I love learning more about Cleric Chih, and I feel like we get to spend a little more time in their head with each successive novella. In this one, Chih arrives home to the Singing Hills Abbey after four years away, only to find mammoths at the gates and to discover their presence is related to the recent death of Chih’s mentor. So, in addition to grieving, Chih now has to worry about whether mammoths are going to storm the abbey gates.
There are other changes happening in the abbey as well. Many of the clerics are temporarily away, including the Divine (the person in charge), and Chih is surprised to find that their long-time friend is the acting Divine. It’s a lot all at once. But on the bright side, Chih (and readers) get to meet Almost Brilliant’s daughter! I loved seeing the aviary and learning more about how the neixin interact with each other and the clerics.
The first two books in this series had a central story within the story. This one is more like the third book: there are a lot of small stories embedded in the frame of the larger story. It suits the narrative, and I like that it gives readers a chance to spend more time with Chih. The novella explores themes of change and coping with loss, particularly through Chih and their mentor’s neixin, alongside the more mundane overview life in the abbey is like. I really enjoyed it, as I have the other books in this series. They have consistently been solid, 4-star reads for me.
