Siren Queen
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Book Overview
"Lyrical, mesmerizing, and otherworldly. . . stunning proof that Nghi Vo is one of the most original writers we have today. A beautiful, brutal, monstrous Hollywood fantasy."--Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Immortality is just a casting call away.
Locus Award Finalist
Ignyte Award Finalist
An Amazon Best Book of 2022
One of NPR's Best Books of 2022
Vulture's #1 Fantasy Novel of 2022
Indie Next List Reading Group Book of 2023 Best of Year Selections at Apple Books B&N Booksellers LibraryReads TIME Magazine Oprah Daily The Philadelphia Inquirer Publishers Weekly Buzzfeed Chicago Review of Books LitHub Book Riot Paste Magazine Geek Girl Authority Bookish The Mary Sue New York Public Library Vulture Locus Recommended Reading List Kobo The Quill to Live Goodreads L. A. Public Library Audible Amazon NPR An Indie Next and LibraryReads Pick
A Brooklyn Library Prize Finalist It was magic. In every world, it was a kind of magic. "No maids, no funny talking, no fainting flowers." Luli Wei is beautiful, talented, and desperate to be a star. Coming of age in pre-Code Hollywood, she knows how dangerous the movie business is and how limited the roles are for a Chinese American girl from Hungarian Hill--but she doesn't care. She'd rather play a monster than a maid. But in Luli's world, the worst monsters in Hollywood are not the ones on screen. The studios want to own everything from her face to her name to the women she loves, and they run on a system of bargains made in blood and ancient magic, powered by the endless sacrifice of unlucky starlets like her. For those who do survive to earn their fame, success comes with a steep price. Luli is willing to do whatever it takes--even if that means becoming the monster herself. Siren Queen offers up an enthralling exploration of an outsider achieving stardom on her own terms, in a fantastical Hollywood where the monsters are real and the magic of the silver screen illuminates every page.
Format:Hardcover
Language:English
ISBN:1250788838
ISBN13:9781250788832
Release Date:May 2022
Publisher:Tor Books
Length:288 Pages
Weight:0.84 lbs.
Dimensions:1.1" x 5.7" x 8.6"
Customer Reviews
3 ratings
Dark Fae Magic in the Movies!
Published by MizzyRed , 2 years ago
What if the Hollywood stars made bargains and sold pieces of themselves to the studios that hired them, literally, for a chance at stardom? Well, that is what this story is about. The ones who run the studios are more like otherworldly fae, with a little bit of demon, so I guess they are of the Unseelie court. I mean, there is even a Wild Hunt that goes around. The bargains are fairly gruesome at times but that was pretty interesting in that people are willing to sacrifice that part of themselves, (e.g. dancing, loss of feet, beauty: part of their face, etc) or fade from memory and the movies.
I liked that part of the story the best, though I also enjoyed when Luli got her big first part in the movies, not as a weak woman, but as a monster, a siren and how she worked hard to reach stardom. This book was chock full of magic but it wasn't all that mystical, more everyday like, not much to be remarked on unless you made a big bargain with the studios or something. That was cool and I liked this book.
It was ok
Published by Kourtney Reilly , 2 years ago
Title: Siren Queen
Author: Nghi Vo
288 pages
Published: May 10th of 2022
Let's start off by I love the name of the book and the blue color palette on the cover. Blue makes it very pretty and anything that says "Siren" catches my intrest. Even though it's not about that I'm glad I read it. This book is about Luli Wei a beautiful talented wanting to be a star in pre-code Hollywood. In it she knows how the movie business can be very dangerous but she doesn't seem to be bothered by this. She also prefers to play a monster rather than a maid. She learns the worst monsters of all are not on screen but rather in reality around her in Hollywood. She also learns success always comes with a very steep price to pay and it's never lovely. This book caught my attention from the beginning and is well written. It has an interesting story plot and is one book I'd definitely reccomend. Also, reality is just sad.
A dark fantasy of old Hollywood
Published by lurkykitty , 2 years ago
Siren Queen is a dark and haunting fantastical reimagining of the golden age of Hollywood. In this alternate Hollywood, the film studios are run by monsters; they are places of blood contracts, cameras that eat souls, and things that aren't quite human. Immortality is possible, but a price must be paid. The skillful intertwining of the magical elements with the real world, accentuate the horror and sense of danger pervasive throughout the book.
Luli Wei, born to Chinese immigrants, becomes obsessed with the silver screen from a young age. She is willing to sacrifice to become a star, but on her own terms. She refuses roles that reinforce racist stereotypes, defends her friends, and explores her queerness, all at risk to herself.
Vo's writing is lyrical and beautiful, her characters complex. She explores themes such as exploitation, power, racism, xenophobia, homophobia and misogyny. The author creates an exquisite irony in writing about a Hollywood controlled by monsters (because isn’t it in reality?). Siren Queen was compulsively readable and utterly spellbinding. I was enraptured by this book. #BookishFirst
Siren Queen Mentions in Our Blog
Our 10 Favorites from Book Riot's Best Books of 2022
Published by Ashly Moore Sheldon • December 11, 2022
Our friends at Book Riot have published their list of the best books of the year and it includes some great reads, a few of which made our list as well! Here, we highlight ten of our favorites.
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