Novella Review – The Brides of High Hill (Singing Hills Cycle, Book 5) by Nghi Vo (5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 116 pages
Publisher: Tordotcom
Release Date: May 7, 2024
ASIN: B0CGS15R7R
Stand Alone or Series: 5th book in the Singing Hills Cycle
Source: Borrowed ebook from Library
Rating: 5/5 stars
“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 Doi 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.”
Series Info/Source: This is the 5th book in the Singing Hills Cycle. I borrowed this on ebook from the library.
Thoughts: I always really enjoy the books in this series. They really dive into good classic fantasy storytelling.
Chih finds herself on the road accompanying a young bride to an aging estate where the bride is supposed to marry the older ruler there. They are greeted with fancy displays and parties. However, there is something more sinister lurking under the surface of this aging estate.
I always enjoy following Chih as they collect stories. This was a particularly interesting one because the story starts to twist and turn on its head the further in you get.
This is beautifully written and fun to read. I am always amazed at how much world-building, character-building, and just pure story are put into these novellas. This remains one of my favorite series. I think that is because it is a story about stories that is highly entertaining, creative, and easy to read.
This does say that it can be read as a stand alone, which is true. However, I think you will get a lot more out of the story if you have read the previous novellas.
My Summary (5/5): Overall I really enjoyed this installment of the Singing Hills Cycle. This was a highly entertaining addition to the series, I loved some of the twists and turns in the story. I am eager to read the next book in the series and eager to see what Nghi Vo comes up with next!
