A Marvelous Time with The Monstrous Misses Mai

47North

Los Angeles, 1959: opportunities abound and it's no wonder that many flock to the City of the Stars. But for those born there, those opportunities might not be so easy to find.

When aspiring fashion designer Cordelia "Cordi" Mai Yin moves out of her parents' house and into a shared apartment with three other women, she doesn't know what to expect. But when Cordi meets her new roommates with whom she shares the same middle name, Mai, it seems destined that she, Tessa, Audrey, and Silly will become the best of friends.

As time wears on, though, the women's dreams of doing more than just getting by seem to grow more and more distant — they find it hard enough to live day-to-day, let alone pursue their passions for success. When a charming acquaintance of the women' landlord appears and offers them a magical solution, they are at first skeptical — but his insistence that all it takes is a bit of magic and a small sacrifice lures the women into the ritual.

Seemingly overnight, the women begin experiencing successes they had only dreamed of — job opportunities, fame, and fortune begin to shower upon them, but as the rewards get bigger, so do the stakes. When everything begins to take a turn the women could never imagine, Cordi begins to understand her own power and what it takes to be free of the magic that lured them in. But at what cost?

Author Van Hoang paints the most marvelous tapestry in The Monstrous Misses Mai, stepping into a darker, grittier side to the glitz and glamor of old Hollywood. Cordi's struggle as a first-generation child of Vietnamese immigrants is one similar to many children of immigrants — torn between their loyalty to family tradition and their desire to strike out on their own.

Hoang delivers her characters in such beautiful, neatly wrapped packages — it is a thrill to unwrap them, understanding them more and delving deeper into their motivations, secrets, and dark sides. Each character brings with them such complexities that it is difficult not to fly through the pages, wanting to know more about each person's past.

As Hoang's first foray into adult fiction, The Monstrous Misses Mai ticks all the boxes for a riveting and thrilling read, cementing her excellence as an author and creating excitement for what's to come.

47North // 347 pages // Historical Fiction, Thriller, Fantasy