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legs_n_chins's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A beautiful exploration of grief and change and those we choose to surround ourselves with. At this point, I’m picking up anything Nghi Vo writes and this was one of the last of her current published works I had yet to read, but it meant I was going into it both with knowledge of the other l Singing Hills novellas but without knowledge of what this one would be about. I didn’t even bother reading the book jacket because I knew I would enjoy it no matter what. This being the case, I was surprised by this novellas and its departure from the norm established by the other three novellas preceding it and yet remaining well within the same themes and commonalities. It was unexpected, but in probably the best way.
I most loved the expansion of the world building in this novella. Vo has done an amazing job previously of establishing and filling out the world of the Singing Hills Cycle, but this added a lot of color and depth to Chih themselves and the abbey. I’ve always really liked the personality and character of both Chih and Almost Brilliant that we get from the other novellas, but I’m really thrilled that more of their life and background was revealed in this one. I love good, strong world building and it’s so clear that Vo put immense thought into the world she’s created here, evident by the ideas of ceremony and ritual presented here. It’s so clear that she is really in control of her world and would have answers to pretty much every question someone would possibly have about it, and that’s a real skill and talent that I admire. What’s more is that this world is just really, really cool. I loved learning more about the abbey and its inhabitants and practices! The details of the infrastructure of the aviary and the hierarchy and positions held by the people within its walls; it’s all really well done in conveying the information without expositing annoyingly and providing a setting that’s really grounded and clear and easy to picture.
I teared up multiple times in the reading of this book. It’s been a few years, but the grief of losing my last remaining grandparents is still close to the surface sometimes. This story brought that up in a way that never tilted toward painful. Grief is something we live with and Vo captures it in a really beautiful way in this novella. The way it changes you. The way everything changes you, but grief in its own specific way. I was really captivated by the physical manifestation of how life altering grief can be as compared to the other changes in life, I think the point was incredibly well made in that. It’s not an easy thing to balance a story centered on death and grief, either, with a tone that remains light (given the circumstances) and easy to read, but Vo found that line and made it seem effortless to keep to it. In a weird way, it was nice to grieve a little while reading.
The other aspect of this, the theme about change, I thought was really well captured, too. Vo immediatley set in Chih and Ru’s relationship and I think did an amazing job in making the audience feel their bond so quickly in such a short time. Right away I could feel that warmth and long friendship between them, then Vo spent the rest of the story stretching and changing that friendship in a really authentic way. People change, people grow, and as much as we might expect home to remain stuck in time when we leave it, it never does. I loved the they way she wrote about the changing, yet unchanged, relationship between the two of them.
I also really liked how the aspect of storytelling was incorporated in this. I remember learning new sides to my grandfather at his funeral when my aunts and uncles told stories, and Vo reflected that perfectly in Chih hearing and reacting to the stories about Cleric Thien. One of the big themes, I think, of these novellas is how stories may not have to be completely true to be authentic. How stores are passed down and may be changed, but how they’re no less important or authentic for being changed. Having some stories be about sides of Thien that Chih didn’t know or expect was very impactful. As was the question, “what was your grandfather to you but thousands of stories told over and over again?” Here is a man who you know only through stories and that is no less important and he is no less real for just being stories. I love how that tied in with the other novellas. And how these stories being personal to Chih felt different from the other novellas while still staying on theme.
Final rambling thing — just because I saw the preview today of the cover art for Vo’s upcoming novella and I love it — I was really paying more attention to the cover art for this one and there’s just so much to love. The details of each of the animals, how they’re all just different enough to be easily recognizable when you’re paying attention, but still very symmetrical when you just take a glance. How you can tell which neixen is which, but they’re also similar enough and placed so well that the full image isn’t in any way unbalanced. All the art for these novellas is beautiful, I was just more attentive of it today so I was really tickled to notice those details.
I most loved the expansion of the world building in this novella. Vo has done an amazing job previously of establishing and filling out the world of the Singing Hills Cycle, but this added a lot of color and depth to Chih themselves and the abbey. I’ve always really liked the personality and character of both Chih and Almost Brilliant that we get from the other novellas, but I’m really thrilled that more of their life and background was revealed in this one. I love good, strong world building and it’s so clear that Vo put immense thought into the world she’s created here, evident by the ideas of ceremony and ritual presented here. It’s so clear that she is really in control of her world and would have answers to pretty much every question someone would possibly have about it, and that’s a real skill and talent that I admire. What’s more is that this world is just really, really cool. I loved learning more about the abbey and its inhabitants and practices! The details of the infrastructure of the aviary and the hierarchy and positions held by the people within its walls; it’s all really well done in conveying the information without expositing annoyingly and providing a setting that’s really grounded and clear and easy to picture.
I teared up multiple times in the reading of this book. It’s been a few years, but the grief of losing my last remaining grandparents is still close to the surface sometimes. This story brought that up in a way that never tilted toward painful. Grief is something we live with and Vo captures it in a really beautiful way in this novella. The way it changes you. The way everything changes you, but grief in its own specific way. I was really captivated by the physical manifestation of how life altering grief can be as compared to the other changes in life, I think the point was incredibly well made in that. It’s not an easy thing to balance a story centered on death and grief, either, with a tone that remains light (given the circumstances) and easy to read, but Vo found that line and made it seem effortless to keep to it. In a weird way, it was nice to grieve a little while reading.
The other aspect of this, the theme about change, I thought was really well captured, too. Vo immediatley set in Chih and Ru’s relationship and I think did an amazing job in making the audience feel their bond so quickly in such a short time. Right away I could feel that warmth and long friendship between them, then Vo spent the rest of the story stretching and changing that friendship in a really authentic way. People change, people grow, and as much as we might expect home to remain stuck in time when we leave it, it never does. I loved the they way she wrote about the changing, yet unchanged, relationship between the two of them.
I also really liked how the aspect of storytelling was incorporated in this. I remember learning new sides to my grandfather at his funeral when my aunts and uncles told stories, and Vo reflected that perfectly in Chih hearing and reacting to the stories about Cleric Thien. One of the big themes, I think, of these novellas is how stories may not have to be completely true to be authentic. How stores are passed down and may be changed, but how they’re no less important or authentic for being changed. Having some stories be about sides of Thien that Chih didn’t know or expect was very impactful. As was the question, “what was your grandfather to you but thousands of stories told over and over again?” Here is a man who you know only through stories and that is no less important and he is no less real for just being stories. I love how that tied in with the other novellas. And how these stories being personal to Chih felt different from the other novellas while still staying on theme.
Final rambling thing — just because I saw the preview today of the cover art for Vo’s upcoming novella and I love it — I was really paying more attention to the cover art for this one and there’s just so much to love. The details of each of the animals, how they’re all just different enough to be easily recognizable when you’re paying attention, but still very symmetrical when you just take a glance. How you can tell which neixen is which, but they’re also similar enough and placed so well that the full image isn’t in any way unbalanced. All the art for these novellas is beautiful, I was just more attentive of it today so I was really tickled to notice those details.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Dementia
uranaishi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Ableism, Bullying, Transphobia, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail