An emotionally gripping yet cozy read. . .

Just as beautiful on re-reading as the first time. Nghi Vo writes with such captivating skill that is brought to life even more by Cindy Kay. This first book made me a fan, and has led to my love of The Singing Hills Cycle. The method chosen for these books - of having a story being told by and to the cleric Chi who is akin to a storyteller or bard - is not like any others I've read. Each story told is captivating yet Chi themselves, as well as Almost Brilliant, are such well-developed characters even in this first installment which is still one of my top favorite reads. My other favorite element is that the story in this book isn't about who one would expect it to be. I will always recommend these books to people like nonstop.