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A review by neera_exlibris
Siren Queen by Nghi Vo
5.0
Thank you to Tordotcom and NetGalley for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I read Nghi Vo's Singing Hills novellas recently and absolutely loved them so I was really excited to read Siren Queen, and unsurprisingly it was also incredible. Unlike the Singing Hills Cycle which has a whimsical feel, Siren Queen is gritty, dark, and sinister, but still packed full of magic. There's no discussion of the rules of the magic in this pre-Code Hollywood setting, and it takes so many forms. It's subtle but also fully on show; it's in everything, from the smallest transaction to the biggest displays of stardom. It's so entrenched in the world and everyday life that to get an explanation for how it works would have been strange and out of place, especially because the magic is an element that enriches the setting and the story, rather than being the focus of it.
Luli was a really interesting protagonist to follow. She's very morally grey and has enormous ambition. I love that we're finally getting more and more BIPOC characters who are unashamedly in it for themselves without caring what the white people around them think about it.
This was an incredibly enthralling read about fame and immortality, and the price that the pursuit of them exacts.
I read Nghi Vo's Singing Hills novellas recently and absolutely loved them so I was really excited to read Siren Queen, and unsurprisingly it was also incredible. Unlike the Singing Hills Cycle which has a whimsical feel, Siren Queen is gritty, dark, and sinister, but still packed full of magic. There's no discussion of the rules of the magic in this pre-Code Hollywood setting, and it takes so many forms. It's subtle but also fully on show; it's in everything, from the smallest transaction to the biggest displays of stardom. It's so entrenched in the world and everyday life that to get an explanation for how it works would have been strange and out of place, especially because the magic is an element that enriches the setting and the story, rather than being the focus of it.
Luli was a really interesting protagonist to follow. She's very morally grey and has enormous ambition. I love that we're finally getting more and more BIPOC characters who are unashamedly in it for themselves without caring what the white people around them think about it.
This was an incredibly enthralling read about fame and immortality, and the price that the pursuit of them exacts.