Luli Wei loves going to the movies. She drags her little sister away from the laundry where her family works to see whatever is playing, and when she doesn’t have a nickel for a ticket, she is willing to give up months of her life for a ticket. She is willing to give up much more for her own chance at stardom.

I loved Nghi Vo’s take on the classic Hollywood starlet story. Even with the magic, somehow Luli’s story seemed much more real (and interesting) to me than other novels set in the same time period. Siren Queen was original and entertaining while tackling tough situations faced by Luli as a young female non-white actor. The relationships (both platonic and not) between Luli and the other characters felt so real and well-developed.

The narration worked well for the story, with a great pace but also such differences in tone and volume for each character.

Luli was raised in her family’s laundromat, but she knows she wants something different from her life. As she becomes exposed to the ins and outs of stardom and its movie sets, she begins to understand what she must give away in order to make that life her own. But in a world where bargains are made through magical contracts and blood, and deals can take away years of your life, Luli struggles to find herself while navigating a world that is dangerous for women like her.

A fascinating work of magical realism, this book explores the trials and dangers of the cinema during the 1930s. Women were objectified, and women of color were used and discarded. The author explored these realistic Hollywood struggles but added in dark and ancient magic to emphasize these points. I also enjoyed how in some instances it was difficult to tell if actual magic was occurring or if it was simply a metaphor for what was happening – this left a decent amount open to the reader’s interpretation, which was an excellent approach. The more I read, the more immersed I became.

The author’s writing style is amazing. She was able to incorporate the haunting and dark setting in a way that conveyed the struggles of the characters. The setting was immersive and extremely well done. The characters were also well written – even the secondary ones were well developed and underwent growth throughout the work. I did feel that the plot was shoved to the background in many places, lost behind scenes set in the movie studio. These scenes contributed to character development but not the plot, which made the book drag a bit towards the middle.

I listened to the audiobook version of this work. Natalie Naudus is quickly becoming one of my favorite narrators – she did an amazing job with the characters’ voices and conveying their emotions. I highly recommend the audio version of this book.

This was a fascinating and dark work of magical realism that I highly recommend to people who like historical fiction and old Hollywood.

I received a complimentary copy of this work through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I very much enjoyed reading this book. Asian-american voices are definitely a part of "old hollywood" that you don't see represented in popular culture, let alone novels. I enjoyed this novel's flair and scope---its take on the coming-of-age trope is unexpected and truly unique. Bravo!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan audio for an advanced listening copy of Siren Queen.
This book was rather interesting and I went in without knowing much about it. The world building is very metaphorical on this one. 30’s Hollywood is run by monsters controlling the industry with rituals and blood magic worked really well as symbols for how we know things to work. The book also weaves in elements of work place sexism, racism and lgbtq issues in Hollywood to the story very easily, without didactic explanations of what is what that some fantasy novels do.
The narration on this one was perfect at capturing the nebulousness and the vibe of the story and I really enjoyed it.
While I liked this book, I wished he story was longer and there was more to the story, but I think that might be an appeal to some.

I really am disappointed that I didn’t absolutely love this as it combines two of my favorite things, queer women and Golden Age Hollywood! I still thoroughly and highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in either or both topics and I completely get why this has been a hit with a lot of other people.

As a huge Old Hollywood nerd, it was super fun to see an imagining of the movie sets, studio system, the glamour and opulence of the stars, while also portraying the seedy underbelly and predatory nature of the industry. However, I really didn’t find myself as gripped as I could have been, although I don’t know if it was because of the main character or how the book was set up.

Although I was never fully gripped by this book I really really loved its portrayal of queer people in old Hollywood, and how they sought places to be themselves and resist the cruel and exploitative inner workings of these major studios.

I’ve seen some marketing of the book is towards the “fantasy” aspect and there is a genre tag of fantasy on Goodreads, however it is perhaps misleading and I would only venture to say it has subtle hints of magical realism. I have since read that different cultural folklores informed the subdued fantasy elements, which I think is really fascinating and could have made for some cool genre twist if it was more pronounced, although part of me prefers the book sans all hints at the fantastical.

Overall a really intriguing book and obviously enjoyable as it caters directly to my interests! If it looks up your alley at all I highly recommend checking it out and hopefully clicking much more with it than I did!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.75

As always, Nghi Vo's writing remains top tier and Natalie Naudus's narration really highlighted the loveliness of the prose. I also think this is a story that lends itself well to being consumed via audio because of the first person perspective and the atmosphere built by the prose.

For me, the highlights of this book were the prose and the themes. I loved watching Luli seeing claw her way to success as a queer Chinese American woman in this alternate pre-Code Hollywood. And I think the conversations about Othering and identity and villainy and the maintenance of status quo were so well done and really hit hard. There are aspects of this book that I know will stick with me for a long time.

That being said, I spent a good chunk of this book confused. In this world, it's clear that magic has changed society but the magic itself is never explained so there were times where I was never quite sure whether what was being described was metaphor or magic. While usually that's not my preference, in this case it worked, likely because of the quality of the writing.

While I would probably recommend The Singing Hills Cycle novellas as a place to start with Nghi Vo, I think this is an excellent addition to her oeuvre and would recommend to anyone looking for a nontraditional fantasy, with the caveat that it is a bit more on the literary side.

I loved this book. Nghi Vo imagines dark magic in old Hollywood, back when the studios essentially owned their actors. In order to become a star, all the beautiful young people have to be willing to give up everything - including their lives. Hollywood, rather than being run by metaphorical monsters, is literally run by seemingly immortal and very powerful beings, and the consequences of crossing them are dire. I loved the way the fantasy elements were weaved in with what was for the most part a more literary historical fiction. The main character and narrator of the book, Luli Wei, captured my imagination so quickly. As a young girl and child of immigrants, she becomes infatuated with the idea of being in the movies (she gets into acting in a similar way to the Natalie Wood story - an uncredited walk on part). But she's a young woman, a Chinese American, and queer, and when she refuses to play a maid or use a put-on accent, no one in Hollywood knows what to do with her. When she turns out to be much more strong-willed than any of the studio executives expect, they want to bring her down. Her talent and ability to make them money keep her alive - for a while! dun dun dunnnn

As I read this book I felt so fully immersed in the world of old Hollywood and could vividly imagine the set pieces and people Luli meets. I will be raving about this book and I'm looking forward to reading Nghi Vo's other work.

I ended up dnfing this.book as I found it difficult to follow the storyline. There appeared to be a futuristic concept to the story when dolls that were made of the main character and her sister appeared and the father thought they were real.

It just wasn't a story for me.

The Golden Age of Hollywood meets magic, monsters, and forbidden romances in this unique story. Luli Wei is desperate for fame and piece of glamour, reckless in her lust and wanting, and an interesting character in whole. There are development gaps in the story that I felt jumped ahead in Luli Wei's maturation, as she almost instantaneously assimilates to the bold and demanding Siren Queen. It's an interesting read

Having read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, this book dives more into the director/actress dynamics. Luli Wei realizes that she is being told sweet nothings that will ultimately lead to nothing. She knows that if she wants to move up, she has to grab it by the balls. This book handles dealing with asshole men who push the narrative that you are entirely replaceable. She becomes known as the monster after playing a siren.
The best thing about this novel are the relationships she forms. One is with a man who recognizes she is queer and they form a type of alliance. Another is with a girl, Greta, she shares a room with. The last two are with her lovers.
The way Nghi Vo describes the feelings Luli experiences for women add a whole new, detailed experience to this novel. Her writing depicts the feelings queer women feel in these special moments they have with their fading lovers.
As people continue to push her down, she takes it in stride and hardens to their threats. She is fierce and strong and demanding of what she deserves.
As part of her legacy, she becomes a role model for upcoming queer poc actors.

The book is honestly a work of art from start to finish. I was so caught up in the story and the writing style. This is my first book by Vo, but definitely not my last! The writing style was fluid and had me loving it from the very beginning.

If you enjoyed The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, this is definitely the book for you. Especially if you enjoyed the old Hollywood rags to riches story with a complex and flawed protagonist, I think you’ll enjoy this. This had a very similar feel, but with a darker atmosphere and an addition of magic.
I really enjoyed the character of Lulu and her story. She was definitely very flawed and maybe morally grey, except I’m not quite sure what makes a character that. I did feel at times that the other characters could have used more complexity and depth but it didn’t take too much away from the story seeing as its focus was very much on Lulu.
I found the magical element to be a very interesting addition but unfortunately it didn’t seem too important to the story. I think it either could’ve been done away with completely or built upon more so that it didn’t feel so much like just a side though thrown in.
The writing really stood out for me however, it captured the atmosphere and the voice of the character excellently. I felt that the conversation on race, class, and queerness was done really well and clearly by an author who knows what they are talking about. It was added smoothly to the story and was made central to the plot in a way that felt justified.
Overall, I really enjoyed this and thought the writing and story was really well done. I would definitely recommend this to others and am interested to check out more of Nghi Vo’s work.

I thought the narrator for the story did a good job capturing the atmosphere of the story and feel of the character through her voice. However when speaking the dialogue of the other characters, particularly those with high pitched voice or low pitched, rather than just her regular speaking pitch, I found it to sound very unnatural and it took me out of the story a bit. It wasn’t so often that I wasn’t able to concentrate so it’s okay. I found the narrator did a good job as well of keeping it easy to follow along, I was able to easily immerse myself in the story while listening which often I found can be difficult with audiobooks. Overall, the narrator did a decent job with only a few parts where I felt they could have improved.

Audiobook Narrated by Natalie Naudus - her voice is fabulous!
- Each chapter of this book could serve as a perfect short story. The imagery is crystal clear in your mind as Lulie reminisces to the start of her career. I highly recommend this audiobook to all film lovers and lovers of beautiful literature and speculative fiction.

It's Hollywood in the 1930's. But it is not the glamorous, enchanting Hollywood we have all heard and dream of...Instead, it's the seedier dark side of glamor, filled with actual monsters posing as producers and directors. In this case, we are not talking about metaphorical monsters, although that's the underlying theme of the novel, there are ACTUAL Monsters in this piece of speculative fiction.

Lulie Weis is a young Asian woman who falls into the movie business and smartly demands to be taken seriously She says to directors, "No maids, no funny talking, no fainting flowers.” Again, this isn't a fairy tale, so Lulie basically makes a deal with the devil. She decides
she is willing to do whatever it takes—even if that means becoming the monster herself.

We follow Lulie as she battles to keep her self and still succeed in a very white world. There are threads of gender, race and sexuality discussed throughout this utterly thrilling novel. You will be continually amazed by the complex plot, characterization and of course the monsters -both real and metaphorical. If you love Hollywood, or are endlessly looking for a Chinese heroine, or ANY strong female heroine, #SirenQueens is for you! #Tordotcom #tor.com #TorForge #macmillan #netgalley #netgalleyreads #MacMillanaudio

Nghi Vo is one of my favourite authors and a lot of it has to do with the way she writes (absolutely stunning!) and how she makes me feel. Reading this book made me feel like I was suspended in a cloud, except that cloud was made of dark smoke, and I felt as though if I consumed too much of it all at once, I might hurt myself. Is this perhaps a bit dramatic and a very pretentious way to describe a book? Yes. However, Nghi Vo's writing always manages to evoke very sensory reactions from me, and I don't know how else to explain it.

Siren Queen is sold as a loose companion novel to last year's The Chosen and the Beautiful, and while I can definitely see how these two books exist within the same world, I personally enjoyed this book much more. It has the same allure and glam as The Chosen and the Beautiful, but it's darker and more haunting. I fundamentally find Luli to be a much more compelling protagonist than Jordan was - I can't say I was fully connected to either of the main characters, but I found Luli much more interesting to read about. I also think that thematically, this book worked a lot better for me. Perhaps because it's not tied down by any sort of original text, but I felt like while both books explored what it was like to navigate exclusive, white-dominated social circles as a queer Asian woman, these themes were more fleshed out in Siren Queen.

My only minor critiques of this book was that I did find Act 3 to drag on a bit - I know this isn't a long book, but I do feel that perhaps Nghi Vo's writing and storytelling is best suited for shorter fiction (such as her novellas). Regardless, this book is beautifully written, and I've basically highlighted half of the book.

One thing that I love about this book that I also loved in The Chosen and the Beautiful is the way Nghi Vo blurs the line between magic and reality - in this version of the world, magic is very much ingrained in society, and coupled with the lush writing style, it creates this very dream-like, hazy world in which you don't know what's mundane and what's magical. There's so many moments where I'm not sure if something is just a metaphor or if it's just actual magic, and I realize that this isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, but I personally loved it.

I was also so glad to have gotten an advanced copy of the audiobook as well - Natalie Naudus rarely disappoints with her audio performances, and this book was no different. I think the writing style and the first-person narrative really lends itself well to enjoying this book on audio, and it's probably the medium that I would recommend.

All in all, I am very happy with this book, and Nghi Vo continues to be one of my favourite authors of all time.

The worst thing about Nghi Vo's first novel was the Gatsby of it all. I can't stand that book, and it bugs me to no end that so many rehashes of it popped up the second the copyright expired. In my opinion, it's a dull story no matter how many hats and coats you throw on to disguise it. I would never talk down about fanfic but honestly, that's basically what all these Gatsby retreads are. The Chosen and the Beautiful got close to being something special, so I was excited to see what the author did once she moved on from it.

I'm happy to say that this is the book I wish Chosen and Beautiful had been (and maybe should have been). The characters are allowed to be themselves instead of pastiches of dusty old "classic" characters. It really should have been her first book, and I'm on board for whatever she does next. Just... please, stay away from West Egg.

I'm honestly not sure how I feel about this book. The Chosen and the Beautiful by the same author is one of my all time favorites, but I'm not feeling the same connection with this story. This book has less of a cohesive plot than TCATB, running more on good writing and vibes alone. Definitely much more of an analysis of character, though I would say at times even that was a bit lost to the overall atmospheric writing. The author would have wonderful one-liners every chapter or so but it was surrounded by details I just couldn't get immersed in.

As for the audiobook, I definitely enjoyed the narrator as she is the one of the only narrators I can recognize throughout multiple works. She has good tone and inflection, and definitely matches the vibes for this story, making it more immersive.