Pub Date 07 May 2024
Tor Publishing Group, Tordotcom
Sci Fi & Fantasy
Nghi Vo's Hugo Award-winning Singing Hills Cycle returns with a standalone gothic mystery that unfolds in the empire of Ahn.
My Review
5 stars
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.
Find the links here.
From the Publisher
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 Do 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