A review by exlibriscass
Siren Queen, by Nghi Vo

adventurous dark funny mysterious reflective fast-paced

• 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

5.0

I actually had a hard time trying to figure out exactly how to talk about Siren Queen and the absolute magic of this book because it was much more of an experience that I can’t really put into words. The subtle magic of the world was so deeply woven into the words and every scene it felt like watching a movie and reading the script at once. I also can’t think of anything more clever than mixing the ideas of fae and deals with the devil into old Hollywood. 

To put is plainly Siren Queen is about Chinese-American girl, whose real name we never know, who falls in love with the immortality of movies and makes her own way onto the silver screen and in doing so finds herself and becomes a monster - but not in the way you think. It’s so much more than that though! In a surprisingly short read Vo manages to show the complexities of friendship, love, and loyalty as well as come up against the question of what is bravery again and again and leaving with different answers. That isn’t even starting to touch on what I thought the real magic of the book was which was how Vo described the scenes of the movies while they were shooting them but that is something you would have to read for yourself to experience. 

Overall, I absolutely loved this book and I think it’s the queer Hollywood actress book that everyone really needs to read.