Siren Queen
Description
"Lyrical, mesmerizing, and otherworldly. . . stunning proof that Nghi Vo is one of the most original writers we have today. A beautiful, brutal, monstrous Hollywood fantasy."--Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Immortality is just a casting call away.
Locus Award Finalist
Ignyte Award Finalist
An Amazon Best Book of 2022
One of NPR's Best Books of 2022
Vulture's #1 Fantasy Novel of 2022
Indie Next List Reading Group Book of 2023 Best of Year Selections at Apple Books B&N Booksellers LibraryReads TIME Magazine Oprah Daily The Philadelphia Inquirer Publishers Weekly Buzzfeed Chicago Review of Books LitHub Book Riot Paste Magazine Geek Girl Authority Bookish The Mary Sue New York Public Library Vulture Locus Recommended Reading List Kobo The Quill to Live Goodreads L. A. Public Library Audible Amazon NPR
An Indie Next and LibraryReads Pick
A Brooklyn Library Prize Finalist
Includes a Reading Group Guide It was magic. In every world, it was a kind of magic. "No maids, no funny talking, no fainting flowers." Luli Wei is beautiful, talented, and desperate to be a star. Coming of age in pre-Code Hollywood, she knows how dangerous the movie business is and how limited the roles are for a Chinese American girl from Hungarian Hill--but she doesn't care. She'd rather play a monster than a maid. But in Luli's world, the worst monsters in Hollywood are not the ones on screen. The studios want to own everything from her face to her name to the women she loves, and they run on a system of bargains made in blood and ancient magic, powered by the endless sacrifice of unlucky starlets like her. For those who do survive to earn their fame, success comes with a steep price. Luli is willing to do whatever it takes--even if that means becoming the monster herself. Siren Queen offers up an enthralling exploration of an outsider achieving stardom on her own terms, in a fantastical Hollywood where the monsters are real and the magic of the silver screen illuminates every page.
Show more
BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
This lyrical book peels back the many masks humans wear in order to fit in. This action is amplified in the setting of Hollywood, where reaching for stardom might mean abandoning yourself, maybe even your humanity. Luli is a starstruck girl living above the laundromat her parents own. She makes her way to bit parts in films and then makes a deal with her own personal devil to get more. Fascinating, speculative look at finding yourself when all ...read more
*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
What happens if you take the setting of Evelyn Hugo and add some magical realism to make it much darker? This book, precisely. It has a very unique feel to it and the magic makes the dark and grim sides of old Hollywood feel even more dark. We follow Luli Wei, an aspiring actress, on her way to fame and fortune as she deals with life locked under contract.
I loved this book so much! Whi...read more
What happens if you take the setting of Evelyn Hugo and add some magical realism to make it much darker? This book, precisely. It has a very unique feel to it and the magic makes the dark and grim sides of old Hollywood feel even more dark. We follow Luli Wei, an aspiring actress, on her way to fame and fortune as she deals with life locked under contract.
I loved this book so much! Whi...read more
“In front of us was something dark and burning, the future I wanted more than I wanted to breathe.”
From childhood, the Chinese-American girl who calls herself Luli Wei has been fascinated by motion pictures.
It’s the 1930s and silent films are giving way to talkies. But this isn’t the Hollywood we know.
Magic lurks in strange corners, from the ticket-taker who swaps a bit of Luli’s hair (and a bit of her life) for tickets to the Wild Hunt ...read more
Sometimes, I have to write a review to know how to rate it. siren queen is one of these books. Luli Wei is a Chinese American. She's the daughter of an immigrant and a second generation Chinese American. She loves the magic of movies, and she is determined to become a star. Almost no cost is too high.
This book reads like a memoir. Luli is looking back on her life telling stories about her path and career. Like most lives, it meanders. There's ...read more
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.