A Name Goes Up In Lights: A Review of Siren Queen by Nghi Vo

Hello, Book Nerds! Welcome back to Reading Has Ruined My Life or welcome if you are new. As always, my name is Hannah and I am your captain on this journey into my bookcases.

I am back once again with a new review. This week I shall be mixing some of my favorite genres into one book. We’ve got historical fiction, we’ve got some fantasy vibes, there’s some female rage in there as well; not that the last one is technically a genre, but I love reading books which feature female rage and I think lots of readers who come to RHRML do as well. Anyway, I think it’s time I introduce today’s read.

Please give a warm welcome to Siren Queen by Nghi Vo!

As always, a spoiler alert is in order. If you’ve read any other review on this site then you will know that I love to spoil the entirety of the books I read. This is your one and only warning. I also have a content and trigger warning before I jump in. Siren Queen is set in pre-Code Hollywood which was between 1927 and 1934. This book deals with sexual assault, harassment, and rape. It is something pre-Code Hollywood is notorious for, and Siren Queen deals heavily with this topic. If you are not in the right mind space for said topic then I recommend skipping this book. There are also a few allusions to physical and mental abuse. With that, let’s get to the synopsis.

Luli Wei dreams of the spotlight. She wants to be a star! But she has some rules for the big wig Hollywood producers. She won’t play a maid, she won’t talk in a horrible, stereotypical Asian accent, and she won’t be the fainting flower type. That doesn’t leave a lot of roles for a young Chinese American woman. But monsters. Monsters are still on the table. And Luli has some of the best monsters to observe in pre-Code Hollywood.

She can learn from the best. And by best I mean worst.

Both metaphorically speaking and literally cause this book is fantasy. It has some magical realism going on with some monsters (i.e. Hollywood producers) making deals with ancient gods they must appease once a year, and some crossroad demons just for good measure. Luli will stand against them all as she claws her way to fame.

But the higher her star rises, the riskier her life becomes. She’s made some enemies during her time in Hollywood. Enemies that range from fellow actors to directors to those at the top who want to own everything about her. She can’t be her true self in the world she’s found herself in. She can’t openly love the women she falls for. She can’t even go by her real name. True relationships are hard to come by as most people around her tend to be looking out for themselves and ignore others. Luli’s guard must always be up because the path to stardom is riddled with dangerous pitfalls and even more dangerous enemies.

This book is…odd. As I’ve already said, Siren Queen is a fantasy read with lots of magical realism. I knew that going in as the back cover synopsis mentioned ancient magic and rituals. But I did not anticipate the absolute insanity that this world is. There are human-animal hybrids. Celebrities are literal stars and can physically burn people when they reach the pinnacle of stardom. And I’ve already mentioned the ancient rituals and gods far too many times. But no explanation for anything is ever given.

What is going on in the house of commons? 

I don’t fully understand the world. There’s some worldbuilding, but there’s no rules to this world. The world and its fantastical elements simply exist. While I don’t need a full 100 pages explaining the world, how everything was created, every single type of creature that exists, I do need some details; details are necessary when it comes to fantasy. I specifically need and want the history of magic in this world. I guess it’s something that has always existed, but that confirmation would have been nice. I need the details! The word Nghi Vo has created has no rhyme or reason.

Thankfully, this is a character driven book. After I finished this read, I could tell that Nghi Vo’s focus was not on building a structured magic system–even though I desperately want one–but instead on Luli and her story. I can greatly appreciate Luli’s work ethic and the fight she has in her. If all the fantasy elements were taken away, I could still read this book and enjoy the story of a young woman fighting against the sexism and racism she faces every day in pre-Code Hollywood. I can appreciate her want to become a movie star; even though I don’t know the exact reason she wants to work as an actress.

Though I do have to say, Siren Queen would work better without the fantasy elements. I do feel they were added to this story as a way to make it stand out in the bloated sub-genre of Old Hollywood novels. Truly, the magical realism/fantasy aspect is my biggest qualm with this novel. I could go on and on with this issue, but I think I should cap it here.

Now I address Nghi Vo specifically. I would like to request a book about Greta. Greta deserves her own book. I found myself enthralled by her story in part two of Siren Queen. I would love to see the events of Siren Queen from her point of view, and also learn what happened to her after she left Hollywood. She was a strong character and I would like to see more of her in the future. Please and thank you!

I'll preorder the book right now!

Siren Queen is beautifully written. The setting is rich with details, and as much as I have to complain about the fantasy elements, they do make things interesting. Do I like them? No, not really. Do I begrudgingly accept their inclusion? Yes. Siren Queen is not my favorite read of the year, but there are elements I greatly appreciate and respect. There is always good reason to discuss adversity, both past and present, and there’s always room on my shelves for those books.

With that, I shall bid you all adieu. Thank you so much for joining me today, Book Nerds. I hope you enjoyed today’s review, and I shall see you all again next week with another new review. If you can’t wait that long then you can always check out my podcast Nothing to See Hear. It stars me and two of my nearest, dearest friends as we talk everything from Scooby-Doo to Disney to Barbie to spooky stuff to bad 90s wrestling; there’s bound to be something that strikes your fancy.

Until next time, stay safe, wash your hands, and read some good books for me.

See y'all then, bye!