Not at all what I expected from Ms. Moreno-Garcia. The Seventh Veil of Salome is a straight historical fiction story that includes imagined scenes from the Bible. I loved the look at old-school Hollywood. The ending is rushed and a bit of a letdown with one aspect of the story left dangling. Still, it highlights Ms. Moreno-Garcia's writing skills and reaffirms her strong story-telling ability.

Moreno-Garcia has done it again. This had Evelyn Hugo vibes all over it. I felt like Garcia is remodeling horror to be so interesting and literary.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

-Quick Response-
Wow, wow, wow. I read “The Seventh Veil of Salome” after reading “Velvet Was the Night”. The latter fell short of my expectations for a Silvia Moreno-Garcia novel. HOWEVER, this book was different. The writing pulls you in and envelops you immediately as Moreno-Garcia weaves together the tale of 3 very different women who have parallel live paths.

-Plot-
Vera Larios was “discovered” while working at her father’s dentist practice in Mexico. Now she’s starring as the lead of The Seventh Veil of Salome, a long awaited movie - but Nancy has had her eye on that part and she’ll do anything to get it.

-Characters-
The three main characters were well written. Their personalities were complex and realistic. Some characters are very easy to dislike while it’s just as easy to like others.

I applaud Moreno-Garcia for writing the relationships the way she did; between each of the women and those in their lives.

-Writing-
The pace was perfect, vacillating between multiple points of views: primarily those of the three women (Salome, Vera, Nancy), as well as other players in the women’s lives. This novel is layered in it’s story telling: on the first layer, you have a contemptuous relationship (mainly one-sided) between two women who are vying to play the role of the ever-complex Salome in a new film. When we peel back that veil, we see that it’s a love story, the next veil reveals a story of an empty woman, and the final veil recounts a religious tale.

I found the chapters were appropriate in length, and spent just the right amount of time with each woman. There were also snippets from either the gossip magazines or secondary characters that provided clues and context to what was to come.

-Reading experience-
I could not put down this book. My only regret is not starting this ARC as soon as I received it.

-Do I Like this book?-
I thoroughly enjoyed this book - negative emotions and all.

-Do I Recommend this Book?-
I recommend this book to everyone. It’s got a little bit of everything: suspense, romance, drama, Hollywood in the 50s.

-Trigger warnings-
Domestic violence
Racism
Micro-agressions
Colorism
Victim blaming

Hollywood 1950’s and every actress is vying to play the role of Salome. Young Vera Larios is cast in the roll and Nancy Hartley is jealous. She’s desperate for fame, but her career is stalled. Both actresses are clawing their way to the top. Racism, drama, sex, tragedy and tears.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s *The Seventh Veil of Salome* is a mesmerizing blend of historical intrigue and modern suspense, showcasing the author’s signature talent for immersive storytelling. This latest addition to the GMA Book Club Picks delivers a captivating narrative that skillfully combines elements of mystery, romance, and Hollywood.

Set against a richly detailed backdrop, Moreno-Garcia paints a vivid portrait of a world both glamorous and shadowy, drawing readers into a web of secrets and deception. The plot centers around a complex cast of characters whose intertwining stories unfold with tension and elegance. The novel’s pacing is deliberate, allowing for a gradual buildup of suspense that keeps readers hooked.

I wanted to read this fast but it's not possible! I needed to absorb and savor every word. Those last few chapters had me on the edge of my seat.

This historical novel is told from mainly three different female perspectives.

Vera is plucked from her life in Mexico to star in a Hollywood movie about Salome. She must navigate the snide comments from the gossip magazines, a particular extra on set and the public in general.

Salome is dealing with a mother who uses her as a pawn to gather information, favors etc. Her stepfather is eyeing her in an unfatherly way. And his advisors want her to marry an ally.

Nancy is an actress. She's always reaching for a bigger and better for herself. When an unknown woman is chosen for a role she auditioned for, Nancy's uglier side comes to the surface.

Thank you so much to the author, Random House and NetGalley for this ARC to review.

The Seventh Veil of Salome weaves together the biblical story of Salome with Vera, an actor chosen to play Salome in an upcoming Hollywood epic, and Nancy, an older Hollywood character who believes the role of Salome should be hers.
Salome, according to the Gospel of Mark, at her mother’s urging, performs sensual Dance of the Seven Veils for her stepfather, and in return granted anything she wants. In furtherance of her mother’s agenda, Salome requests the head of John the Baptist.
Vera, a young Mexican woman, is brought to Hollywood to play the role of Salome in what is touted to be Hollywood’s next great epic. Vera struggles with insecurities brought on by her disapproving mother and the demands of Hollywood, both on and off the set.
Nancy, an older actor still looking for her big break, uses sex to get what she wants, which at this moment includes getting Vera out of her way.
Parts of Moreno-Garcia’s writing is gripping and intriguing, however, when mixed with long slower passages, fails to seamlessly integrate the stories.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia never fails to deliver a book I enjoy! I took my time with this one and I think that was a good choice. The Seventh Veil of Salome is historical fiction set in 1950's Hollywood, following Vera- a young Mexican woman plucked from obscurity and caste in the lead role of a "sand and sandals" Biblical film about the girl who requested the beheading of John the Baptist. But it is also a story of jealousy, betrayal, backstabbing, and forbidden love.

The structure of the book is really interesting - we read the story of the film as if it's actually happening, Vera's experiences getting into Hollywood, and then brief perspectives from a range of side characters. Some as if they are being interviewed years later. I imagine this non-traditional method of storytelling might be frustrating to some readers but I really liked it. The mirroring of the quasi-historical Salome with the experiences of Vera are striking. This gets into the racism and misogyny of Hollywood during this era and what it was like to be a woman of color performing on screen. It was clearly very well researched and I was thoroughly engaged and invested throughout.

A word of warning though to those who are new to this author's work- she almost never writes happy endings. With a couple of exceptions, they are bittersweet or downright tragic and this is no different. I loved it though- excellently done! I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

The Seventh Veil of Salome was an excellent read. I loved the character study and the writing felt propulsive. I would read more from this author again.

As a lover of old Hollywood, I was really looking forward to this book. Unfortunately, I was left a little disappointed by the end. I enjoyed the narrative structure of the book, like how we heard from so many different characters within Hollywood and within the main characters' lives. However, I feel like there was a lot of build up throughout the book, which gave me the impression there would be more thrilling/intense/mysterious elements. Maybe because of these expectations, the book felt a little too quiet and slow. I do always enjoy Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and will continue to pick up her books, even if this one was just okay for me.

The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Last year, I got a eARC of Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and I really enjoyed it! Before that, I’d seen her name around on best of lists and upcoming books to look forward to, but it wasn’t until the Hugo nomination for the Daughter of Dr. Moureau that I decided it was time to put her to the top of my to-read pile. I enjoyed it and also really enjoyed Silver Nitrate.

When I reviewed it, I wrote that it reminded me of how I felt when I read 11/22/63 by Steven King - I really enjoyed both books, and for both books I really would have liked to see how the author would have written the story without anything supernatural going on.

Well, I feel like I got my wish! The Seventh Veil of Salome is not a horror novel - except for the horrors of racism and sexism. It is historical fiction set in old Hollywood during the filming of a movie version of the biblical story of Salome, while alternating sections retelling the author’s version of that tale. Not being familiar with the story, I found this novel fascinating and engrossing. The characters feel real and the story has a sad but realistic feeling ending. I couldn’t have enjoyed it more. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I will go ahead and get this out of the way; I absolutely love Silvia Moreno-Garcia! As an author she is so versatile. You never know where her writing will take you until you are in it because of her ability to write not only different genres but use different plot devices, locations, and pull from different inspirations. I am pretty sure I have said this about all of her novels at one point or another but I am certain that The Seventh Veil of Salome is my favorite yet. As always the writing and structure of this novel were both beautiful and truly unmatched. I really enjoyed the old Hollywood vibe, the characters, and the pacing. At some points I was not sure if what I was reading was the movie being filmed or the original story. Simply put the novel was transporting. It was so engaging and was fun read that I could not put down.

A long time fan of Silvia Moreno-Garcia I enjoyed her prose and style as usual. However the multiple perspectives regarding the three main characters could have used more balance with Salome's tale rambling through to build more intrigue than is necessary considering the ending is well known. The Hollywood depictions were well done and the characters could benefit from more rounding out if less time was spent on the biblical tale.

I have been a huge fan of SMG since I read Mexican Gothic. No one is sadder than me to report that I did not find this book as enjoyable as other works of hers I've read. It's difficult to really pinpoint why I didn't vibe with this. I am usually ok with slow burn stories but this felt like it was really dragging. Instead of getting excited to read this book, I was dreading when it was time to sit down and read it. That's not a good sign! I believe the multiple POVs ended up hindering rather than enhancing the story. It just didn't really work for me. I kept getting constantly confused with the two narratives. Also where was the drama? Where was the action? The whole thing just fell flat for me. Perhaps my expectations were too high for this book so I couldn't really appreciate it for what it was. Sadly, this story was just not for me. I will continue to read SMG as I think this was a one off occurrence. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an eARC of this book!

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is an automatic buy for me, and it seems like every book, she’s conquering something entirely new and different. Some folks focus down to a specific genre or type of story. SMG can comfortably write an excellent book in seemingly any genre or style.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia continues to sit at the top of my must-read author list She is a wonderful storyteller and develops characters as well as anybody. The Seventh Veil of Salome is a retelling of the Biblical story of Salome told through the perspective of a young Mexican woman chosen to play Salome in a film during the "Swords and Sandals" days of Hollywood. The protagonist, Vera, starts as an innocent, but quickly learns the ways of Hollywood, often the hard way. Just as Salome learns to navigate the politics of her uncle/step-father's court, Vera learns to deal with the back channelling and challenges facing a young Mexican woman in the movie business. Great plot, great characters, a fantastic novel. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Oh this was SO good. SMG can do no wrong when it comes to writing atmospheric, terrifying tales that are both character and plot driven and will have you gasping to know what comes next.

An actress aching to be discovered in the golden age of cinema has to contend with more than just jealousy and betrayal in Moreno-Garcia’s atmospheric novel. Really enjoyed diving into this- received a nice PR package from the publisher and generally thought it was a good story with layered characters and plot.

This historical fiction novel by @silviamg.author was fantastic! Set in Hollywood’s golden age of the 1950s, the author not only captured the time period, but also created characters that jumped off the page. I loved the main character, Vera and her character growth in the story. Nancy is the perfect villain and foil to Vera. Woven in between the stories of these two characters is the story of Salome who is referenced more in biblical art than the Bible itself. The weaving of these three characters and their stories was intriguing and made for a fascinating read.

(This same review was shared on the Barnes & Noble website).

Another knockout novel from Moreno-Garcia. She has become one of my autobuy authors and I am so grateful to have gotten to read the advanced copy of this. I truly enjoyed the story and the insight into the bias and prejudices shown in old Hollywood. I was intrigued by the drama and the story of our main characters. Definitely check this out if you’re into historical fiction!