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Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for allowing me to read this ARC!
Content Warning: violence, racism, xenophobia, misogyny, homophobia, sexual assault, sexual harassment, anti-Semitism.
Luli Wei is determined to make a name for herself. In her world, monsters are real, and there's nowhere they're more popular than Hollywood. Growing up in Hungarian Hill, working in her family's laundry, Luli is enchanted as a child by cinema, with its starlets and the fame that follows them. When she's given the opportunity to work on sets, she takes it, but her ambition doesn't stop there. Luli refuses to take the demeaning roles of maids and "fainting flowers," but as for playing the monster, she realizes that perhaps it isn't so bad -- and it might suit her just fine.
There's no one that can write quite like Nghi Vo. Every time I read one of her stories, I'm blown away by her attention to detail, her ability to make characters leap from the page, and the sheer beauty of her prose. When I picked up Siren Queen, I was certain that I'd love it, and I'm happy to say that as it turns out, I was right!
Once again, Vo is creating magic. From the first page, I was captivated by her gorgeous descriptions, and for me, it was instant love with Luli. She's allowed her monstrousness, an exploration of the racism that creates the infamous "Dragon Lady" stereotype, and here, Vo takes it back for Asian women with a beautiful vengeance. In spite of the boxes that they try to corner Luli into, she defies them all, rising up to become something far beyond the petty imaginations of her white costars, directors, and screenwriters. She faces obstacles that her white costars never have to face to begin with, and I think that her story of triumph, despite the odds, despite those who try their hardest to bring her down, will resonate beautifully with those still fighting these very same problems today.
Reading this book transports you into another world. I was so pleased to see that there are some remnants of the magic seen in The Chosen and the Beautiful here, and it always excites me to realize that in Vo's next book, we might see a little more of what lurks beneath the surface. While some people might find it a little frustrating, I personally love that Vo leaves some things unexplained, adding to the sensation both of a whole world just beyond our view, and the mystery that makes her stories so compelling in the first place.
At the heart of this story is Luli's relationship with her identity as a Chinese woman, a lesbian, and how those things change how she views the world and how the world views her. Her dynamics with the women she falls in love with were all equally interesting, and I particularly appreciated that there's something beautiful and otherworldly in her love for all of them. I would've loved to see a bit more of Luli's relationship with her sister, as well as Jane, and I'd be only too happy to read their stories should Vo decide to elaborate on their lives.
The ending took my breath away. There's no other way to put it. For a moment, it was as if everything stopped. Luli's legacy and impact, in the flesh, and in these difficult times, when we are discussing whether or not the overturning of Roe v. Wade may lead to the destruction of LGBT rights as well, it was something so moving that it nearly brought me to tears. Once again, Vo has done it: created something that lives beyond the page, something that will leave its readers full of emotion and remembering this book for a long, long time.
Highly, highly recommended. Stunning and compelling, timely, and a fantastic glimpse into the world of Pre-Code Hollywood.
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