quite hit for me (perhaps it needed more setup, or more explanation), but overall, a good time with cleverly laid-out details. RTC.
Other recommendations:
- If you enjoyed this one, I think the eerie tone shows up strongly in the first (and best) entry in the series, The Empress of Salt and Fortune.
July 12, 2024
3.75 stars.
This was very atmospheric from the beginning to the end. The buildup for the suspense was done so delicately that it had me immersed. I was a little disappointed by the reveal and the resolution yet this was a nice little addition to our Cleric’s adventures.
This was very atmospheric from the beginning to the end. The buildup for the suspense was done so delicately that it had me immersed. I was a little disappointed by the reveal and the resolution yet this was a nice little addition to our Cleric’s adventures.
February 2, 2024
Rep: nonbinary mc
This is a series that, for me, peaked at the second book. While The Brides of High Hill is still a fun read, there’s just a sense that the world has been somewhat exhausted (while, clearly, not being so. I said it was a sense). I think the books that have worked better for me have been in the format of someone telling Chih a story, which hasn’t been the case for the previous two. That being said, this was still an enjoyable read. I’d have liked it to be just a tad longer, but overall it was good.
This is a series that, for me, peaked at the second book. While The Brides of High Hill is still a fun read, there’s just a sense that the world has been somewhat exhausted (while, clearly, not being so. I said it was a sense). I think the books that have worked better for me have been in the format of someone telling Chih a story, which hasn’t been the case for the previous two. That being said, this was still an enjoyable read. I’d have liked it to be just a tad longer, but overall it was good.
July 18, 2024
“You are a real person who is going into a real future.”
Let us start by saying that that quote was turned around in a plot twist I did not see coming. Let us continue by saying that this was undoubtedly different from the other Singing Hills novellas. And let us finish by saying I loved it.
I do not want to reveal anything of the plot, but I’ll say that this had more of a thriller vibe than the other ones - as much as a high fantasy novella set in a magical world with stories can have a thriller vibe. As I am not a fan of thrillers, this one does not rise to my top favourites in the series, but make no mistake; I loved it nevertheless. I hope the ten thousand stories actually means that we get ten thousand novellas in the series <3
Pre-reading thoughts:
I thought this was a trilogy and now I find out there's a fourth and a fifth book coming is this what it feels like to be blessed???
Update 16th September: IT HAS A NAME AAAAAAAAA AND A PITCH AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Give me the murderous teapot and the brides now please and thank you
Update 21st October: The cover?!?!!! Screaming crying throwing up ahshsjsjdkdkkd
Let us start by saying that that quote was turned around in a plot twist I did not see coming. Let us continue by saying that this was undoubtedly different from the other Singing Hills novellas. And let us finish by saying I loved it.
I do not want to reveal anything of the plot, but I’ll say that this had more of a thriller vibe than the other ones - as much as a high fantasy novella set in a magical world with stories can have a thriller vibe. As I am not a fan of thrillers, this one does not rise to my top favourites in the series, but make no mistake; I loved it nevertheless. I hope the ten thousand stories actually means that we get ten thousand novellas in the series <3
Pre-reading thoughts:
I thought this was a trilogy and now I find out there's a fourth and a fifth book coming is this what it feels like to be blessed???
Update 16th September: IT HAS A NAME AAAAAAAAA AND A PITCH AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Give me the murderous teapot and the brides now please and thank you
Update 21st October: The cover?!?!!! Screaming crying throwing up ahshsjsjdkdkkd
August 16, 2024
I love The Singing Hills Cycle series of novellas, however the fifth entry changes things up a bit. While the previous novellas have all had stories within stories and people (and monsters) not being quite what they seem, The Brides of High Hill add a huge amount of mystery and even horror to its flavourings. We start sort of mid-way through and I spent the first 80% questioning what exactly was going on. The sensation of wrongness threw me, but I trusted the author and followed it to its conclusions, where some answers were given and some things began to make sense.
There is definitely a gothic horror atmosphere here, which you’ll either click with or you won’t (it’s not my personal favourite setting), but I loved the dark mythologies which are to be expected with this series. It didn’t quite hit the same emotional heights as Tiger or Mammoths, but there is plenty to enjoy as the rotted estate is peeled away, secret by secret, layer by layer.
The atmosphere is perfectly written, along with the growing tension, the action, and the dizzying confusion that is pervasive in this one.
Very different tone to the previous four, but another enjoyable entry!
There is definitely a gothic horror atmosphere here, which you’ll either click with or you won’t (it’s not my personal favourite setting), but I loved the dark mythologies which are to be expected with this series. It didn’t quite hit the same emotional heights as Tiger or Mammoths, but there is plenty to enjoy as the rotted estate is peeled away, secret by secret, layer by layer.
The atmosphere is perfectly written, along with the growing tension, the action, and the dizzying confusion that is pervasive in this one.
Very different tone to the previous four, but another enjoyable entry!
May 16, 2024
3.5/5
a story that i thought was going to be a conventional take on the bluebeard folktale turned out to be something quite unexpected. i enjoyed the plot twist and the subtle seeds planted leading up to it, but i do feel like this series is starting to wear out its welcome a bit. if there's another installment, i'd want a change in the narrative format and more from chih as a main character.
a story that i thought was going to be a conventional take on the bluebeard folktale turned out to be something quite unexpected. i enjoyed the plot twist and the subtle seeds planted leading up to it, but i do feel like this series is starting to wear out its welcome a bit. if there's another installment, i'd want a change in the narrative format and more from chih as a main character.
June 19, 2024
tw: cannibalism
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,201 reviews