I enjoyed parts of it but I don’t think her books are for me. The writing was amazing but the plot didn’t pull me in. And there were way too many characters. After reading two of her books that I didn’t like I don’t think I’ll be reading any more.

This was a highly anticipated read for me, but it lacked in portions where I felt that I had no connection to the characters. I ended up being a bit disappointed. I enjoyed the story of Nancy and Vera, but was a bit disengaged with Salome portion. Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey Books for the ARC to read and review
3/5

(4.5 rounded up) Like all the other Silvia Moreno Garcia books that I’ve read, this was a treat to read. It was well written and I felt immediately immersed into the world of both Salome and Vera.

I knew next to nothing about the story of Salome but the author does a great job of laying out the story in a way that keeps your attention. The story is told in multiple POVs, none of them bored me but I do have to say Salome and Vera’s chapters were my favorites. Nancy’s chapters were also really good.

I feel like this story perfectly captured what Hollywood was like at the time. The Seventh Veil of Salome does an excellent job of painting a picture for modern readers. From the outside looking in, Hollywood seemed to be nothing but glitz and glamour. This book delves into the dark side of the movie making business. It touched on the racism that actors who didn’t fit Hollywood’s stereotypical look faced. The pressures that women were put under by the studios. The men who felt entitled to women because they were famous. All of this made for an engrossing story. This was different from the other books by this author. It seems she tries something new with every book. I’ve really enjoyed all the books I’ve read from her and this one is no exception.

This book didn’t quite get get a 5 star for a few reasons. The biggest one being that the ending felt rushed. The rest of the story felt like a slow burn and then the ending wrapped up very quickly in my opinion. I would have liked to have spent more time with the characters in the aftermath of what happened. Some of the POVs didn’t seem to add much to the story. Or maybe I just had my favorites. Either way, an excellent read. I recommend it those who enjoy historical fiction, stories about Hollywood, etc. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, Del Rey, and the author for providing me with an ARC copy for review.

Love love love the Old Hollywood glamour and intrigue in the newest story by Silvia Moreno-Garcia! She’s an author that I’ll read anything she writes. Full of behind the scenes drama and the retelling of the story of Salome. This novel is beautifully written, as always. Five stars.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this title.

I can’t state enough how much I look forward to a new book by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. She captures characters so richly, with complex desires and nuances to their personalities and motives that make the stories so real and appealing and enticing. I love getting lost in her story worlds over and over again.

Not at all what I expected from Ms. Moreno-Garcia. The Seventh Veil of Salome is a straight historical fiction story that includes imagined scenes from the Bible. I loved the look at old-school Hollywood. The ending is rushed and a bit of a letdown with one aspect of the story left dangling. Still, it highlights Ms. Moreno-Garcia's writing skills and reaffirms her strong story-telling ability.

Moreno-Garcia has done it again. This had Evelyn Hugo vibes all over it. I felt like Garcia is remodeling horror to be so interesting and literary.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

-Quick Response-
Wow, wow, wow. I read “The Seventh Veil of Salome” after reading “Velvet Was the Night”. The latter fell short of my expectations for a Silvia Moreno-Garcia novel. HOWEVER, this book was different. The writing pulls you in and envelops you immediately as Moreno-Garcia weaves together the tale of 3 very different women who have parallel live paths.

-Plot-
Vera Larios was “discovered” while working at her father’s dentist practice in Mexico. Now she’s starring as the lead of The Seventh Veil of Salome, a long awaited movie - but Nancy has had her eye on that part and she’ll do anything to get it.

-Characters-
The three main characters were well written. Their personalities were complex and realistic. Some characters are very easy to dislike while it’s just as easy to like others.

I applaud Moreno-Garcia for writing the relationships the way she did; between each of the women and those in their lives.

-Writing-
The pace was perfect, vacillating between multiple points of views: primarily those of the three women (Salome, Vera, Nancy), as well as other players in the women’s lives. This novel is layered in it’s story telling: on the first layer, you have a contemptuous relationship (mainly one-sided) between two women who are vying to play the role of the ever-complex Salome in a new film. When we peel back that veil, we see that it’s a love story, the next veil reveals a story of an empty woman, and the final veil recounts a religious tale.

I found the chapters were appropriate in length, and spent just the right amount of time with each woman. There were also snippets from either the gossip magazines or secondary characters that provided clues and context to what was to come.

-Reading experience-
I could not put down this book. My only regret is not starting this ARC as soon as I received it.

-Do I Like this book?-
I thoroughly enjoyed this book - negative emotions and all.

-Do I Recommend this Book?-
I recommend this book to everyone. It’s got a little bit of everything: suspense, romance, drama, Hollywood in the 50s.

-Trigger warnings-
Domestic violence
Racism
Micro-agressions
Colorism
Victim blaming

Hollywood 1950’s and every actress is vying to play the role of Salome. Young Vera Larios is cast in the roll and Nancy Hartley is jealous. She’s desperate for fame, but her career is stalled. Both actresses are clawing their way to the top. Racism, drama, sex, tragedy and tears.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s *The Seventh Veil of Salome* is a mesmerizing blend of historical intrigue and modern suspense, showcasing the author’s signature talent for immersive storytelling. This latest addition to the GMA Book Club Picks delivers a captivating narrative that skillfully combines elements of mystery, romance, and Hollywood.

Set against a richly detailed backdrop, Moreno-Garcia paints a vivid portrait of a world both glamorous and shadowy, drawing readers into a web of secrets and deception. The plot centers around a complex cast of characters whose intertwining stories unfold with tension and elegance. The novel’s pacing is deliberate, allowing for a gradual buildup of suspense that keeps readers hooked.

I wanted to read this fast but it's not possible! I needed to absorb and savor every word. Those last few chapters had me on the edge of my seat.

This historical novel is told from mainly three different female perspectives.

Vera is plucked from her life in Mexico to star in a Hollywood movie about Salome. She must navigate the snide comments from the gossip magazines, a particular extra on set and the public in general.

Salome is dealing with a mother who uses her as a pawn to gather information, favors etc. Her stepfather is eyeing her in an unfatherly way. And his advisors want her to marry an ally.

Nancy is an actress. She's always reaching for a bigger and better for herself. When an unknown woman is chosen for a role she auditioned for, Nancy's uglier side comes to the surface.

Thank you so much to the author, Random House and NetGalley for this ARC to review.

The Seventh Veil of Salome weaves together the biblical story of Salome with Vera, an actor chosen to play Salome in an upcoming Hollywood epic, and Nancy, an older Hollywood character who believes the role of Salome should be hers.
Salome, according to the Gospel of Mark, at her mother’s urging, performs sensual Dance of the Seven Veils for her stepfather, and in return granted anything she wants. In furtherance of her mother’s agenda, Salome requests the head of John the Baptist.
Vera, a young Mexican woman, is brought to Hollywood to play the role of Salome in what is touted to be Hollywood’s next great epic. Vera struggles with insecurities brought on by her disapproving mother and the demands of Hollywood, both on and off the set.
Nancy, an older actor still looking for her big break, uses sex to get what she wants, which at this moment includes getting Vera out of her way.
Parts of Moreno-Garcia’s writing is gripping and intriguing, however, when mixed with long slower passages, fails to seamlessly integrate the stories.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia never fails to deliver a book I enjoy! I took my time with this one and I think that was a good choice. The Seventh Veil of Salome is historical fiction set in 1950's Hollywood, following Vera- a young Mexican woman plucked from obscurity and caste in the lead role of a "sand and sandals" Biblical film about the girl who requested the beheading of John the Baptist. But it is also a story of jealousy, betrayal, backstabbing, and forbidden love.

The structure of the book is really interesting - we read the story of the film as if it's actually happening, Vera's experiences getting into Hollywood, and then brief perspectives from a range of side characters. Some as if they are being interviewed years later. I imagine this non-traditional method of storytelling might be frustrating to some readers but I really liked it. The mirroring of the quasi-historical Salome with the experiences of Vera are striking. This gets into the racism and misogyny of Hollywood during this era and what it was like to be a woman of color performing on screen. It was clearly very well researched and I was thoroughly engaged and invested throughout.

A word of warning though to those who are new to this author's work- she almost never writes happy endings. With a couple of exceptions, they are bittersweet or downright tragic and this is no different. I loved it though- excellently done! I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

The Seventh Veil of Salome was an excellent read. I loved the character study and the writing felt propulsive. I would read more from this author again.

As a lover of old Hollywood, I was really looking forward to this book. Unfortunately, I was left a little disappointed by the end. I enjoyed the narrative structure of the book, like how we heard from so many different characters within Hollywood and within the main characters' lives. However, I feel like there was a lot of build up throughout the book, which gave me the impression there would be more thrilling/intense/mysterious elements. Maybe because of these expectations, the book felt a little too quiet and slow. I do always enjoy Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and will continue to pick up her books, even if this one was just okay for me.

The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Last year, I got a eARC of Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and I really enjoyed it! Before that, I’d seen her name around on best of lists and upcoming books to look forward to, but it wasn’t until the Hugo nomination for the Daughter of Dr. Moureau that I decided it was time to put her to the top of my to-read pile. I enjoyed it and also really enjoyed Silver Nitrate.

When I reviewed it, I wrote that it reminded me of how I felt when I read 11/22/63 by Steven King - I really enjoyed both books, and for both books I really would have liked to see how the author would have written the story without anything supernatural going on.

Well, I feel like I got my wish! The Seventh Veil of Salome is not a horror novel - except for the horrors of racism and sexism. It is historical fiction set in old Hollywood during the filming of a movie version of the biblical story of Salome, while alternating sections retelling the author’s version of that tale. Not being familiar with the story, I found this novel fascinating and engrossing. The characters feel real and the story has a sad but realistic feeling ending. I couldn’t have enjoyed it more. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I will go ahead and get this out of the way; I absolutely love Silvia Moreno-Garcia! As an author she is so versatile. You never know where her writing will take you until you are in it because of her ability to write not only different genres but use different plot devices, locations, and pull from different inspirations. I am pretty sure I have said this about all of her novels at one point or another but I am certain that The Seventh Veil of Salome is my favorite yet. As always the writing and structure of this novel were both beautiful and truly unmatched. I really enjoyed the old Hollywood vibe, the characters, and the pacing. At some points I was not sure if what I was reading was the movie being filmed or the original story. Simply put the novel was transporting. It was so engaging and was fun read that I could not put down.

A long time fan of Silvia Moreno-Garcia I enjoyed her prose and style as usual. However the multiple perspectives regarding the three main characters could have used more balance with Salome's tale rambling through to build more intrigue than is necessary considering the ending is well known. The Hollywood depictions were well done and the characters could benefit from more rounding out if less time was spent on the biblical tale.

I have been a huge fan of SMG since I read Mexican Gothic. No one is sadder than me to report that I did not find this book as enjoyable as other works of hers I've read. It's difficult to really pinpoint why I didn't vibe with this. I am usually ok with slow burn stories but this felt like it was really dragging. Instead of getting excited to read this book, I was dreading when it was time to sit down and read it. That's not a good sign! I believe the multiple POVs ended up hindering rather than enhancing the story. It just didn't really work for me. I kept getting constantly confused with the two narratives. Also where was the drama? Where was the action? The whole thing just fell flat for me. Perhaps my expectations were too high for this book so I couldn't really appreciate it for what it was. Sadly, this story was just not for me. I will continue to read SMG as I think this was a one off occurrence. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an eARC of this book!

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is an automatic buy for me, and it seems like every book, she’s conquering something entirely new and different. Some folks focus down to a specific genre or type of story. SMG can comfortably write an excellent book in seemingly any genre or style.