Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

The Brides of High Hill by Nghi Vo

1 review

sarrie's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

 
TL;DR: My favorite of the Singing Hills Cycle so far - this one has a very different tone and it was amazing.
Source: Netgalley - so many thanks to the publisher! 

Plot: Cleric Chih is traveling with a family as they marry off their daughter, and things unfold… poorly for some involved. 
Characters: Cleric Chih is our main PoV again and we get a few new characters I’m not going to spoil too much, but I enjoyed them all. We also get a little bit of Almost Brilliant, my absolute favorite bird ever. 
Setting: A closed estate before a wedding, it was well drawn and felt very isolating for the story, which really added to the impact by the end. 
Magic: Much more magic than I think we’ve seen in a hot minute with Singing Hills, and I love that. 

Thoughts: 
I’ve been a long time fan of this novella series and it’s honestly a crime it’s not talked about more. I’ll also freely admit I didn’t love the last volume in the series. This one completely redeemed that last one for me, this was amazing. Cleric Chih is traveling with a family as they take their daughter to an arranged marriage but small things don’t seem quite right. Chih can’t remember things they should remember and something is lurking in this isolated estate. 

I can’t give too much of the plot of this one away, it is a novella after all. The tone of this one has a much more horror leaning feel than anything else, and if you have a problem with gore this might challenge you. The strength of this one is the setting and the idea of history coming back, especially in the worst way possible. Nghi Vo does this wonderfully while making it very disturbing and low key horrifying. 

If you haven’t tried the Singing Hills Cycle and you love a good bite sized fantasy story, I will always recommend this series. They’re magical, and transportive and draw a fun and rich world with each installment. Each also feels very different from the last and this one really shows how Nghi Vo is growing as an author. 

5 out of 5 Creeping Foxes 
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