What an intriguing way to tell the story of the woman who famously asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter. (Matthew 14: 1-12; Mark 6: 14-29; Luke 9: 7-9 although Luke doesn’t mention the daughter of Herodias). Despite the fact that the New Testament doesn’t name her, the historian Josephus names a Salome as one of the daughters of Herodias. The one who danced so well that her uncle Herod promised up to half of his kingdom? We’ll probably never know.

Regardless, I had to allow myself a brief suspension of disbelief because John (Jokanaan in the book, Yahohanan in Hebrew) would have been in his early 30s not 20s and his father was a priest and not a merchant. Despite that, I thought the tale was fabulous and I love how she wove the stories together, the different perspectives. And I thought it was brilliant to set the main story in the Hollywood of the 50s when Biblical movies vied with racism, anti-communism, and the rapidly disappearing studio system.

Finally, I loved the Vera Larios. I loved watching her come out of her shell, so to speak. What an amazing woman.

4.5/5…It is hardly a shocker that I love this forthcoming book from Silvia. The two and a half co-leads (even Nancy) are such compelling characters. And the structure, balancing “real” Salome’s tale of her not great family and a surprising Jokanann/John the Baptist with that of ingenue Vera playing her in a Golden Age Hollywood blockbuster, is fantastic.

Between this and Evelyn Hugo and Siren Queen, I am becoming a fan of these meta and genre Old Hollywood takes.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the opportunity to get into this ARC early, and maintain my status as a Silvia completist!

I really wanted to like this one, the prose is the reason for the three stars alone but the timelines never truly came together, and not one of the povs we follow was that sharp.

A gorgeous, rather noir novel of 1950s Hollywood and the studio system, mixed with the biblical tale of Salome. The story is told from three main perspectives. Vera, a young Mexican woman with limited theatre experience is “discovered “ and called to Hollywood to star in a big budget epic detailing Salome’s life, her infamous dance and her doomed love for John the Baptist. A newcomer to Hollywood, she is often met, not only with the misogyny that was standard for the time, but also racial prejudice. Enter Nancy, an actress that never quite got the break she felt she deserved and believed that the role should be hers. With Vera seemingly having everything, including the man Nancy desired, she vows to be Vera’s ruin. The third perspective is Salome herself, told through the script, a woman also grappling with her duty, the passions of her heart and the birthright she deserves. Woven together with “interviews” from others involved in the making of the film, this book was an absolute feast.

Highly recommended.

Another sumptuous and immersive historical saga from Silvia Moreno-Garcia, this time centering the rise and fall of an aspiring Mexican starlet in the golden age of Hayes Code Hollywood.

5/5 stars. To be released September 2024.

I will read anything that Silvia Moreno-Garcia writes! This did not disappoint and once again showcased the authors brilliance at bringing historical fiction to life. Two stories intertwine here: a biblical story of Salome and the story of a film production in the 1950 of the same story. The story is told through many perspectives. Some feel like interviews while others do not. There are no supernaturals elements like her last film novel, Silver Nitrate, but they definitely won’t be missed by the reader.

I am a huge fan of Silvia’s books. This book is no exception. She has a way with words. Her writing is so beautiful and different. She truly shows love and tragedy in her books and I love it. I will continue to read everything she puts out.

"Too clever. Not clever. Thinks too much, talks too much Hardly says a peep. Haughty but shy."

Silvia Moreno-Garcia weaves an extraordinary but cautionary tale of love, loss, desire, and racism through Vera, an unknown aspiring actress from Mexico, flown in and given the coveted role of the infamous Salome. What follows is equal parts inspiring and devastating.

This is the danger of being an intelligent woman of color with better ideas than your white male counterparts who isn't afraid to talk about them. The fear of being commoditized, sexualized, and fetishized. The familial and societal pressure to be the ideal woman and perfect wife and be thankful for it. The shame that comes with saying no and being given the label of 'ungrateful', instead of being surrounded by a loving support system. Women are expected to sit back and take abuse, accepting it with a smile, because it's never as bad as it could be. They were golden trophies up on a shelf to be seen and not heard, pawns in the games of men, objects of desire blamed for starting wars ignited by the spark of a man's short fuse. This book shows that even though hundreds of years have gone by, even though the methods of inflicting that pain may have evolved, women are still being shamed, oppressed, and hurt in the same ways that they used to be.

I may never recover from this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the ARC.

2.5 stars for Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s latest novel.

Let’s start with the plot. Vera is a young actress from Mexico City that is plucked from her ordinary life and given a coveted role in Hollywood. Salome is the name of the woman she is playing, a young princess from the Herodian line that is caught in a tangled web of politics. The story switches between their points of view, along with Nancy Hartley, the main antagonist who is jealous of Vera.

There was a secondary antagonist, and references in side character POVs to a “Cold War” between the person and Vera, but he basically disappears after one bad article is written about her, so the side POV describing the animosity felt pointless.

While I liked the switches in POV, I felt like the tension never ratcheted up. Rather than showing it through actions, there would be an odd-POV thrown in where a side character remarked on “Nancy/Vera didn’t deserve what happened to them” to add suspense. We didn’t experience the suspense through the novel, we were TOLD something bad was going to happen. For me, that wasn’t enough to create a sense of dread.

I found the romance between Vera and Jay to be lacking, when it needed to be stronger. It’s become an all too common theme in this author’s books for the heroine to fall for a man who doesn’t love her for her, but for the idea of her. It results in a feeling like the woman is being punished for her innocent naïveté and her decision to open her heart.

Overall this was entertaining but not as engaging as I wanted it to be.

4.25/5

I was SO excited to receive this ARC and The Seventh Veil of Salome did not disappoint. Another reviewer said that Silvia Moreno-Garcia can write any genre and I completely agree.

I really loved the format of this book. It absolutely transported me to a 1950s Hollywood tabloid tell-all and also straight into Salome's story. I am entirely unfamiliar with the Bible so this definitely inspired further research and exploration. I also learned a lot about the Mexican experience in Hollywood at that time and it was clear that this book was extremely well-researched.

While the storyline was predictable and I didn't mind it, I did feel that the ending was rushed and I would have liked to have seen it drawn out a little more. There was such a crescendo in the story that the ending felt a little abrupt.

All-in-all, this was a captivating read and I cannot wait to see with the author does next.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, and Del Rey for the e-ARC.

The Seventh Veil of Salome is a triumph, and proof that Silvia can write in any genre, any timeline, and craft a compelling story with characters that keep you interested beyond the last page. We meet Nancy, a bit part, good time gal looking for a break to the big time. Nancy will sleep with anyone she thinks can help her, manipulate and plot, and her racist, mean attitude makes her a top tier villain even if she is at the bottom of the Hollywood ladder. Vera couldn't be more different, a Mexican ingenue who has spent her life being belittled by her mother in favor of her prettier, fairer sister - but when Vera nabs the much coveted role of Salome in an upcoming bible drama, it sets off many things in motion. The legendary Salome, the one who asks for the head of John the Baptist as a reward for her dancing, is also a girl in search of power. She can go after the young preacher she is smitten with, seduce her uncle, or settle for a match with the up and coming Agrippa, and she also suffers from an overbearing mother. All these women journey toward an inevitable destiny, and in Silvia's capable hands, the journey is as important as the destination.

This book was amazing, I really enjoyed the switching perspectives and all of the distinct narrative styles that the characters each had. It’s not split up into chapters in the traditional way, which was a choice that I think definitely paid off in terms of the story itself– it felt really continuous without feeling like it was hard to read.
And the characters themselves are really well-done. The novel centers around three women– Vera, Nancy and Salome. Vera is a really easy character to love, and is both a good character as a person and a complex and dynamic character. I think that it’s important that the difficulties of being a Mexican woman in Hollywood are touched upon without her story only being one of pain because of her experiences as a minority in the entertainment business. Nancy is a horrible person, but she’s not a caricature, and she’s really fun to read about, for lack of a better word that conveys the feeling. Her character has bad experiences within the system but just reacts vastly differently to her experiences, and is definitely a show of white privilege. Salome, is well, Salome, and is probably the character who I cared for the least, but probably only because I knew how her story went, and by the end, I was still fully roped into how she progressed, and how it blended into the other narratives. The other characters were also pretty complex as well, even if they were not in the book for a long time, and I liked how it was acknowledged that there were a lot of other latine people in Hollywood, even if they were limited or hid their heritage (often because they were forced to)

This book is different from what I normally read but I greatly enjoy it. Moreno Garcia does a fantastic job of drawing you, into 1950s Hollywood. I am not a big fan of multiple perspectives but I do believe it helps to understand the story and how in the end everything connects. The plot, with a mix of drama and history (which I loved), was intriguing and had me locked in from the beginning to the end. It is worth the read.

Thank you, NetGalley for the Arc.

Golden age film drama mixes with history, and results in compelling characters with compelling and often mixed motives. The writing style itself draws the reader in, and for those who are fans of the author's work already, this is another must read.

Moreno-Garcia never fails to amaze me. Every book has a different angle, but all tell stories of humanity and need and the darkness of the heart. Here, a young woman is plucked out of obscurity to star as Salome in a 1920s silent epic, and Moreno=Garcia weaves her story of Salome (or the film's treatment, as it was called then) with the young actor's life in a brilliant and compelling way. It's old Hollywood, and all of the gossip and camp and scandal and ways to survive are on display . It's a great read.

Another home run from Silvia Moreno Garcia! This was my fourth experience with this author, and my respect for her only increases with every novel. Definitely an auto buy author at this point! I have her back catalog at the top of my tbr, I need to catch up.

I’m going to start with the COVER. If I hadn’t already been familiar with her work I would have purchased it strictly on the title and cover alone. It is gorgeous and I can’t wait to see it in full color on those shiny new hardcovers!

These novel differs a little from other historical novels I’ve read, as it’s a mix of historical…mythology? Folklore? (I’m not a Bible reader so I wasn’t really familiar with the story of Salome before this) and the glitzy old glamour of 1950’s Hollywood. Everyone wants to be in the entertainment biz, from the writers to the starlets to the musicians.

This book shows the viewpoints of three women, with a variety of “extras” who pop up in interview style chapters. These women each have a complex story and life, with both weaknesses and strengths. The beauty comes in watching them either take advantage of what strength they can gather, or succumb to their weakness. Salome’s story was easily my least favorite, as she was the easiest to write off- her time period and station in life didn’t allow her the choices that would be present to some degree with the 1950’s women. I enjoyed watching Vera and (especially) Nancy struggle against the roadblocks they faced as women in this Hollywood setting. Frankly, I really enjoyed watching Nancy deteriorate from the weight of her aspirations. It’s frightening how she felt this was the only way to further her own career, and the absolute certainty in her head that she would be a star in the end.

Overall it was just an excellent book. It will definitely be a recommendation for anyone wanting to try out the author, even though it is a little different from her usual fare.

Thank you so much to the Sylvia Moreno Garcia, Del Rey/Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the advance readers copy!

My very first ever Netgalley approved ARC! WAHOO! Thank you Netgalley and to the publishers for my advanced copy.

2023 was the year for me to discover Silvia Moreno-Garcia. It all started with her book A Certain Dark Things. Then I read Mexican Gothic, Silver Nitrate, Amazon’s short story The Lover, and last but not least The Seventh Veil of Salome.

What draws me to Silvia’s writing is the way she expertly brings devious characters to life. I am a fan of her horror books. The horror genre is what’s what brought me to her books in the first place. With The Seventh Veil of Salome, you’ll get none of her horror magic but instead, you get Hollywood glamor! This book is the story of Vera and her landing of the role of a lifetime. You’ll meet the captivating Jay, a love interest, and a plethora of other characters that are vibrant and shiny as well as flawed and damaged.

Moreno-Garcia flexes her talents in world building and in the ways she portrays naughty and deviant characters such as Nancy. She does not hold back when exploiting the ugliness of white fragility in 1950s Hollywood. She is so SO very good at highlighting the ways Mexicans have been stereotyped, harassed, oppressed and mistreated by white people in many of her stories, so you should expect to find that here in Vera’s journey navigating life behind and in front of the camera.

But can we just go back to Nancy for one second please. Frankly, I was obsessed with how nasty and hideous she was on the inside. Not to mention delusional! “The best way to get out of trouble, in Nancy’s experience, was to never admit to a wrong. If she bumped into someone, she was likely to blame the person for bumping into her.” Nancy is violent, entitled, and desperate for so many things. Not only was she the product of what pressure does to child stars in the movie business, but also the product of never being treated with love, honesty and compassion, particularly from her wanna be Hollywood star father.

Overall, I enjoyed this book! Moreno-Garcia sticks to what I think is her M.O. Stories that are slow to weave but stories that are entrancing with their layers. She will fill your mind with colors, fill your heart with sentiments.

I was excited to have received an ARC of this as I’ve enjoyed other works by Silvia Moreno-Garcia! I’m biased as I have a fascination with this era of Hollywood, but the author does a great job of blending narrative with fact, creating an immersive backdrop that leapt off the page. Vera and — surprisingly -- parts of Nancy felt relatable; Vera struggles throughout the novel with her identity and difficult familial dynamic, and Nancy struggles with being a pick me (jk but tbh kinda).

A few things that kept me from fully enjoying this:
- I thought the narrative device was an interesting choice, but the parts of the book I didn’t care for, ie Salome’s portions, would take me out of the experience.
- The ending felt unsatisfactory to me. Not necessarily what happens, which is pretty heavily foreshadowed, but how it was told? It was wrapped up so quickly after the climax that I didn’t have time to sit with it. Specifically Nancy’s story — I wanted more than a few sentences near the end.

This was a fun, quick read and I’m looking forward to the author’s next. Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the ARC!

Oh man. Oh man, oh man, oh MAN. This is my favorite Silvia Moreno-Garcia book by leaps and bounds. This is everything I wanted <i>The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo</i> to be. The tension was awful and heart-breaking, but it wasn't wholly predictable. I loved Vera and Salome and Jay and even Nancy, a little bit. I loved Marla and Joe. Tragedy loomed at the end of this book like a skyscraper, but I didn't know who wouldn't make it to the end until the final scene.

I can't wait for this book to come out so other people can read and experience this story.

This book grabbed my attention more than I had expected with a plot focusing more on an old Hollywood film. I always love stories told with multiple perspectives, especially in this novel I loved how the focus included the character of Salome. Her story tied in well with the rest of the characters and also was in a way keeping track of the timeline of the whole book honestly. The last few chapters and their apt title were so gripping I didn't want to put it down. Tragic story of fame and loss and desire and what you have to lose to get what you want.