theblackdog

Hollywood if it was run by fae, when queerness had to be kept secret, and it was hard as heck to make it if you were not white. It makes for a great story as we watch Luli Wei go from being a kid who loves movies to a teen who is an extra on set before taking her ambitions to the studio. Along the way she makes some friends, plenty of enemies, and she will start to learn a few things about herself.

There’s a lot to take in here, and the setting is rich for other stories in this world. It would not surprise me if Vo intended for this book and The Chosen and the Beautiful to take place in the same time. There are so many things about this version of Hollywood that get treated as normal but are strange that I would have liked more detail. Machines that are alive, similar fey experiences for writers? I want to see more!

I was happy to see positive queer representation, even if this is at a time when Hollywood and the world views queerness in a negative light. Luli has to be careful with her activities, but she’s never depicted as a monster for it.

I got this from my library but I’ll probably buy a copy because I’ll want to read it again.