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dewugging's review against another edition
dark
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Blood, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Death of parent, Death, and Slavery
lilacs_book_bower's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
If I had read this book as a teenager, I would have been obsessed with it. There are monsters straight out of fairy tales and myths, classic Old Hollywood stories, love stories, different kinds of magic.... Unfortunately, as an adult, it felt a bit lacking for me, even though I did enjoy it. This is supposedly a few different novella ideas brought together, and that makes sense to me. There is a lot going on here. In spite of that, I did want a bit MORE, more explanations, more world building, more stakes to this world. The magic systems are vague and just mentioned without deeper explanations, and people can become immortal by becoming actual stars in the sky, but they are still alive? I get the metaphor about immortality and fame, but my literal brain wants to know how that WORKS. :) The main character basically just gets whatever she wants and doesn't grow much. There is great LGBTQ rep, although the characters sadly have to keep who they are quiet. The main character is a child of Chinese immigrants, and has to deal with racism, as well, and she fights back against being the stereotypical roles. She is called a monster, I guess because of her drive and cold-nature in going after what she wants. I was kind of hoping she would become a true monster and maybe strike some blows against the patriarchy. I would not call this a horror by any stretch of the imagination, more like a beautiful but unsettling dream.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Mental illness, Outing, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy
Minor: Antisemitism, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Cultural appropriation, Rape, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Outing, and Xenophobia
imds's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Racism, Body horror, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Kidnapping, Classism, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, Racial slurs, Abortion, and Pregnancy
lizzym126's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Alcohol, Grief, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Pregnancy, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Misogyny, Blood, Racism, and Sexual content
citrus_seasalt's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
4.75 stars, not quite 5 because the magic system was agonizingly vague and I feel like it made a few parts of the story and stakes confusing. But, overall, this was a stellar read! Luli is a kind of protagonist I don’t get to read about very often; initially sort of morally grey in her own right, firm in her boundaries and self even in a world and time period that is unkind to people like her, ambitious and sometimes reckless, some occasions with both of those things coexisting in equal measure. I don’t think there could’ve been a better protagonist for this book: I enjoyed her POV and what she brought to the table in terms of storytelling immensely. She felt fully developed in a way I hadn’t read other protagonists be before. I don’t know how else to describe it.
Anyhow! I loved the setting of this book, too. The Old Hollywood setting starts out with a kind of hypnotic glamour and dazzle, one that Luli quickly finds herself drawn to as a kid first discovering movies. As it goes on, we see parts of this start to fade away because of the disrespect Luli immediately has to learn to defend herself against, and then it takes on a mysterious, almost scary but ultimately alluring image once more of the immortality and supernatural business is introduced. The movies themselves are described a lot, both in general plot description and in production process(depends on their place in the plot), as you get to hear about the pictures that Luli was involved in or grew up with. I also liked that a lot! It was very cool to read about the behind-the-scenes details for these flicks, even if they only exist in-universe. (I was, and am, what you’d call a “theatre kid” so this, naturally, fascinated me.) And with those behind-the-scenes snippets, of course, came different relationships involving our main character and (mainly) her co-stars/workers! Maybe there could’ve been a bit more development on their parts, though, but I overall liked the explorations of the different dynamics captured within the narrative.
I also enjoyed the writing style. It felt lush and lyrical, with an additional bite for when it was most appropriate. Typically I read YA, so this was a nice change of pace, to be reading a distinctly adult book with this style.
Anyhow! I loved the setting of this book, too. The Old Hollywood setting starts out with a kind of hypnotic glamour and dazzle, one that Luli quickly finds herself drawn to as a kid first discovering movies. As it goes on, we see parts of this start to fade away because of the disrespect Luli immediately has to learn to defend herself against, and then it takes on a mysterious, almost scary but ultimately alluring image once more of the immortality and supernatural business is introduced. The movies themselves are described a lot, both in general plot description and in production process(depends on their place in the plot), as you get to hear about the pictures that Luli was involved in or grew up with. I also liked that a lot! It was very cool to read about the behind-the-scenes details for these flicks, even if they only exist in-universe. (I was, and am, what you’d call a “theatre kid” so this, naturally, fascinated me.) And with those behind-the-scenes snippets, of course, came different relationships involving our main character and (mainly) her co-stars/workers! Maybe there could’ve been a bit more development on their parts, though, but I overall liked the explorations of the different dynamics captured within the narrative.
I also enjoyed the writing style. It felt lush and lyrical, with an additional bite for when it was most appropriate. Typically I read YA, so this was a nice change of pace, to be reading a distinctly adult book with this style.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Sexual content, and Racism
Moderate: Blood, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Abortion and Pregnancy
kingcrookback's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
It's an interesting concept and premise, but the execution just did not do it for me. People of color and LGBTQ+ people in Old Hollywood - in theory, this is right up my alley! But there's a vague and meandering quality to the story, world, and magic system that hovered between mysterious and ethereal at best and muddled at worst. I wanted more exploration of the way things worked. For example, I know that the changes Vo made to the studio system is metaphorical of the exploitative practices of the real-life studio systems, but I was left wanting more detail. The nodders - horrifying! What does the process of making them entail?
The story really only started to grip me in earnest around the 75% mark, where we started to see conflict between Luli and Tara and the abstraction started to abate a bit. This wasn't for me, but I'll pick up some of Vo's other works and see if they stir up some different feelings.
The story really only started to grip me in earnest around the 75% mark, where we started to see conflict between Luli and Tara and the abstraction started to abate a bit. This wasn't for me, but I'll pick up some of Vo's other works and see if they stir up some different feelings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Misogyny, Violence, Child abuse, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Pregnancy and Abortion
purplatypus's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Pregnancy, Racism, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol
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
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.
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.
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
ghosthermione's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
I’ve enjoyed every Nghi Vo story I’ve read so far, so I was very excited for this novel! Thank you to Tor Dot Com and Netgalley for giving me this free eARC in exchange for a fair review!
So far what I’d read from Vo were her two Asia-inspired novellas, which were a lot like fairy tales, so I wasn’t sure what to expect here. I’d say Siren Queen is more of a cross between The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Last Night at the Telegraph Club, with added magical realism.
It’s very much about the experience of a Chinese American girl in the 1930s, racism, sexism and all. It’s very much a story about queer Hollywood. And, also, a story where “all the myths are true” and fae and monsters roam the studios of Hollywood and you gotta make bargains – with your voice, your talent, sometimes your body parts or your life – to get anywhere.
I found it very slow, in a positive way. It’s a book you want to read bit by bit and see more of this world unfolding. And you never truly know as much as you’d want about any of it. I don’t think the narrator knows everything she wants to know. I really enjoyed the fantastical atmosphere and the idea that anything (mostly something terrible) could happen at any time. The prose is lovely as always with Nghi Vo, and I may not have liked Luli as a person but I enjoyed seeing her develop as a character, and seeing where she was going next. I also had no clue where the story would go next, or how it would end, the whole time. I like a book that keeps me on my toes!
And throughout, this idea of queer joy that I love so much, despite the rough context of the 30s and despite the fantastical horror: queer characters embracing who they are, even if the world around them would see them as monsters – and grab what joy they can get. I don’t know why queer joy and this kind of horror mix so well but they somehow do.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Pregnancy