Reviews

Into the Riverlands by Nghi Vo

xlxa_x's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

literarypenguin's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

While not being my most favorite of the Singing Hills Cycle, it's still a really good addition to the series. It stills shows the themes of the power of stories, how you shouldn't always believe everything you read or hear, and the different ways that a story can be told. We get to journey with our favorite Cleric joined again by their loyal partner Almost Brilliant as they travel into a new part of this world called the Riverlands. The one thing that I thought was that the characters were not as memorable as the previous two novellas, I felt like they needed a bit more personality to make them stand out more. Other than that the story was really well told and I still enjoyed the book overall. 

I can't wait to continue this series and see where the other books will take us to! 

sadscorpxo's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny informative mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

tatyanavogt's review against another edition

3.0

So I've been really enjoying the series in general but this particular one didn't connect with me like the last one. There were some elements that I liked but I didn't really feel like I was there or connected in anyway so it was very easy to loose focus. I do still plan on continuing the series but I am sad that I didn't enjoy this one more.

niccith's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

4.0

Almost Brilliant is so adorable. :-)

sempereadem's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

aftaerglows's review against another edition

4.0

i'm always in awe of how many stories nghi vo manages to tell in a mere hundred pages. i'll never get tired of this world

jasper_is_atypical's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

readingwithsierra's review

adventurous emotional funny mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

a_reader_obsessed's review

3.0

3.5 Stars

I liked this better than [b:When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain|53265678|When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain (The Singing Hills Cycle, #2)|Nghi Vo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1588169628l/53265678._SY75_.jpg|81017617], but it still didn’t have the angsty emotional resonance as [b:The Empress of Salt and Fortune|51190882|The Empress of Salt and Fortune (The Singing Hills Cycle, #1)|Nghi Vo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565188992l/51190882._SX50_SY75_.jpg|71836130] which remains my favorite.

This continues with cleric Chih in their efforts at gathering historical stories of the realm and how they take every opportunity that presents itself to be a lifelong learner. Chih and their faithful bird companion Almost Brilliant join four other travelers through some dangerous bandit infested woods and encounter a few harrowing situations.

Peppered always with tales of legend, this had some entertaining martial arts action both in the stories told and as the group make it towards their destination. What’s appreciated are the strong female characters portrayed here as well as the triumphant (not tragic) reveal at the end. I had fun here and look forward to what’s in store for Chih next!