Into the Riverlands (The Singing Hills Cycle, #3)

by Nghi Vo

The Ignyte and Locus Award finalist, and Crawford and Hugo Award-winning series continues as Chih finds themself in the riverlands, home to near-immortal warriors and ancient feuds.

Wandering cleric Chih of the Singing Hills travels to the riverlands to record tales of the notorious near-immortal martial artists who haunt the region. On the road to Betony Docks, they fall in with a pair of young women far from home, and an older couple who are more than they seem. As Chih runs headlong into an ancient feud, they find themselves far more entangled in the history of the riverlands than they ever expected to be.

Accompanied by Almost Brilliant, a talking bird with an indelible memory, Chih confronts old legends and new dangers alike as they learn that every story — beautiful, ugly, kind, or cruel — bears more than one face.

• ISBN10: 1250851424
• ISBN13: 9781250851420
• Publish Date: 29 November 2022 (first published 25 October 2022)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 5 April 2024
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: St Martin's Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 112
• Language: English
• URL: http://melia.co.uk/page/detail/?k=9781250851420

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

Looking for an enchanting tale about a wandering cleric that collects stories? Check out The Singing Hills Cycle, written by Nghi Vo. Into the Riverlands is the third novella in this series, and I still love every moment of it.

Chih is a wandering cleric – by choice and by trade. They love their task, as their only goal is to collect as many stories as possible. Through this, their order can ensure that the voices and stories of the people are heard.

This adventure has taken Chih to Betony Docks, a dangerous area. Chih likely would have ended up in quite a bit of trouble had two young women, and an older couple not all decided to travel alongside Chih. Along the way, there will be more stories to collect.

My description of Into the Riverlands does not do it justice. Seriously – I adore this series, but I think Into the Riverlands is my favorite of the bunch (so far). It is intense and beautiful. In truth, I could add a hundred more adjectives and still feel like it doesn't encompass how this novella made me feel.

So, why did I love this novella over the others? I think it's the tone and perhaps the moral of the story. Much of the tales told in Into the Riverlands focus on beauty versus ugliness and how women are portrayed in tales. There's something we can all learn from that if you ask me.

It's also simply a lot of fun! I adore the new characters and am sad to see them go. I understand why they couldn't take up permanent camp alongside Chih and Almost Brilliant, but you can't blame me for hoping.

If you haven't read The Singing Hills Cycle but love fantasy and legends, please take a few moments to check it out. If you've read the previous two, you've got to pick up Into the Riverlands and give it a read! It's worth it.

Thanks to Tor.com and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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