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.

Genre: East Asian fantasy

I love these weird little stories-in-stories from Nghi Vo. Concise arcs, storytelling, and thoughtful reflection combine to make a pleasant reading experience. For me, a strong novella is one that keeps the content of plot and character simple to let the ideas play out. This series has the same characters throughout, with a connecting plot arc across them as we are on a journey with Cleric Chih who is collecting stories, usually with the aid of their bird Almost Brilliant. Within each book, then, Nghi Vo can tell multiple stories, some plot and some allegory, to leave the reader pondering existence in a serene manner.

Brides of High Hill can be summed up in this quote:
“Aren’t stories what got you into this mess?”
“And stories got us out of it,” Almost Brilliant said crisply. “And they will help the survivors understand it, and they will warn others and comfort those who could not be warned in time.”

One of my most anticipated releases of the year was Nghi Vo’s next novella in The Singing Hills’s Cycle, The Brides of High Hill, which the synopsis described as a gothic mystery. I’ve enjoyed books of that type from time to time, so, going into The Brides of High Hill, I was interested to see what Vo’s interpretation of it would look like.

The latest adventure of Cleric Chih takes a slight detour from the typical structure of the series, and puts them right in the thick of the action. There’s still a story that’s being told, but its clues can be subtle and are deeply embedded in the occurrences of the novella, rather than a story that is being imparted, in pieces, to Cleric Chih by other characters. The switch, however, works well, when the mystery and gothic aspects are taken into account. Atmosphere can be key—sometimes—and getting to see the faded or outright eerie elegance as well as the dilapidation that make up Doi Cao was a crucial part of setting the stage for the story.

And what a story it was. The twist managed to catch me by surprise, because it subverted the way I thought the story was going to go. But hindsight is 20/20. However, the ending is part of what I love most about Vo’s handling of The Brides of High Hill. It could have been straightforward, but it wasn’t. And I enjoyed that direction at lot more than my guesses.

At the end of the day, The Brides of High Hill is another great installment in the series.

Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Tordotcom) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you!

<i>First, a thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an eARC of this book.</i>

I am such a fangirl for Vo - literally anything she writes, I will read. Hands down. And especially anything from <i>The Singing Hills Cycle</i>. Instant read/buy for me.

I love this series of short stories because each time, I know I am in for a treat when it comes to the prose and the storytelling. I think if you enjoyed [book:What Moves the Dead|58724626], you would especially enjoy this installment in the series.

Creepy and foreboding, I loved the storytelling in this one; initially I was on the fence between 4 and 5 stars, but I just love this series and the author so much, so it's a 5 for me.

Seriously, if you haven't read any of these yet... What are you waiting for!?

This was a great little gothic fantasy novella. Weighing in at only 77 pages, it's a good story to devour in a day or so. Vo does a great job building tension throughout the story, which is a Bluebeard-esque tale in which a young woman and her family and retinue have traveled to the home of an older nobleman for her to marry him. He's had several previous wives, who have all moved away, a son who is mad, and servants who seem terrified. The mystery unfolds predictably, and then very unpredictably. It was a cool setting, I will definitely be reading Vo's other works in The Singing Hills Cycle.

I loved this. Finished in a couple hours today and it has got to be my favourite in the Singing Hills Cycle. They keep getting better and better.

The thrilleresque vibe that ran through the entire story, not knowing how to unravel the mystery of what was happening, who was evil and who was the villain. I just love how Vo weaves her tales. She infuses these novellas with as much creativity and attention to detail that most can't even get into a full novel. I will always be a fan of her works.

Another brief enjoyable installment of the adventures of the Monk of the Singing HIlls and their companion, Almost Brilliant. They do seem to get themselves into a lot of sticky situations. Vo has created an interesting, dangerous and myth-filled world that is always full of surprises. I find that author has still not topped her use of language as she did in her novel "The Siren Queen," which I found mesmerizing for the way she told the story.

The Brides of High Hill begins with The Cleric Chih accompanying a young woman and her family on the road to meet her betrothed. Chih is enamored by this young woman and gets caught up in her beauty and fun energy, despite a growing list of things that just don't quite add up. Once they arrive at the city, they and the young bride explore under the cover of night and gradually learn more about the cities history and the bride's bedrothed's long history of wives that have not been seen in many years. As the wedding night approaches, Chih becomes more protective of the woman while also starting to question the missing pieces to their current situation, and maybe the young woman and her family are not as they seem.

Spoilers below:

I have not ready any of the other Singing Hills Cycle stories, but even without that background I found this very easy to pop into. I initially was critical of the lack of established relationship between Chih and Pham Nhung, only to discover that that was in itself a clue to the deeper mystery. I found the way the mystery was crafted to be so artfully done, where I didn't even realize they were foreboding plot elements until later. The actual story is cleverly hidden just beneath the surface of the mystery of Nhung's betrothed's missing previous wives. I didn't feel tricked by the ending, but brought in and really enjoyed every minute of it!

Spoiler-section ended.

This reminded me of both Psalm for the Wild-Build by Becky Chambers and What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher, while still being wholly unique. I both recommend this one and look forward to picking up others in the series!

The Brides of High Hill is book five of The Singing Hills Cycle of stand-alone fantasy novellas set in an empire that resembles ancient China. I haven’t read the earlier stories, but that wasn’t necessary, although I might have appreciated some elements more if I’d read them.

Cleric Chih finds themself travelling with a family who is escorting their daughter, Pham Nhung, to be married to a wealthy man. The daughter has insisted they accompany her, and they have agreed. Their job is to collect stories, and this is a good opportunity, even though their neixing, a memory spirit that looks like a bird, isn’t with them on this journey to record the stories. The reader is given a notion her absence is meaningful, but nothing more is said about it, other than that Chih misses her.

The bride-to-be is in high spirits, both eager to be married and frightened of the prospect. Chih does their best to support her. But the moment they enter the estate of the groom who is several decades older than Nhung, Chih gets a notion things aren’t as they ought to be. Reader soon suspects this is a retelling of Bluebeard, with scores of missing wives. But when the monsters appear, rather abruptly, they come from a different direction entirely.

This was a delightful, slightly spooky novella, easily read in one sitting. Chih was an interesting character, even though we don’t learn much about them. They are a recurring character though, so earlier books might have more. Their struggle to get out of the web they don’t even know they’re in is fairly abrupt, and the reader is taken slightly by a surprise, but it worked for a story this length. The atmosphere could’ve been spookier though, as the novella is advertised as a gothic mystery. Now it was a fairly pleasant read with a gory end. But I’m intrigued enough to check out the earlier stories in the series.

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

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor.com for providing me with an eARC of this novella, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I read somewhere that someone believes that each of these is an examination of different types of writing and genre. I can totally see that now that they mention it. This one is the gothic horror examination mixed with a retelling of Bluebird. It’s not quite what I was initially expecting from this novella, however, I have to admit that I caught on pretty quickly to what was going on. I don’t want to speak too much as to the plot of this because it is a novella, but I found it to be quick paced and a bit eerie in terms of vibes.

This installment doesn’t involve so much the story within a story aspect. There are a few moments where Chih is being told things by other characters, but they’re not fully stories like in the first few installments of this series. They’re historical snippets and fragments of larger stories, but they are more the backstory to what is happening with Chih in the present.

It was fun to see more of an older sibling sort of vibe with Chih. They took the young bride sort of under their wing and tried to keep her out of trouble, while also doing what they thought would be best for the girl. Especially with the Bluebird aspects mixed into this. Chih was quite worried about their charge. There is a lot of talk about what the worse things that can happen to a woman are. I feel like that’s a theme with a lot of books recently.

Overall, I think that a lot of fans of the other installments of this series will enjoy this one as well. It’s a bit different, but I think that is what makes it charming in its own right. I think I personally miss the story within a story aspect of the others, but I think that evolving how this series unfolds is not a bad thing. This is a story that Chih will be able to give a first-hand account of rather than be told about it from others.

The Singing Hills Cycle novellas are something I look forward to every time a new installment is announced. They never disappoint in any way and The Brides of High Hill is no exception.

We’re used to mysterious adventures, spooky adventures, dangerous adventures, and sad adventures being in store for Cleric Chih, but never before has the adventure been scandalous…even a little salacious. Chih is in over their head and Almost Brilliant isn’t even around for some reason!

As with most of the Singing Hills Cycle books, the messages here revolve a lot around gender norms, feminine rage, class warfare, and the theft and/or destruction of one’s heritage by a group of people who see themselves as superior to you and yours. Whereas previous installments in this series have either taken place during travel or otherwise mostly in open air, The Brides of High Hill has a distinctive gothic feel to it, with everyone trapped inside a walled-in compound for the duration of the book. This places the threats as coming all from within, as opposed to the other novellas, where the threat was always coming from without.

The storycraft here was clever and sharp-witted, with a razor-edge thrill to it. The story was absolutely compelling to read, but as with all the Singing Hills Cycle stories, Nigh Vo gives us the perfect amount of story to satisfy us. It’s another job well done.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinion, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: 5 Star Review/Book Series/Epic Fantasy/Fantasy/Fantasy Series/Historical Fantasy/Mythological Fiction/Novella

Another solid entry in the series, although this one had a slightly different vibe to the rest. Cleric Chi accompanies a young bride and her family as she goes to marry an aging lord. It focused less on stories/storytelling and more on the present-day action. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I'd gone in expecting a gothic mystery, but since I was expecting something more like the previous books I found the ending scenes a little abrupt. Still very fun though and I always enjoy this world and Vo's writing.

I have loved all of the novellas in the Singing Hills Cycle, but this one took me a minute to get into. However, once I did, it was fabulous. The plot here is far more straightforward than some of the other books, which I wasn't expecting but it goes in some pretty exciting directions, which I really appreciated. Overall, another great addition to the series which demonstrates Nghi Vo's writing talent in a new and impressive way.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is the fifth novella in Vo’s Singing Hills Cycle and it is her darkest yet. Readers dive back into the world with our beloved Cleric Chih as they accompany Pham Nhung and her parents to Lord Guo’s castle where she is to be married. Nhung is a curious person, though, and Lord Guo’s son is said to be completely mad. Chih and Nhung quickly confide in and trust each other, so Nhung ropes them in on a mission to find out what awaits her as Lord Guo’s future wife (she isn’t his first wife, but how many wives has he had before?). It isn’t long before Chih begins to notice missing memories and they begin to uncover secrets about Lord Guo’s castle, his son, and even the lovely Nhung. Will they figure out what plots lie underneath the surface before too much is lost?

The Brides of High Hill is grisly and horrifying in some of the best ways possible. Touted as a gothic mystery, it lives up to the hype and is, perhaps, my favorite installment in the series so far! While I thoroughly enjoy anything Vo writes (especially this series of novellas), the tone of this book stands out in stark contrast to the previous books in this series. There is less contemplating of deeper theories and concepts, though it certainly is not fully absent. Fans of gothic horror and mystery: now’s your chance to get in on this series!

3.5 Stars!

Well, that certainly took an 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 Gate, 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 posted to Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6463320344?book_show_action=false

We’re back with Cleric Chih on another adventure. This time, they’re traveling with a bridal party to an impending marriage. While the young (and broke) Nhung is optimistic for her marriage to an older lord, as Chih explores the desolate palace grounds, not all is as it seems.

Do not be deterred by the nebulous beginnings - similar to Vo’s other works, the beauty of The Brides of High Hill comes together slowly, and then all at once. This gothic horror novella rapidly built all the spooky vibes and the twist was delightfully executed.

As with much of Vo’s work, I often feel like I’m missing references to other fairy tales within the novellas, but it never detracts from the storyline. These juicy gems of story are punchy and plot based which make some of the fantasy-building-fumbles forgivable.

Overall a delightful read, and I once again am anxiously awaiting the next installment of Cleric Chih’s adventures.