Another stunner out of the Singing Hills Cycle! And I think this might be my favorite one of all?? Gorgeously written, with so much creeping dread, and I LOVED the setting so much ("a dream of the Ku Dynasty"...how evocative is that?). And I really, really loved the twist. Such a great turn to the story.

Also really loved how Vo played readers who are going through this series as it's released with Almost Brilliant's absence! Because I definitely thought she was still back at Singing Hills with her baby. Well done, seriously.

I could have done with a smidge more lore though: why did the smell like moldy papers keep the fox-creatures out? ...And how do you get foxes out of slithering beasts?? So, yeah, a shade more detail could have been added there, but beyond that? You seriously cannot go wrong with this book, or with this series.

This was an engaging and quick novella in this series of standalones. I found the prose to be gorgeous and vivid. This novella flies by, but if you're looking for something low stakes and really well written, I'd definitely pick this up!

Thank you to Tordotcom and NetGalley for an ARC!

Cleric Chih is accompanying a young woman and her parents to her new home. The bride, Nhung Pham, is a cheerful girl who enjoys eating and pretty things. Her parents, once wealthy, are now trading their daughter’s beauty for a good husband. Chih finds themself torn between two feelings: the first, an attraction for the lively Nhung; the second, a confused and unsettling loneliness because Almost Brilliant, their neixin, isn’t with them.

The neixin are memory spirits in the form of birds who accompany the clerics of the Singing Hills Abbey, but without their companion, Chih will have to rely on their human memory — albeit one neixin trained — to memorize the events so that they may be written in the abbey library. And what a story this one will be! A beautiful bride engaged to a much older groom; a handsome young man who will become her son, lost to madness; a house of secrets and guards and strange beast carvings hidden in small alcoves; and a warning given by Zhihao, the poor mad son: Where are the other wives?

This adventure is book five in the Singing Hills Cycle series, though they don’t need to be read in order. It is a wonderful little ghost story told with exquisite skill. The tension is almost palpable as Chih wanders the strange household laid out in a twisting spiral, caught in a dreamlike state, always looking for something that isn’t there. The descriptions of the bridal feast are gory and glorious, the food described with lavish attention — and the same attention given to the gruesome events that happen.

This is a very quick read with the author’s lyrical prose and sharp sense of humor, and I loved it. If you enjoy short stories, mysteries, mythology, and beautiful writing, you will enjoy this book. Personally, I have loved everything Nghi Vo has written, and really hope you give this one a try. It would make a wonderful spooky, seasonal read.

I was very excited about this new novel in the The Singing Hills Cycle since I discovered 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. This is something that was barely present in Mammoths at the Gates and in this book the author decided to put Chih at the center of the plot instead of focusing on 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). And I’m looking forward to discovering what new stories the author will surprise us with in the following installments.

How the everloving heck does Nghi Vo keep outdoing herself with this series!? Straight up every single book has, thus far, been fire, and this one was no different! Our now-beloved cleric Chih finds themself on a new adventure- this time, accompanying a bridal party to meet/marry the groom. And the story is gold as always, right? But then! Nghi Vo goes from telling a great story to telling a great story and blowing my mind. Well played, ma'am. Well played indeed. Giddy excited for the next installment!

Bottom Line: 🤯

While I still haven’t circled back to When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain, I’ve read and enjoyed everything else in The Singing Hills Cycle—starting with the exceptional, Hugo-winning The Empress of Salt and Fortune—and it’s turned into a series where every entry is immediately starting high on my TBR. So when I had the opportunity to get an advance copy of The Brides of High Hill, I jumped on the opportunity. 

The series follows a traveling cleric/storyteller/story-collector named Chih, often joined by their companion Almost Brilliant, a magical bird with an infallible memory. Often, the novellas center stories that Chih tells or collects rather than stories in which they actively participate, but the fourth and fifth entries both find Chih in the middle of the action. The Brides of High Hill makes minimal reference to prior adventures and can be read in isolation, finding Chih escorting a merchant’s daughter to what her family hopes will be a betrothal to a rich and powerful man. But no sooner have they arrived than they hear dire warnings about the fate of his past wives, and Chih must get to the truth before their new companion meets the same fate. 

The Brides of High Hill leans heavily into the Gothic atmosphere, with a rich man hiding dark secrets, a compound full of crumbling rooms with the scent of decay, and an allegedly insane relative who might know more about what’s happening than anyone else is willing to admit. In fact, there are times that it feels like an outright Bluebeard retelling in an East Asian setting, though I’d characterize it as more of an inspiration than a retelling, as there are enough twists and turns to keep the novella feeling distinct. 

Vo is a talented storyteller, so it should come as no surprise that The Brides of High Hill successfully evokes the unsettling atmosphere of foreboding in place of crumbling beauty. But I found myself not immersing quite as easily as in past books, with a couple more “wait, who is talking again” moments than usual. It’s quite possible that some level of disorientation is intentional, as Chih finds themselves traveling without Almost Brilliant and struggling to trust their own memory without their neixin companion, but the narrative didn't flow together quite as smoothly as in some of the past entries. 

Make no mistake, every Singing Hills book I’ve read has been very good. But I see a pretty clear demarcation between those that are merely very good and those that hit another level of excellence, and that comes in the quality of narrative layering. I haven’t read a one that isn’t trying to do more than one thing, but sometimes the pieces come together so perfectly that they elevate the level of the whole, and other times they remain quality pieces with flashes of brilliance but without that grand moment of everything clicking into place. And I would put The Brides of High Hill in the latter category. The atmosphere and attempts to uncover the truth are plenty entertaining, the plot offers enough surprises to keep from dullness, and Chih has an additional challenge working without Almost Brilliant, but it doesn’t have the thematic depth of Mammoths at the Gates, and there's no grand moment of convergence on the level of The Empress of Salt and Fortune or Into the Riverlands. 

Overall, The Brides of High Hill is a treat for continuing series fans and for those who particularly enjoy Gothic vibes, but for those new to The Singing Hills Cycle, I’d start with one of the first three books. 

Recommended if you like: The Singing Hills Cycle, Gothic settings, Bluebeard inspiration. 

Overall rating: 16 of Tar Vol’s 20. Four stars on Goodreads.

The Brides of High Hill, the fifth book in the Singing Hills Cycle series, does not disappoint. It is a great addition to the previous four, another fantastic tale woven with myth and lore of Southeast Asia. As an expat who lives in China, I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing elements of local belief and whispered Pu Songling-esque tales twisted into something unique with the wordsmithing of Nghi Vo. I recommend this series frequently and definitely look forward to what is to come with this series.

a subverted version of bluebeard’s wives. creepy and unsettling.

many thanks to the publishers for giving me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Brides of High Hill by Nghi Vo is full of riveting monsters and diverse characters. I really connected to the nonbinary cleric Chih and loved that the nonbinary pronouns were consistently used throughout the story. While Chih’s gender is not critical to the story, as someone who is nonbinary, I love having a story with a character that reflects my own nature.
I love how powerful the narrative is as Chih tries to help her bride and the cursed son and the impact when she realizes the monsters are not at all what or who they expect. The gut punch of that discovery is emotional, the story is intriguing, and I love the way stories are so critical to the novel and the ultimate resolution of the story.
If you love stories about riveting monsters, stories that illustrate different viewpoints, and nonbinary characters, you will love this story by Nghi Vo. The narrative is excellent, the characters are compelling, and the monsters will make you jump especially on dark nights.

I listened to the other books in this series before reading this novella. I did not realize they were all stand alones and could be read in any order. I really wish I had know that before listening to the others.
This book was hard for me to get into. As well as the others. May just be me as I have seen multiple really good reviews.
I would not read another in this series if given the chance. Not for me.

I was a bit worried that I would find it hard to get into this story as it is the fifth of a series, but as the blurb said really these are standalone stories. As such, this one worked well.

Because I chose to read this purely because the author has been recommended to me in the past, I went into it kind of blind and I think that was the right way to go about it. This is only a novella, so it has to do quite a lot in few pages, but it does so eloquently and with a few twists and turns. I got dropped right into the story and it took me places I did not quite expect. Maybe I would have if I had read previous books in this series, but as it was the story surprised me and I enjoyed that very much.

The fantastical animals were well done, even if I maybe would have wanted a little bit of a better understanding what was going on. As it was, it worked and I think it just about gave me enough.

I found the main character very intriguing and I will definitely go back and read some of the other books to read more about them.

A very good reading experience and one that encouraged me to read more from the author for sure.

This series has always been so incredibly intriguing and the gothic atmosphere is something which keeps me coming back time and time again. The characters are well developed and each installment from the cleric gives us another glimpse into the world being created. I truly think I want to go back and reread the others again. I feel as though reading them one right after the other as one continuous story would put it into a new perspective.

Ahoy there mateys! Perhaps reading the synopsis would have helped but this book confused me quite a bit.  Cleric Chih was not acting like herself in this story.  I was also very much missing the neixin Almost Brilliant. The ending answered all my questions, however I was left mostly wanting more of the set-up for how this adventure really started.

That said, the setting of an impending wedding and the mystery of the mad son were very interesting.  I loved the rundown feel of the majority of the elaborate estate.  I liked how the soon-to-be bride and Chih interacted.  The tone of the story was creepy and unsettling.  I also appreciated the comfort and use of the teapot.

These stories are meant to be standalones but I wouldn't recommend this one as a place to start.  There may be at least three more novellas coming out in this world.  I am still excited to read them.  Arrr!

The fifth installment of Nghi Vo's Singing Hills books is once again so very atmospheric and gripping-- this time we're drawn into a setting of Something Isn't Quite Right Here, a horror-edged buildup much more than the folk tales of prior entries in the series. It's really good! It's also fun to see Cleric Chih be interested in someone more than just the value of their stories -- although stories are very valuable and I have appreciated that about the previous novellas, however, it was cute!

Even or novellas I'm not usually someone who finishes them in a day (too distractible but I am working on it) but I kept thinking about this even when I wasn't reading it and finished it quite quickly.

Having read the previous two books in the series recently now I'm definitely going to be looking forward to the next one (if there is one) like a kid at the window!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group/Tordotcom for the eARC in exchange for review!

This series peaked for me with the second book. While The Brides of High Hill is still an enjoyable read, there's a sense that the setting has been somewhat exhausted. I believe the books that have worked best for me have been those in which someone tells Chih a narrative, which was not the case with the prior two. Nonetheless, this was a fun read. I wish it had been a little longer, but overall, it was wonderful.

ARC was provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Tor.

“The brides of High Hill” is the fifht novella in “The Singing Hills Cycle”. The novellas may be read in any order, each story can be enjoyed on it’s own. The novellas follow the adventures of Cleric Chih and his companion the bird Almost Brilliant as they travel trough a world inspired by asian hystory and mithology recording stories.

In this novel the cleric Chih accompanies a beautiful young bride to the decadent mansion of her much older future husband. As soon as they start to explore the estate they discover some creepy and unusual stuff and many things just don’t seem quiet right. A mistery start to unfold and you as the reader will want to get to the bottom of it. I don’t want to give away too much but let’s just say that the are some good plot twist eventi if it’s just a hundred page novel.

I really enjoyed the author style almost lyrical without ever being verbose, I think she’is really able to set a mood (mysterious with a gothic vibe) and create a world building using just a few sentences. It took me sometime to feel invested in the story and to understand the roles maybe because I didn’t read the other novels in the cycle. Still it was a wonderful reading experience.

This book is about how appearances can be deceptive, how things are often not what they seem and evil can hide in disguise. It’s also about the importance of storytelling, preserving and passing down traditions, culture before they are lost.

I started this book with mixed feeling specially because my relationship with Asian-inspired fantasy reading hasn’t always been the best. I really loved the cozy vibes of Elizabeth Lim’s Six Crimson cranes and Spin the dawn, but I was really disappointed from the morally grey characters of R. F. Kuang Poppy War and bored for how things turned out in She who became the sun. Luckily this one did not disappoint me and now I just want to listen all the stories Cleric Chih and Almost Brilliant have collected.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinion are my own.
This was another interesting installment, following Cleric Chih once again. I loved the Gothic feel, taking cues from Bluebeard, with the celebration for an impending wedding. There’s a lot of intrigue and even danger for Chih, more so than usual. It was also interesting to see Chih a bit more out of their element, especially without their companion, Almost Brilliant, by their side.

I truly enjoy this novella series. Getting to dip in and out of this world is such a treat every year and this time is no different.

Our beloved Cleric finds themselves involved in a marriage negotiation between two wealthy families, but things on the palace grounds are a little to suspicious and there are secrets to uncover, stories to be told.

I was not expecting this novella to be as creepy and unsettling as it turned out to be, but I loved it! These books are usually softer so to see the cleric in a higher stakes game with some truly gruesome results was a fun new side of this world. As always, these are fast, engaging reads with beautiful meditations on stories and words for those of us who are as addicted to stories as Chih.

"Aren't stories what got you into this mess?"
"And stories got us out of it, and they will help the survivors understand it, and they will warn others and comfort those who could not be warned in time."

Enjoyable series with an interesting world. I feel a bit slow that it took me as long as it did to figure out what was going on in the book but it my defense I was reading it at bedtime so I was tired…

I love this series so much and The Brides of High Hill is the best entry so far. We are following Cleric Chih as they accompany Phan Nhung and her family for marriage negotiations. This newest book has a more gothic horror feeling and is a tonal shift from the other books in the series. I loved how I felt uncomfortable and off throughout this whole book. Nghi Vo’s atmospheric writing really shines in this entry and makes you feel like you are in the middle of the story with Chih. The mystery element was very well executed, I was confused the right amount and really liked the reveals. I want this series to never end, each book is so unique and I’ve loved every single one of them.