The Brides of High Hill (The Singing Hills Cycle Book 5)
Nghi Vo's Hugo Award-winning Singing Hills Cycle returns with a standalone gothic mystery that unfolds in the empire of Ahn.
Featured in BookBub | Book Riot | Gizmodo | Amazon Best SF&F of 2024 So Far pick | An NPR Best Book of the Year | Hugo Award finalist
"A remarkable accomplishment of storytelling."—NPR on The Empress of Salt and Fortune
"Nghi Vo is one of the most original writers we have today."—Taylor Jenkins Reid on Siren Queen
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.
The Empress of Salt and Fortune
When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain
Into the Riverlands
Mammoths at the Gates
The Brides of High Hill
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
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Community Reviews
I requested a copy of the ARC from the publisher, Tordotcom, on NetGalley and was approved in exchange for consideration of a review. All opinions discussed are my own and are subjective to myself as a reader.
As soon as I saw this cover on NetGalley, I instantly recognized the unmistakable style as one of the books in The Singing Hills Cycle series by Nghi Vo.
I wasn't sure how far along the series was, but I decided to take a peek at the book description and was pleasantly surprised to find that while it is indeed part of the series, it's considered a standalone! I also saw this story featured "an extremely murderous teapot" - and, well, I just had to know what THAT was about. Y'all, I clicked that request button so fast!
As evidenced by my star rating, I had a good time reading this novella and will absolutely be prioritizing the previously published books in the series. Do I agree that this is a standalone?
Sort of.
It is a complete story, but the beginning was a bit rough as the character of Cleric Chih was written as though the reader will already know who they are. It felt a bit disjointed and choppy at first, but that did smooth out as I continued. I learned who Chih was through the observations and interactions they had with the other characters in this novella and so it worked out for me in the end.
I was quickly drawn into the fairytale-like quality of the writing style - it began as whimsical and exciting, then shifted into dark and foreboding with an unpredictable outcome by its end. I thought I had it all figured out because I was lulled by the fairytale feel of the beginning. Boy, was I in for a shock. (I'm sitting here laughing at myself as I write this, just remembering my reaction at the end..)
If you have read and loved books by authors such as T. Kingfisher, Leigh Bardugo and Seanan McGuire, then I believe you would also enjoy Nghi Vo.
I do believe that current readers of The Singing Hills Cycle series will benefit the most as far as overall reading experience. For readers who have been curious about the series, this novella would be a great "taste test" as it can be easily consumed in an afternoon. (Then you can join me in reading the first 4 books in the series! Ha!)
If you prefer watching video reviews, I do have a BookTube Channel
A heartfelt thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for their support towards my enthusiasm for reading and reviewing!
Special thanks to my highest level Patrons: Ev, Amanda L., Sharon, Andrew, Star, Kate, Gail, Amanda F., Lourdes, Tara, John, Ann, Chad K., Ashley E., & Jennifer M.
As soon as I saw this cover on NetGalley, I instantly recognized the unmistakable style as one of the books in The Singing Hills Cycle series by Nghi Vo.
I wasn't sure how far along the series was, but I decided to take a peek at the book description and was pleasantly surprised to find that while it is indeed part of the series, it's considered a standalone! I also saw this story featured "an extremely murderous teapot" - and, well, I just had to know what THAT was about. Y'all, I clicked that request button so fast!
As evidenced by my star rating, I had a good time reading this novella and will absolutely be prioritizing the previously published books in the series. Do I agree that this is a standalone?
Sort of.
It is a complete story, but the beginning was a bit rough as the character of Cleric Chih was written as though the reader will already know who they are. It felt a bit disjointed and choppy at first, but that did smooth out as I continued. I learned who Chih was through the observations and interactions they had with the other characters in this novella and so it worked out for me in the end.
I was quickly drawn into the fairytale-like quality of the writing style - it began as whimsical and exciting, then shifted into dark and foreboding with an unpredictable outcome by its end. I thought I had it all figured out because I was lulled by the fairytale feel of the beginning. Boy, was I in for a shock. (I'm sitting here laughing at myself as I write this, just remembering my reaction at the end..)
If you have read and loved books by authors such as T. Kingfisher, Leigh Bardugo and Seanan McGuire, then I believe you would also enjoy Nghi Vo.
I do believe that current readers of The Singing Hills Cycle series will benefit the most as far as overall reading experience. For readers who have been curious about the series, this novella would be a great "taste test" as it can be easily consumed in an afternoon. (Then you can join me in reading the first 4 books in the series! Ha!)
If you prefer watching video reviews, I do have a BookTube Channel
A heartfelt thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for their support towards my enthusiasm for reading and reviewing!
Special thanks to my highest level Patrons: Ev, Amanda L., Sharon, Andrew, Star, Kate, Gail, Amanda F., Lourdes, Tara, John, Ann, Chad K., Ashley E., & Jennifer M.
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