This is an interesting blend of the toxic Hollywood culture (especially in the 1920s-40s) and a fairy court. Imagine getting famous depending on making a deal with a devil and thats what this book gives you.

I've read a lot of Nghi Vo's work but never really loved anything until I read this. It almost reads like magical realism where everyday things are magical thing and magic is part of the everyday.

Highly recommend if you like magical realism, the golden age of Hollywood, or Fae stories.

The author who is blessed with really beautiful covers is back at it again with another novella but with a very different vibe. I would tag this to be magical realism/historical fiction taking place in Hollywood 1920’s era and the magic comes in the form of humans harboring monsters beneath their skin. Of course that throws in a lot of dark and haunting material for our main character who just wants to be a star and we follow her as she searches for the next big break while uncovering some sinister spooky monsters. I absolutely love the dark fantastical twist to this one but I couldn't quite get attached to the characters. There is truly a lot going on here that maybe took away from the characters full development..
Full review to come on YouTube.

Siren Queen by Nghi Vo is the story of a young Chinese American girl in love with becoming a star. Esme Ling is leaving her name behind, her family, and the past to become a star.

Esme Ling becomes "CK" as she enters the scene. She's just a young girl on set that gets a line here and there. As she grows up, opportunities present themselves.

Turns out, "CK" is a smart kid. She tracks down crucial information and learns to barter with devils themselves.

"CK" becomes Luli Wei. Luli Wei is on her way to becoming a star. It isn't easy by any means. Roles for a young Chinese American girl are not flattering. Luli Wei will not undermine herself.

Along the way, Luli Wei finds fire, friends, and lovers. There are a few enemies, but Luli Wei can't give up now. She has sacrificed literal years off of her life.

As things begin to burn, Luli Wei finds her light. Finally, a star!

Oh, my! I loved reading this! Old movies, magic, and girl crushes. What's not to like? So brilliant that you'll need glasses. Nice huge movie star glasses.

What a splendid read!

This book does not spoon-feed, but it keeps you reading until you absorb the world of the story and it all makes sense.

The story is told from the point of view of the main character, years later. This makes the book a safer read than it would otherwise be, as things are pretty dark and intense. It is axiomatic in the book that life is unsafe anyway, and even more terrifying if you move too far outside roles authorised by the powers that be. Which is what Luli does. I deeply appreciate the depiction of personal risk, personal stakes and personal danger in this book.

The characters, world and plot are nuanced, rich and engrossing. Complexity and intersectionality permeate everything. But! It's a wonderful fantasy story about Hollywood too! The only very real risk with reading this book, is expecting everything else you read to be as good. I'm going to be turning this book over in the back of my mind for a long time. I will never hear certain phrases and expressions in the same way ever again.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book tells the story of Luli Wei, the daughter of a poor family living in Hungarian Hill in Los Angeles. Luli and her sister help her mum in their laundry business which is hard work but one day when she wanders a bit further from home she finds herself in the middle of a film set. She falls in love with the whole thing as she has always loved watching films, and finds herself becoming more and more involved. So in the synopsis, you already know that Luli becomes a movie star but how and what she has to do to get there on her own terms is difficult at best!
I found this book endearing and sad in parts for her and fellow actors, with hints of the dark side of climbing the success ladder. I read it very quickly. Who wouldn't want to read about the trials and tribulations of becoming a movie star, to expand your career when you're not easily cast in a film amongst other things..
It was written well, and I felt like I was Luli's friend within the story, i felt her emotions when things were good and when they were bad, but all along I was rooting for Luli. A heroine for the under dog!!. It was fantastic and not something I've read in this context before. I wholeheartedly give this book five stars and hope to read more from Nghi Vo, a great storyteller!.
Many thanks to Netgalley for the free arc book for an honest review.
#Netgalley, #nghivowriting, #Macmillan-Tor/Forge.

Feeling like something Ryan Murphy would long to adapt, Nghi Vo’s latest novel is a gorgeously written ode to the Golden age of Hollywood and the stars who lit up the screen. Loosely based on the life of Anna May Wong, who was considered to be the first Chinese American Hollywood movie star, here she is CK a young girl living in Los Angeles who spends her free time aiding her parents in their laundry business.
Fascinated with the movies, she spends as much of her free time as she can sitting in a darkened theatre and drinking in the stories unfolding on the silver screen. As luck would have it she is literally plucked off the street one day to play a homeless urchin, which serves as her entry point and begins her skyward trajectory.
But from here Vo takes your traditional Hollywood tale and enrobes it in a supernatural shroud, studio heads literal monsters clothed in the skins of humans, their acting minions meal tickets in both a figurative and literal sense.
CK’s journey mirrors Etta May’s real life one, an actress fighting against playing stereotypical roles and being relegated to nothing more than human scenery, even if it means embracing both the monster role they offer her, and the inner one that is feeding off her ambition.
I really loved this read. I thought it highly creative, loads of fun and appreciated all that she was tackling here with race, gender and sexuality. I’m certain there were things I missed and this would be a great book to read with a group simply to break down all the visuals she creates. I’m speaking specifically of the backlots at night, but there’s plenty more. Recommended.
Thanks to @tordotcom and @netgalley for the advance reader copy. #SirenQueen is out now.

Luli Wei is a Chinese American girl trying to make it in Old Hollywood. In a world of magic and monsters, Luli will have to figure out who she is, what and/or who she is willing to sacrifice in order to achieve her lifelong dream of stardom.

This was my first time reading a book by Nghi Vo and while I enjoyed the idea and premise of the story, ultimately this one was a little bit of a miss for me. Luli is a very detached character. She is hard to relate to and because of that I had a hard time figuring out why she wanted to get into Old Hollywood, what was so special about her that kept her around. Certainly it wasn't her personality. I needed to feel some connection with the MC, and I didn't feel anything with Luli. I kept wondering where this was going to go and what connected it all.

My other issue with this was the fantasy aspect of it. It didn't feel fleshed out enough for me. It was just sort of there. I, personally, like fantasy that gives you some sort of structure as a reader. Elements are explained and generally make sense at some point in the story, where as with The Siren Queen, they just are. It doesn't give the story that extra "wow" factor that I was hoping for.

You could take out the fantasy aspect all together and still be left with a story about a girl trying to navigate 1930's Old Hollywood, fighting sexism, racism, and figuring out her own way, that would have been just as interesting. I did enjoy reading The Siren Queen and would still recommend it for anyone looking just to try something totally different or for fans of a more abstract fantasy.

Happy release day to Siren Queen by Nghi Vo!!! Big thanks to @tordotcompub and @netgalley for the e-arc, it was just the thing I needed to get me out of my reading slump!

Siren Queen is a book I feel like is going to be quite polarizing - you'll either love it or you won't. With Nghi Vo's signature lush and lyrical prose, I was completely swept up by the story.

Siren Queen follows Luli Wei (though, that hasn't always been her name), the daughter of first and second generation Chinese American immigrants, as she discovers the magic of film and the dangers of pre-Code Hollywood. This is a book full of ambition, community, alienation, and dark unexplained magic.

I loved it, I practically devoured it in one sitting because the prose caught me and wouldn't let go. Siren Queen is more akin to The Chosen and the Beautiful than the Singing Hills Cycle, but I felt like the magic and fantasy elements of the story (though still unexplained) were a lot more successfully incorporated into this book than in TCatB .

It's a very fae feeling world. We're kept in this constant twilight/haze as to the whole picture - sacrifices, dark deals, monsters in human skin, cameras that leach away your essence - but the mystery adds to the story and to Luli as an unreliable narrator. It was all very atmospheric and eerie, adding an extra sense of danger to the story.

I loved Luli. Told with first person narration, we still feel a sense of distance from Luli. She is a character who is cold and ambitious and I love that we also got to see that in the narration style. As someone who is already othered, she is not afraid of being seen as monstrous or of fighting for what she wants. But her harsh or selfish actions don't always come w/o consequences as she makes enemies and endangers the people and communities she cares about.

It's a dark, but still hopeful book and I loved the way it included a really intersectional look at marginalization with Luli having her privilege checked more than once. I also loved the different familial, platonic, and romantic relationships between women and, of course, the queer rep!

Overall, I definitely recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for allowing me to read this ARC!

Content Warning: violence, racism, xenophobia, misogyny, homophobia, sexual assault, sexual harassment, anti-Semitism.

Luli Wei is determined to make a name for herself. In her world, monsters are real, and there's nowhere they're more popular than Hollywood. Growing up in Hungarian Hill, working in her family's laundry, Luli is enchanted as a child by cinema, with its starlets and the fame that follows them. When she's given the opportunity to work on sets, she takes it, but her ambition doesn't stop there. Luli refuses to take the demeaning roles of maids and "fainting flowers," but as for playing the monster, she realizes that perhaps it isn't so bad -- and it might suit her just fine.

There's no one that can write quite like Nghi Vo. Every time I read one of her stories, I'm blown away by her attention to detail, her ability to make characters leap from the page, and the sheer beauty of her prose. When I picked up Siren Queen, I was certain that I'd love it, and I'm happy to say that as it turns out, I was right!

Once again, Vo is creating magic. From the first page, I was captivated by her gorgeous descriptions, and for me, it was instant love with Luli. She's allowed her monstrousness, an exploration of the racism that creates the infamous "Dragon Lady" stereotype, and here, Vo takes it back for Asian women with a beautiful vengeance. In spite of the boxes that they try to corner Luli into, she defies them all, rising up to become something far beyond the petty imaginations of her white costars, directors, and screenwriters. She faces obstacles that her white costars never have to face to begin with, and I think that her story of triumph, despite the odds, despite those who try their hardest to bring her down, will resonate beautifully with those still fighting these very same problems today.

Reading this book transports you into another world. I was so pleased to see that there are some remnants of the magic seen in The Chosen and the Beautiful here, and it always excites me to realize that in Vo's next book, we might see a little more of what lurks beneath the surface. While some people might find it a little frustrating, I personally love that Vo leaves some things unexplained, adding to the sensation both of a whole world just beyond our view, and the mystery that makes her stories so compelling in the first place.

At the heart of this story is Luli's relationship with her identity as a Chinese woman, a lesbian, and how those things change how she views the world and how the world views her. Her dynamics with the women she falls in love with were all equally interesting, and I particularly appreciated that there's something beautiful and otherworldly in her love for all of them. I would've loved to see a bit more of Luli's relationship with her sister, as well as Jane, and I'd be only too happy to read their stories should Vo decide to elaborate on their lives.

The ending took my breath away. There's no other way to put it. For a moment, it was as if everything stopped. Luli's legacy and impact, in the flesh, and in these difficult times, when we are discussing whether or not the overturning of Roe v. Wade may lead to the destruction of LGBT rights as well, it was something so moving that it nearly brought me to tears. Once again, Vo has done it: created something that lives beyond the page, something that will leave its readers full of emotion and remembering this book for a long, long time.

Highly, highly recommended. Stunning and compelling, timely, and a fantastic glimpse into the world of Pre-Code Hollywood.

3 stars, a well-written book but I struggled to get into it.

Nghi Vo is one of the most talented fantasy writers around and a truly exceptional prose stylist. However, while I've loved her past works, this one was more difficult for me. Part of that problem was that I personally am just not very interested in Hollywood stories and another part of the problem is that this story is a little too conventional in terms of its themes. I get that stories about Hollywood return to themes about how sordid and predatory it is for good reason (they're very much based in reality) but I feel like Vo never quite found the right spin to take those well-trod themes out of the realm of conventional Hollywood stories. The line by line writing is as immaculate as ever and the characters are fascinating on their own but they needed a less familiar story to be in to truly shine.

I'm sure that if you're more interested in this type of story than I am, it will be a better read for you but I'm not completely sure of that. By the end of it, I was purely reading for the joy of the prose as I was not really surprised by the actual arc of the plot. I will still read Vo's next book because I admire her talent but this book just wasn't as enthralling as her past few releases.

This is the epitome of beautiful writing. If you're on the hunt for distinct lyrical prose, I think you might fall in love with Nghi Vo's style. I'm personally not much of a lover of purple prose; I'm boring and prefer something more straight forward. So it took a while for me to get used to the storytelling. However, the parts of the narrative that were more direct, I LOVED. I would advice readers to find an excerpt of the book before picking it up. I believe that there is a distinct audience for this but not everyone will be the right audience for it.

But other than that, the journey that Luli goes through to reach her goals. Gosh, it's so beautiful. There's another Sapphic Hollywood story that is being compared to Siren Queen, but I cannot for the life of me think of why I should pick that up when I've already read this stunning book. Luli is definitely a character that I could see myself thinking of going forward. I'm not likely to forget her, is what I'm saying.

I'm giving this a 4 star for now because of some of the middle parts of the book. But I feel like I'll still sing this book's praises as if I'd rated it 6/5. An extra star for Luli!

Unfortunately, this book was not the right fit for me. While I like dreamy, abstract writing in certain circumstances, my brain was desperate for more structure while reading this book. The magic never felt like it had the consistency I craved, and trying to put it into context with the vintage Hollywood world being spun out didn't work for me. However, if abstract magic systems in an intersectional look at old Hollywood with fever dream writing sound like your thing (and I know that sounds like someone's thing) than this is the book for you.

This book was so interesting and inventive. I love the way that magic and fantasy were woven into old-glamour Hollywood. It's combining two of my favorite topics into one story.

Every time we were taken through a new venture for Luli, I wasn't sure where we would go but with her determined spirit I was always rooting for her.

Things just exist in this world and it is a wild ride. I'd highly recommend if you enjoy speculative fantasy and historical Hollywood.

I received a copy of The Siren Queen by Nghi Vo from Tor Books in exchange for an honest review.

If you have ever read a Nghi Vo book than I don't think you need much to also pick up this latest release from Nghi Vo. Once again, Nghi Vo weaves a story filled with magic, mystery, and depth. And as always, I find myself completely confused, lost, yet entranced from the very start by the story, characters, and the world created. In The Siren Queen, we are introduced to a young Chinese American girl who finds herself drawn and lured to the mysterious and dangerous world of film. In this world, Hollywood is a place filled with monsters, magic, and bargains that can allow one to rise or fall in fame and infamy. As Luli Wei embarks on her journey towards this dream, she too will have to sacrifice things along the way - family, identity, and freedoms that are not obvious until taken away. Truly enchanting - truly a world that only Nghi Vo can write and create for readers - and once again, I eagerly await the next magical world that Nghi Vo brings to life in her pages.

this is my first Nghi Vo novel soI didn't quite know what to expect. I ended up DNFing it as I couldn't get into it and found myself beginning to fall into a slump. Perhaps I should have started with The Chosen and the Beautiful first instead of Siren Queen. I do really like Vo's detailed writing but I found it hard to discern what was magical realism and what was simply a metaphor. Maybe I'll get back to this one in the future.

Siren Queen by Nghi Vo transports readers back to the area of Hollywood's big studios, but all is not as it seems. In this fantasy historical fiction, Hollywood is filled with magic. Not silver screen magic, but something dark lingering under the surface.

Vo delivers Luli Wei, a queer Chinese American, into this setting for a tale of ambition, desire, and discovery. Wei's journey of identity is grounded in the hatred and prejudice of the period, and holds meaning for a modern audience. The narrative doubles as suspenseful page turner and social metaphor. Vo creates a strong voice for Wei and a world that envelops the reader. Excellent fantasy and science fiction should transport readers while holding a mirror to society. Siren Queen successfully does both.

Vo's magic as an author is greater than the events on the page. She captures the glamor of classic Hollywood while imbuing it with an evil presence darker than the greed and power of real life.

A dreamy, often nightmarish fantasy tale of the early era of the silver screen. Really lush while being simultaneously eerie. Can be a little hard to follow at times.

Magical realism, folklore and Hollywood. . . put them in a jar and shake them loose. This wasn't a mix I was missing but after Siren Queen, I want more. I like monsters.

Luli Wei, desperate and determined, she wants to be a star! She walks a balance of staying true to who she is (does she even know?) and who they want her to be. Refusing to play the part of maid, no accents and definitely no fainting. . . what is left is to play is the monster, and well, Luli does that really well.

It's a battle, a constant shift between the powers and magic and the absolute chaos of it. Trading hair for years of your life seems to be the norm in this wild ride. (Listing anything else might give it away). The life that Luli fights for comes at a cost, it's a barter, if you want something you have to be willing to give something up in return.

Explosive in the sensual experience, allowing two very different women to come into Luli's life at different points raising the risks of being who she is. She follows her heart each time relishing in the connections. Daring it to be wrong in all the right ways. Taking on monster in many forms.

The writing was beautiful, I read along while listening. Audiobooks are sort of new to me. I tend to get distracted easily. However, I've been reading along at times and others so focused there was no way to be distracted. Wonderful narrating job on this one!

Thank you so much to @tordotcom and @macmillan.audio and Nghi Vo for the advanced gifted copies for review!

“𝘛𝘪𝘯𝘺 𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘚𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘦𝘴. 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘦’𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘢𝘴𝘵, 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘨𝘢𝘳. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘴?”

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor for my ARC of this book. This novel was really interesting. It combines elements of magical realism and classic Hollywood to make a story about racism, lesbianism and the cost of stardom.
The protagonist, a young Chinese woman growing up close to Hollywood, falls In love with movies and the glamorous actors in those movies. She would do anything to get into that world but it is a world that is ruthless for anyone but is also one that only has space for her in a very narrow box; maids, “funny talkers” and “fainting flowers”. When she gets the chance to play a monster, she carves out a new route for women like her, one that is still othering and racist but has a sense of power to it too. But old rich white men make sure that rewriting rules have consequences and it will cost her dearly. She will have to decide whether she is willing to play the game, or whether something else is worth tearing it down for.
This was a powerful story that I really enjoyed. I did find in places that the magical realism made it a little difficult to figure out what was actually happening in the story and what was a metaphor but overall the effect was intentional in a way, obscuring the clear path and reflecting the disorientation of the plot itself. The relationships in this story were well done and believable, though I wanted more time to explore the relationship between the narrator and her sister though, to be honest, I would also read a whole novel just about their relationship. Definitely worth reading.

Such an interesting take on old Hollywood. Filled with monsters that rule Hollywood. Definitely a different type of story. Thanks to netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!