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sophia_sol) wrote2022-07-06 12:14 pm
sophia_sol) wrote2022-07-06 12:14 pm
Siren Queen, by Nghi Vo
HECK YEAH!!! Nghi Vo's novella duology was everything I could have ever wanted they were so perfect, and then her more recent retelling of The Great Gatsby I just felt disappointed by. But Siren Queen has Vo back on her A game!
This book is set in pre-code hollywood, following a young queer Chinese-American woman who falls in love with the movies and will do anything to be a successful actor -- except play the stereotypical Asian roles. The world is full of dangerous magic, on top of the more mundane dangers of being a vulnerable outsider under the control of the power-hungry men who run the studios, but she's determined to find her way.
I love the role of magic in this story, that it feels real and threatening and ever present but also always slippery and a little out of reach of understanding. The reader never really grasps all the rules of magic in this world, but not in the irritating way where it just feels like the author is being sloppy, but instead in a way where it feels numinous and believable, always just around the corner.
I also love the various intertwining lives of the other women in the novel, because of course our protagonist is not the only one around. They each have their own ways of making a way to live in the world, and sometimes those ways are in conflict with our protagonist's, but none of them are necessarily wrong for it. They each just have different priorities. But the protagonist loves women so much, and the book loves women so much, and there are so many great characters! (there are also some great male characters too, for the record; I love the part of the storyline involving Harry particularly!)
The protagonist's relationship with her sister, her sexual and romantic partners, her roommate, the older woman who helps her get access to a studio head for her chance as an actor, on and on. They're all great. But of the women in the protagonist's life, I particularly love Greta; she fascinates me, and I love the strength of the bond between Greta and the protagonist, even though Greta is straight. I love when books depict those kinds of complicated relationships that are beyond the bounds of what's normally considered friendship, but also doesn't follow the expected patterns of a partner-level relationship.
(In case you're wondering why I'm writing around the protagonist's name: yes, names are complicated in this book. Love that for a narrative, hate that for me trying to write a review :P)
But overall what I love most about the book is the Vibes. Idk sometimes authors are just good at creating a Vibe with their words and Vo does this!
In conclusion I loved every minute of reading this book and I can't wait for whatever Vo puts out next. (which appears to be another Singing Hills novella due out later this year and I CANNOT WAIT)
This book is set in pre-code hollywood, following a young queer Chinese-American woman who falls in love with the movies and will do anything to be a successful actor -- except play the stereotypical Asian roles. The world is full of dangerous magic, on top of the more mundane dangers of being a vulnerable outsider under the control of the power-hungry men who run the studios, but she's determined to find her way.
I love the role of magic in this story, that it feels real and threatening and ever present but also always slippery and a little out of reach of understanding. The reader never really grasps all the rules of magic in this world, but not in the irritating way where it just feels like the author is being sloppy, but instead in a way where it feels numinous and believable, always just around the corner.
I also love the various intertwining lives of the other women in the novel, because of course our protagonist is not the only one around. They each have their own ways of making a way to live in the world, and sometimes those ways are in conflict with our protagonist's, but none of them are necessarily wrong for it. They each just have different priorities. But the protagonist loves women so much, and the book loves women so much, and there are so many great characters! (there are also some great male characters too, for the record; I love the part of the storyline involving Harry particularly!)
The protagonist's relationship with her sister, her sexual and romantic partners, her roommate, the older woman who helps her get access to a studio head for her chance as an actor, on and on. They're all great. But of the women in the protagonist's life, I particularly love Greta; she fascinates me, and I love the strength of the bond between Greta and the protagonist, even though Greta is straight. I love when books depict those kinds of complicated relationships that are beyond the bounds of what's normally considered friendship, but also doesn't follow the expected patterns of a partner-level relationship.
(In case you're wondering why I'm writing around the protagonist's name: yes, names are complicated in this book. Love that for a narrative, hate that for me trying to write a review :P)
But overall what I love most about the book is the Vibes. Idk sometimes authors are just good at creating a Vibe with their words and Vo does this!
In conclusion I loved every minute of reading this book and I can't wait for whatever Vo puts out next. (which appears to be another Singing Hills novella due out later this year and I CANNOT WAIT)
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I love Silent Film stuff.
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My partner and I just finished listening to the audio of When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain -- first time for him, and a relisten for me. I love it so much!
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Speaking of her sister, I honestly felt like there was a whole other book hidden there with the stage-performing scene she was into in SF -- but to a slightly lesser extent I kind of felt that way with a lot of aspects of the book. Vo was great at creating the sense of stories just out of sight -- like a narrative twin to the magic just out of reach of understanding.
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Vo was great at creating the sense of stories just out of sight -- like a narrative twin to the magic just out of reach of understanding.
Yes yes yes!!! this is something I love in books and Vo is SO good at it. Especially with the sister, you're so right!