Nghi Vo writes fantasy novels and novellas that move between invented empires, reworked American classics, supernatural versions of twentieth-century history, and entirely original secondary worlds.
Her bibliography is compact, but there are two places where order deserves attention.
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The Singing Hills Cycle has a publication order, yet its individual novellas are deliberately designed to stand alone. The Chosen and the Beautiful also has a later companion novella, Don’t Sleep with the Dead, which is best read afterward.
Everything else can be approached independently.
Pick the Door You Want
For Nghi Vo’s signature fantasy series, begin with The Empress of Salt and Fortune.
For a full-length historical fantasy, begin with The Chosen and the Beautiful.
For old Hollywood fantasy, choose Siren Queen.
For a completely separate secondary-world fantasy, choose The City in Glass.
For her newest published Singing Hills story, read A Long and Speaking Silence, but it is better saved until you already know Chih.
The forthcoming The Scarlet Ball is a separate novel and does not require any earlier Vo book.
Singing Hills Cycle Books in Publication Order
The published sequence is:
- The Empress of Salt and Fortune (2020)
- When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain (2020)
- Into the Riverlands (2022)
- Mammoths at the Gates (2023)
- The Brides of High Hill (2024)
- A Mouthful of Dust (2025)
- A Long and Speaking Silence (2026)
This is the recommended first reading order.
The novellas follow Cleric Chih of Singing Hills, an archivist who travels through the empire recording stories, oral histories, legends, and the memories that official accounts often leave behind.
Each book tells a largely self-contained story.
Do the Singing Hills Books Have to Be Read in Order?
No.
The publisher explicitly describes the novellas as standalone stories linked by Chih and says they may be read in any order.
That makes Singing Hills different from a conventional seven-volume fantasy saga.
However, publication order still gives a new reader the smoothest introduction to Chih, Almost Brilliant, Singing Hills Abbey, and the evolving emotional context around recurring characters.
For a first read, use publication order.
For a reread, moving around the sequence works well.
The Empress of Salt and Fortune
The Empress of Salt and Fortune was published in 2020 and begins the Singing Hills Cycle.
Chih visits a palace once occupied by Empress In-yo and listens as an elderly former servant reconstructs the empress’s rise through objects, memories, and seemingly small details.
It introduces the series’ basic method: Chih is often not the hero of the historical story being told, but the person preserving it.
Recommended status: Start here.
When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain
When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain is the second novella.
Chih must keep a group of dangerous tigers occupied by telling a story about a scholar and her tiger lover.
The tigers have their own version of that story.
It can be read independently, but publication order gives the reader a clearer sense of Chih’s role as collector, listener, and occasional participant.
Into the Riverlands
Into the Riverlands is Book 3.
Chih travels through the riverlands and becomes caught up in stories involving martial artists, bandits, legends, and people whose real lives do not always match the stories told about them.
It is another accessible standalone adventure.
Read it third if following the cycle from the beginning.
Mammoths at the Gates
Mammoths at the Gates is Book 4.
This installment brings Chih back to Singing Hills Abbey after the death of their mentor, Cleric Thien.
Because it deals more directly with Chih’s home, relationships, and personal history, earlier familiarity with the series adds more than it does in some of the other volumes.
It is still understandable alone, but this is one of the stronger arguments for publication order.
The Brides of High Hill
The Brides of High Hill is Book 5.
Chih accompanies a bride to an isolated estate and becomes involved in a gothic mystery.
The book changes tone without changing continuity.
It remains part of the same Singing Hills world and should be read fifth for a complete publication-order read.
A Mouthful of Dust
A Mouthful of Dust was published on October 7, 2025.
It is Singing Hills Book 6.
Chih and Almost Brilliant reach Baolin while investigating stories surrounding an old famine and the actions taken by powerful people during that disaster.
Status: Published.
Do not confuse later paperback dates with the original 2025 release.
A Long and Speaking Silence
A Long and Speaking Silence was published May 5, 2026.
It is officially the seventh Singing Hills entry.
The story returns to the earliest period of Chih’s wandering career, when they have only recently stopped being Novice Chih and are learning how to function as a traveling cleric.
That makes it a chronological prequel to much of the series.
Should A Long and Speaking Silence Be Read First?
Not on a first reading.
Chronologically, it depicts an earlier Chih.
Publication-wise, it is Book 7.
Readers who already know Chih will recognize the significance of seeing them at the beginning of their career, while a completely new reader gets a more deliberate introduction from The Empress of Salt and Fortune.
Use:
- The Empress of Salt and Fortune
- When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain
- Into the Riverlands
- Mammoths at the Gates
- The Brides of High Hill
- A Mouthful of Dust
- A Long and Speaking Silence
Singing Hills Chronological Order
A precise chronology is less useful than it might appear because many of the novellas contain stories nested inside stories from much earlier historical periods.
If the question is only Chih’s own life, A Long and Speaking Silence belongs near the beginning.
But moving it to Book 1 changes the intended publication progression.
For a first read:
Use publication order.
For a Chih-focused reread:
A Long and Speaking Silence can be moved earlier.
There is no need to rearrange every embedded historical tale.
Is Singing Hills Complete?
No final volume has been announced as the definitive end of the cycle.
Seven novellas have been published as of August 9, 2026.
The current published sequence ends with:
A Long and Speaking Silence
The series remains open to further standalone stories.
The Chosen and the Beautiful Books in Order
This part of Vo’s bibliography now has two connected works:
- The Chosen and the Beautiful (2021)
- Don’t Sleep with the Dead (2025)
Read them in that order.
The Chosen and the Beautiful reimagines The Great Gatsby from Jordan Baker’s perspective in a version of 1920s America where magic, ghosts, infernal bargains, race, sexuality, and social privilege alter the familiar story.
Don’t Sleep with the Dead returns to that world later.
The Chosen and the Beautiful
The Chosen and the Beautiful was Vo’s debut full-length novel.
Jordan Baker is reimagined as a queer Vietnamese adoptee moving through the wealthy social world associated with Jay Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan, and Nick Carraway.
The novel follows the broad framework of The Great Gatsby while creating its own supernatural history and interpretation.
Read it before Don’t Sleep with the Dead.
Do You Need to Read The Great Gatsby First?
No.
Familiarity with The Great Gatsby gives additional context because Vo deliberately revises its characters, events, and assumptions.
However, The Chosen and the Beautiful functions as its own fantasy novel.
A reader unfamiliar with Fitzgerald can still follow Jordan’s story.
Don’t Sleep with the Dead
Don’t Sleep with the Dead was published April 8, 2025.
It is described by the publisher as a standalone companion novella to The Chosen and the Beautiful.
The story moves forward to the late 1930s and centers on Nick Carraway.
It revisits people and consequences connected to the earlier novel.
Can Don’t Sleep with the Dead Be Read Alone?
Yes, technically.
The publisher presents it as a standalone companion, and its central story can be understood independently.
Still, this is one case where “standalone” does not mean “best starting point.”
The earlier novel establishes Vo’s version of Gatsby’s world and the people whose history matters to Nick.
The recommended order is:
- The Chosen and the Beautiful
- Don’t Sleep with the Dead
Is Don’t Sleep with the Dead Book 2?
It is better called a companion novella than a conventional Book 2.
It moves forward from the earlier novel and shares its world, but it is shorter and changes the central viewpoint.
For reading purposes, however, it absolutely belongs after The Chosen and the Beautiful.
Siren Queen
Siren Queen was published in 2022.
It is a standalone historical fantasy set in an alternate version of old Hollywood where studio power is reinforced by literal magic, bargains, sacrifice, and monsters.
The protagonist, Luli Wei, attempts to build a career without surrendering herself to the forces controlling the film industry.
Siren Queen is not connected to The Chosen and the Beautiful.
Both use fantastical versions of twentieth-century America, but they have separate characters and continuities.
Status: Standalone.
The City in Glass
The City in Glass was published in 2024.
It is a standalone fantasy centered on the demon Vitrine, the city of Azril, and an angel connected to the city’s destruction.
The story spans long periods of memory, loss, rebuilding, and transformation.
It has no Singing Hills connection.
It is also unrelated to Vo’s American historical fantasies.
Status: Standalone.
Is The City in Glass Part of a Series?
No current publisher designation identifies it as the beginning of a series.
Treat it as a complete standalone novel.
The Scarlet Ball
The Scarlet Ball is scheduled for October 6, 2026.
As of August 9, 2026, it is forthcoming.
The novel takes place in a fantastical version of Gilded Age New York and follows Judith Ban, who enters elite society under another woman’s identity.
Its premise involves demonic marriages, wealth, social power, and dangerous rituals.
Is The Scarlet Ball Connected to The Chosen and the Beautiful?
No confirmed shared continuity has been announced.
Both transform periods of American high society through fantasy, but similarity of setting and method does not establish that they occupy the same universe.
Treat The Scarlet Ball as:
Separate continuity, forthcoming
unless Vo or the publisher later establishes a direct connection.
Nghi Vo Full-Length Novels in Publication Order
The published and announced full-length novels are:
- The Chosen and the Beautiful (2021)
- Siren Queen (2022)
- The City in Glass (2024)
- The Scarlet Ball (2026, forthcoming)
These do not form a four-book series.
Each should be evaluated separately, with the one exception that The Chosen and the Beautiful has the later companion novella Don’t Sleep with the Dead.
Nghi Vo Book-Length Fiction in Publication Order
Combining novels and Singing Hills novellas gives:
- The Empress of Salt and Fortune (2020)
- When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain (2020)
- The Chosen and the Beautiful (2021)
- Siren Queen (2022)
- Into the Riverlands (2022)
- Mammoths at the Gates (2023)
- The Brides of High Hill (2024)
- The City in Glass (2024)
- Don’t Sleep with the Dead (2025)
- A Mouthful of Dust (2025)
- A Long and Speaking Silence (2026)
- The Scarlet Ball (2026, forthcoming)
This is a career chronology, not a recommended master reading sequence.
It would unnecessarily interrupt the Singing Hills Cycle with unrelated novels.
Why an Overall Publication Order Is Optional
Vo’s separate worlds do not require cross-series chronology.
Reading Siren Queen between Singing Hills Books 2 and 3 does not improve Chih’s story.
Likewise, The City in Glass has no narrative role between The Brides of High Hill and A Mouthful of Dust.
A better approach is to finish whichever continuity you choose.
For Singing Hills, stay with Chih.
For the Gatsby-related books, read The Chosen and the Beautiful before Don’t Sleep with the Dead.
Everything else can be selected independently.
Nghi Vo Short Fiction
Vo has also published short stories outside her book-length fiction.
Notable examples include On the Fox Roads and other stories published in magazines, anthologies, and online venues.
These do not currently form another required series.
Readers interested primarily in her books do not need to track every short story before beginning Singing Hills or one of the novels.
On the Fox Roads
On the Fox Roads is a standalone short story.
It uses a fantastical version of twentieth-century America and has appeared as separately accessible short fiction.
It should not be inserted into the Chosen and the Beautiful sequence without an explicit continuity connection.
Status: Separate short fiction.
Are Nghi Vo’s American Fantasies All Connected?
No confirmed single universe joins:
The Chosen and the Beautiful
Don’t Sleep with the Dead
Siren Queen
The Scarlet Ball
On the Fox Roads
Some share historical periods, American settings, supernatural bargains, racial and social exclusion, and magical reinterpretations of history.
Those recurring concerns are thematic.
Only The Chosen and the Beautiful and Don’t Sleep with the Dead have a clearly established narrative relationship.
Is Singing Hills Connected to Any of the Novels?
No.
The Singing Hills Cycle takes place in its own fantasy world centered on the empire of Ahn and the clerics of Singing Hills.
The full-length novels occupy separate settings.
Do not move from Singing Hills into The City in Glass expecting the same world.
Which Nghi Vo Books Can Be Read Completely Alone?
The clearest standalone choices are:
- Siren Queen
- The City in Glass
- The Scarlet Ball, when published
The Chosen and the Beautiful also works as its own novel, but it now has a connected companion novella.
Each Singing Hills novella can technically stand alone, although reading the cycle from the beginning gives more context for Chih.
Which Nghi Vo Book Should You Read First?
For most fantasy readers:
The Empress of Salt and Fortune
It is short, introduces Vo’s most established continuing world, and requires no prior knowledge.
Readers looking specifically for a novel rather than a novella can start with:
The Chosen and the Beautiful
Readers wanting an entirely original standalone fantasy can choose:
The City in Glass
What Is Nghi Vo’s Latest Published Book?
As of August 9, 2026, the newest published book is:
A Long and Speaking Silence
It was published May 5, 2026 and is Singing Hills Book 7.
What Is Nghi Vo’s Next Book?
The next confirmed book is:
The Scarlet Ball
It is scheduled for October 6, 2026.
Because that date is still in the future as of this update, it should be labeled forthcoming rather than latest published.
Are There More Singing Hills Books Coming?
The series has not been formally presented as complete.
Seven entries are currently published.
No later Singing Hills title with a confirmed publication date should be added until it is officially announced.
Nghi Vo Books in Order FAQs
What order should I read the Singing Hills Cycle?
For a first read:
- The Empress of Salt and Fortune
- When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain
- Into the Riverlands
- Mammoths at the Gates
- The Brides of High Hill
- A Mouthful of Dust
- A Long and Speaking Silence
Can Singing Hills be read out of order?
Yes.
The publisher explicitly describes the novellas as standalone stories that may be read in any order.
Publication order is still the easiest recommendation for newcomers.
Is A Long and Speaking Silence Book 7?
Yes.
It is the seventh published Singing Hills novella.
Is A Long and Speaking Silence a prequel?
In terms of Chih’s personal history, it returns to the beginning of their career as a wandering cleric.
That gives it prequel-like placement chronologically.
It was nevertheless published as the seventh entry.
Should I read A Long and Speaking Silence before The Empress of Salt and Fortune?
Not for a first read.
Begin with The Empress of Salt and Fortune.
What order are The Chosen and the Beautiful books?
Use:
- The Chosen and the Beautiful
- Don’t Sleep with the Dead
The second is a companion novella rather than a conventional full-length sequel.
Can Don’t Sleep with the Dead be read without The Chosen and the Beautiful?
Yes, but reading The Chosen and the Beautiful first gives stronger context.
Is Siren Queen connected to The Chosen and the Beautiful?
No confirmed continuity connects them.
Treat Siren Queen as standalone.
Is The City in Glass part of Singing Hills?
No.
It is a separate standalone fantasy.
Is The Scarlet Ball part of a series?
No series connection has been confirmed as of August 9, 2026.
Treat it as a forthcoming standalone.
What is Nghi Vo’s newest book?
The newest published book is A Long and Speaking Silence, released May 5, 2026.
What is Nghi Vo’s next release?
The Scarlet Ball, scheduled for October 6, 2026.
How many Singing Hills books are there?
Seven have been published as of August 9, 2026.
Is Singing Hills finished?
No definitive conclusion has been announced.
The current published sequence ends with A Long and Speaking Silence.
The Reading Path With the Fewest Wrong Turns
Nghi Vo’s bibliography only needs two firm rules.
For Singing Hills, begin with The Empress of Salt and Fortune and follow publication order through A Long and Speaking Silence. The books may be read independently, but publication order gives Chih’s recurring presence and relationships more shape.
For Vo’s Gatsby-related fantasy, read The Chosen and the Beautiful before Don’t Sleep with the Dead.
After that, there is no hidden sequence to solve. Siren Queen and The City in Glass stand alone, while The Scarlet Ball is a separate forthcoming novel.
The safest starting point remains The Empress of Salt and Fortune. It introduces Vo’s longest-running world without requiring any other book first.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.