writersrelief's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Early Hollywood was not a great place to be BIPOC or LGBTQ+. In addition to controlling most aspects of one’s personal life, many studio contracts included “moral clauses” to ensure their stars were always on their best behavior, lest they face job termination. Nghi Vo’s fantastical novel SIREN QUEEN reimagines early Hollywood’s glittering yet sinister environment into a magical, mysterious, and dangerous world.
The novel follows an unnamed Chinese woman whose screen name becomes Luli Wei, a name she stole from her sister. Even though she’s hired by a monstrous studio executive, Luli insists on “no maids, no funny talking, no fainting flowers.” While this insistence on substantial roles leads to struggles finding work, Luli eventually makes her mark as a vengeful siren in a series of monster movies. Along the way, she becomes friends and lovers with other actors who are forced to conceal their true selves in order to stay employed.
Nghi Vo is masterful at world building. Her spare yet sparkling prose made it easy to visualize this world, yet she doesn’t overexplain its rules—she allows readers to immerse themselves enough to take this environment on its own terms. This gives her space to explore themes of sacrifice and betrayal, particularly when one is living at the intersections of Asian and lesbian identities. We found the recurring theme of names powerful, particularly how names are given and taken away from the characters throughout the book. Also fascinating is how the protagonist’s siren character, ostensibly sexist and racist, proves a source of empowerment.
A unique and unforgettable reimagining of the much-fabled early Hollywood years, SIREN QUEEN will enthrall and empower.
The novel follows an unnamed Chinese woman whose screen name becomes Luli Wei, a name she stole from her sister. Even though she’s hired by a monstrous studio executive, Luli insists on “no maids, no funny talking, no fainting flowers.” While this insistence on substantial roles leads to struggles finding work, Luli eventually makes her mark as a vengeful siren in a series of monster movies. Along the way, she becomes friends and lovers with other actors who are forced to conceal their true selves in order to stay employed.
Nghi Vo is masterful at world building. Her spare yet sparkling prose made it easy to visualize this world, yet she doesn’t overexplain its rules—she allows readers to immerse themselves enough to take this environment on its own terms. This gives her space to explore themes of sacrifice and betrayal, particularly when one is living at the intersections of Asian and lesbian identities. We found the recurring theme of names powerful, particularly how names are given and taken away from the characters throughout the book. Also fascinating is how the protagonist’s siren character, ostensibly sexist and racist, proves a source of empowerment.
A unique and unforgettable reimagining of the much-fabled early Hollywood years, SIREN QUEEN will enthrall and empower.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/injury detail, Violence, Lesbophobia, Sexual content, Racism, and Emotional abuse
sarah984's review against another edition
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
magneto's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Injury/injury detail
pagesofbellerose's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Pregnancy, Body horror, Death, Classism, Gore, Sexual content, and Injury/injury detail
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