The Brides of High Hill

Starred review from February 1, 2024

Cleric Chih begins this adventure believing they know the story they are participating in, that a young girl has brought them along on her journey to marriage to a wealthy and powerful older man to save her parents' reputation and fortune. Chih's presence is the last choice she will be allowed to make on her own. But nothing is as it seems--because the lord, the bride, and the family she is saving are all more monstrous than Chih believed. Chih may have come on this journey in search of stories but they find themself in the middle of one once again. This fifth entry in the "Singing Hills Cycle," after Mammoths at the Gates, takes Chih out of the Abbey to tell a tale that at first seems all too familiar, but it subtly changes into a story where no one and nothing is as it seems. Even Chih doesn't realize their perspective has been compromised. VERDICT 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.--Marlene Harris

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March 15, 2024
The newest volume in the award-winning Singing Hills Cycle (after Mammoths at the Gate, 2023) is a frightening, entertaining novella written in Vo's excellent prose. Story-gathering, traveling monk Chih agrees to accompany young bride-to-be Pham Nhung and her family to the site of the wedding, the Doi Cao estate. But all is not right at this imposing place. The haughty old groom is hiding a supposedly mad son who gives Chih and Nhung cryptic warnings about the man's former wives. Foul-smelling vessels adorn abandoned old buildings around the estate. A veil of shadows and trickery is hiding supernatural monsters behind the scenes--and without their companion neixin, Almost Brilliant, at their side, Chih grows interestingly anxious and sure that there's something important they're forgetting. Vo's newest novella is pleasantly terrifying, a dark mystery with East Asian-folklore inspiration and satisfyingly unexpected twists and turns. 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.

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March 25, 2024
In Hugo Award winner Vo’s evocative fifth Singing Hills Cycle novella (after Mammoths at the Gates), opulence and ancestry unravel to reveal dark secrets. Cleric Chih returns, this time without their partner in crime, memory spirit Almost Brilliant, to accompany the fallen Pham family as they visit the mysterious estate of Doi Cao, where the Phams seek a union between their daughter Nhung and her wealthy older suitor, Lord Guo. The estate is filled with vacant buildings guarded by protective relics, and the servants refuse to engage with the guests any more than necessary. Unease surrounds the visitors as they explore the spiraling grounds and learn more about the fates of Lord Guo’s past wives. Even as Cleric Chih and the Phams are treated to extravagant banquets, they grapple with the ominous atmosphere and unsettling warnings from Lord Guo’s afflicted son. In her signature lyrical style, 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.