mothreadsbookssometimes 's review for:

Siren Queen by Nghi Vo

4.25

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Siren Queen is a historical, magical realism story about a young, queer Chinese woman trying to fit into 1930s Hollywood. 
This was such a bizarre, fascinating blend of genres. Historical fiction and fantasy (magical realism) and a touch of romance and a dash of suspense. Magical realism can be very hit or miss, but this was a hit for me. 
I loved the writing style in this. It’s colorful and gorgeous and mysterious. The magic is confusing as all get out, but Nghi Vo has such an immersive way of writing that I didn’t mind. 

My main issue was the pacing. This book took me a very long time to read, despite being relatively short. There was a lot of fluff for at least the first half of the book. I kept waiting for the action to pick up or for some missing piece to click into place, but it never felt like it did. I feel like I finished the book with more questions than answers. 
The ending does work with the story as a whole, but it wasn’t quite what I was expecting and it wasn’t quite clear what happened. I’m still not sure if I liked it or not, but it wasn’t a bad ending. 
Altogether, though, if you like atmospheric writing, magical realism, and bold lesbians, you might enjoy this. 

CW: racism; homophobia; violence; misogyny; sexual content