An incredible fantasy story, with great LGBT representation. This book was a great read. Recommend to fans of dark magic and You Must Remember This. Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for the ARC.

Nghi Vo, my beloved author of historical fantasy 🤩 Perhaps best known for the fantasy novella The Empress of Salt and Fortune , I have somehow only read her two historical novels – and I have absolutely adored them. I consider myself a Gatsby fan, so of course The Chosen and the Beautiful caught my eye last year. (And how can it not, with that stunning cover?). It’s actually on my Christmas wishlist… but I digress.

Siren Queen and The Chosen and the Beautiful have a few significant commonalities. One is the historical time period, with Siren Queen taking place about 5-10 years after when The Chosen and the Beautiful was set. (The books are not obviously set in the same universe, but I feel like they could be.*) The fantasy element is more prominent in Siren Queen, but in both, it’s intricately woven into the plot, subtle at most points yet crucial to the story. The final major similarity between the two novels is that they star ‘unlikable’ protagonists – forced to act a certain way because of the (racist, sexist) expectations of the world around them.

I encountered a hiccup early on, when I started reading and then got stuck around 25%. I didn’t pick the book up for two months. But when I finally returned to it, I finished it in three days. I became totally absorbed by lines like “Love threw a darkness out of her, but to me it was only a warm sweetness, desert honey poured down my throat.” (loc 1486)

What the jacket copy doesn’t reveal but quickly becomes evident is that this is a fairy story. The kind of fairy story where fae terrorize and bargain with humans and hold the true power in Hollywood. I didn’t quite fully understand what was going on; I felt a step or two behind at times (but not as behind as when I’m reading a Helen Oyeyemi novel, lol). Let me reread it once or twice more and then I’m sure I’ll have it.

The captivating writing style kept me on my toes, enamoured with the world that Vo created. The story’s quite dark and moody. I’m inclined, for the first time ever in my book blogging life, to describe the writing as ‘intoxicating’.

*Ohoh! I’ve just read an interview where Vo states “Siren Queen stands alone, but if you read carefully, it does have a few tiny things that link it to my first novel, The Chosen And The Beautiful.” 👀

The Bottom Line 💭 A rich and dark historical tale infused with fae and fantasy, I recommend Siren Queen for any fan of historical fantasy who doesn’t mind their tales a little obscure.

The premise promises a story more interesting than what was delivered: magical realism in golden age cinema with a heroine who will do anything to be a star! But the main character is a basic bitch with little depth. I never understood why she wanted what she wanted. The story pacing is soooooo slow. Nothing happens for pages and pages and all the time reading them doesn't pay off.

The little moments where blood magic is mentioned are interesting, but they show up in obvious ways and don't result in any repercussions expected with blood dealings.

Story: 1 star
Character Development: 1 star
Writing: 3 stars

Old Hollywood is a great love of mine, and Siren Queen’s blend of that “golden age” glamour with magical lore worked in a way I never would have expected. Luli serves as an ideal character to introduce the reader to this world, in the know enough to be aware of the magic at work, but not enough to avoid all of its dangers. This shadowy pre-Code world is a perfect backdrop for Luli’s rise to stardom and exploration of friendship and sexuality under the scrutiny of the studio system. Siren Queen managed to catch and amplify everything that intrigues me about old Hollywood, and Nghi Vo’s captivating prose swept me through this book.

This book was basically written for me: 30s hollywood, blood magic and a Chinese American main character? Perfection. Vo does an absolutely wonderful job. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for granting me access to an e-arc.

Nghi Vo's writing is always very lyrical and a wonder to read. It's no different in this book. However, that's basically the only thing that caught me in this book. I read this book not entirely sure what is going on, and unable to figure out what the magic system in this story was and how it worked. I just could not get into it.

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 have come back to this book again and again trying to finish it but I just can't seem to get invested in the plot when the world building seems to change every chapter or so. There's a lot of magic involved which I'm not crazy about, but even that is never fully explained. Then there's a lot of non-humans somehow in the middle all of the sudden, it's just too much to keep track of. It started out really interesting but it was just too crazy.

In an alternate Hollywood where stars literally rise up to become immortals via magic, blood and sacrifice, Luli Wei stole her sister's given name to have a chance at being one of the silver screen's stars. But as a Chinese-American from the Hungarian Hills, she was not willing to take the role of maid, having a funny accent, or a fainting flower. Instead, she schemed and sacrificed her way into stardom as the siren that lures men to their doom, i.e. she would rather be the monster and win lasting glory in that role. An interesting read and look at Hollywood!

"Siren Queen" is a novel that I enjoyed thoroughly for a lot of different reasons. The world building, the setting of old Hollywood, and the dismantling of stereotypes within the film industry. This isn't just a novel set in the 30s, but it's mainly a creative and fantastic way to approach an era that didn't concede breathing space to anyone who was not white, or straight.
The main character is sure of herself, and is especially sure that she will not be playing the maid in anyone's fantasy, but she'd rather be the monster in their nightmares.
"Siren Queen" is definitely the fantasy standalone that everyone should read.

Did not finish book. Stopped at 21%.
Not interested in Hollywood, the seat of the United States soft power propaganda. I was interested in the addition of fantasy beings to the film set but there wasn't enough of that in the first fifth of the story I read to sustain my interest. However, there appears to be a real life counterpart to Luli Wei - Anna May Wong, Hollywood’s first Chinese American film star, soon to be commemorated on American currency! (https://www.kqed.org/news/11925613/she-fought-racism-in-early-hollywood-now-shell-be-the-first-asian-american-on-us-currency) Perhaps Nghi Vo took inspiration from her struggle to break into white Hollywood. I am still anticipating the next novella of Nghi Vo's Singing Hills Cycle. My thanks to Tor and Netgalley for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 39%

Unfortunately I had a hard time reading this book. There’s just not a lot of things happening, the plot moves forward really slowly. There were too many name droppings of this actress, of that studio owners, and of certain movies which truly gives Luli a vibe of established people. And while I appreciate the metaphors of monster and magic with hollywood, the lack of action made this really boring. I want stories about people, about events, and there’s just neither in this book.

Nghi Vo is one of my favorite authors and this book just proves how brilliant she is.

When I first read the description, Siren Queen reminded me of Evelyn Hugo a lot because it's set in the golden age of Hollywood but as I started reading it I realized how completely different they are (I liked Siren Queen more).

Magic, fame, monsters, dark bargains, beautiful writing, queerness, this book has it all.

Through the story, we follow a young Chinese American girl, Luli Wei, who is desperate to break into Hollywood and become famous. Luli is aware of how dangerous the movie is and how limited the roles for Chinese American girls are but she doesn't care. She's doing everything she can to rise and become a star. She lies, she cheats, she fights, she manipulates and she's certainly one of my favorite characters ever. You need to read this book. You need to meet Luli. Trust me.

Thought-provoking and addictive, Siren Queen is a book you have to read, ASAP.

Nghi Vo is one of my favorite authors due to her excellent writing style and impressive imagination. I was hesitant going into Siren Queen because I don't love reading about "famous" characters, it's just never my kind of story. Luckily, Siren Queen was excellent. 

The story follows a young Chinese American girl who works her way up in Hollywood to become a well known actress. The story follows this journey and details the struggles she faces as she works for a studio that works to present her a certain way and what she must sacrifice to succeed. 

Siren Queen is a hard book to describe. If you've read Nghi Vo before, you know that she brings fantastical elements to her works, but these elements are never really explained, they just are. Siren Queen is very fantastical and it makes the book extremely unique. 

I would highly suggest this to anyone who likes their books a little strange and different. I think you would also like it if reading about classical Hollywood from a queer, Chinese American perspective intrigues you!

What I find most intriguing about this story is how magic is seamlessly weaved into the world building in a way where the reader comes to believe that such tricks and trials are just a part of life. I enjoyed the writing and seeing the protagonist progress through this glorious age of films, but was slightly lost as to what happened at the end and why.

Thank you so much to net galley for sending me a copy of this book. It was a really strange yet refreshing book. But it’s definitely not for everyone but luckily I loved it!

This is a beautifully written look at Old Hollywood from an Asian LGBT perspective. I love how seamlessly the magic fits into Vo's Hollywood. Give this to fans of Evelyn Hugo.

“No maids, no funny talking, no fainting flowers.”

Enter one of my highly anticipated fantasy reads for 2022. Siren Queen is a historical fantasy novel about the golden age of Hollywood, and what it's like for a Chinese American girl to make her way to being a star.

I loved Luli as a character for her strength and sense of identity - she knows exactly who she is and who she wants to be. Each character had a very distinct sense of self, which helped because there were quite a few.

And for a book with such a sense of self, it makes sense that identity was one of the main themes - so many of these stars took new names to appeal to audiences, but what are the consequences of becoming someone else to please others?

Overall, I did enjoy this story, even if the magic system seemed a little chaotic. It was a manifestation of power and privilege but still felt very random and under-explained. I would have loved some exposition on how and why each person had the powers they did.

Recommended for: If you liked Evelyn Hugo but wanted it to be darker and more diverse, be sure to pick this up this summer.

2.5 stars
I am so, so heartbroken this book wasn't for me. I think I read it in the wrong time but anyways I'm heartbroken because this was one of my most expected books of the year. But it just didn't work out.
When I read the synopsis and the first chapter I thought this was going to be something like TSHOEH but with fantasy and monsters in the mix, and it kinda was but not in a great way. However, I really liked the discussion of racism in the Hollywood industry in that time and well, racism in general. It's also pretty interesting to see the great difference that there was in all characters lives.
I think that I'm going to reread this in the future because I firmly believe I read it in the wrong time. If I do this, I'll try to change my review here.

Siren Queen is a novel following Luli Wei, a Chinese American girl who wants to become big in Hollywood. It’s set in pre-code Hollywood, in the 1930s, and when she gets to a studio she knows the opportunities will be limited, but she knows who she doesn’t want to be. “No maids, no funny talking, no fainting flowers.” Luli would rather play a monster by choice, and there is little she wouldn’t be willing to give for success. There are, however, real monsters in Hollywood, real magic interwoven through ‘regular’ monstrous humans’ actions. She is no stranger to magic, as the book’s second chapter opens with "You might say my family is in the business of immortality.” This story follows the rise of Luli in a world that’s set to tear her down and her building her path with whatever it takes.

I immensely enjoyed this book. This is such an interesting take on Hollywood, and while I think the idea of its monsters being real monsters is not a new one, this book does a fantastic job with it. I really enjoyed Nghi Vo’s writing, the prose in this book is absolutely beautiful and the entire novel has a very atmospheric feel. That being said, the magic is what made me lower my rating, as I found myself quite confused through some parts of it. It is established early on that Luli is no stranger to it, but without specifying how prevalent it is I didn’t know what to expect. I do think that it fits the book in a way, so I’m not faulting it as much for it, this air of mystery and questioning what’s real and what’s not seems strangely fitting after a while. I think the author did a fantastic job with the characters, I really enjoyed all of them, how different they were, how their lives, motivations, and actions brought them together or tore them apart. How almost everyone in the industry was fighting to survive, in a way, and how for everyone that meant something different.

This is a difficult book to review and to explain, not because it has a convoluted plot, but simply because the more you say the more you give away. In terms of the plot, this book is definitely more quiet. There is plot, don’t get me wrong, but this is for sure more character-driven. So if you like your book action-packed, maybe this is not for you. The story is told by Luli herself, after a number of years, and after she’d become successful. She starts the story with her childhood, family, how she became enthralled with the movies, and how she got into the industry.

Luli is, of course, the central figure of the book, and the character we follow. She is an amazing, interesting character, and while she seems quite detached while she tells the story, there is a certain ferocity and urgency you sense in her earlier years. There is rage and strength and desire for stardom that’s just palpable through the pages as you read. She is a person who is willing to succeed. no matter what it takes. She is willing to bargain, and give parts of herself, years of her life if it gets her where she wants to be. But she is not ‘the villain’ of this story, in no way. We see how loving and caring she is with her friend Greta, Harry, with Emmaline. But when it comes to her career, the industry is cutthroat, and she has shaped herself into someone who can survive it.

In terms of Hollywood, it paints a picture of a community, of sorts, of people willing to do many bad things for fame and recognition. Here I am talking about the directors and producers and such people. There is, as I mentioned, both the supernatural and human monstrosity, with all of them willing to exploit and hurt the young actors looking for success. It definitely paints a recognizable picture, even with the magical elements, and I feel like it is, sadly, still a relevant one.

Luli’s place in Hollywood is a precarious one. She comes into this ‘universe’ that is both willing to completely overlook her but also pigeonhole her and exploit her. She knows she has fewer options than someone like Emmaline, for example. Emmaline, who is blonde and pretty and who can be molded into a perfect star to write about. Luli knows she cannot be that, but she is not willing to just accept the cards she’s been dealt by the racist, misogynistic, bigoted system but to pave her own path any way she can. She is characterized as ‘cold as Atlantic’, and she decides to create herself around that, use that as she can.
...and I would much rather be a monster than a victim.


I really enjoyed the cast of characters we follow, and I thought their relationships were very interesting. I really loved Greta and Luli’s friendship (here would be a good place to mention that Greta is skogsrå, a Swedish mythical creature - which I found super interesting), and I enjoyed how quickly they became friends and how they had each other's backs. I liked Emmaline as well, she was an interesting character. The difference between how Hollywood treated them is shown very well in their relationship. Emmaline is Luli’s first love, but their relationship is short-lived. Emmaline has a ‘golden’ reputation to uphold, and Luli, being ‘the monster’, gives herself more freedom at times. I liked how even though their relationship ends, no one is portrayed as the villain - it was a bigoted time and this just highlighted it.

"You’ll be the heroine, of course. And I’ll be the monster. And it’ll be a hit."

I also really loved Harry as a character, he was one of my favorites, and I wish we’d gotten more about him, and his backstory. I enjoyed her relationship with Tara, it was Luli living on her own terms more as their relationship is more ‘visible’ than what she had before. I also liked that Luli tried to reconnect with her sister. I feel like her and her sister’s relationship was a good example of what she had to give up on when she started pursuing acting, but also reaching out was her reestablishing her life as her own.

All in all, I really did enjoy this book a lot. I thought it was interesting, thought-provoking and just lovely to read with its prose. I would definitely recommend this book, especially if you want to read about a strong character forming their own way in a world that wants to stop them at every turn.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review!