Literature & Fiction
![Nghi Vo - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B082W52TC2.jpg)
Siren Queen
"Lyrical, mesmerizing, and otherworldly. . . stunning proof that Nghi Vo is one of the most original writers we have today. A beautiful, brutal, monstrous Hollywood fantasy."―Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Immortality is just a casting call away.
Locus Award Finalist
Ignyte Award Finalist
An Amazon Best Book of 2022
One of NPR's Best Books of 2022
Vulture's #1 Fantasy Novel of 2022
Best of Year Selections at Apple Books | B&N Booksellers | LibraryReads | TIME Magazine | Oprah Daily | The Philadelphia Inquirer | Publishers Weekly | Buzzfeed | Chicago Review of Books | LitHub | Book Riot | Paste Magazine | Geek Girl Authority | Bookish | The Mary Sue | New York Public Library | Vulture | Locus Recommended Reading List | Kobo | The Quill to Live | L. A. Public Library | Audible | Amazon | NPR
An Indie Next and LibraryReads Pick
A Brooklyn Library Prize Finalist
Includes a Reading Group Guide
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.
Immortality is just a casting call away.
Locus Award Finalist
Ignyte Award Finalist
An Amazon Best Book of 2022
One of NPR's Best Books of 2022
Vulture's #1 Fantasy Novel of 2022
Best of Year Selections at Apple Books | B&N Booksellers | LibraryReads | TIME Magazine | Oprah Daily | The Philadelphia Inquirer | Publishers Weekly | Buzzfeed | Chicago Review of Books | LitHub | Book Riot | Paste Magazine | Geek Girl Authority | Bookish | The Mary Sue | New York Public Library | Vulture | Locus Recommended Reading List | Kobo | The Quill to Live | L. A. Public Library | Audible | Amazon | NPR
An Indie Next and LibraryReads Pick
A Brooklyn Library Prize Finalist
Includes a Reading Group Guide
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.
Editorial Reviews
"Lyrical, mesmerizing, and otherworldly. . . stunning proof that Nghi Vo is one of the most original writers we have today. A beautiful, brutal, monstrous Hollywood fantasy."―Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Locus Award Finalist
Ignyte Award Finalist
An Amazon Best Book of 2022
One of NPR's Best Books of 2022
Vulture's #1 Fantasy Novel of 2022
Best of Year Selections at Apple Books | B&N Booksellers | LibraryReads | TIME Magazine | Oprah Daily | The Philadelphia Inquirer | Publishers Weekly | Buzzfeed | Chicago Review of Books | LitHub | Book Riot | Paste Magazine | Geek Girl Authority | Bookish | The Mary Sue | New York Public Library | Vulture | Locus Recommended Reading List | Kobo | The Quill to Live | L. A. Public Library | Audible | Amazon | NPR
An Indie Next and LibraryReads Pick
A Brooklyn Library Prize Finalist
"Nghi Vo's reimagining of old Hollywood as a world rife with fae trickery, ambition, and greed is as clever as it is dazzling, as incisive as it is empowering. Vo's heroine is captivating, her atmosphere heady and sensual, her storytelling spellbinding. Escape into this book, but be warned―it may not let you go."―Olivie Blake, New York Times-bestselling author of The Atlas Six
"Siren Queen establishes Vo as an uncommonly talented new voice in fantasy, one who writes from a place of anger, insight, and deep compassion....
Locus Award Finalist
Ignyte Award Finalist
An Amazon Best Book of 2022
One of NPR's Best Books of 2022
Vulture's #1 Fantasy Novel of 2022
Best of Year Selections at Apple Books | B&N Booksellers | LibraryReads | TIME Magazine | Oprah Daily | The Philadelphia Inquirer | Publishers Weekly | Buzzfeed | Chicago Review of Books | LitHub | Book Riot | Paste Magazine | Geek Girl Authority | Bookish | The Mary Sue | New York Public Library | Vulture | Locus Recommended Reading List | Kobo | The Quill to Live | L. A. Public Library | Audible | Amazon | NPR
An Indie Next and LibraryReads Pick
A Brooklyn Library Prize Finalist
"Nghi Vo's reimagining of old Hollywood as a world rife with fae trickery, ambition, and greed is as clever as it is dazzling, as incisive as it is empowering. Vo's heroine is captivating, her atmosphere heady and sensual, her storytelling spellbinding. Escape into this book, but be warned―it may not let you go."―Olivie Blake, New York Times-bestselling author of The Atlas Six
"Siren Queen establishes Vo as an uncommonly talented new voice in fantasy, one who writes from a place of anger, insight, and deep compassion....
Readers Top Reviews
Joanne MerriamTho
I found this book surprising, gripping, and beautiful. The main character is an American-born Chinese girl from Los Angelos who wants to be a star in a golden age/pre-code Hollywood filled with magical dangers in addition to the real-life dangers of our world. Well worth the read.
CGJJoanne Merriam
This is the most unique view of Hollywood that I have ever read…there is simply nothing else like it. And I confess to loving the writing of Nghi Vo ( I had previously read The Chosen and the Beautiful). She writes with an ease and a flourish showing you images you would have never seen yourself. The fantasy aspect of the book gives it at times, an otherworldly flavor and yet her allegories are spot on. The film industry is wicked and cruel and magical in more than one way. The images from this book stayed with me long after I had finished it.
NicoleCGJJoanne M
An allegory of old Hollywood from the eyes of a lesbian Asian woman, this book is a quick read that is magically sweet and sour. If you're looking for a book with magical realism and enjoy a gritty story you can pick apart and chew, I'd recommend Siren Queen.
JoannaNicoleCGJJo
Magical story about "making it" in old Hollywood in the 1920s. Great characters. Racism toward people of color is addressed. The dangers and tribulations of being queer motion picture business is also a theme. Engaging and enjoyable. Hard to put down.
JoannaNicoleCG
Evocative imagining of a Hollywood empowered by the wild hunt and fae glamour; cutthroat, hungry, and beautiful. Wonderful portrayal of the outsider to this world
