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words_and_coffee's review
adventurous
reflective
tense
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Infidelity
tqlikesbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.25
“And so you came to my house on the soft pads of a midwinter kitten, the whisper of your black tresses sweeping your heels, and so you came to my heart just as quietly.
Why, then, did you make such a terrible noise when you let go of my hand and departed, a great trumpeting of horns, a great beating of drums?”
After devouring The Empress of Salt and Fortune last year and loving it, I was so eager to see what magical tale our Cleric Chih would uncover next. With astonishingly beautiful and poetic writing, Nghi Vo weaves a tale of tigers, Sapphic romance and tricky ghost foxes (among other things). I absolutely loved this story!
(My only complaint is that I just want more than 120 pages!!)
*Note on the format: I read the The Empress of Salt and Fortune as an audiobook, and this as an eBook. Personally, I thought the audio production was wonderful, and I would recommend reading that way for the most magical experience.
Series recap:
The Empress of Salt and Fortune (The Singing Hills Cycle #1)- ★★★★
When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain (The Singing Hills Cycle, #2)- ★★★★
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Murder, and Death
emptykingdom's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain is an adventurous follow-up/companion to The Empress of Salt and Fortune, but can be read as a standalone. But trust me, if you like this one you won't want to miss out on the first novella that started it all.
It's an interesting story within a story that entails oral history and fables, which is painted without info-dumping.
It's an interesting story within a story that entails oral history and fables, which is painted without info-dumping.
Essentially a story of oral history, perspectives, narratives, storytelling, love, danger, travels, survival and more packed in this small but mighty novella. Challenges us readers to question the stories that are told to us. It's a stark reminder that oral stories can/often change by who tells it and varies from culture to culture. Outside of the storytelling and narratives, there's also a high stakes escape from a trio of weretiger sisters with the help of mammoths and mammoth-riding friends.
Rep: Vietnamese-coded/inspired MC (They/Them), Vietnamese-coded cast, F/F side relationship
Tropes / Themes:
Rep: Vietnamese-coded/inspired MC (They/Them), Vietnamese-coded cast, F/F side relationship
Tropes / Themes:
- slow burn romance
- a story within a story
- animal companions
- high stakes escape
- dry humor
- werebeasts (weretigers)
- storytelling
- scholar/apex predator pairing
My non-spoilery story diary for When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain (with favorite quotes + aesthetics): https://www.emptyxkingdom.com/2021/01/story-diary-when-tiger-came-down.html
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Animal death
rubyhosh's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Blood
sarah984's review
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I liked this book even better than the first one. Cleric Chih is waylaid by shapeshifting tigers while travelling and tells them a story to try and keep themself alive. The writing is beautiful and imaginative, the world-building is great and I loved the dark humour. The way the story differed depending on who was telling it was a factor I really enjoyed.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death, Blood, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Self harm, Sexual content, and Violence
thebookfinch's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Death
mar's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
AHH from the nonbinary cleric who collects stories to the shapeshifting tiger and her scholar wife I am genuinely SO enchanted by this book. I especially loved the theme of how the same story can have many (even contrasting) versions, especially when told from different viewpoints, and the way the conflicts between the characters caused by that are used to drive the plot forward
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death, Gore, and Animal death
spiritedfaraway's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
“What are you doing?”
“Telling a story.”
I thought I couldn’t love Nghi Vo’s writing more than I already did, but I was wrong. When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain is the companion novella to The Empress of Salt and Fortune. It again follows Chih, a traveling cleric looking for history and stories to document, and involves a story within a story.
On this adventure Chih and their companions end up at the mercy of three fierce tiger sisters. Stranded and cold, to get out alive Chih must entertain the sisters with a story. But the tigers have their own version of the story and it varies wildly from the one Chih knows.
“Well, then? What’s the real story?”
In this novella you’ll find:
- a tiger/scholar sapphic courtship and romance.
- poetry.
- a traveling non-binary cleric too curious for their own good.
- a mammoth rider with a lance.
- three tiger sisters.
- storytelling and how truth can vary from retelling to retelling, from culture to culture.
- a tiger/scholar sapphic courtship and romance.
- poetry.
- a traveling non-binary cleric too curious for their own good.
- a mammoth rider with a lance.
- three tiger sisters.
- storytelling and how truth can vary from retelling to retelling, from culture to culture.
This novella was everything I wanted and more. I hope Nghi Vo continues to write about Chih and their adventures. These books have truly been a delight.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Animal death, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Cannibalism, Drug use, Gore, and Sexual content
Minor: Infidelity
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