Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Historical Fiction + Fantasy + LGBTQIA

Siren Queen is a historical fiction about the coming of age of a Chinese- American girl called Luli. It is set in the golden era of Hollywood (the pre-code era of Hollywood). This Chinese Kid (CK) as she is being called gets the chance to get small parts in movies as a child actor. This girl then will work very hard to achieve the status she aspires to in the film industry.

Mixing historical fiction with magical realism doesn’t work for me all the time. Fortunately, it worked here. Keep in mind that the fantasy elements here are subtle and not as prominent as those you read in an epic fantasy story. The book is less than 250 pages yet it felt stuffed with events. The author has written a very beautiful story. Lots of captivating and poetic prose.

The story has strong representations in terms of sexuality and race. These representations are not there just for the sake of adding them. They are integral parts of the story and several key scenes and events revolve around them. Having the story set in that era gave the author lots of room to exhibit the kind of partiality, racism, homophobia, and other issues that society in general and Hollywood in specific have suffered from. We get to see the main character going through all these hardships from her childhood until she is starring in her movie Siren Queen.

I loved the dark and surreal atmosphere of the book. I feel it will leave a strong impact on most of the readers if not all of them.

Many thanks to the publisher Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tordotcom, and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader copy of this book.

Okay, full disclosure, I loved this book. I was not sure I was going too - I've always found the Hollywood setting to be pretty uninteresting to me, no matter what year it takes place in. But this was just such a gorgeous story, I couldn't help but get dragged into it's beautiful yet brutal world.

The strongest aspect is definitely the main character, Luli Wei. Her dream is to become one of Hollywood's stars, and in a world very similar to ours but filled with magical deals, it is also a chance to become immortal. The world felt intimately real, and I fully believed that Hollywood functioned on literal deals with the devil.

Thematically, it deals with the intersections between being lesbian, Chinese, and being considered a monstrous Other in society. And she is considered a monster; both because of her sexuality and heritage, but also because of her role as the Siren. Her attitude towards this is wonderful though. Instead of cowering and trying to distance herself, she embraces it and becomes this "monstrous other" that everyone believes her to be. But that also means that she can participate in this toxic Hollywood culture on her own terms - no man is going to own her soul. She fully owns herself and her identity.

Also, bonus points for having one of the few representations of a Scandinavian that I've actually liked. Greta was amazing, even if she had the most stereotypical Swedish name ever.

The story itself was very interesting -- not necessarily my favorite time period, but it was hard not to enjoy Luli's journey. There is commentary on so many issues, and it's handled in a deft way.

It's not always easy to introduce elements of magic in a story set in a world that we know, but Nghi Vo did that really well.

While this book was a bit of a slow read for me, I really thought it landed at a very satisfying place. I think people who know a lot about pre-Code Hollywood will find lots of references to particular figures in the film industry, though I'm not really schooled enough to know them myself. And I really enjoyed the explorations of race and sexuality in this book, but I do wish I'd felt a stronger narrative drive as I was reading it. But yes yes yes to ladies being monsters.

nghi vo has done it again, people. i was so excited for this especially since “the chosen and the beautiful” has become one of my favourites. this one is filled with her usual gorgeous writing, evocative setting and a dazzling idea. it did remind me at times of evelyn hugo like her pale ghost haunted some of these pages. similar ideas in both books but this one happened to have a dark, magical element to it which i just loved. the world is so fascinating to read about just like tcatb. the commentary it offers on being a POC/woman/queer in film doesn’t feel new but i love that it does it in such a refreshing way - at the end of the day, the ambitious ingenue has to transform into a monster to go face the adversary of powerful men surrounding her.

many thanks to netgalley and macmillian/tor for supplying me with an arc in exchange for my honest review.

This novel had a really unique retelling of the Old Hollywood glamour of the 1930’s. I loved the magical aspect of this book and really enjoyed the writing and storytelling. I could see the film sets and the evil directors only looking out for themselves. I think this would make a wonderful movie or mini-series! I look forward to reading more from this author!

the hard part about old hollywood is that it's so interesting in reality that it's hard to improve it in fiction. even with magic and monsters.

this does a very good job, though.

this is a book that should be totally one of a kind - historical fiction meets queer retelling meets asian american race exploration meets magical realism - but this is a description that also suits nghi vo's other full length novel, the chosen and the beautiful, and that earlier work is one i thought did it a bit better.

where that one became more and more compelling, almost eerily, as it went on, and i fell under the enchantment of the characters, with this one i felt a bit of an enduring confusion that never let up, no matter how closely i read or long i waited.

still, i really enjoyed this book, and vo continues to keep her place on my auto-buy authors list!

Delighted to include this title in the May edition of Novel Encounters, my regular column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction for the Books section Zoomer magazine. (see mini-review at link)

This is the second book that I have read from Nghi Vo and it is just as spectacular as her debut . It is set in the Golden Era of Hollywood, but make no mistake, this a dark, fantasy infused novel. The characters are incredibly nuanced and complex. Combining elements of magic, mythology and immortality juxtaposed with the struggle to been seen and heard as your authentic true self left me breathless. I appreciate the way Vo depicts the sapphic relationships in this book. Gorgeously written, Vo excels at exposing the cruelty of Hollywood during this era. If I could change one thing, I would have loved more explanation of the magic within society in this novel. However, Siren Queen is a masterful tale of the rise to stardom in the glamour of a magic filled Old Hollywood.

I'm a huge fan of Vo's previous works, but unfortunately this one didn't work as well for me. The clear, lyrical prose I am used to experiencing with Vo's works is there and as lovely as ever, but I thought this one got a little lost.

I'm not a reader that needs to get my hand held about every detail of a book to enjoy it, and I know from Vo's previous novel that Vo doesn't spend much time establishing clear rules of magic in her works. I thought that was a real detriment to this book, and I kept getting confused about who had magic in this world (just the cinema? Regular people? Who are creatures?). That combined with the rotating cast of characters just really had me struggling to hold my attention.

That cover!

A noir, historical, magical realism sapphic romance that focuses on sexism, homophobia and racism in 1930's Hollywood. That's a lot to compress into one story. In order to do that, Vo cuts our much of the world building and uses metaphors to convey significant parts of the storyline. Close readers will enjoy the depth added by the symbolism.

I so wanted to love this book, as I was fascinated by the idea of it, but felt like the plot dragged. Everything about the novel was engaging, but I just didn't care what happened to the main character.

Dnf at 43%

Nghi Vo has a truly magical style by it does not convey well to such an abstract world. It’s nearly impossible to tell what is actual magic and what is just whimsical description.

I was very impressed by Vo’s The Chosen and the Beautiful and I was intrigued to see her sophomore novel. I think her style fit the idea of a Great Gatsby retelling perfectly but in this world where I have no existing understanding of the world and plot, it just leaves me lost.

I’m not invested in the plot or the characters even this far into the book which leaves me with no interest in continuing. I don’t think Vo’s writing and style is ultimately right for me as a reader but it certainly could be perfect for someone else.

I was really impressed with this book! For one, I absolutely love old Hollywoood so that aspect alone had me sold on this story, but then on top of that we had some dark magic elements that were so perfectly folded in that it felt totally realistic. I also loved the diversity of the characters, not only with Lilu as an Asian American but also as a queer woman.

There were a few moments, especially towards the beginning of the book, that I was a bit confused but as I kept on with the story everything made perfect sense and as a whole this was just really enjoyable. It was dark, a little spicy, but overall interesting with the drama of Hollywood, the young ingenue trying to get her big break, and crusty old white men trying to run the show. 😉😂

I 100% recommend this! ❤️🧜🏻‍♀️

This book was very good. I feel like I am going to think about it all week. It’s a dark fantasy set in Old Hollywood. There’s magic and monsters. I loved that there are lots of queer characters. Slightly reminded me of Evelyn Hugo (MC is an actress, sapphic rep) but it’s not like super similar. It’s not just historical fiction it’s fantasy/magical realism.
I don’t even know how to properly describe the premise. It’s set in Hollywood like right after the transition from silent films to talking films. The men in power, in charge of studios, etc are legit monsters. Not just shitty people but like a human body possessed by an actual monster. It’s a really interesting premise. The story is definitely dark.
Mad at myself that I didn’t grab this from BOTM this month,
I will have to add it on later so I own a copy. I listened to the audiobook on NetGalley. Natalie Naudus is the narrator and she was great as usual. Definitely would recommend reading this. Pub date is 5/10!

A gorgeously written book but one I find difficult to describe succinctly.

Suffice it to say that entwined with magic are issues of race and sexuality as well as an ironic take of the "golden" age of Hollywood.

The MC is complex and richly drawn as she fights to find and be her true self in a system that embraces fantasy.

I highly recommend giving this book a read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC. This is my honest review.

Siren Queen is a book that cements, for me, the knowledge that, while I love Nghi Vo’s novellas, her novels just don’t do it for me in the same way. So, really, this is about to be a very short review, because I don’t have a whole lot more than this to say (except that, feel free to ignore all of this).

The story follows Luli Wei, whose dream is to become a big-screen star, and the sacrifices she makes in the pursuit of her dream. That is, honestly, pretty much it. So, perhaps here’s the first reason I didn’t love it. While Nghi Vo’s novellas work when there is minimal plot, novel-length books don’t. For me, at least.

This is a very character driven novel, but it’s not in the sense of watching a character develop. Luli Wei stays pretty much the same throughout, ruthless in her quest for fame in Hollywood. And, sure, that’s okay as a novel, if that’s your thing. That’s not my thing. I think the major issue here is that, while there was a plot happening in a sense, it wasn’t clear exactly what it was until it had happened. So you get a character without much development and a vague plot, and you feel like you’re drifting along until the end.

And then there’s the magical element of the story. Much like The Chosen and the Beautiful, it’s just there in the story. You could remove it and nothing about the story would change (except, perhaps, how a few things come about). To be blunt, its addition seemed entirely pointless. Maybe it’s meant to create a heady atmosphere, to raise the stakes a little (Luli sacrifices years of her life in return for success, for example), but. I do feel like if you’re going to change your world in such a significant way, there should be a reason. Is it only Hollywood where you get, and use, this magic? Can ordinary people use it? Is it something that’s frowned on? Are there any beliefs about morality attached to its use? Instead, as I said, it felt as though it was just there.

However, I am perfectly prepared to be (and hopeful of being) a minority in terms of liking this book. It’s just one of those that wasn’t for me, but that doesn’t mean others won’t enjoy it.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Siren Queen is perhaps my favorite book from Nghi Vo so far, as it dives into a topic I know at least a bit about: Old Hollywood. Much has been said about the predatory producers and executives, and the toxic culture of hostility to and/or exploitation of women, people of color, and queer people (among others), and I love the lens through which Vo uses fantasy to unpack and explore that. The fantastical elements serve to amplify the real, yet more subtly insidious monsters hidden among the Hollywood bigwigs, and that only makes it darker.
Luli makes for a sympathetic heroine navigating all this, and she’s admirable for embracing the power that being seen as a monster can bring, especially given the alternative of being powerless. I love the way she wields her agency and refuses to be seen in the maid or damsel roles.
While there are some bold statements made in some aspects, the subtle interactions also come through in Luli’s relationships with her fellow actresses and Hollywood people, especially the romantic ones. They’re complex and not always perfect, especially her failed romance with Emmeline, but I love that all these characters were allowed to be flawed without being vilified. I’ve seen a few comparisons of the romantic aspect to that of Evelyn Hugo, and I can see that, as it’s also about queer women falling in and out of love in Old Hollywood.
I loved this book, and would recommend this for anyone who loves historical fantasy, especially if you’re interested in classic Hollywood.

An enjoyable read set in 1930s Hollywood. This tells the story of Luli Wei, a Chinese American girl trying to make it as a star in Oberlin Wolf's studio. The plot engages with numerous societal themes such as sinophobia, racism, misogyny, LGBTI+ etc. Although set in the 30s, I felt a real contemporary atmosphere throughout. So many of these issues are just as prevalent today as then that at times I forgot the book was set in the 30s.

I fully enjoyed myself reading this VERY quick book. I'm supremely intested in all things pre-Code Hollywood and this book gave me that plus discussions of race, gender, and sexuality with a bit of fantastical elements thrown in. I never know to seek out things that are magical realism or fabulism but I always end up enjoying them. Whereas straight fantasy novels can sometimes be too hard to understand world-building wise, this novel presents a "this is the way the world is and no, I will not be stopping to explain it to you" and I could not get enough. Vo could give me more books in this world and I would lap them up eagerly.

Our lead is ~technically~ Luli Wei and that technically will make sense when you read it. She wants only one thing: to be the figures on her local movie screen. In this world, seeking fame can cost your or those you love their lives and Hollywood has its monsters both figuratively and literally. I love that our protagonist isn't so much unlikable as she is unwavering. She knows what she wants, what she doesn't want, and she is dogged in her pursuit of it. This novel is also super sapphic so Lets Go Lesbians and all that jazz.
I would recommend this for Historical Fiction fans but prepare for a bit of the fantastic as you go.