Genuinely really enjoyed this one. If you liked The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo, but thought it needed more magic, more lesbians, and a less white-passing heroine, THIS is the book for you. She even has a gbf named Harry!

As usual, narrator Natalie Naudis kills it. She could read me the phone book.

Luli Wei is desperate to be a star. She’s talented and she knows what she wants, “No maids, no funny talking, no fainting flowers.” She’d rather be a monster than a maid. Hollywood is magic, but there are monsters lurking at every corner, and Luli must be cunning and sacrifice to make her own way on her own terms. It eats people up every day, leaving them husks that no one remembers, but Luli is determined. Along the way, she makes friends and enemies and lives in the magical and terrifying world of the silver screen.

This was one of the most hyped releases of the year (at least in my book social circles), so I’m not sure it could have ever lived up fully to the anticipation. I enjoyed it. I really did, but I don’t think I loved it as much as I wanted to. That’s no fault of the book, but rather all of the promotion and book talk online about it. I did really enjoy Luli as a character, and I absolutely loved her roommate and friend. That and her relationship with an older costar were my favorites in the novel.

I’m always here for queer ladies, especially under represented and historical queer ladies. Winwin! I also just took this world at face value. I believed it, and I saw so much of our own world in it. Perhaps if Hollywood men really did turn into monsters, it’d be a more accurate representation of what they are on the inside.

Despite my slight hype disappointment, I do recommend this one. I tore through it, and I had a really good time reading it. Maybe just don’t read all the stuff about it before you open its pages.

Luli Wei is a young woman in Hollywood and she is determined to be a starlet and won’t accept anything less.
Ugh how could a book about a supernatural starlet be so boring. That’s really all I have to say. I think if you like literary fiction you would really like this one but that wasn’t what I was expecting or wanting so I felt like it dragged on and on.

I did listen to the audio and have no complaints of the narrator's performance.

Wasn't able to listen to this one before Netgalley archived. Sounds like a great story and saw a lot of buzz about it on IG.
This review is not an indication of the quality of the writing or the story, but rather that I did not get to this title in lieu of other books.

I never really got into this book, but the time I decided it wasn’t for me, I was so far through it that I just finished it. Part of the issue was that I mostly listened to the book, and the descriptions and large number of characters made it hard to follow. It might’ve been different if I read the book, since I could spend more time on different passages to understand them more. It was also hard for me to understand the fantasy aspects, but I wasn’t too bothered by that, since the fantasy pieces didn’t seem to impact major plot points. In the end, I just never enjoyed the plot.

Even though I wasn’t a fan of the book, I could tell that the author was very talented. I loved the smooth writing style, so I might still check out other books from Vo.

I wanted to thank Macmillan Audio and the publisher for providing an advance audiobook copy through NetGalley.

I couldn’t get under this one. I just kept falling flat again and again. Not for me I not kine why for nit for me but it's just not

A gorgeous, darkly magical historical fiction novel. The movie studios of 1930s Hollywood are controlled by monstrous humans and monsters posing as human. For aspiring actresses like Luli, sacrifices must be made in order to achieve their dreams. Twenty years off her life is a small price to pay for stardom. But Luli has no interest in becoming some fainting leading lady, sidelined by the studios. And when she's cast as a siren, she realized being a monster might just be her best chance for success.

Nghi Vo's lush prose never fails to wow me, and this story fully lived up to the language. The 1930s setting of pre-code Hollywood was atmospheric and perfect for all the dark magic and sinister dealings going on. I honestly wouldn't have minded if the story continued on a little longer, particularly after Luli really comes into her power

Siren Queen explores Hollywood's monsters, both real and fantasy. I loved Luli and her determination to make it as a star. That said, I found this book deeply confusing. I honestly wasn't sure what was part of the fantasy and what was portraying characters as "monsters". It was a cool concept but fell flat for me in all the day-to-day explanations of what Luli was up to rather than focusing on crucial turning moments.

Excellent literary fiction for Pride Month!

What I loved:
-Old Hollywood vibes (time frame, culture, clothing, etc)
-Insider's look at what it takes to make it in LA
-Asian-American and gender-biad themes
-Sexy narration
-Rags to riches story

What I didn't love:
-The fantasy aspects
-A bit hard to follow via audio (found myself backing up and re-listening)
-A bit long
-Sometimes hard to understand narrator (had to modulate audio)

Special thanks to Macmillan Audio for the advanced listener audiobook via the NetGalley app.

SIREN QUEEN follows Luli Wei, a girl who falls in love with movies and longs to become a star. We follow her life as she gains more and more notoriety in her movie roles.

I really loved Luli's character. She was interesting and imperfect and I was longing to see where her career would take her.

I'm glad that I listened to this on audio because the narrator was absolutely brilliant. She brought so much life to Luli and her world. I would have happily listened to her for more time if this book was longer.

I've read several of Vo's books and his was definitely my favorite of all of them. I think I can say at this point her writing style is not for me. Her books are very introspective and have a much slower pace than I prefer, with no strong clear point of climax. Her books have a very very consistent writing style. I say this all in a very neutral way: if you liked one of her books, you will probably like all of them. If you did not like one of her books, you will probably not like the rest.

This book won't go down as a favorite of mine, but I'm glad I read it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the gifted ALC!

Luli Wei dreams of being an actress in old Hollywood. But as a Chinese American woman, the barrier to entry is high. But as she works her way into the industry she learns that it's run on ancient magic and huge sacrifices are needed to succeed, even just to play a maid or a monster.

This is an atmospheric and somewhat opaque book. I had a really hard time interpreting exactly what was going on in the story and it kind of felt like we are were only get surface level of the characters. And for these reasons, this wasn't for me.

However, I think there is a lot of commentary about sexism, racism, homophobia, and capitalism in old Hollywood. And how people who want an in have to transform themselves into the silver screen version of themselves and that requires sells yourself to a certain extent. I especially liked the perspective from a Chinese woman in this environment and era. Overall, not a read that I enjoyed, but would still recommend to folks who like reading about old Hollywood and turning the romanticism of that time on its head.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the copy of the audiobook! The narration fit the story well. It felt smokey and dark and old Hollywood-esque.

Nghi Vo won my heart with the Singing Hills cycle, and this is another fantastic book. Her prose is gorgeous and concise. The magic in this book shows up in unexpected and fascinating ways. It reminds me a bit of Ring Shout in the way that mundane evil invites in supernatural evil. There are also long stretches without magic, so it could appeal to people who like literary fiction or historical fiction but don't generally like fantasy.

Natalie Naudus did a wonderful job with the narration. I always enjoy her narrations, and for this one she used her voice in a feathery, ethereal way that matched the tone of the book perfectly.

My full review is in the form of a podcast episode, which can be found at: https://narratedpodcast.com/episodes/153

Siren Queen is one of those books that drew me in because of the cover, and after I read the description I knew I just had to read it. It’s a historical fantasy novel set in 1930’s Hollywood. It’s so much more than that, but we have to start somewhere. This is a story about monsters and magic and the power that some people have and other people don’t. It’s a story about a young woman from a Chinese-American family pursuing her dreams in a world that doesn’t respect her as a person. And at its core, it’s a story about what someone is willing to give up to get what they want, and how the price is always higher than it should be.

Luli Wei is a girl who works in her family’s laundry in the Hungarian Hill neighborhood in Los Angeles. She happens upon work doing bit parts in movies and falls in love with being on film. As she approaches her eighteenth birthday, she begins to realize that the man who got her those bit parts doesn’t have her best interest at heart. She goes to bargain with a veteran of the Hollywood scene, who tells her how to get her career going in exchange for the last 20 years of her life. Luli Wei begins her career stipulating that she won’t play a maid, do funny voices, or play a fainting flower, but that she’d be fine playing a monster instead. She lands the role of the Siren, a villain in a highly successful series of movies, and discovers that dealing with the real monsters at the studio is more than she bargained for.

This is a book that readers are either going to love or hate. Siren Queen knows what it is and does it well, but it’s crucial to go into this book with the right expectations.

Siren Queen is more of a love letter to atmosphere and thematic elements than a plot driven work, even though there is a plot guiding the story along. The beginning of the story is more methodical. Luli figures out that she enjoys acting, falls in love with it, and makes sacrifices to become a star. But once she steps onto the studio lot, her story becomes more of her and the reader reacting to the work culture and challenges set in front of her. At the same time, we get to experience a glamorous world with a wild, fae-like undercurrent of magic that both nurtures and consumes everyone on set. The predatory studio heads are literal monsters. The flames that everyone gathers around on friday nights are both literal campfires and forges for relationships and alliances to be made in order to survive. The magic in this story is more about bringing the metaphors to life than being a tool for our hero to wield as she approaches her goal, which is either something that readers will love or want to DNF 40 pages in. For the ones who love it, this book nails the approach and is such a satisfying read.

Without going into spoilers, this book looks deeply at what it means to be a monster and how we often use the label of ‘monster’ as a way to put down people who are different from us. Luli Wei is Chinese-American, is not straight, and she has the audacity to refuse roles that are disrespectful to her culture even though these roles were often the only ones available to people of color and had the potential to be quite lucrative. For this reason, she is seen as arrogant and demanding. The only major roles left to her are for monsters and villains. She’ll never be allowed to play the lead, but she can be their adversary. At the same time, the studio heads are taking advantage of aspiring talent and sacrificing some of them to keep the magic that powers the studio going. Luli is able to take the mantle of ‘monster’ and build a successful career out of it, but her using the power her fame gives her makes the studio heads feel threatened and lash out. Sometimes she comes out ahead and sometimes she doesn’t, and in either situation standing up to the establishment comes at a great cost. The story feels a bit convoluted and non-linear because Luli is figuring things out as she goes, but that’s also what makes this story feel so raw and powerful. There might have been a magic cheat code to getting into the studio, but building her career and playing a role she can be proud of on and off the screen is a much more complicated endeavor.

I came for the premise, stayed for the gorgeous writing, and now I can’t get this book out of my head because I feel like I still have a lot to learn from it. This book has a flair for the thematic, and readers who love their magic and metaphors to be intertwined are going to be absolutely broken by this beautiful novel. I rarely reread books, there just isn’t enough time, but I think I’m going to reread this one.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* very different, i didn't like this as much as other books of hers but this was still pretty good overall, would reread.

I really liked the plot of this story. It gave off “Evelyn Hugo” vibes of a girl trying to make it in Hollywood against all odds. I guess I missed the part about magical realism for this story and I was caught off guard when some magic was introduced. I don’t think I would have minded the magic but it was so sporadic and not well explained that I was confused. I loved that the main character was a lesbian! I was hoping to have finished this for May when it was released but it’s fitting to have finished it in June in celebration of Pride month. This story takes place during Old Hollywood days where being gay was kept a secret. This book had great character building but it felt rushed at the end. I listened to it and when I heard the title “Epilogue” I was like wait, what? It ended so abruptly. Overall, I think it was a good story. I think I would have preferred the storyline minus the magic, or to have had more magic explained at the beginning to set the tone.

I’m thrilled to recommend this gem at the start of #PrideMonth 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Siren Queen is Luli Wei, our smart, ruthless, ambitious queer Chinese American who desires to become a Hollywood star on the silver screen, even if that means selling her soul. On her way to stardom, she demands that she has a say in a world only monsters (men/studio) control. When Luli becomes a monster herself, her fight affects more than just her power; it dangerously affects the women in her orbit too.

What I Loved:
✨Coming-of-age narrative - knowing who you love and not apologizing even in a time when who you love, relish, and desire was determined not only by society but also movie producers.
✨Becoming a star on her own terms
✨Magical elements - layered symbolism, so subtle that they are easily missed.
✨Glamorous Pre-Code Old Hollywood with a vivid portrayal of its underbelly
✨Representation - LGBTQ and race but also body positivity in both size and beauty.
✨Natalie Naudus (our narrator) enhances the complexity of Luli and gives life to the beautiful prose.

If I had one critique, I wish the book was longer! I wanted to hear more about Luli and her love later in life.

For those who longed for a better Evelyn Hugo, read Siren Queen.

I feel like I was really pulled into the beginning of this story of loved the reality surrounding 1930s Hollywood in regards to racism, sexism, and queerphobia.

The author does do a really fantastic job with the MC Luli Wei as we watch her navigate 1930s Hollywood as a queer, Chinese American woman. We see her fight tooth and nail to carve out a space where “her kind” doesn’t belong.

The second half of the book sort of lost me though. I think I was just really confused by the beast manifestation that I felt thrown out of the story.

Overall, I was left sort of meh by the end.

✨ Review ✨ Siren Queen by Nghi Vo, Narrated by Natalie Naudus

This book is absolutely brilliant and I'm stumped on how to even begin describing it. For me, this was like Evelyn Hugo meets Hollywood Monsters and it was absolutely captivating. A 1930s Hollywood where stars were selling parts of their soul to the vicious monsters running the film industry - what a fascinating take on the exploitative industry that drains so many who try to enter it.

“No maids, no funny talking, no fainting flowers.” Luli Wei is desperate to enter Hollywood and become a star, but she insists on doing it on her own terms. As she tries to carve out a place for herself in the industry, she must take on gender norms and racism while also staying out of the grasp of the monsters running the industry.

A lot of this book went over my head and I think would take a second read to piece it all together, but the writing is lyrical and thoughtful and the critiques of Hollywoods are ever present and compelling. I'm in love with Nghi Vo's writing and can't wait to read more!

So much of this book is indescribable in how it pairs a fantasy world with blood magic with a space that's so like the golden age of 1930s Hollywood (and certainly resonates with the Hollywood of today). She fabulously takes on such serious issues of gender and race, and brings in queer relationships as well. In many ways, the relationships in this book felt more satisfying than those in Evelyn Hugo (*gasp*, right?)

Naudus' narration is fabulous -- I had planned to switch back and forth between the audio and ebook, but Naudus had me captivated and I FLEW through this book in a little over a day. I could NOT put it down and her narration brought this story to life!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Genre: magical realism/fantasy, literary fiction with a f/f romance plot
Location: Hollywood, Los Angeles
Reminds me of: Evelyn Hugo meets MONSTERS
Pub Date: Out now!

Read this if you like:
⭕️ the grittier darkside behind Hollywood and its stars
⭕️ queer storylines
⭕️ magical realism fantasy narratives
⭕️ MONSTERS, mermaids, and magic

Thanks to Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Macmillan Audio, and #netgalley for an e-copy of this book!

This was a gorgeous and fantastical story, showcasing the truly monstrous people in Hollywood through the story of Luli Wei. I loved the glamor, intrigue, and magic of this book, and how the fantasy elements tied so seamlessly into real life struggles of discrimination and stereotyping within old Hollywood. While I felt the story drag at times and leave me feeling disconnected, by the time I reached the end I was fully reinvested and loving the beautiful prose. If you've previously read and loved Nghi Vo's work, you'll definitely enjoy the magical writing in this one. Natalie Naudus did a fantastic job with the audiobook and I'm so glad she was the narrator!

Summary:
It was magic. In every world, it was a kind of magic.

"No maids, no funny talking, no fainting flowers." Luli Wei is beautiful, talented, and desperate to be a star. Coming of age in pre-Code Hollywood, she knows how dangerous the movie business is and how limited the roles are for a Chinese American girl from Hungarian Hill—but she doesn't care. She’d rather play a monster than a maid.

But in Luli's world, the worst monsters in Hollywood are not the ones on screen. The studios want to own everything from her face to her name to the women she loves, and they run on a system of bargains made in blood and ancient magic, powered by the endless sacrifice of unlucky starlets like her. For those who do survive to earn their fame, success comes with a steep price. Luli is willing to do whatever it takes—even if that means becoming the monster herself.

Siren Queen offers up an enthralling exploration of an outsider achieving stardom on her own terms, in a fantastical Hollywood where the monsters are real and the magic of the silver screen illuminates every page

Review: I enjoyed this book. I felt at some points it’s was a bit slow.