Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing me with a free copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Previously to this I hadn't read any book by Nghi Vo so I didn't know what to expect.

This was a fascinating story of an Asian girl in Los Angeles who dreams of becoming a star in Holywood, but not the way your normal girls go about it. She is proud, ambitious, strong, she is "Atlantic-cold". And it's amazing to follow!

I was so consumed by this book and the old Hollywood world that I couldn't think of anything else throughout the day. I even started dreaming of becoming a movie star myself! 😃

However, it only gets 3 stars from me because I couldn't get used to the writing style, it felt like there was something important missing the entire time. I just can't put my finger on what it was. This book is classified as fantasy, but there was no real fantasy, it was only strong metaphors to describe people and places, but everyone was still human. Also, when Luli makes a deal with Mrs. Wiley, it needed some kind of follow-up, which it didn't get at all and it felt completely unnecessary plot line, that could have been discussed in the end and it would have been fantastic. The entire book I wasn't sure what Luli was truly hoping for, she never told us what she really wanted, only what she didn't want, so it felt as if I spent the entire book chasing her ambitions while never knowing what that was, and it bothered me.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, but unfortunately it wasn't for me and I don't feel like I will be picking up another book by this author.

Folklore, Magic, and the Golden era of Hollywood, what more could you want?

I honestly picked this book up not knowing much about it except that Nghi Vo wrote it and I trust her to create a story that's going to drag me in. And I'm so glad to say that Siren Queen didn't disappoint!

Filled with monsters figuratively and literally Siren Queen weaves a speculative magic through the very real Struggles of immigrants, women, and workers rights to create an immersive tale of becoming and changing yourself to get what you want.

Luli Wei is one of the more desperate and determined characters over read and I loved her all the more for it!

There's so much to get out of this story that you can bet I'll be going back for a reread!

4.75 stars! It's only flaw for me was it dragged a little in parts, but otherwise an almost perfect book!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for an arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

Content warning: Homophobia, anti-Asian racism, murder, sexism, violence

In an magical alternate history of old Hollywood, magic is very real and the studio heads are literal monsters. All Luli Wei is to be a star, under three conditions: no maids, no funny accidents, and no fainting, in order to carve out her own career. She will stop at nothing to get the recognition she thinks she deserves, no matter the cost.

A world of magic and fey wrapped up in the glamour of the 1920’s, an immersive, sensual experience that’s equal parts dark and fabulous.

Magic leaps off the pages in this book like glitter. It’s everywhere, from the description of why Luli wanted to become an actress to the rules governing magic. Everything can be exchanged for something greater, the first instance being hair in exchange for years added (or subtracted). It also has one of my favorite tropes in this kind of fantasy: names as currency. Luli is just the name we know our narrator as, and I don’t believe Vo ever reveals it in the text. It’s fascinating to watch and some of the puzzle unravels right before the reader’s eyes. There’s enough detail to the magic that I firmly understand what’s going on, but if there were more backstory or even more stories in this world, I am so on board.

This book fucks. The sex scenes are hot, and, in addition, do a lot to move the interpersonal and personal plots along. I loved the relationships between Luli and Emmaline and Luli and Tara. Tender and transactional in different ways, both of which lead to a veritable whirlwind of lesbian relationships that not only raise Luli’s personal stakes but impact the politicking between the actors and the executives. It’s tense. It’s hot. It works so well.

The monstrosity here is unsubtle both in its depiction and its metaphor. Watching Luli navigate with grace and determination had me majorly with my chin on my hands. I love her so much.

I will read anything Vo writes, and this book is another to add to a career of solid bangers.

I absolutely adore Nghi Vo's writing and I was so excited for this book. This book is simultaneously so eerie and beautiful. I enjoyed the subtle sci-fi aspect. We love a story about a woman finding and embracing her power in this household! It was absolutely everything I wanted and there isn't a single thing I would change about it.

Siren Queen is the tale of a girl growing up in the shadow of stardom, who dared to reach for fame on her own terms. Luli Wei is a young girl who refuses to be cast in the stereotypical roles assigned to her, instead choosing to take a chance on embodying a monster. Is this what it will take for her star to rise? What does it really mean to be a monster? How far will she go to achieve her dreams?

Luli is relentless in chasing her dreams and staying true to herself. I loved reading about her relationships, both with her lovers and her family. She is a fascinating and complex character. Siren Queen is my favorite Nghi Vo yet! It is ethereal, heartbreakingly real, and haunting. Nghi Vo writes with such vivid prose, every word is carefully selected to paint stunning pictures.

While there is a strong touch of magic within, Vo also shines an unflinching light on the real-world racism and sexism that impacted women and people of color during this time period. Siren Queen is beautifully queer and inclusive, shining a light on the LGBTQ+ members of Hollywood who history might try to erase, but without whom the film world would not be the same. I loved how Vo wrote the magic system, it is the perfect blend of whimsical magic while staying accurate to the time period.

Siren Queen would be perfect for fans of Last Night at the Telegraph Club and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I would highly recommend Siren Queen to anyone who enjoys reading about fierce heroines, the glamour and pain of stardom, and the complexities of Hollywood. Siren Queen releases on May 10, 2022. Thank you to Nghi Vo, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, Wordpress blog, and Barnes & Noble etc

I have said it before and I will say it again: Nghi Vo is one of the best writers of her generation, and whatever she writes I will read. Every story of hers is an experience that cannot necessarily be boiled down to solely simple signifiers like having interesting characters or an exciting plot. For me, immersing myself in her work means being dropped right into a strange new expanse—not necessarily landing on my feet—and instead of being told the state and inner workings of things by way of tacked-on exposition, I get to watch an intricate tapestry unfold, in awe and trepidation of what might come next. Vo's words and worlds linger like the silver kiss planted on the main character's forehead early in the story. Throughout everything Vo writes, the beauty of her prose is a constant companion carrying the reader through the story. Poetic, but not overly flowery; sublime, yet grounded.

The boundaries and rules of the magical and supernatural elements of Vo’s worlds rarely feel like they are fully explained—and that is a good thing, because that means that they are not limited in any way. It feels like I am getting a small glimpse of something vast, like if I only had another 100 pages to devour, there would be thousands upon thousands of new, strange and wonderful things to learn about this world.
Personally, I do not want to peek behind the proverbial curtain and see the totality of levers, cogs and buttons making up the unknown machinery that powers a new universe as I traverse it; I want my imagination unbound. That is what Nghi Vo gives me—a boundless field of fantasy through which my mind can run unhindered. It is an art, giving the reader just enough information so they do not feel lost throughout the story, yet leaving enough unsaid that they retain the sense of wide-eyed wonder after finishing it, and this author is an artist through and through.

What of the plot, then? Our main character is a young, queer, Chinese American woman. Luli Wei wants to be a star. She is ambitious, driven, and to those around her she appears cold, although she eventually comes into the sort of projected, steely confidence that makes others respect her, if not immediately become enamored with her. She might not be warm or soft, but she knows what she wants, and she will make them see her. Clawing her way to stardom is far from easy for Luli, and Hollywood is not always so welcoming to those deemed “wrong”; too poor, too uncultured, too freethinking, not white enough, not pliable enough… It takes an iron will to retain your identity in a world that wants nothing more than to mold you into what somebody else wants and needs. In a world where "old, hungry" cameras capturing you for the silver screen can leech the color from your skin and silent films can steal your voice, stars are born and die at the leisure of powerful studio heads who may or may not be eldritch creatures wearing skinsuits. They have very particular tastes, and are used to getting their way, but Luli Wei will not take no for an answer nor be reshaped into something she is not. They will see. They will all see.

You may think you have read this kind of story before; the underdog rising to power, against all odds. Trust me when I say that although you may find some of the story beats familiar, Siren Queen twists the narrative into something unique, and if you enjoy magical realism, urban fantasy, breathtaking prose and complex characters, you do not want to miss this one.

4.5. Nghi Vo has a deliciously lyrical way of incorporating magical realism into her work--it feels natural to the world she's built, but each instance still feels unique and awe-inspiring. (I had to read some of these instances a couple of times to fully grasp what was happening, but once I did I appreciated this technique even more.) This is a sarcastic take on the "Hollywood Golden Age" that skewers xenophobia and sexism.

If you've read her other novels--particularly The Chosen and the Beautiful--pick this one up.

A fantasy reimagining of Old Hollywood through the eyes of an ambitious, queer, Chinese-American woman. Similar to other works by Vo, the magical and fantastical elements are presented in a matter-of-fact way, without much context or explanation. An interesting look at identity, marginalization, and the desire to be seen and accepted.

Having already read some of Nghi Vo's work previously, I had very HIGH expectations for her newest work, which is inspired by Old Hollywood, only made much darker and much more magical.

Luli Wei (we never learn her real name) has always loved movies. When she was a little girl, she would trade inches off her hair for a ticket inside the theater to see Juliet kill herself over her beloved Romeo, or perhaps get a glimpse of Su Tong Lin, the only woman on the big screen who looked like her. Luck seems to be on her side when she stumbles across a movie set and is immediately chosen to be an extra for the film. The magic of movie making gets in her blood, taints it. But the world of the stars is one that will chew you up and spit you out, or worse, leave you a brainless extra that they trot out in times of need, called "nodders". Once, Luli was told she was "cold as the Atlantic", and it will be that ice in her veins that will keep her alive and famous--and grant her her most famous role as the hissing and red-tailed "siren queen". But even after fame has found her, her pride and temper might cost her more than just her next role--it might cost her her life.

This a novel that is full of a strange magic, both in the prose and the subject matter. Changelings stalk the movie sets, people drink up other people's years in teacups, and the truly famous become real life stars--hung aloft in heaven by some amazing power that also grants them immortality. Luli is a character with an amazing depth; she is bitter and strong and wise, with a surprising inner softness and loyalty. She wants to be something. But most of all, she wants to belong to herself and herself only, a hard thing in the line of work she has chosen. Told from her point of view, we get a sort of pseudo-biography that could belong to any Old Hollywood starlet, detailing her childhood spent in her family's laundry in Hungarian Hills, to her many powerful and doomed loves, if not for the whispers of monsters and magical mayhem, imps and silver kisses.

This is a book that will wrap you up in its spell, holding you fast until the very last page, and leave you gasping for more. There is no doubt that Nghi Vo is not only here to stay but a gale-force talent to be reckoned with, one that will certainly hold us captive for many more years to come.

I really loved The Chosen and The Beautiful so I was excited for this. But unfortunately, I just could not push through this book. It was too ambiguous, and even a little boring.

My first and only experience with author Nghi Vo was The Chosen and the Beautiful. While I found their writing lyrical and enchanting, I was sorely disappointed by the lack-lustre ending. Given that The Chosen and the Beautiful was meant to be a retelling of The Great Gatsby, I was ultimately unsure if my dislike ought to be attributed to Vo, or if it was something stylistic leftover from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s original work. In the end, I wanted to see what Vo could do with a completely unique narrative that was all their own. Enter Siren Queen.
Siren Queen has all the jazz age magical realism that I loved about Vo’s writing in The Chosen and the Beautiful, but the story itself felt better structured—and the ending felt satisfying as opposed to random. My favourite aspect of this novel was the unique way that Vo designed their world to highlight the commodification and consumption of their characters. Everything from their femininity, identity, exoticism, all the way down to their queerness. There was never any outright battle between good and evil, there was only this thinly layered theming around bodily and social autonomy. What about yourself are you willing to give away or hide to achieve your dream? Also, what happens when your dreams change?
To be honest, I’m not generally receptive to magical realism. I have a really hard time with it, but Siren Queen just hit right. It was pretty enough, but dark enough to have me hanging on every word, yet was never confusing or used its paranormal undertones to distract from possible plot holes. I would definitely recommend it.

It was so easy to fall in love with Nghi Vo's SIREN QUEEN. The story feels so original and the prose is stunning. I was hooked from the first sentence of the second chapter: "You might say my family is in the business of immortality." If you love the glamour of old Hollywood, this dark, magical story is for you.

Classic Hollywood is a very mythologized time and place. Its stars are familiar and its scandals many. We’re intrigued by the lurid histories of the day because we’re used to seeing the participants larger than life. With Siren Queen, Vo has created a simulacrum of that Hollywood by injecting myriad dark magics and folkloric traditions into the conventional studio system. There are changelings scouring the lot for parts, contracts that bestow or remove talents, bon fires that exist outside of time, and creatures of myth repurposed on the whims of studio heads. Separately they add a dark whimsy but taken together they overwhelm and fail to elevate the writing.

Despite the sometimes ornate backdrop the book shines when focused on its protagonist, Luli Wei, a young, movie obsessed, Chinese girl trying to make her way to the top. Written as an autobiography of Wei’s early career, Siren Queen sees her as she escapes the drudgery of her family’s laundry and grows from an impetuous child to an impetuous young woman and finally into an impetuous adult. Which isn’t to say that Wei is unchanging but some things are just innate.

At the centre of Siren Queen is Wei’s struggle with both her ambition and identity. She has had to give up so much of who she is, both culturally and personally, to become the kind of person who can survive in the glamorous world of Hollywood. Wei is presented to us as a cold and aloof presence but Vo elegantly captures the melancholic feeling of compromise in her at the same time. She may get what she wants, eventually, but there will be a price and in this world of changelings, blood pacts, and phantasmagorical fires that debt won’t be a small one.

Wei’s journey through the magic infused backlots of fantasy Hollywood is a compelling and sometimes harrowing one. There is a lot to love about her character and the people she chooses to surround herself with. The decision to erase the established history of old Hollywood in favour or something similar but magical is a bold one but Luli Wei is just so good a character that the book works despite that misstep.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

I must admit that I devored this book in less then a day-I just couldn't put it down! The story revolves around Luli Wei, a young Chinese-American girl, that wishes to become a star during the Golden Age of Hollywood. She not only needs to face racism and sexism, but also magic that stand behind all the major movie studios. Yes, magic!

Nghi Vo created a world where the historical mixes with fantastical. Lulis world is infused with actors, that change not only their name, but also face; strange rituals that help making movie hits; mythological creatures and so much more. By combining these elements with the nostalgia of Hollywood (that was only amazing for the white male actors), the author created a character who is ready to do anything to reach her stardom.

If you want a fanatsy story that is still rooted in historical facts with beautiful prose-read this book. 5+ stars

The two currently released novellas in the Singing Hills Cycle by Nghi Vo are two of my favourite books, so when I received an ARC for the author's most recent full-length novel I was beyond excited to dive into a world of glitz, glamour, and magic.
Unfortunately, the magic didn't quite rub off on me. Of course, Nghi Vo's stellar writing and dreamy, whimsical prose and worldbuilding are still present within Siren Queen, but it just... didn't work for me. The unexplained rules of magic were a little frustrating but I understood that keeping them vague and ominous was the intention; but, keeping them so vague meant that the weight of any magical decision made was never fully grasped.
Additionally, the pacing was pretty slow and dragged in places; plus, the character building felt a little surface-level to me outside of Luli's own. The ending also felt rather abrupt, and I didn't feel really satisfied by it.
It still receives a 3-star rating because, again, Nghi Vo's writing is encapsulating and beautiful, really building this magic-filled pre-code Hollywood in the reader's mind. It's an important and interesting subject to explore - that being, the rise to stardom for a Chinese-American lesbian and how difficult that was (and still is) - but it didn't fully light the spark that the author's novellas did for me, unfortunately.

If the magic of golden age Hollywood were less metaphorical and more fae, it would be Siren Queen, with all of the dark glamour and beautiful horror that implies. A young girl from Hungarian Hill in San Francisco's Chinatown becomes movie star Luli Wei, refusing to take on the cliched and restrictive roles expected of her and forging her own path through the dangerous studio system. Nghi Vo's brilliant work is recommended to lovers of magic and monsters, full of unashamed queer love and a refusal to be cowed by impossible choices.

I have this theory about how music and writing are changing, especially among queer artists, and this book slots right into it. With magic–but not a Magic System–so wild and diverse it can only be experienced, never categorized, this book sets itself apart from other Hollywood novels, other historical Chinese novels, other queer novels. The magic feels unnaturally natural but absolutely unguessable, creating a sense of dread that makes becoming a movie star the most terrifying thing in the world.

I immediately loved the premise and satire of this. It’s dark, it’s gritty, and it’s wholly intoxicating as it envelopes you into the dark side of Hollywood, the allure to sell pieces of yourself for glimpses at stardom, the hunger that’s never quite satiated.

“I was possessed, poisoned to the core by ambition.”

There’s a primal sort of fury inherent within the story which until the third act we can feel simmering just below the surface. It’s interesting how we are given so much of ‘Luli’ and yet how much is also held back, kept a mystery from readers until the end, including her real name.

“We understood immortality as a thing for men. Men lived forever in their bodies, in their statues, in the words they guarded jealously and the countries they would never let you claim. The immortality of women was a sideways thing, haphazard and contained in footnotes, as muses or silent helpers.”

The occult and dark magic is insidious and holds random different pieces of humanity and body, which was fascinating, though could have used with a bit more explanation. While magic is interweaves throughout, there’s never a solid foundation or system presented — who has magic, what kind, how it’s used, is all fairly loose and shifting. And while that may be intentional, I think I needed a bit more structure.

With haunted dolls that replace sisters, cameras that eat life, hair that steals years of life, and a hunt with blood sacrifice, it was all just a lot to take in and keep track of. What CAN the magic do and what can it NOT?

There’s sharp commentary throughout on the value of woman, the patriarchy, greed and lust, and sexuality which packed a punch. It was interesting to see the ways Luli asserted her power and strength throughout, in deceptively small but determined ways. I just wish we saw more of that monster earlier in the book as most of it really takes off in the last third of the book.

I also loved how sexuality and queerness is discussed openly, how it’s not something Luli shies away from except as needed to carve her position in film. This definitely gives The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo vibes but with much more darkness and sharpness, yet I just wish the magic and monster world was as equally developed.

Overall, a read I recommend that feels really distinct and new.

I just didn't connect with this book. It felt amateurish and it dragged horribly. I didn't feel like the plot was actually going anywhere, just kind of meandering around, and nothing seemed to fit into a cohesive narrative. I could tell pretty quickly that this just wasn't the author for me so I chose not to finish the book and to move on.

I have loved Nghi Vo's Singing Hill Cycle novellas, but this was the first of her full-length novels I have read. Obviously, it won't be my last. She has such a beautiful way with words, her stories are always an absolute joy to read. In Siren Queen, we are introduced to Luli- well, not Luli yet, but you'll have to figure that out for yourself. Luli dreams- no, yearns- to be an actress, to be Old Hollywood royalty. And we know when we first meet her that Luli is nothing if not determined. She's even willing at one point to trade 20 years of her life for stardom.

I don't want to go too in depth with Luli's escapades, for they're kind of the bread and butter of the story, but suffice it to say that Luli will certainly experience all that 1930s Hollywood had to offer, for better or worse. As we obviously know, the groups of people who were treated terribly far outnumber those who were treated well (read: just the white guys), so life for a queer Chinese-American girl, even if she happens to be a star, isn't going to be without its share of awfulness.

The men in high places in this story are presented as monsters- in some cases, literally. I didn't fully grasp the magical system that was going on here, and wasn't always sure what was meant in a literal manner versus a figurative one. But it's a pretty subtle magic, so it didn't really make much of a difference how I took it (as a logic-driven thinker, I took it to be a more figurative situation, but you do you).

While Luli deals with the constant fight to keep her career/self relevant, she is also having to figure out relationships. She does find various significant friendships, as well as romantic partners, during the book. But Luli is cold, make no mistake. She clearly has a hard time keeping people in her life, which is evidenced by her distant relationship with her family. Despite that, I could not help but root for Luli throughout. Her determination, and unwillingness to be used stereotypically by Hollywood's upper echelon is admirable.

Really, my only other qualm with the story was its loose ends. Sure, certain parts were tied up, but I had a lot of questions at the end that were unanswered. Still, certainly a worthwhile read.

Bottom Line: A look into Old Hollywood via a complex character with absolutely stunning prose makes this another win for Nghi Vo.