Scan barcode
milliemudd's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Murder, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Death, and Sexism
Minor: Colonisation, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Sexual violence, and Injury/Injury detail
woolerys's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Another gem from Nghi Vo. This one is a little scarier/creepier than the others in the series! Things turned over so fast that I was not keeping up, as a reader—but I believe that’s the intent, as our beloved cleric does not really keep up, either.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Murder, and Mental illness
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Body horror
A note about the adult/minor relationship CW:megj23's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood and Murder
grace_b_3's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Gore
clarabooksit's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting and Blood
Moderate: Mental illness, Violence, Murder, Confinement, and Death
Minor: Gore
mmccombs's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
5.0
As with every review I give to books in this series, I scream “GO READ THIS SERIES!” I was enjoying this novella in the first half (it was kinda gothic and I was intrigued), but wasn’t sure it was going to land among my favorites, and then the ending came and it immediately shot up to one of my favorites (though all of them are so good, the list remains quite tight). This got weird and fantastical in all the right ways, I love watching Cleric Chih exist in so many different contexts throughout this series (storyteller, story-listener, traveler, grieving friend, beguiled mentor), they remain a great vehicle for parables and adventures. I just absolutely adore these and hope they never stop, Vo has my heart and my wallet!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Death
jayisreading's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.0
I admit that The Brides of High Hill isn’t my favorite from The Singing Hills Cycle, but I do commend Vo for switching things up by adding a Gothic horror atmosphere to the novella. Furthermore, it’s no longer just Chih telling/collecting stories; they’re actually in the story themself now (though we got a sense of that in the previous novella). As always, Vo brings sharp and beautiful prose to this novella, so there isn’t anything in particular to critique on that front. I think the reason I didn’t feel nearly as invested in this latest installment is perhaps a result of wanting a change of pace in the series in general. You could argue that this book is a change of pace, and I can’t help but wonder if Vo is switching gears, based on the subtle changes in storytelling style in the latest two installments. I guess time will tell, depending on when the next book comes out, which I will still happily read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Blood and Gore
Minor: Sexual violence
adancewithbooks's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
Thank you to Tor Publishing Group and Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinion in anyway.
The Brides of High Hill is already the fifth installment to the Singing Hills Cycle and every time Nghi Vo adds something new to this world. For the record, I keep miss typing the title as The Brides of High Hell and after reading it, that seems quite fitting as well.
The book starts off very straightforward. Cleric Chih is accompanying a future bride and her family to her future husband. At first nothing seems off. After the last two books, it doesn't seem weird when their companion isn't along for the ride this time. There is an odd vibe around the family but one can have nerves about an upcoming wedding.
But then things start to not add up. Her parents don't seem to care too much about what happens to them. They meet her future husband's son who is deemed mad. He shares things about his fathers previous brides. I love how the author manages to drop crumbles for us, that don't stand out at first instance but when looking back, make sense.
My biggest complaint is that after having read The Mammoths at the Gates, I miss a little bit of depth. This is still a great book. I just really loved getting more from Cleric Chih personally and that is less in this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Gore, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Sexual harassment
sarrie's review
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!
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, and Murder
Minor: Animal cruelty
ceruleanseas's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Cleric Chih is on a new adventure, this time accompanying a young woman and her family as they travel to her betrothed's estate. When they get there, something seems not-quite-right, but Chih can't quite figure out what. The lord's son is mad, none of the servants will meet their eyes, and there are rumors swirling about the fates of the lord's previous wives. Determined to protect their new friend, Chih starts exploring, but there are more secrets than even they expect.
This book definitely leans more towards gothic/horror than the rest of the series, and Vo does such an excellent job at worldbuilding that I didn't mind at all. There are twists at the end, some that were obvious and others that were less so, but it's really about the journey, not the destination, right?
Thanks to Tor Publishing Group for the advanced reader's copy.
This book definitely leans more towards gothic/horror than the rest of the series, and Vo does such an excellent job at worldbuilding that I didn't mind at all. There are twists at the end, some that were obvious and others that were less so, but it's really about the journey, not the destination, right?
Thanks to Tor Publishing Group for the advanced reader's copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Confinement, and Murder
Moderate: Blood, Misogyny, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Sexual violence and Grief