I have a lot of friends who recommended this to me as a book they would compare to THE SIX DEATHS OF THE SAINT, and sadly, I think this comp really ruI have a lot of friends who recommended this to me as a book they would compare to THE SIX DEATHS OF THE SAINT, and sadly, I think this comp really ruined the book for me, because I have to disagree.
Though this is a twisty knight tale, the thing that works so well about THE SIX DEATHS OF THE SAINT is that it stretches the capacity of its format with brilliant tact. It's the triumph of telling an epic tale in a couple dozen pages. And I think this story is far from a mastery of format. In fact, it feels confined by its length.
I understand why my friends made this comp, and I think it'll help bring some of the right people to this story but it didn't work for me. But comp aside, let's talk about this book.
I hate when I have this opinion because it's such an annoying opinion to have, but I do really think this would work better as a long epic novel that combines this plot and whatever happens in the sequel. It was obvious from the get go that there would be some big twist about the narrator being unreliable, and so these 170 pages are really just spent in wait for that reveal. I would've been far more interested in a story that takes its time to set up this world and this character and her backstory beyond the here and now. As it stands, the payoff of the twist is weak, because the author gave me like 100+ pages to come up with theories of my own and nothing else to occupy my attention.
The world-building, the politics, and other goings-on are SO interesting but because of the urgency of the task at hand, feel irrelevant and tangental, so that the shifts beyond the task (especially towards the end) are disorienting and lack impact. There is so much to praise about this world. It does feel really lived in, and I have so many curiosities I'd love to dig into: the naming system of the knights, the history of hunting dragons, the viewpoints of magic, etc. And I think it's fine and good when worlds have details that go unexplored to focus on the direct plot, but I think time spent in this world-building would've actually much better aided the end of the narrative.
I think my favorite element is the epistolary entries about dragon hunting, and honestly I could have done with even more of them, especially if they aided the story more than they do (which isn't much at all, Bond could've really made use of these and hidden some lore elements and foreshadowing into those instead of just using them as ambiance).
I did overall enjoy my reading experience of this, and I think many people will too, but my expectations were just placed wayyyyy too high.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
CW: animal death, death, dead body, emesis, violence, alcohol, amputation, fire, hallucinations, body horror, blood & gore, self harm (for magic), child death (past)...more
I absolutely adore this series. Long novella series aren’t incredibly common, and this one is especially unique in that its installments function bothI absolutely adore this series. Long novella series aren’t incredibly common, and this one is especially unique in that its installments function both together and separately, allowing its readership to dip their toes into these stories one by one, enjoying the world on a scale both large and small.
To be honest, I had left the past couple books in this series feeling slightly lackluster. The first book, THE EMPRESS OF SALT AND FORTUNE, was a riveting and gorgeous story. The second one, WHEN THE TIGER CAME DOWN THE MOUNTAIN, contained such a wind of whimsy. But then the third book, IN THE RIVERLANDS, felt like Nghi Vo had already run out of story structures. The third book was a fun read and had lovely writing and characters, per usual, but honestly tried too hard to replicate the exact emotional arc and payoff of the first book, and fell short in that attempt. The fourth book, MAMMOTHS AT THE GATES, was better than the third in that it clearly was forging its own path, but it felt more like a separate reprieve from the other adventures. It lacked an impact that the initial two books had.
So when this fifth book came around, I didn’t have very high expectations. Don’t get me wrong, I was still excited for another installment, as I’ve definitely grown attached to this series regardless of its narrative accomplishments and was looking forward to reentering this world. But boy oh boy, Nghi Vo has found her footing again and we are so back, baby.
Nghi Vo brings the gothic into this installment of The Singing Hills, paying homage to classic stories like Bluebeard.
Though the structure of the pacing was still reminiscent to the other stories in this series, the use of information and lack-there-of was much more precise and complex than in the stories we’ve seen so far. Utilizing a dream-like, unsettling atmosphere, the approach to this book was so well-done and really served the story at hand.
Vo also brilliantly called back to a narrative thread from one of the other tales (I won’t say which) with such tact. Though some readers may find that repetitive, I found it to be a really strong choice. It allowed the installments, though primarily standalones, to start holding some elemental conversations, without causing either story to lean on the other. It was exactly the right installment to start bridging the gaps between the stories at hand without rupturing their ability to function on their own. Regardless of which order you read these books in, this parallel will be an exciting and unexpected familiar face amidst these otherwise mostly unconnected narratives.
As I mentioned earlier, in the third installment, the narrative parallel felt more like “oh, we’ve seen this trick before.” It didn’t quite work. Whereas in this installment, it was precisely BECAUSE we had seen this trick before that it worked for the narrative. It felt like that thread had concluded, now resting off to the side, because of the way its presence functioned in the structure of that previous story. So of course we fell for the trick again, because we thought we had left it behind.
I think this is also the first time in The Singing Hills series that Vo has really made use of limited narration. We’ve, at this point, come to rely on Chih as a truthful and honest storyteller, whose sole purpose is to chronicle information, which allows us a consistent and trustworthy perspective in which to view the world. And wow, does Vo capitalize on this lens in this one.
I am so pleased to see something new and invigorating pumped into the lungs of this series. After the lull of the past few books, it was really exciting to read an installment that is definitely competing for my favorite of the books out so far.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
CW: dead body, drugging, blood & gore, decapitation (offscreen), alcohol, sexual content (implied)...more
I have never felt so utterly betrayed, absolutely overjoyed, and unhingedly giddy with ego and adrenaline all at theHAHAHAHHAHAHAH I AM LOSING MY MIND
I have never felt so utterly betrayed, absolutely overjoyed, and unhingedly giddy with ego and adrenaline all at the same time. I need to mark this date in my diary.
Only one other person on planet Earth has ever felt this exact feeling and they likened it to the feeling Truman gets when he finds out about the Truman show. and yeah. it’s not unlike that.
Thank you to Melissa for sending me a finished copy in exchange for my raw reaction to your evil schemes over video call. I love and hate you for this.
CW: violence, alcoholism relapse, trauma, colonialism, grief, death of loved one, character death, self harm, blood & gore, dead bodies, fire, illness, electrocution, human experimentation, sexual content, kidnapping, death of parents, death of sibling, needles, infidelity, emesis...more
I’m not kidding when I say that every single person should read this book. I don’t care if you engage with Shakespeare or not, if you consume media, yI’m not kidding when I say that every single person should read this book. I don’t care if you engage with Shakespeare or not, if you consume media, you should read this book!!!
Through exploring racial depictions and associations in and around Shakespeare’s work, Farah Karim-Cooper opens doorways to understanding marginalization in media and popular culture from early modern England to the modern day.
This is such an accessible read, and it does an incredible job of breaking down the dangers of putting Shakespeare (and other literary greats) on pedestals. It brilliantly explains the history of racialized imagery, language, and ideals throughout the Bard’s plays, how they’ve consequently affected our subliminal associations, and even discusses the act of reckoning with those ideals in our own classrooms, theaters, and minds.
I genuinely cannot sing this book’s praises enough....more
Wow these books are gorgeous. They’re so lovely and atmospheric to live in. This one definitely had a clearer and more consistent plot, which I apprecWow these books are gorgeous. They’re so lovely and atmospheric to live in. This one definitely had a clearer and more consistent plot, which I appreciated, and I loved getting to see the world through Silver’s eyes. I still find some of Tesh’s writing to be confusingly organized but I’ll get over it for the sake of the vibes.
CW: drugging, claustrophobia, dead body, decapitation (past), blood, body horror, drowning...more
At the trial of God, we will ask: why did you allow all this? And the answer will be an echo: why did you allow all this?
Wow. I think this may take anoAt the trial of God, we will ask: why did you allow all this? And the answer will be an echo: why did you allow all this?
Wow. I think this may take another read before I can fully process it, but what an incredible and relevant read. A tale of performative advocacy, a tale of genuine advocacy, and a tale that asks us to consider how we choose to wield our silence.
CW: war, gun violence, police brutality, death, child death, torture, sexual content, alcohol, grief, loss of loved one...more
I had no idea where to set my expectations for this book, and initially picked it up with equal amounts of interest and skepticism. But I never would I had no idea where to set my expectations for this book, and initially picked it up with equal amounts of interest and skepticism. But I never would have guessed it would have blown me away the way it did.
Following an unlikely crew of three very different characters who carry three different family burdens, WHEN AMONG CROWS is a gorgeous and captivating urban fantasy tale about regret, repentance, and responsibility.
I was prepared for an action-packed folkloric urban fantasy. But I was not prepared for the deep commentary in this book about immigration, cultural ties, and Christian imperialism. And I was even less prepared for Roth to tackle all of these elements with such nuance and tact while creating a blossoming and tender achillean romance and found family amidst the cast of utterly lovable characters.
I almost want to say I wish it was longer, but not because it needed to be (arguably one of the best paced novellas I’ve ever read), but just because I fell so in love with these characters and this world and would read a whole series of this.
If you are a fan of political and folklore-heavy narratives like THE WOLF AND THE WOODSMAN, and want that type of story in the length of a novella, I highly recommend WHEN AMONG CROWS.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
CW: blood & gore, body horror, violence, grief, self-inflicted harm (for sacrifice), religious guilt, death of mother (past), death of father (past), alcohol consumption...more
This book was very sweet and I really enjoyed the woodsy fairytale atmosphere of it all. I do think it would have been more impactful as a middle gradThis book was very sweet and I really enjoyed the woodsy fairytale atmosphere of it all. I do think it would have been more impactful as a middle grade novel, rather than YA. The attempts to fit this story into a YA age range felt incompatible with the narrative, and it definitely should've been a solid 150 pages or so shorter.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a finished copy in exchange for an honest review!
CW: death of father (past), grief, violence, fire, injury detail, blood, child death, self-harm (for magic), self-sacrifice, kidnapping, character death, loss of loved one (past), homophobia (mention), biphobia (mention) ...more
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