Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Siren Queen by Nghi Vo

15 reviews

racheloddment's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexism, and Homophobia

Moderate: Grief, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Blood, and Violence

Minor: Sexual harassment

sarah984's review

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I love Nghi Vo's novellas (When The Tiger Came Down The Mountain is one of my favourite books) but this book did not work for me. I'm not surprised to find in the author's note that chronologically this is their first novel because it really does feel like a debut. There is not enough story to sustain a full length novel, but somehow the book still feels long. The writing style is also extremely fanficcy (the "all [noun] and [noun]" physical descriptors, the characters making parenthetical interjections throughout for no reason) and the romances are silly and over the top. None of the prominent characters are that interesting, and the book does that annoying thing from historical fiction where the character lays out the hardships of a certain setting and then goes, "but not me though!" as if they're better than all the real people who went through those situations.

I will say though that the world was very interesting (even if we didn't get to see a lot of it) and the way the magic was used to emphasize real world issues was mostly well done.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Ableism, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Racism, and Sexual assault

Minor: Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Drug use, Child abuse, Death, Addiction, Alcohol, Homophobia, and Infidelity

vigil's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

i absolutely adored this book. it has a loose and unexplained magical realism style that might be a detriment to some people, but for me it served to further immerse me into the world and character. luli was a character i resonated with personally as a fellow lesbian woc who couldn't be sweet or dainty if i tried, and comfortably related to the idea of being a monster, or really just an other.

i think luli is a character that is to flatten and turn into a shallow “girlboss” caricature, which would be doing her a disservice. we get to know luli's insecurities and fears alongside her wants, and accomplishments in a way that despite the mystical atmosphere, keeps the narrative really grounded. it was very striking and relatable to hear about luli’s fears simultaneous to her bold actions and demeanor. i appreciated the variety in her relationships, and that regardless of their outcome, are always treated with respect by the narrative and had a clear impact on luli herself. 

i can't say much about the plot, not due to a lack of one, but because this story is primarily driven by its characters. this was originally three seperate novellas, and i think you can see that somewhat in the division of the story (act one, act two, act three) but it didn't harm the pacing, and kept the thread from the previous portion weaving throughout the next. the prose itself is excellent, managing to be poetic and descriptive without being vague or dragging. 

all in all, i can't recommend this one enough.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Body horror, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia

anxiousnachos's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

4.5

4.5 stars. Siren Queen has again proved how much I adore Nghi Vo’s writing. She has such beauty and a delicate hand with her prose, it always feels like stepping out of a dream when I finish reading. I particularly loved the way folklore and mythology was embedded into Siren Queen, woven into the magic of the world and into the dark underbelly of Hollywood. 

Content warnings: racism, slurs, homophobia, sexual harassment, abuse in Hollywood, misogyny, physical child abuse, blood and gore, self-mutilation, fire, sex, pregnancy, discussions of abortion

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Lesbophobia, Blood, Violence, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, and Misogyny

Moderate: Abortion, Physical abuse, and Child abuse

internationalreads's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, Outing, Body horror, Drug use, Sexism, Sexual content, Abandonment, Body shaming, Classism, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Alcohol, Child abuse, Dysphoria, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Racial slurs, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Vomit, Fatphobia, Racism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, and Cultural appropriation