An absolutely amazing #ownvoices blend of history and magical realism
Thank you to MacMillan-Tor/Forge and BookishFirst for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Siren Queen by Nghi Vo is an absolutely amazing #ownvoices blend of history and magical realism. It will appeal to fans of Netflix's Hollywood and other tales of class movie star glamor. The story revolves around Luli Wei, a Chinese American girl who dreams of becoming a movie star. With her wit and a bit of magic, she's able to start her journey. According to the synopsis, the movie studios "run on a system of bargains made in blood and ancient magic." Will Luli be able to achieve her dream, and what will she give up to achieve it?
Here is a magical excerpt from Chapter 1:
"“Well, it’s a nickel if you’re ordinary, but you girls aren’t, are you?”
Up until that very moment, Luli and I would have given absolutely anything to be ordinary, to live in one of the pastel boxes off of Hungarian Hill, to have curly blond or brown hair instead of straight black, and to have pop eyes instead of ones that looked like slits carved into the smooth skin of a melon.
The way the beautiful Black woman spoke, however, I started to wonder. If I couldn’t be ordinary, maybe I could be something better instead.
Maybe I could get into the nickelodeon.
Luli tugged at my hand fretfully, but I squeezed tighter, comforting and bullying at once.
“We’re not ordinary at all,” I declared. “And we don’t have any nickels.”
The woman touched a neatly manicured nail to her full lower lip, and then she smiled.
“An inch of your hair,” she said at last. “Just one inch for two of you.”"
Overall, Siren Queen is a wonderful look into the rise of a Chinese American actress in pre-code old Hollywood. First off, I am so excited to read and support this #ownvoices book. As a reader of Chinese descent myself, I was so happy to read a book that partially shows how Chinese Americans lived at the time. One highlight of this book is the amazing writing and dialogue. I felt like I had been transported to the 20th century, and it was a magical place. I could not stop reading this book, and I did not want to leave. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of books that blend history with magical realism, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in May!
Siren Queen by Nghi Vo is an absolutely amazing #ownvoices blend of history and magical realism. It will appeal to fans of Netflix's Hollywood and other tales of class movie star glamor. The story revolves around Luli Wei, a Chinese American girl who dreams of becoming a movie star. With her wit and a bit of magic, she's able to start her journey. According to the synopsis, the movie studios "run on a system of bargains made in blood and ancient magic." Will Luli be able to achieve her dream, and what will she give up to achieve it?
Here is a magical excerpt from Chapter 1:
"“Well, it’s a nickel if you’re ordinary, but you girls aren’t, are you?”
Up until that very moment, Luli and I would have given absolutely anything to be ordinary, to live in one of the pastel boxes off of Hungarian Hill, to have curly blond or brown hair instead of straight black, and to have pop eyes instead of ones that looked like slits carved into the smooth skin of a melon.
The way the beautiful Black woman spoke, however, I started to wonder. If I couldn’t be ordinary, maybe I could be something better instead.
Maybe I could get into the nickelodeon.
Luli tugged at my hand fretfully, but I squeezed tighter, comforting and bullying at once.
“We’re not ordinary at all,” I declared. “And we don’t have any nickels.”
The woman touched a neatly manicured nail to her full lower lip, and then she smiled.
“An inch of your hair,” she said at last. “Just one inch for two of you.”"
Overall, Siren Queen is a wonderful look into the rise of a Chinese American actress in pre-code old Hollywood. First off, I am so excited to read and support this #ownvoices book. As a reader of Chinese descent myself, I was so happy to read a book that partially shows how Chinese Americans lived at the time. One highlight of this book is the amazing writing and dialogue. I felt like I had been transported to the 20th century, and it was a magical place. I could not stop reading this book, and I did not want to leave. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of books that blend history with magical realism, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in May!