*I received a physical copy via Tor. All reviews are my own.
We are back with another take on Nghi Vo's Singing Hills Cycle series. Even though each book in the pentalogy can be viewed as a standalone novella, I still want to keep up with the nature of events by returning to the beginning. Today, we're discussing Book Two: When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain.
"The cleric Chih finds themself and their companions at the mercy of a band of fierce tigers who ache with hunger. To stay alive until the mammoths can save them, Chih must unwind the intricate, layered story of the tiger and her scholar lover—a woman of courage, intelligence, and beauty—and discover how truth can survive becoming history."
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We continue the journey with Chih, a memory-recording cleric, through their trek through the Ahn Empire when they come across a band of hungry tigers. Reminiscent of Scherezade and her 1001 tales, Chih must keep the story of the tiger's beloved saint going to survive the night. But they must get the tale right. Otherwise, it's kitty food for them.
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So far, this is my least favorite of the series. I had a hard time getting into the lush of the story. I guess the tigers didn't captivate me as much. In The Empress of Salt and Fortune, we had a good underdog story with a choppy timeline, and the readers had to piece together to get the full power of events. WTTCDTM is a cat-and-mouse story of survival and intrigue. I'm not sure why I disconnected from the tale so much, but I did appreciate the narration and the threat of "correct it or die."
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After a battle between whole and half stars, I rated this book 3-stars. I have two more novellas to get through (they just announced three more in the next couple of years), but the storytelling is still something to behold. Despite Book Two being on the lower tier of the Singing Hills Cycle series for me, I am invested in Cleric Chih and their journey. I can't wait to see what they'll stumble onto next!
When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain is available now!
