Siren Queen

By: Nghi Vo

Narrated by: Natalie Naudus

FROM AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR NGHI VO COMES A DAZZLING NEW NOVEL WHERE IMMORTALITY IS JUST A CASTING CALL AWAY

"Natalie Naudus's skilled narration adds to the luminous and otherworldly qualities of Vo's historical fantasy." -AudioFile on Siren Queen

It was magic. In every world, it was a kind of magic.

"No maids, no funny talking, no fainting flowers." Luli Wei is beautiful, talented, and desperate to be a star. Coming of age in pre-Code Hollywood, she knows how dangerous the movie business is and how limited the roles are for a Chinese American girl from Hungarian Hill—but she doesn't care. She’d rather play a monster than a maid.

But in Luli's world, the worst monsters in Hollywood are not the ones on screen. The studios want to own everything from her face to her name to the women she loves, and they run on a system of bargains made in blood and ancient magic, powered by the endless sacrifice of unlucky starlets like her. For those who do survive to earn their fame, success comes with a steep price. Luli is willing to do whatever it takes—even if that means becoming the monster herself.

Siren Queen offers up an enthralling exploration of an outsider achieving stardom on her own terms, in a fantastical Hollywood where the monsters are real and the magic of the silver screen illuminates every page.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor.com Books.

Critic reviews

Praise for The Chosen and The Beautiful:

“Why not raise a glass to Nghi Vo, whose name on the spine of a book seems to mean that whatever the pages within hold will be superlative?”—NPR

“Stellar. . . . Like Jordan’s own paper creations, The Chosen and the Beautiful captivates with its artistry and its power.”—Helene Wecker, author of The Golem and the Jinni

“Nghi Vo subverts and expands the possibilities of an American story, and magic is in the marrow.”—K-Ming Chang, author of Bestiary

“Astonishingly crafted, with luscious prose and appeal for both fans of the original and those who always felt The Great Gatsby missed the mark.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Luxurious, thrilling, and sexy. . . . The Chosen and the Beautiful brings new intensity to a story you thought you knew.”—Adrienne Celt, author of Invitation to a Bonfire

“A page-turning novel of sorcery, infernal compacts, and enchanted elixirs. . . Redo all the classics. And do them like this!”—P. Djèlí Clark, winner of the Alex, Locus, and Nebula Awards and author of Ring Shout

“A sumptuous novel that tangles with race, magic, sexuality, and class. . . . It’s bold to play in the realm of The Great Gatsby and Vo’s acerbic Jordan Baker is the perfect woman to do it.”—Erika Swyler, author of The Book of Speculation

“Gatsby the way it should have been written–dark, dazzling, and fantastical.”—R. F. Kuang, winner of the Astounding Award and author of The Poppy War

Meh

There was some beautiful scene building but overall the story was lacking. I did like the characters and the themes. I struggled to get into the story, it felt like it was building up to something that just never came to be. I really wanted to like this book but ultimately would not recommend.

Truly Lovely

I highly recommend this one! The world she gives us is lush and strange and beautiful.

Damn good

Something a bit different and wonderful, part fae fantasy, part horror, part memoir, I loved it.

Needed more depth

I love the idea of this story and this world: Movies are literally created from magic with stars achieving immortality while trading in their souls.
But it all lacked depth. I wanted more world building. It was clear all of the characters involved were aware of the existence of the magic in this world, but it was never fully realized or harnessed. For most of the story it simply sat in the background existing with little actual impact on the world or the characters. The characters suffered from a similar lack of background and depth, most of them flitting in and out of the story with little to make them more than props. I wish the writer would have spent the same sort of time with the details of character development and world building as she did with the romantic scenes.

Dark magic masterpiece

This book. Where do I even begin?

“No maids. No funny talking. No fainting flowers.” Chinese American Luli Wei has strict criteria for the roles she will take. She knows the roles for a girl like her are limited but she doesn’t care. She’d rather play a monster than a maid. Luli is a rising starlet in Old Hollywood, a place where monsters are real and not in a metaphorical sense. There’s a dark underbelly to the glamor here, blood magic and old gods and sacrifices made to devils.

This book was a revelation. A glittering dark fantasy story with just the right blend of real world glitz and fantastic horror. This book blurred the lines between reality and fiction in the best possible way. This was a magical queer racially charged horrific fairytale…

Naudus’s narration powerfully brings this story to life, the richness of the story playing against the innocence and power of Wei’s experiences.

This was yet another Nghi Vo masterpiece.