Siren Queen by Nghi Vo REVIEW

Summary:

"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 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 woman 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.

My Thoughts:

As soon as I saw this book, I knew I had to read it.

Luli, unlike the summery paints her to be, is actually a nice person. She stands up for her friends, even if it means risking her own film career. Luli ends up falling for another actress hoping to make it - Emmaline. They end up in a secret relationship for a short time. But when Luli risks her career by protecting her pregnant and in-love friend Greta, Emmaline leaves, not wanting to lose her own career. Luli ends up befriending Harry Long, a young and handsome actor who plays opposite her in a series of films. She also happens across a bar during an "only women" night and meets Tara, a script writer who has to pretend to be a male writer.

While on set filming one of her films, the set catches fire for an unknown reason. Most people get out. But Harry Long has disappeared, and we don't know if he escaped or simply wanted to end his life. Since he is unable to play his role in the film, it is rewritten for an actress - who turns out to be Emmaline. Luli confronts Emmaline for disappearing and not talking to her.

The ending is pretty odd. There's a time skip where Luli is an older woman who sees the beginning of the acceptance of gay people, and that she had a wife named Jane. It felt rushed, and a few important plot points were never tied up. We still don't know if Harry Long is alive or dead, and we don't really see Luli grieving over him. Emmaline was such an important person to Luli in the beginning of her career, but there is no conflict resolution. 

On one hand, I love this book. On the other hand, I can't stand how messy the ending is. The author supposedly did a lot of revisions for this book, as it was originally a novella but now it is a novel. Since she was working on this for years, you would think that there would be a satisfying ending, but there isn't.

My Rating: 3 stars 

Saving Max by Antoinette van Heugten REVIEW

 Summary:

Attorney Danielle Parkman knows her teenage son Max's behavior has been getting worse - using drugs and lashing out. But she can't accept the diagnosis she receives at a top-notch adolescent psychiatric facility that her son is deeply disturbed. Dangerous.

Until she finds Max, unconscious and bloodied, beside a patient who has been brutally stabbed to death.

Trapped in a world of doubt and fear, barred from contacting Max, Danielle clings to the belief that her son is innocent. But has she, too, lost touch with reality? Is her son really a killer?

With the justice system bearing down on them, Danielle steels herself to discover the truth, no matter what it is. She'll do whatever it takes to find the killer and to save her son from being destroyed by a system that's all too eager to convict him.

My Thoughts:

Whew, this book was a whirlwind. I could barely put it down!

Danielle is a character that I can never decide whether she's smart or not. Throughout the book, during the days leading up to the trial, she breaks so many laws and is late to said trial. Danielle is definitely a good mother, however. She doesn't just blindly believe the accusations, but she also doesn't blindly believe her son. There are definitely a few things that would not fly in actual court, such as Danielle being several hours late to the trial.

While Max isn't the main character, he is definitely important in the storyline. He isn't just sitting around in the psychiatric facility, Max is actively trying to find out any dirt on the staff of the hospital, like researching what medication they are giving him and finding out that it's all experimental and illegal. 

Ms. Morrison is such a good villain. She warms up to you portraying a kind and gentle mother, only to find out that she was the killer. Not only that, but Morrison has had a few other children that she also murdered. The book tricks you into thinking that the doctor who prescribed the illegal medication was behind this, only to knock you out when the truth is revealed.

I feel awful for Jonas (Morrison's son). He seemed like such a sweet kid, but was horribly abused by his mother.

I got so emotionally invested in this book lol. So yes, I definitely recommend it!

My Rating: 5 stars 

Deuces Are Wild by O. E. Tearmann REVIEW

 Summary:

America is waking up.

People are standing up for each other and a future worth living in. But they can't do it alone.

Now, they don't have to. The Democratic State Force is calling in favors across the nation. Members of Base 1407 and hundreds of other teams across the country are teaching the citizens how to fight back on their terms, with tactics that hit the Corporations right where it hurts - the wallet and the pride.

The seven Corporations that think they own the country are scrambling to keep control over the citizens' communications, their decisions, and their lives. Every dirty trick is coming out of their bags as they lose their grip. It's going to take a lot to beat them at this game for the country's soul.

Life's a bitch. She doesn't play fair. Out-think her with every hand, and you might just win.

My Thoughts:

I am so divided on whether I liked this book or not. It was extremely hard to get into for two reasons: the writing style and the fact that over half of the book was world-building and character development. I don't think I've ever read a book in this writing style, so it was hard to understand at the beginning. While world-building and character development are very important, so is the plot. You only saw the plot halfway to the end of the book, and many readers would be turned off by this. The details about the Corporations did not come until close to the ending. And they were not what you would expect in a dystopian novel. In my opinion, they would not be accurate. The Corporations use religion and working, as well as a sort of class system, to control the population. Maybe this would happen to smaller countries in the future, but a lot of American citizens are extremely diverse in terms of religion and politics, so while the forced labor and class system will probably come back in some way, I don't see religion being mandated or something. The ending was also underwhelming, as it did nothing to make me want to read the next book in the series.

Now, onto what I loved! If you know me, you know that I talk about character development a lot and how important it is. And it is SO GOOD HERE. The main character is not the only character who is well developed! A handful of side characters are also extremely well developed. This is important, as it helps invest you into their lives. Another thing that I loved was the LGBT characters! A lot of other books with diverse characters are given their diversity as their personality and do nothing to develop them. This was not the case here. And as a lesbian myself, I was overjoyed at this. 

However, the positives did not overtake the negatives for me personally.

My Rating: 2 stars