Book Review: A Long and Speaking Silence by Nghi Vo

A Long and Speaking Silence by Nghi Vo is the seventh novella in The Singing Hill Cycle. I’ve been a fan of all the other books in this series and this one is no different! I really enjoyed this story!

We’re stepping back in time a bit in this book and visiting some of Chih and Almost Brilliant’s early years. The pair have not been working together for that long at this point. Their relationship does feel different from other books where they are more established as solid partners. I like seeing how their relationship has grown throughout the series.

In this novella, Chih has run into a bit of trouble when they had their moneypurse stolen and so now is working as a waiter in a restaurant. They are of course still a cleric of Singing Hills Abbey so they still try to collect stories as much as they can. Some of the towns’ inhabitants are more reluctant to talk to Chih than others are, and Chih sometimes struggles with getting stories from people.

We get to see a more doubtful and unsure version of the cleric in this story. Chih is not always sure about decisions they are making and constantly worries about how they are viewed by the townspeople. Chih definitely feels like more a part of the town community whereas in other stories they have more of an outsider perspective. I liked the way this influences my view of the cleric‘s journey overall.

This was another great addition to the Singing Hills cycle! I would definitely recommend picking this one or any of the other novellas up! I will continue reading this series for as long as the author decides to continue writing it.

I received this book from NetGalley as an ARC. All opinions are my own.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Rating: 5 stars

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