The way the world is created is very detailed, but not explained well enough, which made me confused sometimes. It's like a preview of a bigger world that you can explore if you keep going. I really enjoyed the way the movie was set in the Golden Age of Cinema period. The combination of magic elements, sneaky deals with faeries, and a sense of danger and cruelty made it feel like the perfect fairy tale. I really liked the friendships that Luli made while working towards becoming famous. She found it difficult to trust people and it was an emotional process for her, whether it was in a romantic relationship or not. I like reading books by Nghi Vo. There are many wonderful stories and interesting parts. The writing in this book is the best part. It is really pretty. I loved it so much that I wanted more.

I started out interested but quickly got bored with this title! I found myself skimming through because I was ready for it to be over.

Luli is one of the most desired movie stars in 1930s Hollywood. She has the glamour and mystique to succeed. But when a Hollywood studio goes beyond the usual cutthroat business to something darker, she must do whatever it takes to survive and make a name for herself.

Her story begins as one of two daughters of Chinese immigrants. Trying to figure out her future, she discovers the movies. She is immediately smitten when she gets an opportunity for a bit part in a film. She is instantly transported into the movie's events as if it is happening to her. Vo is a master at describing her experience. Luli now hungers for more and craves the spotlight. Big things may be coming for her, but she may need to wait several months. Instead, she finds her way to get an audience with the head of the movie studios, even though it takes 20 years of her life. Now getting her shot, she exclaims that she wants in her roles no maids, no funny talking, and no shrieking violets, and although it delays her stardom, eventually, she becomes the Siren Queen.

Vo is dazzling in this novel. She worked magic into the Chosen and the Beautiful, retelling The Great Gatsby. Studios are cutthroat, but here the threat is not being cast out but one could be cursed or have a changeling replace you. Studios also had no time for gay romance. Forced heterosexuality sells pictures, even if it costs an actor's personal and love life: a magical but frightening world only for the truly driven.

I love the adventure film's setting. Men are fighting ancient battles with mermaids and sea monsters. These are pre-Hayes codes, and they sound wild. I also wondered if some of this was based on Anna May Wong, a famous actress, around the same time this book takes place.

"We were stories that should never have met, or stories that only existed because we met. I still don't know."

When this book says Hollywood is full of monsters, that's only the literal truth. Stars on the screen are also stars in the sky, and some people sell their soul trying to get there. That's the premise of Siren Queen, and I really don't want to say more than that, because I really enjoyed slowly figuring out what was literal, how this world differs from our own, where the metaphors have become reality.

Luli is Chinese-American, and she knows full well what kind of roles await her in Hollywood -- but she's going to go there on her own terms and do what she can. Whether she's going to get there never seems like an option: she wants to be seen, she wants millions to see her, she wants to be just like the people she's seen at the local cinema. She never really questions this desire or her determination to go there; she's almost possessed by it. I could definitely have stood to understand that better; I understood Luli's ambivalent feelings about her home and her sister, and understood her drive toward Emmaline and her friendship with Greta... but I wanted to understand more of her drive to be seen, to rise, because the brief references to that felt powerful.

Luli is surrounded by characters who almost all want the same thing: they didn't just somehow end up there, against their will -- except for Greta, of course -- and I found myself at risk of forgetting that with people like Harry Long and Emmaline and maybe even Brandt Hiller. But they chose this, just like Luli did, and the ways they are trapped and hurt each other arise from that as well. It adds a little complexity to the sympathy you feel for them sometimes. Luli's far from perfect, but Emmaline has made the same choices in many ways.

There's a lot that isn't explained, a lot that you're left to intuit or guess or imagine for yourself, and I really liked that. It stays with the central concept and doesn't try to elaborate it too much, and there are mysteries that we don't get to understand. I like that a lot; I don't think it should have tried to unravel Oberlin Wolfe's existence or why certain things are as they are -- this is Luli's story, shaped by those mysteries but never seeking to understand them.

People have compared this to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and there are similarities there, for sure. I've certainly enjoyed both!

“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.