Essa continuação não foi o que as minhas expectativas esperavam quando peguei para ler, achei que seria no mesmo nível do segundo volume. Infelizmente, não foi. Mas, isso não quer dizer que esse volume é "pior", porque não é.

Senti esse volume mais "lento" e mais "parado" do que os outros volumes, acredito que tenha sido isso que me deixou com as expectativas sem ser atingida, porque esse volume pareceu uma ponte de transição para algo ainda maior.

Tirando as minhas expectativas que não foram atendidas de lado, um dos pontos mais do que positivos é que continua o desenvolvimento da personagem acrescentando ainda mais camadas, além das camadas acrescentadas no desenvolvimento e na expansão do mundo.

O que me deixa ainda mais surpreso é como pode ser feito tanta coisa em poucas páginas. Isso só reforça a força da escrita da Nghi Vo.

--
*Agradeço a Tor e ao NetGalley por ter me fornecido uma copia do eARC.

Into the Riverlands is the third entry in Nghi Vo’s excellent series of novellas chronicling the adventures of Cleric Chih, a non-binary monk from the Monastery of Singing Hills, whose mission is to collect stories for preservation so that cultural memory might extend beyond the passing of the participants of the stories and those who tell them. As with the previous entries, there is just the right balance of introspection and action, of listening and doing, propelling the story along and leaving questions for the reader to ruminate on.

Chih and their Neixin travel-mate Almost Brilliant (do not call her a bird, thank you very much) have dined with the former lover of an empress and faced down sentient tigers, usually using a combination of storytelling and careful questioning to resolve conflict. This time, a chance encounter in a remote inn brings Chih into contact with fellow travelers straight out of a Wuxia film: a talented young martial artist of the “Southern Monkey” school, the martial artists’ traveling companion and sworn sister, and a husband and wife pair who know the Riverlands and its history better than anyone Chih could hope to encounter but who may have secrets of their own. The trip of course is not without excitement thanks to the apparent resurgence of a legendary bandit group. The travel scenes are full of excellent stories-within-the-story and characters disagreeing with each other on some details. The fight scenes, when they happen, are beautifully choreographed and come with a palpable sense of danger. I genuinely wondered if everyone we met at the beginning of the book would survive. (No spoilers as the that.)

We learn a bit more about Chih’s personality (not vain, but aware of how a Cleric should appear; not overtly religious but aware that sometimes their duty is to perform religious ritual; not a fighter by nature but willing to stand up for what’s right and protect those who can’t protect themselves) in this book, and a better sense of the relationship between Chih and Almost Brilliant (who comes across as more bossy and egotistical and less patient than in the first book in the series (having been absent from the second)).

As usual, Vo’s dialogue is crisp and full of hidden meaning for the reader to prise out as the story develops. Characters have depths not apparent when they are first introduced – and the line between the personal, historical, and legendary is not always clear. Vo also trusts her readers to put the pieces together and doesn’t spell everything out by the end of the book, which I greatly enjoy. I found myself, days after finishing the book, thinking about the connections between the characters, the stories they told about themselves, and the history/legends they shared.

Even though this is the third book in the series, the story is completely stand-alone and can be enjoyed/understood without having to have read The Empress of Salt and Fortune or The Tiger Came Down from the Mountain. In fact, I can’t recall any obvious references to either book. If they were there, they hopefully will intrigue readers starting with this book to pick up the previous two.

I truly hope Nghi Vo has many more tales of Cleric Chih and Almost Brilliant to share with us.


I received an advance reading copy of this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This review is very late. Into the Riverlands published on October 25, 2022

I am always amazed at the world building Nghi Vo achieves in their novellas. I am always transported Ahn and into the stories Chih tells and hears. I cannot wait for the next one!

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group for providing me with a digital ARC of this book!

This is definitely my favorite installment of the Singing Hills Cycle so far. Cleric Chih feels like their character is finally starting to grow a bit more beyond their prescribed role as an observer and receiver of stories. I also really enjoyed the action here, which feels like a natural escalation from When The Tigers Came Down the Mountain and provides the story with a bit more beyond an exchange of different folk stories within the world Nghi Vo has created. Into the Riverlands reveals the nature of stories and folklore as both historical and living events.... how certain actions become legends spread far and wide and how certain actions that are crucial to understanding the truth of those legends can be lost.

I'm excited to see where the next novella in this series takes Chih and Almost Brilliant!

Thank you to the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

I will never not enjoy these Singing Hills novellas. There is so much storytelling, action & humour packed into so few pages; yet it leaves you just as satisfied as if you’ve read 400 pages. I love Cleric Chih, but let’s be honest, I’m here for Almost Brilliant (so happy they are back!) I love the fact that these novellas are focused on the importance of storytelling, & how those stories get passed down through the ages to become the history of the land. That without those stories, what would become of the lands history & the knowledge that comes with it.

I can’t wait for Singing Hills novella number four!

Into the Riverlands does a good job of continuing the story of Chih as they travel to the Riverlands. I enjoyed the way in which this story explored its themes of the unreliability of stories and how difficult it is for any of us to truly know someone. These are of course the themes which are followed in all of the books within this series. All of the characters were interesting and fun. This story is more similar to the first book as opposed to the second one with it having less action and danger. Overall if you've enjoyed the other books within this series, I would recommend this one. Additionally if you enjoy stories about stories and how little we can know about others solely from their stories, this is a book I would recommend you picking up.

"Chih didn't spend very much time with children, but they lived in stories, and for a little while, they could invite the children of Betony Docks into the house they made, offering them the fragile shelter of a story they had all built together."

The third installment in the Singing Hills Cycle did not disappoint! As always, I loved Almost Brilliant and Cleric Chih. The writing style itself was closer to When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain than The Empress of Salt and Fortune, beautiful yet very accessible. This one focuses more on women who are strong, powerful warriors and who might not be considered the most beautiful as a result.

This is a series of companion novellas, so you don't need to start with The Empress of Salt and Fortune if you like the sound of any of the other books better.

Thank you to Tor Dot Com and Netgalley for this advanced copy!

I adore this series of books, and honestly they feel like a love letter to the art of storytelling. If there's a dozen more I will read each one.

3.5 stars
I wanted to love this book, the first book in this series was an instant favourite and I enjoyed the second one a lot, but unfortunately Into the Riverlands did not live up to the rest of the series for me.
I love the quiet an introspective nature of The Singing Hills Cycle, but it's really the rich tales interwoven with these slower moments that make me love the series, and this instalment really did not focus as much on that to my disappointment.
The characters did not stand out much to me, which is a shame as I really thought they had a lot of potential, it all just felt underdeveloped. Especially Wild Pig Yi, I think her story could have been worked into a larger aspect of the novella which would have piqued my interest more.
Overall though, I still had a fun time with this book, primarily due to the way that Nghi Vo has with words, it's stunning! Her descriptions paint a stunning world, and it feels totally vivid and real. I'm still looking forwards to future instalments in this series, I just hope there's a bit more action to them.

I loved this book, which is the third in an incredible series. Nghi Vo writes with such fluidity and every chapter feels compelling. I loved the folklore stories mixed with the action.

I loved the first book in this series, felt kind of ambivalent about the second one, and enjoyed this third one. Having Almost Brilliant back was lovely, and I loved that Chih played a more active role in this one than they have in previous installments (normally just listening and guiding the story). All the characters here are interesting, and I just wish it had been a little longer!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC of Into the Riverlands.

Cleric Chic wanders into the riverlands to record tales of the notorious near-immortal martial artists who haunt the region. On the road to Betony Docks, they fall in with a pair of young women far from home, and an older couple who are more than they seem. As Chih runs headlong into an ancient feud, they find themselves far more entangled in the history of the riverlands than they ever expected to be.

I have enjoyed this book in the Singing Hills Cycle the best so far. The companions Chic meets in this book are very interesting as well as the notorious martial artists. I listened to the first two as audiobook but I think I should read the fourth the fifth books because I feel like the audiobook goes too quickly to fully enjoy this series since they are so short.

I didn’t realize this was a book series until I started reading this so I was a little confused with the characters and plot but that is not to say I didn’t enjoy reading this. I am fascinated by how the story played out.

This novella follow Cleric Chih and Almost brilliant as he travel around the Riverlands to collect stories. I really enjoyed the story within a story concept and some of these stories were definitely nostalgic as they cover wu xia tales that I have grown up reading about. There are elements of myths and folklores that added a beautiful, whimsical vibe to the story.

I will definitely be on the hunt for the first two series now so I can understand and enjoy the story better. Thank you Netgalley and Tor Publishing for the arc.

Nghi Vo strategically weaves tales and folklore through the story at hand, managing difficult topics with grace and dignity for those who have been wronged. The writing style is unlike any other I have read and I cannot recommend it highly enough. It removes your brain from western-centric fantasy rhetoric and forces you to think, in the best possible way.

“The world is built on who carries what and for who."

Another incredible installment in The Singing Hills cycle. My favorite nonbinary cleric Chih is out in the riverlands this time, getting into all kinds of trouble on a walking journey with companions who are more than what they seem. There’s compelling tales told over campfires, wild pigs, women renowned for their talents instead of their appearance, epic fight scenes, and our dearest friend, the neixin Almost Brilliant. These novellas evoke such a particular mood: dark yet comforting, ferocious yet kind. And they always, always emphasize the importance of stories: of telling, of listening, of who gets remembered and how. I can’t wait to read another. Thanks to Tordotcom for the review copy!

Content warnings: death/murder, violence, injury, gore

The cleric Chih and their companion Almost Brilliant, falls in with two women and an older couple on their to the a Riverlands town. As they travel an ancient feud in the rough Riverlands seems to pass unexpectedly from the past into the present.

I really enjoyed this latest novella. It has elements that I really like, a through-line from the past to the present with the ancient marauders and thugs that suddenly exist in the present day and the story of the trio of fighters that came together. I loved how there was no true version oft eh story as it often happens. I liked how there was still a bit of mystery at the end also, but the snapshot of these peoples' lives felt complete. It was really nice to see Almost Brilliant back in the stories and I liked the interplay of all the characters on the journey. Definitely recommend!

Thank you to Nghi Vo and Tor Dot Com for the gifted copy !

Ooh, I really liked this one. I loved the first book of the Singing Hills Cycle, but was so "meh" on the second I wasn't sure I'd come back but I'm glad I did because this was excellent. It has everything I loved about the first one: the concrete sense of a wider world despite only being a novella, a whole host of stories within stories, and Queen Almost Brilliant! This one also had the benefit of being centered around martial arts.

Basically the only thing I didn't love about this one was how rushed the ending felt. Certain things, like the connection between Lao Bingyi and the play and why the Hollow Hand even attacked in the first place, could've stood a few more lines. But beyond that I really enjoyed this and would definitely recommend it, particularly if you're looking for a fun, engaging book you can knock out in a sitting.

I adore this series of novellas with my whole heart! They're gorgeously written and Chih and Almost Brilliant are two of the best characters I've met this year. Nghi Vo is a truly talented writer and I'm so impressed by how much depth and character development she accomplishes in so few pages. I'll admit that Into the Riverlands was my least favorite in the series so far, but it's still such a fantastic read! It just didn't stand out to me quite as strongly as The Empress of Salt and Fortune and When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain. I'm so excited to see what Vo has planned for the next two books! This might be one of my favorite series of all time and I'm so glad it exists!

I really enjoyed this little novella. Nghi Vo has this amazing ability to give you plot, characters, world building and still pack a punch in themes, all in one little novella of a 100 pages.

This story is very strong on the feminist tropes and female empowerment. We have women as warriors and the ones saving the day, as well as the discussions on perceptions of beauty. There is also a big theme on the truth behind the stories people tell and the ownership of those stories.

My favourite quote is:

“𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙞𝙨, 𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙘, 𝙞𝙨 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩. 𝘽𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩. 𝙈𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮’𝙨 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙩. “

Highly recommended 4 stars. Definitely check out the rest of the series which can be read in any order.

I have enjoyed reading The Singing Hills Cycle. The Riverlands is probably my favorite place that Cleric Chih has traveled through. This novella was so much fun with the sassy Almost Brilliant back, the one liners and the martial artists. Overall, a very entertaining read!

Thank you to the publisher and Nghi Vo for the gifted copy!