What a compelling story this was and what a journey Cordi and the other Mais have gone through (and in turn so did I). I love the setting of the story and the themes the book set out to explored. Some things I wish we were able to dive in a bit more but other than that I thought that Van Hoang did a spectacular job here and I will definitely be looking out for more of her work in the future.

This book should be on EVERYONE’S most anticipated reads of 2024!

“What is success anyway, but privilege disguised as opportunity?”

This is the question a group of young women in 1959 LA are hungry to explore in this captivating, shocking fantasy novel by Van Hoang.
Four girls. Tessa, the aspiring model. Silly, the eager internship candidate. Audrey, the loner artist. And Cordi, the hopeful clothing designer seeking found family and acceptance.
One dream. Success.
But what are they willing to sacrifice for their dreams to come true?

Can Hoang delivers a thoughtful work of art with The Monstrous Misses Mai. This novel surprised me in the best ways and deserved every single one of the 5 stars I gave it.

Characters:
The four women in this story were written so well that it was impossible not to connect with each of them, even when I didn’t like their actions.
It was so easy to sink into each character’s personality; each of them being a fully-formed person. It was easy to learn what made each girl unique and their dialogue and actions matched this throughout.

Environment:
Hoang very carefully crafted this version of 1959 LA and it paid off. The writing, from beginning to end, maintains description that fully immerses the reader into the setting without being too dense or boring.
I had a clear idea of what the girls’ apartment looked like as well as the areas they frequented.

Magic System:
Magic is always tricky for me. I always go into a fantasy novel somewhat skeptical at the seemingly painless magic systems that are usually included.
The Monstrous Misses Mai, however, was a breath of relief. This is magic with real cost and dire consequences. I enjoyed learning about the magic used in the book and my only wish was that we could have gotten just a bit more information about how the magic at the end of the book works.

Overall, I was absolutely enchanted by this book from beginning to end and I CANNOT WAIT to have a physical copy of this in my hands. The Monstrous Misses Mai comes out April 2024.

*Huge thanks to Van Hoang, 47North, and Netgalley for providing the ARC of The Monstrous Misses Mai in e-book format*

I am hooked. Seriously. The book covers a young woman in 1950s Los Angeles. The way the writing is written is very much in my style of interest and I enjoyed every minute of it. I was left pondering my existence by the end.