Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

Siren Queen by Nghi Vo

51 reviews

sparklefarm's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

4.5

This. This. This is what Evelyn Hugo was trying to be. Siren Queen is a dazzling look at the power and control underneath the shimmer and shine of Hollywood. Wild and weird, gorgeous, exquisite.

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sashahc's review

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective sad 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


"Siren Queen" by Nghi Vo takes place in pre-Code Hollywood.  Chinese American Luli Wei is growing up in a Chinese Laundry in Los Angeles, but desperately wants to be a movie star. She is willing to give up part of her soul to get there, and given that the movie studios are run by the fae, she may have to.  Her requirements are “No maids, no funny talking, no fainting flowers.”  She falls into a magical world of backstabbing, danger, and passion.  The book is about being an ambitious and proud outsider in a white and straight world, and choosing what to risk and what to fight for.  It’s a beautifully written, deeply queer, and rather melancholy 

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peggymay's review against another edition

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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


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oceanelle's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional reflective slow-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? No

4.0


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ilutzer's review

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dark emotional 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

4.0


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leweylibrary's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

4.5

My love for this book isn't all-consuming, but I did really like it! I love the magical realism in it, that added so much to the story and elevated it overall. I feel like it was The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo meets Last Night at the Telegraph Club plus magic lol. I loved how it explored race and gender themes through the magic and in the glamorous (and not so)world of old Hollywood. Plus I love any book that shows how queer people did exist in history.

Ngl there were some parts of the magical bits that I did not understand lol but I love that in the end she has that epic scene and then tells Wolfe
Spoiler that he can suck it, she'll do what she wants to do for now, and how she realizes that maybe riding off into the sunset with a guy on screen isn't what she wants, but she is down to be a monster 🔥😈
freaking love that ending.

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its_thekla's review

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3.5

All I expected going into this was another great sorry from Nghi Vo. While not quite the same speed as The Singing Hills Cycle, this was still a good read

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jaimc's review against another edition

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

3.5


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dewugging's review

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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


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nichole_of_numenor's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious slow-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

3.5

I genuinely enjoyed the story and while I couldn't always agree with what our heroine did, it was definitely understandable in a world that was so harsh and dangerous towards her. I enjoyed the friendships she developed (and should probably have annotated that as a theme). 

I think this story would lend itself really well to the actual silver screen.

There was no line drawn between reality and mysticism, which I'm sure was intentional when telling a story where everything and everyone has the potential to be fake. It was just hard for me to follow at times.

Overall, I liked it. I might recommend to certain people. Probably won't reread.

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