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The Brides of High Hill (The Singing Hills Cycle Book 5) Kindle Edition

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 32 ratings

Nghi Vo's Hugo Award-winning Singing Hills Cycle returns with a standalone gothic mystery that unfolds in the empire of Ahn.

"A remarkable accomplishment of storytelling."—NPR on
The Empress of Salt and Fortune

"Nghi Vo is one of the most original writers we have today."—Taylor Jenkins Reid on
Siren Queen

The Cleric Chih accompanies a beautiful young bride to her wedding to the aging ruler of a crumbling estate situated at the crossroads of dead empires. The bride's party is welcomed with elaborate courtesies and extravagant banquets, but between the frightened servants and the cryptic warnings of the lord's mad son, they quickly realize that something is haunting the shadowed halls.

As Chih and the bride-to-be explore empty rooms and desolate courtyards, they are drawn into the mystery of what became of Lord Guo's previous wives and the dark history of Doi Cao itself. But as the wedding night draws to its close, Chih will learn at their peril that not all monsters are to be found in the shadows; some monsters hide in plain sight.

The Singing Hills Cycle has been shortlisted for the Lambda Literary Award, the Locus Award, and the Ignyte Award, and has won the Crawford Award and the Hugo Award.

The novellas are standalone stories linked by the Cleric Chih, and may be read in any order.

The Empress of Salt and Fortune
When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain
Into the Riverlands
Mammoths at the Gates
The Brides of High Hill


At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A highly recommended entry in Vo’s series, one where the familiar erupts in surprise, a shower of blood, and all the horrors of Cassandra Khaw’s Nothing But Blackened Teeth, leaving Chih with yet another fascinating tale to tell."―Library Journal (starred review)

"The fifth book in the series might be the best entry since the first (
The Empress of Salt and Fortune, 2020)―proof that Vo will continue to surprise and delight readers. It’s the perfect time for fans of Asian-inspired fantasy and poetic sf/fantasy of all kinds to get into Vo’s popular novella series."―Booklist (starred review)

"Vo creates a haunted house where nothing is as it appears, unraveling magical threads at a spellbinding pace. . . . This eerie and intricate entry keeps the series going strong."―
Publishers Weekly

Praise for the Singing Hills Cycle

"A delicious bonbon of a novella about stories and their unreliable narrators, who wink at their listeners (or readers), fully expecting us to catch on."―
The Wall Street Journal

"Dangerous, subtle, unexpected and familiar, angry and ferocious and hopeful. . . . A remarkable accomplishment of storytelling."―NPR

"Spellbinding. . . . Vo expertly weaves myths and histories of this fantastical land throughout, while also offering readers a deeper understanding of Chih themself, a character who may have been left as a framing device in lesser hands. The result is a pitch-perfect series installment."―
Publishers Weekly, (starred review)

"Rides the knife edge between telling a story and being in the middle of it and explores how tales become legends. . . . Highly recommended for . . . anyone who likes high fantasy inspired by Imperial China or wuxia movies and stories."―
Library Journal (starred review)

"Vo's debut has it all: from sapphic love to cruel betrayals; from political intrigue to lakes that glow red to ghosts that continue to walk old paths."―
Booklist, starred review

"A stunning feminist fantasy."―
Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Gorgeous. Cruel. Perfect."―Seanan McGuire

"So good I want to marry it."―Martha Wells

"A quiet, wrenching tale of resistance, resilience, and court intrigue."―R. F. Kuang

“A stunning gem . . . celebrates the wonder of queer love. I could read about Chih recording tales forever.”―Samantha Shannon

"A glorious, beautifully-written tale that is both tragic and triumphant, unfolding a secret history through the ordinary artifacts of everyday life."―Kate Elliott

"An epic in miniature, beautifully realised."―Zen Cho

"At once epic and intimate, this story of revenge, power and the weight of history is a small, masterful jewel."―Aliette de Bodard

"Resides in the intimate margins of its (beautifully imagined) world's history, portraying how the marginalized may yet shape those narratives and harness the power of stories."―Indra Das

“Uncovers a nuanced history of how the disenfranchised shape history, and can come to rule it, though at great cost."―
Buzzfeed

"Both tear-jerking and gut-punching."―
The Washington Post

"A thrilling, wuxia-style addition to the series."―
BuzzFeed News

"With its themes of friendship, loyalty, continuity, and loss, [
Mammoths at the Gates's] main strengths derive from an appealing cast of characters, some of whom, like Chih, have grown more complex over the four volumes of the series. . . . Adds considerable emotional resonance to an already impressive series."―Locus

"A masterpiece of understatement and implication. . . it gives the impression of effortlessness while being quietly meticulous in every stitch."―
Nerd Daily

"[A] gorgeous debut novella."―
Paste

"Rich details and emotional prose captures readers from the first page of this imaginative and powerful novella. "―
Library Journal

“Those familiar with the Singing Hills Cycle know by now to expect marvelous little novellas like perfectly cut jewels, dense with facets and brilliance.
Into the Riverlands, Nghi Vo’s third installment, is of course no different….buy this book, because you’ll want to revisit these particular stories again and again.”―Geekly, Inc

"The novella is written in Vo’s rich, lovely language, and it’s nice to have such a wonderful fantasy series be totally accessible in standalone volumes. . . . Fans of folklore-inspired fantasy will eat this one up."―
Booklist

“Continues the magical, mythical and memorable adventures of Chih . . . . The series . . . can be read in any order―and you don’t want to miss them!”―
Ms. Magazine

“This is a beautiful, cozy, fantasy tale. . . . gentle, soothing, whimsical, feminist.”―
Fantasy Book Critic

“Novelist Nghi Vo has a fantastic gift for creating sweeping epics that weave together history and myth.”―
Arlington Magazine

--This text refers to the hardcover edition.

About the Author

Nghi Vo is the author of the novels Siren Queen and The Chosen and the Beautiful, as well as the acclaimed novellas Into the Riverlands, When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain, and The Empress of Salt and Fortune, a Locus and Ignyte Award finalist and the winner of the Crawford Award and the Hugo Award. Born in Illinois, she now lives on the shores of Lake Michigan. She believes in the ritual of lipstick, the power of stories, and the right to change your mind.

Cindy Kay is a Chinese Thai American narrator and educator who grew up in the California Bay Area and lives in the Rockies. Her work has been described as listening to a "cozy best friend." She narrates fiction and nonfiction, and has studied Spanish, Portuguese, Thai, and Japanese.

--This text refers to the audioCD edition.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CGS15R7R
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tordotcom (May 7, 2024)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 7, 2024
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5591 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 116 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 32 ratings

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Nghi Vo
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NGHI VO is the author of the novels Siren Queen and The Chosen and the Beautiful, as well as the acclaimed novellas When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain and The Empress of Salt and Fortune, a Locus and Ignyte Award finalist and the winner of the Crawford Award and the Hugo Award. Born in Illinois, she now lives on the shores of Lake Michigan. She believes in the ritual of lipstick, the power of stories, and the right to change your mind.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
32 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2024
The fifth installment of Nghi Vo's Singing Hills books is once again so very atmospheric and gripping-- this time we're drawn into a setting of Something Isn't Quite Right Here, a horror-edged buildup much more than the folk tales of prior entries in the series. It's really good! It's also fun to see Cleric Chih be interested in someone more than just the value of their stories -- although stories are very valuable and I have appreciated that about the previous novellas, however, it was cute!

Even or novellas I'm not usually someone who finishes them in a day (too distractible but I am working on it) but I kept thinking about this even when I wasn't reading it and finished it quite quickly.

Having read the previous two books in the series recently now I'm definitely going to be looking forward to the next one (if there is one) like a kid at the window!
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2024
We catch up with Chih, who is accompanying the Pham family -- Mr and Mrs Pham and their daughter Pham Nhung to the castle of Lord Guo. The Phams are a family of merchants down on their luck, and Nhung has been proposed in marriage to Lord Guo. She and Chih met cute, and she asked them to accompany her to Lord Guo's castle for the marriage negotiation. Chih appears to have a mini-crush on Nhung, which she appears to encourage. Chih desperately misses their neixin Almost Brilliant, who is mysteriously absent. Nhung is naturally worried about being married. Chih, who knows many stories, true and fictional, about husbands and wives, would like to reassure her, but cannot honestly do so.

Stuff happens. You will recognize the story pretty quickly. In this one Chih faces serious personal danger, more immediate than in any other Singing Hills book. Also, they get to be an action hero in this one. Unlike When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain, when Chih and their companions were in real danger of being eaten by tigers, Chih can't get out of this one just by telling stories.

I enjoyed this a lot. It was simpler and more straightforward than the other Singing Hills stories. The Singing Hills stories are stories about story-telling -- very meta. I appreciate that -- Nghi Vo is a master story-teller, and it is a delight that she teaches her craft. But in this installment we get something more like a simple (well, honestly, not THAT simple) story straightforwardly told.
Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2024
I…did not see the twist coming at ALL. When you start the novella, everything seems fine, although the lord is much older than his intended bride. Gradually, as Cleric Chih and bride-to-be explore the grounds, you come to realize that something is off about the entire estate. Like unto the old library they stumble upon, something is rotten and decaying, but you can’t quite put your finger on what it is.

The last quarter of the book will have you reeling. It’s jaw-dropping, truly.

I was also happy to see that there are four previous novellas by the author, and an additional two to be published after this one. Yay for new reading material!

I love pretty much everything that Tor publishes, and this is no exception!
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2024
I did not notice this novella was part of a series, but it reads as a standalone. Only made me curious to read the other existing four previous novellas. I loved the main characters and how the author makes so much of their personality in such a short story. They are all very different and with strong traits and goals.

A cleric meets a family on the road that is taking their daughter to a lord to be his bride, but soon he discovers dark secrets and that he is surrounded by perils.

It reads as a legend and it remains in our minds with the same tone. Great rhythm and the plot twists make the end tense and exciting with a hint of magic.

I enjoyed it so much read in one sitting. Looking forward now to reading more works from the author. Thank you, NetGalley and publisher for the e-arc.
Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2024
The Brides of High Hill leaves you questioning reality and what is really going on; while that's not abnormal for The Singing Hills Cycle this book leans that direction a little harder.

Our monk is traveling with a prospective bride to the manor where she will be wedded, and together they discover several unsettling events and questions, which will have an unexpected outcome.

Nghi Vo has created another wonderful story to collect in The Brides of High Hill.

I'm anxiously awaiting the next installment!
Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2024
Brides of High Hill by Nghi Vo is an amazing tale with a fantastic surprise twist at the end. I am a sucker for stories based on folklore, myths, and legends, and this story did not disappoint. It is the story of a bride and the cleric keeper of stories that accompanies her to her new home. It is a tale of curiosity and discovery, of tradition and attraction and just a touch of fear, and one of reclaiming home, complete with a cast of monsters to keep things interesting. I highly recommend anyone who loves folklore retellings read this book.
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