“No maids, no funny talking, no fainting flowers.”

Nghi Vo never fails to write up enthralling and unique characters, plots, and magic. This one hit just above mid-tier for me, though I would definitely give it a reread in the future and get more out of it. I thought this was well-paced, with elegant writing and addictive characters. I loved the gloominess. It just fell a little flat for me, I wanted just a bit more from it.

Definitely recommend to those that love a story set in Hollywood, with a twist!

3.5 stars rounded up.

Thanks NetGalley and MacMillan for another brilliant fantasy eARC.

Luli Wei is incredibly attractive, gifted, and driven to succeed. She is a pre-Code Hollywood teenager who is aware of how risky the movie industry is and how few opportunities are available for Chinese American girls from Hungarian Hill, but she doesn't care. She prefers to play a monster to a maid. The worst monsters in Hollywood, however, are not those that appear on film in Luli's universe. The studios operate on a system of bloody deals and age-old magic, propelled by the endless sacrifice of unfortunate starlets like her, and they want to own everything, even her face, identity, and the women she loves. Success comes at a high cost for those who do endure to achieve prominence. Luli is prepared to go to any lengths, even if it means taking on the characteristics of the monster. In a fanciful Hollywood where monsters are real and the beauty of the silver screen fills every page, Siren Queen presents an intriguing examination of an outsider becoming a star on her own terms.
I really enjoyed the gloomy atmosphere of the book. It has a strong impact. The book has a strong representation of sexuality and race. The story is beautiful. The writing style is interesting. The language is easy and conversational. Overall I enjoyed this book.

(i have received an e-arc from tor and netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)

to say i loved this sapphic love story set in the age of old hollywood is an understatement. i want this book tattooed under my eyelids. once again, Nghi has hit it out of the park with The Siren Queen.

I really enjoyed this narrative! It really critiques old Hollywood, and the intersections of magic and reality elevated this historical fiction novel. It explores the darkness that dwells in Hollywood during this time period, Vo's use of metaphor seamlessly engages the reader in critical thinking of what it means to sacrifice everything to gain what one wants most, even if it means transforming into a monster. The lyrical nature of the language utilized really sets the mood for Hollywood glitz and glam, as well as an atmosphere that amplifies the darkness being portrayed in this industry.

I expected to love this title, but it came up short for me. I enjoyed the magical elements that are based on the reality of the industry, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

This book is a creative twist on The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and builds a fantasy world that I want to participate to if I had the chance. I love that this book is set during the Golden Era of Hollywood with shape shifting monsters. However, I wish there was more structure in the world building.

"Your tricks are beneath me, your court is a lie, and your movies are terrible."

I feel a bit inadequate to even summarize my thoughts on Siren Queen but here goes. I came into this with high expectations, as Nghi Vo’s Singing Hills novellas are favorites of mine, both for their themes and her gorgeous, evocative prose. I don’t tend to read much real world historical fantasy and have never had a particular interest in Golden Age Hollywood, but with this cover and Nghi Vo at the helm, how could I resist.

To say I was not disappointed would be an understatement. Magical, beautiful, haunting, dream-like - all adjectives that come up again and again when people describe this book, and I don’t really have any new to add. Reading it does feel like being pulled through the fog of a dream. Blurred lines and ambiguities abound. You’re left with many questions and uncertainties as to how this world works, magic blending with reality, but for the sake of this story all those specifics are more or less inconsequential.

Speaking of the story, a queer Chinese woman navigates a predatory, white-dominated, demon-riddled Hollywood with the ambition to carve out a space for herself to be remembered. It’s packed with rage, struggle, seduction, and triumph; raw and human, though perhaps that’s a poor word choice when one of the central themes is embracing monstrousness.

I'm not sure how books being sapphic can still catch me by surprise - especially when I've read the author's prior works - but I suppose it's that pesky heteronormativity. Anyways, it was a more than pleasant surprise and I loved the transient nature of relationships that was shown. Different people are good for different parts of your life and in different ways. In real life, at least to a realist like myself, relationships are so often what you need at the moment; they won't be good for both parties forever. Nghi Vo handled this masterfully, and it leaves me wanting more books where love isn't so much the end game as part of the process, and can manifest in so many different ways. I guess what I'm saying is it was messy and perfect.

This is a book I can see myself itching to reread, though not too soon so it doesn’t lose its magic. Natalie Naudus’ narration of the audiobook was also fantastic and very fitting for this compulsive, spellbinding narrative so do consider picking it up that way.

A wonderful critique of old Hollywood using folklore and fantastical symbolism to push the narrative. The writing is dark, vivid and hauntingly beautiful.

I love Nghi Vo’s writing and atmosphere so much! The characters were well fleshed out and their motivations felt authentic. I also love the atmosphere! I read The chosen and the beautiful last year and Siren Queen gave me the same feeling and atmosphere, which is to say I absolutely adored it.

easily my favorite work by nghi vo yet, siren queen explores a pre-code hollywood filled with a more literal kind of monsters and magic. dark yet lyrical, it’s a critical look at the film industry and the price of fame.

luli wei is a riveting MC. she is a chinese-american lesbian who will do whatever it takes to achieve stardom in a world that doesn’t want to make space for people like her. i love how unapologetic she is and how NV explores visibility and what it means to be a monster through luli’s story.

From childhood, the Chinese American girl who calls herself Luli Wei has been fascinated by motion pictures. It’s the 1930s and silent films are giving way to talkies. But this isn’t the Hollywood we know. Magic lurks in strange corners, from the ticket-taker who swaps a bit of Luli’s hair (and a bit of her life) for tickets to the Wild Hunt rampaging through the studio lot in the dead of night. To Luli herself, who comes from a family in which the women possess a bit of immortality. Beginning with a chance encounter on a set to an offer of a contract, Luli rises through the ranks of girls desperate for stardom. She’s all too aware that the roles for Asians are limited to maids and fainting ladies who talk funny. So when the opportunity to play a monstrous siren queen comes along, she throws herself into the role. Along the way, she acquires friends, makes enemies, finds women lovers, and becomes a pioneer. The story is powerful, gorgeously written, and both dark and luminous.

The writing is this one is haunting. I really enjoyed it. Thank you to Netgally for providing my an advance copy for review

I absolutely love this book—a last minute favorite of 2022 for me. I always enjoy Vo's work, but this might be my favorite novel by her so far. This story is venomous, glamorous, magical, and utterly unique. The way Vo has woven magic into 20th century Hollywood brings to light the darkness hidden under the surface, and offers a thought-provoking parallel to the industry in real life. The characters sparkle, and their love stories, adventures, and sorrows fill the pages. I adore this novel!

This book had such a magical dream-like feel to it. I loved every minute of it. From the descriptions of old Hollywood to the monsters and the rituals.

I really tried to finish it, but I could not get through this book. I loved the concept, so maybe I'll give it another try, but I struggled to be hooked by the plot or characters.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher of an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoy this author. I love their stuff. This wasn't my new favorite but enjoyed myself nontheless.

DNF @ 24%

Thank you to the publisher, but this book was not for me. I may go back to it some day and try again, but I found the language to be incredibly dull and stale, the magic confusing, and the plot as a whole rather tedious to get through. I can appreciate what the author was trying to do here, and maybe if I pushed through my opinion would change, but I had to take a step away from this work.

Luli Wei, a young Chinese American girl wants to be a movie star, but the early days of the movies is not the best place for a girl who doesn't want to be typecast due to her background, so she decides to become a monster instead.

Vo's book takes Old Hollywood and mixes it with various mythologies (the Fae, the Wild Hunt, some Norse-ish mythical creatures, etc.) and creates a rather dreamy, bizarre world. This is my first book by this author and I'm definitely going to pick up more from them as I really enjoyed the characters, setting and writing style, even if I had a 'what did I just read' moment after finishing.

All around a trippy read that combines a lot of my favorite elements and twists them just enough to feel completely brand new.

Thanks to NetGalley & Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the free e-book.

What a weird and wonderful story. Dark in every sense, this is like Evelyn Hugo… if Evelyn Hugo made a deal with the devil. The fantasy elements make this story hard to classify, and at times were a bit hard to follow. However, once I got over that initial weirdness, I was sold!

There were so many things I loved about this book, such as the Old Hollywood glamour, how Vo explored the racism/sexism/homophobia present in Old Hollywood, the way the MC challenged power structures/perceptions, and the magic magic system + monsters. But ultimately, this one didn’t quite work for me because I was left wanting everything to go just a bit more in depth. The characters were so interesting, but it was frustrating that the side characters weren’t developed more. So while I did like Siren Queen, I couldn’t fall in love with it the way that I usually do with Nghi Vo’s work.