DNF at pg 140
I like to thank Goodreads Giveaways and Broadway publisher for a chance at reading this book.
I was expected a fantasy laced noir. Wouldn't you with that blurb? Instead, I got a book with little to no magic, confusing alludes to fantasy and a heroine who reminded me of the main character from The Great Gatsby.
With a title like Siren Queen, you expect a girl who strives to be an actress, to leave or shed her skin of the type-casting and racist roles. (Which did happen.) You expect her to be ripping the film world out from the inside and taking it down until it is literally at her feet - all done by magic and or her own self-worth. (Which had not happened by page 140.) You expected a lover worthy of being her partner in this all while they both battled the male-oriented and dominant world of cinema. (She got a lover but the lover was so... dry and boring.)
There is a point where we are given dialogue or moments where the main character talks herself out of racism and or issues that she herself does not wish to partake in. But is there an actual story? No. There is none. It's just things happening behind the scenes of a fictional movie studio. If you took away the 'monsters' and or the 'fantasy commentary' that the author puts in but you actually don't see, nothing really changes.
I expected interesting characters and people that given what the author writes about stick firmly in my mind as villains, archenemies, antiheroes or heroines. None of them leave a lasting impression and maybe the author wanted it like that - since everyone is replaceable in Hollywood and the story's focus is on the main character. The best noir films (Double Indemnity, Sunset Boulevard, The Malteese Falcon, etc.) have characters or plot elements that are memorable. Where is that in this book?
( I see that the author has also written a Great Gatsby retelling (which I haven't read). Which is why the main character was giving off Great Gatsby vibes. )
I have to let this one sink into the waves and I refrain from giving it a rating since I think it's unfair to rate a book I hit halfway on. But I will give a review as a cautionary advisory for those who were like me before reading. Sometimes people choose books because they believe a book may tell the story they hope to read. For me, I did that with this book. There is an audience for this book (based on the 3 and 5 star ratings), I'm just not that audience.
I like to thank Goodreads Giveaways and Broadway publisher for a chance at reading this book.
I was expected a fantasy laced noir. Wouldn't you with that blurb? Instead, I got a book with little to no magic, confusing alludes to fantasy and a heroine who reminded me of the main character from The Great Gatsby.
With a title like Siren Queen, you expect a girl who strives to be an actress, to leave or shed her skin of the type-casting and racist roles. (Which did happen.) You expect her to be ripping the film world out from the inside and taking it down until it is literally at her feet - all done by magic and or her own self-worth. (Which had not happened by page 140.) You expected a lover worthy of being her partner in this all while they both battled the male-oriented and dominant world of cinema. (She got a lover but the lover was so... dry and boring.)
There is a point where we are given dialogue or moments where the main character talks herself out of racism and or issues that she herself does not wish to partake in. But is there an actual story? No. There is none. It's just things happening behind the scenes of a fictional movie studio. If you took away the 'monsters' and or the 'fantasy commentary' that the author puts in but you actually don't see, nothing really changes.
I expected interesting characters and people that given what the author writes about stick firmly in my mind as villains, archenemies, antiheroes or heroines. None of them leave a lasting impression and maybe the author wanted it like that - since everyone is replaceable in Hollywood and the story's focus is on the main character. The best noir films (Double Indemnity, Sunset Boulevard, The Malteese Falcon, etc.) have characters or plot elements that are memorable. Where is that in this book?
( I see that the author has also written a Great Gatsby retelling (which I haven't read). Which is why the main character was giving off Great Gatsby vibes. )
I have to let this one sink into the waves and I refrain from giving it a rating since I think it's unfair to rate a book I hit halfway on. But I will give a review as a cautionary advisory for those who were like me before reading. Sometimes people choose books because they believe a book may tell the story they hope to read. For me, I did that with this book. There is an audience for this book (based on the 3 and 5 star ratings), I'm just not that audience.