The Brides of High Hill

The Brides of High Hill by Nghi Vo

I've really enjoyed the Singing Hills Cycle in general, Nghi Vo has a distinct voice and a way of weaving a narrative that is really captivating. The Brides of High Hill is unique in the series so far because it starts off with a bit of an unreliable beginning as the story has already begun, and the reader joins in when Cleric Chi wakes up in the back of a cart with a bride & her parents, Almost Brilliant isn't around, and the cleric doesn't remember quite how she got there. The reader is along for the story as, this time, it unfolds around the cleric as she tries to uncover the reality of the situation and her new friends.

This book was more mysterious and perhaps felt a little more sinister than others in the series. There has always been some inherent danger in Chi's travels, sometimes more implicit than others, but the mystery of not knowing exactly what we were dealing with was a new angle and gave this tale a more dangerous and urgent undertone.

As I have come to expect from Vo, the narrative was well-crafted and the atmosphere around the story was tangible, I would highly recommend the entire Singing Hills Cycle to anyone who is a lover of good storytelling and seeing things from legends & folklore come to life.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC, this is an unbiased review.