Reviews with content warning for Sexual harassment - Siren Queen

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Siren Queen by Nghi Vo

26 reviews

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.

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hailstorm3812's review

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

I love Luli so much. Honestly I think it kind of sped through the ending and I could have had another 100 pages watching her earn her triumph and reconnect with loved ones

(including Jane???)

But whatever structural issues there are are overwrought by the extreme awesomeness of the vibes. Old Hollywood and the fae, what else could I want?

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