Siren Queen is one of those stories where I fell into it. I wasn’t sure what to expect since Vo’s books for me can be hit or miss, but Siren Queen is fantastic. Not only is it queer, but I loved Luli’s story of ambition. It delivers Old Hollywood glamor – and decay – with immigrant dreams of success. Keep reading this book review for my full thoughts.
Summary
“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.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
TW: racism, sexual assault
From the premise alone, I love the idea of making deals for fame and sacrifice. And Siren Queen is a world that is distinctly not ours – because hello magic – but it feels a shade away. This insular community of decadence and decay, of homophobia and fierce ambition, feels just a track away from our world. It uses this idea of trading everything we have to be in movies, for our dreams, and magnifies it. To say I’m a fan of this world building is an understatement. There’s a rawness and elegance to it.
How it’s all a series of trades and transactions, sacrifices for success. And Luli is a character I couldn’t help but love. Not only as an Asian woman did I obviously resonate with Luli, but I loved how driven she is. How she has her ambition and isn’t willing to burn some bridges and to make some compromises – but not all. And in this world of deals with demons concealed by smoke, will she be able to find a shred of authenticity? Of friendship and love?
(Disclaimer: Some of the links below are affiliate links. For more information you can look at the Policy page. If you’re uncomfortable with that, know you can look up the book on any of the sites below to avoid the link)
Will this industry, this dream, rob her of everything she loves and holds dear? Siren Queen is a book that has stuck with me days after finishing. The fact that Luli embraces her ‘monstrosity’ her demand to not be a maid, a fainting flower, or to play her own culture, ended up resonating with me more than I could have anticipated. What role will she find herself in? Her ending as the credits roll? If you love a story about individual agency in a system of sacrifice, read Siren Queen. It’s a blazing inferno dedicated to those who want more to appease and assimilate.
Find Siren Queen on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository.
One thought on “Review: Siren Queen by Nghi Vo”