A review by spiritedfaraway
When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo

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.

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.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings