3.5 / 5 stars
Two young Vietnamese-American women who are basically sisters try to make it in 1930s Hollywood, with a bit of help from the beyond. This was an interesting blend of historical fiction, fantasy and thriller that is unfortunately somewhat oddly paced, but nonetheless quite enjoyable. The characters are excellently fleshed out, and especially the dynamic between Issa and Olivia is wonderfully built up. However, this building up of their relationship was also the reason I almost DNFed this book around 50%. The thriller aspect of the plot only really starts going after the halfway mark, which did make the first half a bit too slow and uneventful, for my taste. During this part of the book, fundamental building blocks of the story are established; the relationship between Issa and Olivia, both of their ambitions to become actresses, the seedy magical background of Issa's family and their complex relationships to each other. Additionally, the first seeds of discord are sown between the main characters. All of this build-up is necessary for the story-beats latter part to hit as hard as they do, but it is done too slowly, too uneventfully. I loved the second half of the book, I did not love the first half, yet I also have to acknowledge that I probably would not have loved the second half had it not been for the first.

Silver and Smoke follows Vietnamese American girls Issa and Olivia. They've graduated high school in Los Angeles around the 1930s and have the same dream that a lot of young women have. They want to be movie stars! They spend their days at the gates of MGM waiting to be picked from the crowd to be extras in hopes of getting their big break. In need of some money for an acting coach, the girls visit Issa's grandmother and aunt. Women that her mother has forbidden her to see because of their unique talents and sometimes questionable businesses. While visiting, Issa learns that she is a shaman and with her aunt's help, they conjure her grandmother who recently passed away. They're informed of an actress named Ava Lin Rang, a huge silent film actress, who's spirit is close by and the girls decide to conjure Ava for help. Now they're landing rolls, getting signed to contracts, given a beautiful dressing room apartment to live in on the lot. They're getting everything they could have ever wanted right? It's when Issa realizes that Ava is always around without her conjuring her that she starts to physically feel like something is amiss.

This was a wonderful story. I felt it was a little slow to start and it took until close to half way through for it to really catch and hold my attention. While I have never been an actress or wanted to be one, I have had a friend who felt like a sister to me that as we got older, we grew apart and when we did spend time together it almost felt like I was being used and that's what I felt with Issa and Olivia. Olivia time and time again whined about something and Issa being so sweet and kind would just let her have her way even if it came back to hurt Issa's feelings. This was a solid 4.5 for me simply because of the slow start and then almost the rushed ending. I was about 85% of the way through the story when I wasn't sure if there was supposed to be a sequel after this to address another big part of the story. Those are the only things keeping it from a 5 star for me but it's not enough to round down to a 4 star.

Two Vietnamese best friends, Issa and Olivia, dream of stardom against the odds in 1930s Hollywood. Issa's family has a history of shamanic ability, so they summon the spirit of her dead grandmother Bà Ngoại for assistance. The grandmother suggests that they take advice from the spirit of Ava Lin Rang, an Asian star of the silent movie era. What Issa and Olivia don't realize is that Ava has desperate goals of her own, and they may have summoned more than they bargained for.

I wanted to know so much more about Issa's family: their history and abilities. What was the origin behind their various family feuds; when did their shamanic abilities start and how? I loved the friendship between the two women and how they supported each other. Issa was so naive but it made me feel protective of her; I wanted her story to end well.

Thank you so much to 47North and Netgalley for this ARC!

Silver and Smoke is a historical fantasy that explores the sacrifices and bond between sisters. Facing the racism within Hollywood, how can Olivia and Issa chase their dreams of fame? How can they get ahead when so many opportunities are denied to them before they even get in the door? You make a deal with a demon. Silver and Smoke begins by asking us what we would do for our dreams. And it turns into a story about who we would sacrifice and how much we'd give up to save the ones we love.

Silver and Smoke by Van Hoang pulled into this story from the start, and each chapter just pulled me further and further in.
The characters are so well developed and the story flows so easily.
This is that story filled with moments that will grip you and hold you well after you finish reading.
With amazing paranormal/magical elements. Made for an amazing story.

Issa Bui and Olivia Nong are best friends who grew up dreaming of becoming movie stars. Young Vietnamese women in 1930s Hollywood aren't called up for roles, but Issa is descended from shamans and plans to connect with her dead Bà Ngoại for help. Bà Ngoại introduces Issa and Olivia to the late Ava Lin Rang, who had been an Asian star of the silent screen. Ava coaches them and uses her influence to open doors for her protégés. Issa uses her power more and more, and her dreams are coming true. But what is the cost of magic?

Issa is the latest in a long line of shamans, able to connect with the dead and summon them to the land of the living. The more a spirit connects with the living, the stronger it gets and the more powers it will develop, including the potential to possess the living. Her mother walked away from her family, who not only summoned the dead but were involved in the criminal underworld. Issa's Bà Ngoại gave them the semblance of distance but wants Issa to take her place within the family business. Issa wants to be a movie star and gets a year to make it big or get pulled back in. Between the two of them, Olivia is the driven one; she does whatever she can to get seen by the movers and shakers in Hollywood, is more willing to lie, and sacrifices to get the guidance of ghosts to advance her career.

Of course, everything goes smoothly at first, but then the cracks begin to show. Issa has multiple things grabbing her attention besides the lure of fame, and Ava continues to push both women forward. While you can probably guess some aspects of the novel if you're genre-savvy, it's still fun to see how it all plays out. I was drawn into the story and had to find out what happened next. I was rooting for Issa and Olivia, hoping they would make it work in Hollywood. It's a rough time for young women, let alone Asian ones, and the journey they take is well worth the read.

This was such a nice take on friendship, power and familial ties. I obviously saw where this was going a mile away, but learning about Issa and her family was the most fun of it. I loved their dysfunction and the silent love they held with one another even after so long without chatting.

I wanted more scenes from their grandma and mom and establishing a stronger connection when it came with the conflict with Issa’s uncles. A lot of good plot was downcast in order to focus on Olivia and Issa. I also felt like there were times when nothing was really happening where we could have put mire plot there in order to boost their world.

⅘ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Silver and Smoke
Author: Van Hoang

Thank you Netgalley and 47North for this ARC! This released tomorrow 2/4! Overall, I really enjoyed it. The story is about two Vietnamese best friends trying to make it in 1930s Hollywood. Issa is also from a family of shamans. Her mother and Aunt are feuding; and her mother has tried to keep her from the magical side of her family. Unfortunately she ends up getting drawn in, and her and Olivia end up consulting with a ghost for assistance in achieving their Hollywood dreams. The pacing was really good, and the story was interesting. I really enjoyed all the ghost stuff in this read and I also enjoyed reading Issa and Olivia’s friendship, and their struggles with trying to obtain fame. It was a little predictable at times, and the end was a bit anticlimactic but overall it was not a bad read! Thank you @herkindletravels for the rec and our first buddy read of February!

I went into this blind, and I’m so glad I did! Set in 1930s Hollywood and Culver City, this story follows Issa as she navigates racism, poverty, and the struggle to break into acting alongside her best friend. But here’s the twist—she comes from a long line of shaman witches, and while her grandmother wants her to take over the family business, Issa has other plans. In her attempt to carve her own path, she accidentally conjures the spirit of a former actor to help them chase their dreams. Interesting and nothing could go wrong right?

I had a lot of fun with the premise and loved the blend of historical fiction and paranormal elements. However, the pacing felt a bit slow at times, and I found myself wanting things to move along. While the characters are in their 20s, they sometimes read younger, making it harder to fully connect with them. The family dynamics at times felt relatable validating in a way that added some depth to the story.

The writing style occasionally felt structured like an essay, so a little more editing could have helped with flow. But overall, this gave me Charmed vibes with its matriarchal and sibling relationships x paranormal elements. It would be cool to see this continue as a paranormal mystery series following Issa’s shaman journey!

Thank you to 47north and the author for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was looking forward to reading this book because supernatural elements and Vietnamese stories are totally up my alley. The 1930s Hollywood setting plus supernatural occurrences is reminiscent of Tower of Terror or The Twilight Zone. I appreciate the references to LA, of Hollywood and Chinatown to Culver City and Burbank as these used to be some of my old haunts, so the imagery of the setting is great.

However, I didn’t really vibe with the prose, as this book is plot-forward and dialogue-heavy, but the characters’ motivations and time period didn’t really make sense. The characters are also not compelling and at times feel like caricatures, especially in regards to the descriptions of characters in Hollywood, complete with sleazy producers, rude staff, and the villainous background family clan members.

Overall, a lot of details were stuffed in this novel but at the same time, too surface-level in terms of ghosts, shamanism/witchcraft, mafia crime bosses, Hollywood dreams of breaking out, intergenerational relationships, and even a little romance. Although this is a fictional story, Vietnamese culture historically does include spiritualism elements like fortune-telling and soothsaying, and I felt that cultural piece could’ve been explored more especially if shamanism and the fact that the two main characters are Vietnamese is a big part of the story, so that the story would feel more grounded rather than just left as a consequence of excess ghost summoning.

A good effort on crafting a creative and imaginative story but not my cup of tea.

Special thanks to 47North and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest, independent review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

Silver and Smoke has to be one of my favorite reads this year - what a story, and what a lush world Van Hoang has created with Issa and Olivia!! The vivid use of description in the imagery brought the sultry, glamorous world of 1930's Hollywood to life, and was impossible to put down. The sexism and racism was infuriating to read, but added to the depth of the relationship the girls shared and made you root for their success even more.

The fantasy and mysticism surrounding Issa and her family was so intriguing. I wish we could have learned more about her Aunt, and the empire she ran!

I can't wait to recommend this book to everyone, and if you're in the mood for a gothic noir Hollywood tale with a hint of fantasy, this is beyond the book for you!!

First I wanna thank Van Hoang, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this early for an honest review.
I don't read much of historical fiction but this synopsis really sounded so interesting and got me curious for the book.
This was definitely a great read and took a turn I wasn't expecting, which was really good.
I love our two main characters Issa and Olivia, even tho Olivia got on my nerves a few times and I think Issa should stand up for herself more. I LOVE Issa's interactions with Grandma cause Grandma is sassy and made me laugh quite a lot. Also I love Issa and Jem, they're adorable.
The concept of her shaman heritage was really an interesting one and that I haven't read about in other books before. Ava's appearance at the beggining and how she helped them with her influence was kinda wholesome but that twist and the way things happened at the end left me shook. I definitely didn't see that coming. It made the book even better cause it was already a great book and that unexpected twist made it even more surprising.
This book is a solid 4.5 stars for me. I definitely recommend to everyone who likes fantasy and historical fiction.

Issa comes from a long line of witches, but her mother forbids her from participating since the family deals in shady business. However, Issa reconnects with her aunt after the passing of her grandmother and agrees to help them run the family business if she doesn't become a movie star in a year. She then begins using her magic to summon a late movie star named Ava, who helps her and her best friend Olivia become actresses, despite her family's warnings that building a strong connection with a ghost can have bad consequences.

The story itself was pretty predictable. As I was reading, I was basically waiting around for something bad to happen. I did like how it ended though.

4.5⭐
During the Golden age of Hollywood, in order for 2 Vietnamese young dreamers to gain success, they need to conjure their magical 'break' - they soon learn that fame definitely comes at a price.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish! The story-telling, & pace kept me engaged and wanting to know what happened next.

* Elise Roth narrated the audiobook, and oh is she talented! The way she played each character (& there was definitely a lot of characters) was amazing, each person

Thank you NetGalley, Brilliance Publishing & Brilliance Audio for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The best parts of Silver and Smoke are the relationships between Issa and Olivia, and between Issa and her mother. Hoang really nails the emotional complexities of navigating relationships as a young adult; I come from a very different cultural background but found Issa's struggles in loving her mother but also wanting more for her own life very relatable, as well as the tensions in Issa and Olivia's relationship as their friendship was tested by the dreams they'd once shared.

I would have loved this book if it had just honed in on those relationships much further. Instead, there's also a background plot about Issa's mobster uncles (who we never see on page, but who are posed as a huge threat) and some attempts to show the awful misogyny and racism of Hollywood, but these plot points are never given enough space to breath, so unfortunately just distract from the wonderful character relationships that are at the heart of the story. I also found the romance between Issa and Jem rather tepid, because Jem is simply not given enough page time as a character to feel fully developed.

All that said, I still enjoyed this book, and the 1930s is such an underutilised time period in SFF- so I hope we see more of it.

Short Synopsis:
Issa and her best friend Olivia dream of becoming famous actresses. But it’s the 1930s, and the world works against two young Vietnamese women. So Issa turns to her family - that her mother walked away from - to get help. Oh and their witches.

My Thoughts:
This is my first book by Van Hoang (though I do own the ebook of The Monstrous Misses Mai), and I really enjoyed the blend of history and fantasy.

Issa is a character you can’t help but root for. And her relationship with Olivia and her family members added so much depth to her character. The setting was so fun and vibrant. I felt like I was walking the streets of MGM Studio along with Issa and Olivia.

The blatant racism the girls faced had me raging. (Stay angry girls.) But unfortunately it reflected history accurately.

The paranormal/magical elements elevated the intensity of the plot. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. Definitely one I’d recommend!

What You’ll Find:
Standalone fantasy
Hollywood drama
Paranormal elements
Secrets
Themes of racism and belonging

Hoang did a great job of creating atmosphere — 1930s Hollywood is such an alluring, mysterious setting and the story felt completely submerged in the time and place from page one. I love how the story was equal parts fantasy, mystery, and family drama. All of those parts was well-explored and unique, yet woven together so well. The author did a great job striking an emotional chord with the relationships in the story, particularly the complexities and growth of friendship between Olivia and Issa. The pacing on the book was quick, which kept me reading, and the nuanced characters kept me deeply invested. The book definitely lived up to its beautiful cover!

I very much wish that this wasn't the case, but unfortunately I'm DNFing this book. While the premise is SO interesting - golden age of Hollywood from a POC perspective, with some fantasy elements!! - the writing is where I stumbled. It wasn't quite working for me, and felt quite boring at times. While usually I might push on past initial boredom for a story, I really didn't gel with the writing. Which is unfortunate, again, because I would love to champion I book like this.

⭐️⭐️⭐️½

**"Sliver and Smoke" by Van Hoang** is a fast-paced paranormal fantasy set in 1930s Hollywood, blending elements of crime, racism, and found family with a touch of magic. The book dives into complex themes like racism and the dynamics of interracial marriage, all while building a world filled with intriguing paranormal elements. The historical setting of 1930s Hollywood adds a unique flair, bringing the glamour and grit of the time to life.

The pacing is strong, keeping the reader engaged with a mix of action, tension, and emotional moments. The dynamics between the characters are one of the book's strongest aspects, with well-crafted relationships that evolve over the course of the story. From messy friendships to a deep sense of found family, the character interactions are layered and authentic. The inclusion of a crime family element adds an exciting and dangerous backdrop to the narrative, making for a compelling mix of fantasy and crime drama.

However, while the world-building is realistic and immersive, the twist at the end felt a bit predictable. Though it didn’t necessarily detract from my overall enjoyment, it did lessen the impact of what could have been a jaw-dropping revelation. Despite this, I'm still intrigued by the direction the story will take in future installments and look forward to seeing where the plot goes next.

**Rating:** ★★★½ (3.5/5)

*Sliver and Smoke* is an enjoyable read with strong pacing, rich character dynamics, and a unique setting, though the twist at the end might not have the shock value I was hoping for. The exploration of racism, interracial marriage, and found family adds depth to the story, and I’m excited to see how the series progresses.

Thank you to NetGalley and 47 Nort for an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review!

SILVER AND SMOKE - VAN HOANG

I am *obsessed* with this book. I couldn't stop reading it and, when I wasn't reading, I was definitely thinking about it. Here's what to expect:

More like sisters than best friends, Issa Bui and Olivia Nong grew up dreaming of becoming movie stars. But for young Vietnamese women in 1930s Hollywood, the MGM back lot seems unreachable. Undeterred, Issa knows she’s meant for great things. The blood of shamans runs through her veins. To find fame in this town, for herself and for Olivia, Issa needs to make connections. For starters, with her dead grandmother Bà Ngoại.

There's so much more, but this is one of those books where the less you know going in, the better the experience. What you do need to know is how thoroughly intoxicating this book is. Set in the 1930s - the Golden Age of Hollywood - when movies were being churned out back to back, this is a fascinating insider look into the film industry at the time. But through the unique lens of 'other', as Issa, the main character, is Vietnamese, and is therefore subject to many forms of racism, from casual slurs to actual legal limitations.

While this book is classified as a fantasy, I would say that this is more a touch of the paranormal, as suggested in the synopsis. But this is so effective and believable, and I felt like it was the perfect device to keep the story moving at a strong pace. With each page turned, you're desperate to find out the effects of the paranormal interventions.

I really liked Issa, as well as the wider cast of characters. Issa was especially endearing to me, as a person who is very much trying to find her place in the world, specifically within the film industry and her community.

In summary, I can't recommend this book enough and if I could give it more stars, I would!

Release date: 4 February 2025

Review score: 5/5

TWs: racism, d*ath, injury detail