Nghi Vo won me over with her novellas in the Singing Hills Cycle, and I was curious what her writing was like outside the quiet reflective stories of those novellas. And so I turned to Siren Queen, put in a loan for an audiobook, and spent hours putting together a puzzle so that I wouldn’t have to stop listening.
Read If Looking For: magical realism, entrancing prose, character studies
Avoid if Looking For: happy queer stories, plot points that all resolve neatly
Elevator Pitch:
Siren Queen a memoir-style magical realism story about a second generation Chinese girl who dreams of becoming a movie star (and I use the word star quite literally here), in the early 1900s as the era of silent movies has faded. She claws her way into the spotlight, finds love with several women, and discovers the many prices of fame. At the core of the story is the intersection of racial, gender, and queer identities, and how they impact her life.
What Worked for Me
This book is a wonderful example of magical realism – albeit not in the same style as something like Gabriel Garcia Marquez might write. At first you aren’t sure whether the author is speaking in metaphor or not. Did the camera really steal the strength of that actor? Is her father’s immortality powder really immortality, or just medicine? Is that distinction even important? As the book progresses though, Vo grows more and more clear in how literal she uses her words. It is a world where a girl needs to give up her name and marry a producer if she wants to get into the industry without turning to magic. And for a Chinese girl, her hope of parts beyond a maid are few. The book is ruthless with its examination of how sexism, homophobia, and racism intersect, and blends it all with the ruthlessness you would expect from a Hollywood drama. Despite its brutality, Vo didn’t sacrifice the understated prose style that won me over in the first place.
Another thing I’ve begun to notice from Vo’s work is how she’s a master of historical fantasy, and grounding stories in a sense of place. This book feels like Old Hollywood. While I don’t know enough to be able to talk about accuracy, it captures the feelings and emotions that I expect from such a story perfectly.
What Didn’t Work for Me
While this book was gripping and engaging, I don’t think it quite hit the same level of brilliance that Empress of Salt and Fortune climbed to. It was great, instead of making the short list of my all-time favorite books. And if that’s this book’s greatest sin, it’s quite a good one.
In Conclusion: An old hollywood story that straddles the intersection of genre fiction and literary fantasy in a beautiful and unique way.
- Characters – 4
- Worldbuilding – 5
- Craft – 5
- Themes – 4
- Enjoyment – 4
Marked for Plot 
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