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4.0 

The Brides of High Hill

By Nghi Vo
The Brides of High Hill by Nghi Vo digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

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

Featured in BookBub | Book Riot | Gizmodo | Amazon Best SF&F of 2024 So Far pick | An NPR Best Book of the Year

"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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446 Reviews

4.0
Surprised Face with Open Mouth“Incredible subversion of a Gothic horror story set in Nghi Vo's enchanting world. Absolutely loved it.”
“Oooh, this one is a fairytale horror! Smells of Bluebeard to me. With a twist! A delightful mix of Western and Asian themes, packed in a neat – if gruesome – package of a little novella. Not my favorite of the series (the usual framing device of story-within-a-story was kinda missing here), but it was quick and felt fresh because of how two familiar tropes had been wrapped around each other.”
“these little stories are so interesting this one i didn’t see the ending coming at all”
“This is exactly the kind of horror I vibe with, as Cleric Chih finds themselves caught up in an adventure where nothing feels quite right within or without the manor they’ve travelled to with a prospective bride. I found Nhung and Zihao both fascinating and at times sympathetic companions for them, and the mysteries kept me guessing. In Gothic fashion, it does take some time to establish the feeling of building dread and tension, and set up the dominoes the climax will be knocking over. I really thought the structure worked, and it gave us some time for its earlier clues to get buried under new red flags before all of the Chekov’s guns went off together at the climax. Honestly I’m going to have to reread this one in the not too distant future to better appreciate how it all fits together. I did miss the storytelling element that’s been so present in the other volumes, but as this one is about lies, I do understand both structurally and thematically why it wasn't a part of this story. I also really enjoyed the note it ended on, and that suggestion of stories versus lies the novella only touches on amongst its themes. I would not recommend this one as an entry point into the series, but it’s really good.”

About Nghi Vo

Nghi Vo is the author of the novels Siren Queen and The Chosen and the Beautiful, as well as the acclaimed novellas of the Singing Hills Cycle, which began with The Empress of Salt and Fortune. The series entries have been finalists for the Nebula Award, the Locus Award, and the Lambda Literary Award, and have won the Crawford Award, the Ignyte 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.

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