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The Monstrous Misses Mai: A Novel
A determined young woman in 1950s Los Angeles walks a darker city than she ever imagined in a spellbinding novel about the power to make dreams come true—whatever the sacrifice.
Los Angeles brims with opportunity in 1959—though not for aspiring fashion designer Cordelia Mai Yin, the first-generation child of Vietnamese immigrants, who finds the city unkind to outsiders and as dispirited as her own family. When Cordi rents a cheap loft in an old apartment building, she quickly warms to kindred souls Tessa, Audrey, and Silly. They also want better things and have pasts they’d rather forget. That they all share the same middle name makes their friendship seem like destiny.
As supportive as they are of each other, it’s a struggle just to eke out a living, let alone hope to see their wishes for success come true. Until an ever-present and uncannily charming acquaintance of the landlord’s offers a solution to their problems. He promises to fulfill their every dream. All it takes is a little magic. And a small sacrifice.
As one surprisingly effective spell leads to another, their wishes get bigger. But so does the price they must pay. Amid the damaged seams of her life so far, Cordi must realize her own power in order to rip free, without losing everything she’s worked so hard to achieve.
Los Angeles brims with opportunity in 1959—though not for aspiring fashion designer Cordelia Mai Yin, the first-generation child of Vietnamese immigrants, who finds the city unkind to outsiders and as dispirited as her own family. When Cordi rents a cheap loft in an old apartment building, she quickly warms to kindred souls Tessa, Audrey, and Silly. They also want better things and have pasts they’d rather forget. That they all share the same middle name makes their friendship seem like destiny.
As supportive as they are of each other, it’s a struggle just to eke out a living, let alone hope to see their wishes for success come true. Until an ever-present and uncannily charming acquaintance of the landlord’s offers a solution to their problems. He promises to fulfill their every dream. All it takes is a little magic. And a small sacrifice.
As one surprisingly effective spell leads to another, their wishes get bigger. But so does the price they must pay. Amid the damaged seams of her life so far, Cordi must realize her own power in order to rip free, without losing everything she’s worked so hard to achieve.
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First published April 2, 2024
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About the author
Van Hoang
7 books175 followersVan Hoang's first name is pronounced like the van in minivan. Her last name is pronounced “hah-wawng.” She earned her bachelor’s in English at the University of New Mexico and her master’s in library information science at San Jose State University. She was born in Vietnam, grew in up Orange County, California, and now resides in Los Angeles with her husband, kid, and two dogs.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 266 reviews
April 3, 2024
Parts of this book are set in LA Chinatown, a neighborhood that was once livelier than it is now. All of the women that rent apartments in this cheap loft have the middle name Mai, and I'm still not sure why.
I thought there would be more discussions about race and gender, as this is set in the 1950s, and our main Mai, Cordi, is a Vietnamese American woman. The magic element feels very after the fact until the last 1/3 of the book. The nickname Silly has me reeling every time. My advice? Drop Tessa.
📱 NetGalley
I thought there would be more discussions about race and gender, as this is set in the 1950s, and our main Mai, Cordi, is a Vietnamese American woman. The magic element feels very after the fact until the last 1/3 of the book. The nickname Silly has me reeling every time. My advice? Drop Tessa.
📱 NetGalley
Read
March 9, 2024The most unrealistic part about this is that 4 women in their 20s are roommates and no one, not a single soul, argues about the dishes in the entire novel.
Hello hi it's me, I'm the author, it's me.
This book is about 4 young women accidentally becoming witches in order to pay rent in 1959 Los Angeles.
I put everything I loved in it. This book isn't for everyone because I wrote it mostly for myself, and if you happen to love it...hi, I see you.
If you would like to learn more about the inspiration behind this story, I wrote a very personal, in-depth newsletter about it when it was first announced.
Speaking of, I don't hang out on this page often, so if you are interested in a monthly-sometimes-quarterly perhaps yearly or when-I-remember-it-existsly newsletter, please consider signing up, which you can do on my website authorvanhoang.com. I spend a lot of time on each one, with updates, wholesome things, and book recs, and like one joke allotted per existential crisis (so...many).
Some other facts about this book:
Like Cordi, I learned how to sew from my mom, who owned an alterations shop. I'm also OBSESSED with pockets. That's where our similarities end.
That one song in this book is to the tune of Mr. Sandman by the Chordettes.
The cover art is by Kimberly Glyder.
My editors are Adrienne Procaccini and Jodi Warshaw, who worked on the dev edits with grace and patience and kindness and so much insight.
My agent Mary C. Moore provided so much editorial feedback during the early sparks of this idea.
A friend told me this book was "darker than [they] expected" and honestly, as the person who wrote it, same.
I'm truly madly deeply sorry about [redacted] on page [redacted].
Okay. Until my next book...
Cheers, witches!
Hello hi it's me, I'm the author, it's me.
This book is about 4 young women accidentally becoming witches in order to pay rent in 1959 Los Angeles.
I put everything I loved in it. This book isn't for everyone because I wrote it mostly for myself, and if you happen to love it...hi, I see you.
If you would like to learn more about the inspiration behind this story, I wrote a very personal, in-depth newsletter about it when it was first announced.
Speaking of, I don't hang out on this page often, so if you are interested in a monthly-sometimes-quarterly perhaps yearly or when-I-remember-it-existsly newsletter, please consider signing up, which you can do on my website authorvanhoang.com. I spend a lot of time on each one, with updates, wholesome things, and book recs, and like one joke allotted per existential crisis (so...many).
Some other facts about this book:
Like Cordi, I learned how to sew from my mom, who owned an alterations shop. I'm also OBSESSED with pockets. That's where our similarities end.
That one song in this book is to the tune of Mr. Sandman by the Chordettes.
The cover art is by Kimberly Glyder.
My editors are Adrienne Procaccini and Jodi Warshaw, who worked on the dev edits with grace and patience and kindness and so much insight.
My agent Mary C. Moore provided so much editorial feedback during the early sparks of this idea.
A friend told me this book was "darker than [they] expected" and honestly, as the person who wrote it, same.
I'm truly madly deeply sorry about [redacted] on page [redacted].
Okay. Until my next book...
Cheers, witches!
![Profile Image for laurel [the suspected bibliophile].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1645808644i%2F7494844._UX200_CR0%2C6%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
February 29, 2024
You're going to sell your soul for a sewing machine?" Audrey said.
"Who said anything about selling souls?"
What would you sacrifice to fit in? For beauty? For fame? For acceptance?
After being disowned by her parents, Cordi is searching for a job and a place to live in 1959 LA. When a mysterious stranger helps her find an apartment, she learns that her three roommates all have the same middle name. Mai. What a fun coincidence, right? And the mysterious stranger offers them a little boost, a little spell, to help them gain a job...well, that's okay, too, right? No one ever got hurt from a little spell. But as the girls get everything they wished for, they learn that everything has its price...
Okay, this was far from a perfect book. There were a few plot holes and points that went no where (like the Mai coicidence), but right from the start this book was a delight. The writing style is a perfect mix of YA meets adult, and the ages and situations and tone equate to a nice crossover novel that was incredibly engaging.
"It's always the people who are supposed to love you that end up hurting you the most."
I loved Cordi. I loved Audrey (and wanted her to have more page time). I loved Gabe and even kinda liked Cressida, although I gave her some serious side-eye throughout the whole thing. The complicated relationships were just *perfect*, as was Cordi's constant desire for acceptance and love, without having the ability to realize what manipulative love was until long after the fact. Also, the final villain speech? Chills.
Also, there is so much FASHION wrapped into this, and everything has POCKETS!
While I wish the book had gone a little deeper in some places, it was still super entertaining and just a fun "be careful what you wish for" story.
When you're poor and can't afford new things, you learn how to fix what other people cast aside, and when the world is designed for people who are different from you, you learn how to alter yourself and the things around you to fit.
I received an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley.
"Who said anything about selling souls?"
What would you sacrifice to fit in? For beauty? For fame? For acceptance?
After being disowned by her parents, Cordi is searching for a job and a place to live in 1959 LA. When a mysterious stranger helps her find an apartment, she learns that her three roommates all have the same middle name. Mai. What a fun coincidence, right? And the mysterious stranger offers them a little boost, a little spell, to help them gain a job...well, that's okay, too, right? No one ever got hurt from a little spell. But as the girls get everything they wished for, they learn that everything has its price...
Okay, this was far from a perfect book. There were a few plot holes and points that went no where (like the Mai coicidence), but right from the start this book was a delight. The writing style is a perfect mix of YA meets adult, and the ages and situations and tone equate to a nice crossover novel that was incredibly engaging.
"It's always the people who are supposed to love you that end up hurting you the most."
I loved Cordi. I loved Audrey (and wanted her to have more page time). I loved Gabe and even kinda liked Cressida, although I gave her some serious side-eye throughout the whole thing. The complicated relationships were just *perfect*, as was Cordi's constant desire for acceptance and love, without having the ability to realize what manipulative love was until long after the fact. Also, the final villain speech? Chills.
Also, there is so much FASHION wrapped into this, and everything has POCKETS!
While I wish the book had gone a little deeper in some places, it was still super entertaining and just a fun "be careful what you wish for" story.
When you're poor and can't afford new things, you learn how to fix what other people cast aside, and when the world is designed for people who are different from you, you learn how to alter yourself and the things around you to fit.
I received an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley.
Read
February 12, 2025Picked this up on a whim from the library, once I got into it, I couldn't put it down!
Just a fabulous reminder that if one of your roommates says, "Hey, we should do a spell/play with a ouija board/poke things in this voodoo doll," the only correct answer is "NO!"
*I am not rating any books eligible for the World Fantasy Award*
Just a fabulous reminder that if one of your roommates says, "Hey, we should do a spell/play with a ouija board/poke things in this voodoo doll," the only correct answer is "NO!"
*I am not rating any books eligible for the World Fantasy Award*
February 21, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of
The Monstrous Misses Mai.
First, great title.
Second, I love that the main character is Vietnamese.
The narrative brims with female friendship, immigrant struggle and adversity, finding your way and path in life that is harsh against people and faces who aren't white.
** Minor spoilers ahead **
It's 1959 Los Angeles and aspiring fashion designer Cordelia Mai Yin, the first-generation child of Vietnamese immigrants, is desperate to find a place to live after a bitter fight with her family.
When Cordi rents a cheap loft in an old apartment building, she quickly becomes friends with Tessa, Audrey, and Silly.
Strangely enough, they all share the same middle name but maybe that's a sign they're meant to be friends.
When Callum, a kind of, sorta friend of the landlord offers a solution on how the young ladies can overcome obstacles standing in their path to recognition and glory, the women realize a little luck takes magic.
And a lot of sacrifice they may not be willing to pay.
What I did like:
The setting, the author paints a realistic view of 1950s LA, the grit and grime of an immigrant life away from the shiny glitter and gloss of the entitled and privileged
The lura: the magic is subtly explained, just a few simple facts, what you need to do in order to get something in return
Cressida Thompson turns out to be more than just a affluent society girl
What I didn't like:
Cordi is an unlikable character, at least to me.
She's judgmental, jealous, and desperate for people to like her.
I understand her character may be due to her upbringing and how strict her parents are, but I soon grew tired of Cordi's jealousy when Silly wanted to spend time with her and Tess.
I wished Callum had been a more formidable foe, instead of just a whiny wannabe hanging around vulnerable women to poach souls and suck as much power as he could from them.
I wish there had been more magic, more spells, more magical stuff happening.
For a narrative that revolved around dark magic, sacrifice, and suffering, there was very little urgency or suspense.
And what was the point of all of the women having the same middle name?
That was never explained, or was it because the author wanted the title to be alliterative.
I liked the premise, it had great potential to be something dark and scary, but it didn't hit the mark for me.
First, great title.
Second, I love that the main character is Vietnamese.
The narrative brims with female friendship, immigrant struggle and adversity, finding your way and path in life that is harsh against people and faces who aren't white.
** Minor spoilers ahead **
It's 1959 Los Angeles and aspiring fashion designer Cordelia Mai Yin, the first-generation child of Vietnamese immigrants, is desperate to find a place to live after a bitter fight with her family.
When Cordi rents a cheap loft in an old apartment building, she quickly becomes friends with Tessa, Audrey, and Silly.
Strangely enough, they all share the same middle name but maybe that's a sign they're meant to be friends.
When Callum, a kind of, sorta friend of the landlord offers a solution on how the young ladies can overcome obstacles standing in their path to recognition and glory, the women realize a little luck takes magic.
And a lot of sacrifice they may not be willing to pay.
What I did like:
The setting, the author paints a realistic view of 1950s LA, the grit and grime of an immigrant life away from the shiny glitter and gloss of the entitled and privileged
The lura: the magic is subtly explained, just a few simple facts, what you need to do in order to get something in return
Cressida Thompson turns out to be more than just a affluent society girl
What I didn't like:
Cordi is an unlikable character, at least to me.
She's judgmental, jealous, and desperate for people to like her.
I understand her character may be due to her upbringing and how strict her parents are, but I soon grew tired of Cordi's jealousy when Silly wanted to spend time with her and Tess.
I wished Callum had been a more formidable foe, instead of just a whiny wannabe hanging around vulnerable women to poach souls and suck as much power as he could from them.
I wish there had been more magic, more spells, more magical stuff happening.
For a narrative that revolved around dark magic, sacrifice, and suffering, there was very little urgency or suspense.
And what was the point of all of the women having the same middle name?
That was never explained, or was it because the author wanted the title to be alliterative.
I liked the premise, it had great potential to be something dark and scary, but it didn't hit the mark for me.
December 23, 2024
I’ve got to stop reading books that are free on kindle and expecting them to be good
February 25, 2024
Thank you to 47North for sending me an ARC of this novel!
What a compelling and unique dark fantasy/horror novel! When four Asian-American women become roommates in 1950s Los Angeles, and they all share the same middle name of Mai, it feels like fate. And when Cordi, Tessa, Audrey, an Silly meet a charismatic man who claims that with magic he can help make their dreams come true, it seems like good fortune. But of course, magic can come with a price. I really liked following Cordi and her roommates as they become more and more sucked into the magic that is making their lives better, albeit temporarily and with bigger and bigger trade offs, and how Cordi slowly starts to realize the cost is possibly too high. The magical system was well crafted, the characters are complex and enjoyable, and while some of the allegories about inherited privilege and status were a LITTLE heavy handed at times, I still found this dark fantasy to be well done with some pretty gnarly body horror to boot. Look for it in April!
What a compelling and unique dark fantasy/horror novel! When four Asian-American women become roommates in 1950s Los Angeles, and they all share the same middle name of Mai, it feels like fate. And when Cordi, Tessa, Audrey, an Silly meet a charismatic man who claims that with magic he can help make their dreams come true, it seems like good fortune. But of course, magic can come with a price. I really liked following Cordi and her roommates as they become more and more sucked into the magic that is making their lives better, albeit temporarily and with bigger and bigger trade offs, and how Cordi slowly starts to realize the cost is possibly too high. The magical system was well crafted, the characters are complex and enjoyable, and while some of the allegories about inherited privilege and status were a LITTLE heavy handed at times, I still found this dark fantasy to be well done with some pretty gnarly body horror to boot. Look for it in April!
March 18, 2024
The Monstrous Misses Mai by Van Hoang was my Kindle First Reads selection for March 2024...
You know me, I'm drawn to stories about witchcraft and magic like a moth to a flame, so when I read the blurb on The Monstrous Misses Mai while trying to choose my free pre-release book of the month, I was instantly sold. It was certainly unlike any other "witchy" story I've read, but still firmly within my wheelhouse.
Set in 1970s Chinatown, The Monstrous Misses Mai is about a young Vietnamese woman who, disowned by her family, lucks upon an affordable apartment to rent with three other young Asian women (who all happen to have the middle name Mai). Each of the girls has dreams of making it big in the city--one as a designer, another as a model, etc. In pursuit of their aspirations, the young "Misses Mai" find themselves lured in to a dark, dangerous underworld of magic with great rewards and monstrous consequences...
I thought this book was pretty solid. The pace was good and I loved the feeling of growing darkness and impending danger as each page turned.
You know me, I'm drawn to stories about witchcraft and magic like a moth to a flame, so when I read the blurb on The Monstrous Misses Mai while trying to choose my free pre-release book of the month, I was instantly sold. It was certainly unlike any other "witchy" story I've read, but still firmly within my wheelhouse.
Set in 1970s Chinatown, The Monstrous Misses Mai is about a young Vietnamese woman who, disowned by her family, lucks upon an affordable apartment to rent with three other young Asian women (who all happen to have the middle name Mai). Each of the girls has dreams of making it big in the city--one as a designer, another as a model, etc. In pursuit of their aspirations, the young "Misses Mai" find themselves lured in to a dark, dangerous underworld of magic with great rewards and monstrous consequences...
I thought this book was pretty solid. The pace was good and I loved the feeling of growing darkness and impending danger as each page turned.
March 11, 2024
I struggled - Amazon First Read
The story was not developing in a way to capture and sustain the reader. It was difficult to empathize with the main character.
The premise was interesting, but not executed with a good flow. Overall the story was written as a surface level characterization. 2 Stars
The story was not developing in a way to capture and sustain the reader. It was difficult to empathize with the main character.
The premise was interesting, but not executed with a good flow. Overall the story was written as a surface level characterization. 2 Stars
May 8, 2024
An utterly original story that drops you right into the grit and glamour of 1950s Los Angeles. Loved the pov of Cordelia as she and her new roommates stumble into the glory of an ancient magic that might deliver just a bit more than the women anticipated. A fun and spooky read.
March 9, 2024
Overwritten. Ahistorical. Ties up too neatly.
Two stars for an imaginative premise.
Two stars for an imaginative premise.
February 18, 2024
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
March 6, 2024
Nope, not finishing this one. Seven chapters in and I am bored to tears. Cordelia is a tedious, annoying character. The writing style lacks subtlety and is very juvenile. I kept trying to grasp onto something, anything to make me invested in the story, but there’s nothing there. Life’s too short. Moving on.
August 12, 2024
This book has an original vibe to it, even though it plays with a familiar trope: selling your soul to the devil. The setting is 1959 in Los Angeles, where Cordi, disowned by her family, begins sharing a place with three other likewise ambitious young women. When a charismatic, helpful guy offers them a magical rite to help them achieve their dreams, they go for it, but they soon find nothing is without a price. There is a terrific sense of dread suspense to the book because the reader can see everything is going to go horribly wrong, yet the women keep careening toward disaster. The end had some nice surprises.
March 16, 2024
*3.5 rounded down for Goodreads score*
Thank you to Netgalley and 47North for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
"The Monstrous Misses Mai" by Van Hoang follows four young Asian American women who share the same middle name: Mai. Set in 1950s Los Angeles, the four Mais come into contact with some very real magic that can grant them the power to make their every dream come true...but everything comes at a price.
I was so excited for this one. The summary reminded me a lot of Nghi Vo's "Siren Queen," which is one of my favorite books. I think Hoang did a really good job of showing four very different young women from different Asian ethnic groups (Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese, and I think Japanese?) and the ways that female friendships can form or not. And even though it made me mad, I felt that Hoang did a great job of portraying how toxic some Asian American families can be.
That said, I also had a lot of issues with the book. It might be cause I'm old, but I found Cordi (our main Mai) really exhausting. I know she was dealing with a lot of familial trauma and was figuring out who she was but god, I just...I rolled my eyes SO OFTEN. And I say that as someone who has had to go no contact with some family because of the toxicity. But I also just hated how self-sacrificing and pathetic she was, especially with Tessa. I don't know. It just felt difficult to connect with someone so young and limp. Aside from that, I wish there was more magic in the first third. It was so boring and it really dragged because I didn't like Cordi. By the end, while I liked her more, I felt like the lura stuff and the outcomes weren't really earned. And the lura stuff could have been more expansive, especially with how much time is wasted in that earlier part of the book.
Overall, it's a good book. I think. Parts of it were enjoyable to me and other parts were really not.
Thank you to Netgalley and 47North for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
"The Monstrous Misses Mai" by Van Hoang follows four young Asian American women who share the same middle name: Mai. Set in 1950s Los Angeles, the four Mais come into contact with some very real magic that can grant them the power to make their every dream come true...but everything comes at a price.
I was so excited for this one. The summary reminded me a lot of Nghi Vo's "Siren Queen," which is one of my favorite books. I think Hoang did a really good job of showing four very different young women from different Asian ethnic groups (Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese, and I think Japanese?) and the ways that female friendships can form or not. And even though it made me mad, I felt that Hoang did a great job of portraying how toxic some Asian American families can be.
That said, I also had a lot of issues with the book. It might be cause I'm old, but I found Cordi (our main Mai) really exhausting. I know she was dealing with a lot of familial trauma and was figuring out who she was but god, I just...I rolled my eyes SO OFTEN. And I say that as someone who has had to go no contact with some family because of the toxicity. But I also just hated how self-sacrificing and pathetic she was, especially with Tessa. I don't know. It just felt difficult to connect with someone so young and limp. Aside from that, I wish there was more magic in the first third. It was so boring and it really dragged because I didn't like Cordi. By the end, while I liked her more, I felt like the lura stuff and the outcomes weren't really earned. And the lura stuff could have been more expansive, especially with how much time is wasted in that earlier part of the book.
Overall, it's a good book. I think. Parts of it were enjoyable to me and other parts were really not.
March 16, 2024
I enjoyed this novel about family, friends and how much trouble magic can make in one’s life. Cordelia Mai Yin has no friends, only her elderly parents and older sister. She spends all her time working in her parents’ alteration shop, but she dreams of more. After a disagreement with her parents, she moves away from home into an apartment with three other young Asian women. She feels free to make her own choices for the first time and she enjoys that, but she still wants more. So do her new roommates, who all have Mai for a name, just like Cordi. An acquaintance (who had convinced Cordi’s new landlord to give her a room) tells the four young Misses Mai that he can help them get whatever they want. They just have to make a tiny little sacrifice to Lura. I had never heard of Lura before, so I searched for it, but I guess it’s only real in the author’s imagination.
August 9, 2025
It's a light read that I'd call a Young Adult version of The Craft meets The Devil's Advocate. Four Asian 20-somethings rent an apartment in 1959 Los Angeles and delve lightly into witchcraft... at first. Then deeper, until things get out of control.
I'm not really sure what the significance of the time and place was... there are a few mentions of it being 1959 but nothing about the story felt like 1959 aside from a few casual mentions to remind the reader.
I'm not really sure what the significance of the time and place was... there are a few mentions of it being 1959 but nothing about the story felt like 1959 aside from a few casual mentions to remind the reader.
March 24, 2024
I got this for free from Kindle Reads, and it was fine. I don’t understand why it was set in 1959, though. The characters all felt too modern for me. Maybe this was an alternate universe, given the magic they end up dabbling in? There is a mention of the Vietnam War in it, which feels too early as well, so maybe the alt universe explains that. I wish the magic seemed less contrived, and also that the ending wasn’t as quick as it was.
April 17, 2024
gifted by the publisher
Aspiring fashion designer "Cordi" Mai Yin is down on her luck. Recently kicked out of her house by her parents, she desperately needs a roof and a job. When a mysterious man helps her secure an apartment with three other roommates—all with "Mai" in their names—and promises to help them achieve their dreams, Cordi and her new friends are ecstatic. But as their ambitions grow after the success of their first spells, so does the price. What are the Mais willing to pay in exchange for success?
Not your average coming-of-age tale, the protagonists are young adults grappling with the trials of adulthood. If you've ever felt like an imposter, wrestled with complex parental relationships, or struggled to set boundaries with new friends, you'll find a kindred spirit in Cordi.
The premise of sacrifice vs. success is very promising, but the writing lacks tension, and the plot is uneven. Given more editing, I see MAI as a story that's either faster-paced, with more developed fantasy and a more complex magic system, or a deeper exploration of complex relationships between friends and family.
I recommend MAI to those seeking a unique dark fantasy read that doesn't overwhelm with extensive world-building.
Aspiring fashion designer "Cordi" Mai Yin is down on her luck. Recently kicked out of her house by her parents, she desperately needs a roof and a job. When a mysterious man helps her secure an apartment with three other roommates—all with "Mai" in their names—and promises to help them achieve their dreams, Cordi and her new friends are ecstatic. But as their ambitions grow after the success of their first spells, so does the price. What are the Mais willing to pay in exchange for success?
Not your average coming-of-age tale, the protagonists are young adults grappling with the trials of adulthood. If you've ever felt like an imposter, wrestled with complex parental relationships, or struggled to set boundaries with new friends, you'll find a kindred spirit in Cordi.
The premise of sacrifice vs. success is very promising, but the writing lacks tension, and the plot is uneven. Given more editing, I see MAI as a story that's either faster-paced, with more developed fantasy and a more complex magic system, or a deeper exploration of complex relationships between friends and family.
I recommend MAI to those seeking a unique dark fantasy read that doesn't overwhelm with extensive world-building.
April 30, 2024
do yourself a favour and just watch cruella atleast it’d be more entertaining than this book. even asian representation couldn’t save this one, besties.
Want to read
March 3, 2024“Young women accidentally become witches to pay rent in 1959 Los Angeles.” JUST YES
if you have Kindle Unlimited this is the free First Reads pick I chose this month. Eeeekkk
if you have Kindle Unlimited this is the free First Reads pick I chose this month. Eeeekkk
March 27, 2024
Not for me
I generally like a good fantasy tale full of magic or witchcraft or whatever. But honestly I couldn't wait for this book to be over. I didn't particularly like any of the characters and they frequently acted out of the character they had been built as or completely out if the context of their situation. Sometimes the story lagged and other times it moved too quickly without building a rational reason for what was happening. I kept expecting for the main character to wake up from a nonsensical dream or a coma she was in from being knocked out by one of the crazy 'beware of the lura' street chanters. But nope, apparently it was all 'real'. It would have made more sense as a dream.
I generally like a good fantasy tale full of magic or witchcraft or whatever. But honestly I couldn't wait for this book to be over. I didn't particularly like any of the characters and they frequently acted out of the character they had been built as or completely out if the context of their situation. Sometimes the story lagged and other times it moved too quickly without building a rational reason for what was happening. I kept expecting for the main character to wake up from a nonsensical dream or a coma she was in from being knocked out by one of the crazy 'beware of the lura' street chanters. But nope, apparently it was all 'real'. It would have made more sense as a dream.
March 14, 2024
For the love this book got worse and worse and worser and worser…
November 18, 2023
"The Monstrous Misses Mai" was a quick read for me. The writing flowed well, the plot was fun, and I liked the characters. I actually liked everything except the last 10%: at this point the story somewhat lost me and I think the ending tied everything up a little too neatly.
April 1, 2024
3.5 ☆
The Monstrous Misses Mai is a fun and lightly magical novel that follows four Asian American roommates (the Mais) living in downtown Los Angeles in the 1950s. These four women all have something that they are running from as well as something that they are longing for, and through the main character Cordelia (Cordi), the reader follows the group as they navigate their attempts to gain power and fame in a city that constantly seeks to other them. This is Van Hoang’s adult debut, and I think that it has great potential to appeal to young and new adult audiences alike.
I found the tone and writing style to be a great blend of playful, mysterious, and hard-hitting when it needed to be. In some ways, I was reminded of Mona Awad’s novels (complete with some light body horror!), if they were suitable for a slightly younger audience. Hoang’s themes (class-based oppression, a lack of Asian representation and the presence of anti-Asian racism, cultural obligations towards family, toxic friendships) speak to many issues that are particularly pertinent to young or new adult readers, and her messaging and writing style are easy to interpret without feeling cheesy or heavy-handed.
I also really appreciated Hoang’s attention to detail. Cordi works as a seamstress and is an aspiring fashion designer, and the story is filled with details about clothing and textiles, as well as descriptions of the food the girls eat and the apartment that they share. It really works to flesh out the world and does a great job of showing Cordi’s passions rather than just telling them. The only part of the book that felt under-explained was the magic system itself (known within the book as the lura). While the lura is intentionally mysterious to the main characters, at the end of the novel I was still left with some questions about how the lura interacts with the mortal world, and to what degree the presence of the lura is known or accepted by general society.
There were also a couple of choices made with respect to the side characters that I didn’t love. In particular, the storyline with Cordi’s older sister, Trina, did not wrap up in a way that felt particularly satisfying. She has had to sacrifice so much for her family, and Cordi seems almost entirely ignorant of this for most of the book. While she does have a moment where she is able to see things from Trina’s perspective, it doesn’t feel particularly impactful for her, and the reader is given so little context about the nature of Cordi and Trina’s relationship before Cordi is estranged from her family that Trina’s sudden importance at the end of the book feels a bit out of place. I also found the ending to wrap everything up just a bit too neatly, especially given that at around the 90% mark I had absolutely no idea how anything would be resolved.
But in general I just had a lot of fun reading this book, and really appreciated how Hoang was able to blend her fantasy- and horror-adjacent plot with her social commentary. I’ll for sure be keeping an eye out for her future releases.
Thank you to NetGalley and 47North for the e-ARC of this novel!
The Monstrous Misses Mai is a fun and lightly magical novel that follows four Asian American roommates (the Mais) living in downtown Los Angeles in the 1950s. These four women all have something that they are running from as well as something that they are longing for, and through the main character Cordelia (Cordi), the reader follows the group as they navigate their attempts to gain power and fame in a city that constantly seeks to other them. This is Van Hoang’s adult debut, and I think that it has great potential to appeal to young and new adult audiences alike.
I found the tone and writing style to be a great blend of playful, mysterious, and hard-hitting when it needed to be. In some ways, I was reminded of Mona Awad’s novels (complete with some light body horror!), if they were suitable for a slightly younger audience. Hoang’s themes (class-based oppression, a lack of Asian representation and the presence of anti-Asian racism, cultural obligations towards family, toxic friendships) speak to many issues that are particularly pertinent to young or new adult readers, and her messaging and writing style are easy to interpret without feeling cheesy or heavy-handed.
I also really appreciated Hoang’s attention to detail. Cordi works as a seamstress and is an aspiring fashion designer, and the story is filled with details about clothing and textiles, as well as descriptions of the food the girls eat and the apartment that they share. It really works to flesh out the world and does a great job of showing Cordi’s passions rather than just telling them. The only part of the book that felt under-explained was the magic system itself (known within the book as the lura). While the lura is intentionally mysterious to the main characters, at the end of the novel I was still left with some questions about how the lura interacts with the mortal world, and to what degree the presence of the lura is known or accepted by general society.
There were also a couple of choices made with respect to the side characters that I didn’t love. In particular, the storyline with Cordi’s older sister, Trina, did not wrap up in a way that felt particularly satisfying. She has had to sacrifice so much for her family, and Cordi seems almost entirely ignorant of this for most of the book. While she does have a moment where she is able to see things from Trina’s perspective, it doesn’t feel particularly impactful for her, and the reader is given so little context about the nature of Cordi and Trina’s relationship before Cordi is estranged from her family that Trina’s sudden importance at the end of the book feels a bit out of place. I also found the ending to wrap everything up just a bit too neatly, especially given that at around the 90% mark I had absolutely no idea how anything would be resolved.
But in general I just had a lot of fun reading this book, and really appreciated how Hoang was able to blend her fantasy- and horror-adjacent plot with her social commentary. I’ll for sure be keeping an eye out for her future releases.
Thank you to NetGalley and 47North for the e-ARC of this novel!
April 18, 2024
Oh hey, a Kindle First Read I actually 1) bothered to read and 2) enjoyed! A fun, light horror novel about magic and its consequences. Nothing too groundbreaking but an enjoyable read. I did find it peculiar... there's an extremely tragic/awful thing that happens near the end, and it's not given anywhere near the weight it should have, IMO.
August 1, 2024
I was going to give it three stars and then the ending just made it go POOF for me. All I can say about the climax and ending is….wow that escalated quickly.
The reason the novel has such low ratings from me, however, is for the lack of cohesive theme of the novel and clear lack of research/understanding of the Viet story. I actually dislike it most for seemingly taking on an “Asian experience” story but in actuality the story could have been set anywhere and any place thereby solidifying my judgement that it’s trying to ride the coat tails of the Asian wave .
If it were a novel about friendship set in present day, without the obvious attempt at making social commentary on immigration, social economic, and gender issues, I would have given it four stars. However, the author chose to make her main character an American born child of two Vietnamese immigrant living in LA in 1959. Ok so hold up…so many wrong with the premise of the novel!!
Let’s get the years straight….The Mais are about 20 years old, let’s assume that for the sake of this argument. They had internships and lived on their own, so I’m making a judgement they’re young adults.
That means Cordi was born ~1939 in the USA, which means her parents were immigrants before Vietnam was even its own country?? And what kind of Vietnamese last name is Yin?!? That’s not a Vietnamese last name. I need answers!! Mmhmmm ok sus setting red flag #1–family history.
I thought she was born in VN and was excited to hear how she was ONE of 700 Vietnamese immigrant living in the USA before 1975?!? Like your story had to have been special for your family to have left a country that wasn’t its own country yet since the story starts in 1959 and their family was already pretty established with their own business. Remember that VN was still colonized by the French until 1954, so here we are only five years after VN was split, and the USA is now friends with South VN after a decade of helping the French fight local rebels to maintain colonial powers.
Now that we have that little bit of history out of the way, let’s get to Cordi’s family history and struggles, which clearly the author wanted to use as a huge plot device except it doesn’t work when you’re using 1970s poor immigrant story for a family in 1930-1960 because well…”poor Vietnamese immigrants” didn’t exist until after we lost our country.
Before 1975, 99% of Vietnamese in the USA were rich international students or military families being trained by the US military. In 1959-1961, no civilian in LA would have known about any “war in Vietnam” to have casually discussed it at a fancy members only club. The heavy fighting years were ~1965-1969. Cordi’s family if they did come to the USA around 1939 would have had to be rich, part of the aristocracy in fact because VN still had a royal family ruled by an Emperor…so there were no such things as poor civilian asylum programs for a poor seamstress family to sign up for. The Vietnamese immigrants at this time had servants and were quite rich and upper class.
Onto the story and plot devices….super natural powers curses etc are all enjoyable to read, it kept me going. I wanted to find out what happens, but as I’ve already mentioned the ending was crappy and not worth the time I spent reading to find out more of the story.
Then the eye roll moments. A woman fashion designer getting everything she wants cuz she and her friends messed with witchcraft…ok I’ll buy that…but what I cannot buy is the main character designing POCKETS in dresses and skirts. GIVE ME A DAMN BREAK!!! I hate these revisionist fictional stories that tries to make you feel good about being a woman by pretending like there were pioneers in the past that we just didn’t know about. This chick adds pockets to dresses and the men designers applaud her like it’s the best thing since sliced bread why didn’t we think of it before?!! Listen, lady, if at any point in the 1960s we had a successful woman’s clothing line with pockets, we wouldn’t have had to wait until late 2010s to get pockets on our yoga pants. If we had pockets, why would we have spent millions on purses??
Let’s say the poor immigrant story is believable, then your parents kicking you out when you’re coming up with ideas to make MORE money is such a ludicrous plot device that the entire story depends on. Poor immigrants in a foreign country. Just two daughters and no other relatives. And parents kick youngest daughter out and never goes searching for her. Not only is it so un-Asian for our modern times, it’s so stupidly un-human. Viet kids in 2024 have hit and stolen from their parents and still aren’t kicked out of the family home….how likely is it for something like that in 1959????
I’m so annoyed at this author. I really wanted to like the novel, but it’s not an adult novel like she intended. It’s for middle schoolers at best. The writing itself is engaging and descriptive! It’s clear the author just wanted to put a story in a setting without thinking through what it means. I think you have a responsibility to explain the unique situation you place your characters in when you decide to include topics that are current hot topics like diversity and inclusion and the Asian American story.
Now I really wanna read a novel about Vietnamese immigrants in the USA before 1975!! Tell me about those 700 people living in the USA before we lost our country.
The reason the novel has such low ratings from me, however, is for the lack of cohesive theme of the novel and clear lack of research/understanding of the Viet story. I actually dislike it most for seemingly taking on an “Asian experience” story but in actuality the story could have been set anywhere and any place thereby solidifying my judgement that it’s trying to ride the coat tails of the Asian wave .
If it were a novel about friendship set in present day, without the obvious attempt at making social commentary on immigration, social economic, and gender issues, I would have given it four stars. However, the author chose to make her main character an American born child of two Vietnamese immigrant living in LA in 1959. Ok so hold up…so many wrong with the premise of the novel!!
Let’s get the years straight….The Mais are about 20 years old, let’s assume that for the sake of this argument. They had internships and lived on their own, so I’m making a judgement they’re young adults.
That means Cordi was born ~1939 in the USA, which means her parents were immigrants before Vietnam was even its own country?? And what kind of Vietnamese last name is Yin?!? That’s not a Vietnamese last name. I need answers!! Mmhmmm ok sus setting red flag #1–family history.
I thought she was born in VN and was excited to hear how she was ONE of 700 Vietnamese immigrant living in the USA before 1975?!? Like your story had to have been special for your family to have left a country that wasn’t its own country yet since the story starts in 1959 and their family was already pretty established with their own business. Remember that VN was still colonized by the French until 1954, so here we are only five years after VN was split, and the USA is now friends with South VN after a decade of helping the French fight local rebels to maintain colonial powers.
Now that we have that little bit of history out of the way, let’s get to Cordi’s family history and struggles, which clearly the author wanted to use as a huge plot device except it doesn’t work when you’re using 1970s poor immigrant story for a family in 1930-1960 because well…”poor Vietnamese immigrants” didn’t exist until after we lost our country.
Before 1975, 99% of Vietnamese in the USA were rich international students or military families being trained by the US military. In 1959-1961, no civilian in LA would have known about any “war in Vietnam” to have casually discussed it at a fancy members only club. The heavy fighting years were ~1965-1969. Cordi’s family if they did come to the USA around 1939 would have had to be rich, part of the aristocracy in fact because VN still had a royal family ruled by an Emperor…so there were no such things as poor civilian asylum programs for a poor seamstress family to sign up for. The Vietnamese immigrants at this time had servants and were quite rich and upper class.
Onto the story and plot devices….super natural powers curses etc are all enjoyable to read, it kept me going. I wanted to find out what happens, but as I’ve already mentioned the ending was crappy and not worth the time I spent reading to find out more of the story.
Then the eye roll moments. A woman fashion designer getting everything she wants cuz she and her friends messed with witchcraft…ok I’ll buy that…but what I cannot buy is the main character designing POCKETS in dresses and skirts. GIVE ME A DAMN BREAK!!! I hate these revisionist fictional stories that tries to make you feel good about being a woman by pretending like there were pioneers in the past that we just didn’t know about. This chick adds pockets to dresses and the men designers applaud her like it’s the best thing since sliced bread why didn’t we think of it before?!! Listen, lady, if at any point in the 1960s we had a successful woman’s clothing line with pockets, we wouldn’t have had to wait until late 2010s to get pockets on our yoga pants. If we had pockets, why would we have spent millions on purses??
Let’s say the poor immigrant story is believable, then your parents kicking you out when you’re coming up with ideas to make MORE money is such a ludicrous plot device that the entire story depends on. Poor immigrants in a foreign country. Just two daughters and no other relatives. And parents kick youngest daughter out and never goes searching for her. Not only is it so un-Asian for our modern times, it’s so stupidly un-human. Viet kids in 2024 have hit and stolen from their parents and still aren’t kicked out of the family home….how likely is it for something like that in 1959????
I’m so annoyed at this author. I really wanted to like the novel, but it’s not an adult novel like she intended. It’s for middle schoolers at best. The writing itself is engaging and descriptive! It’s clear the author just wanted to put a story in a setting without thinking through what it means. I think you have a responsibility to explain the unique situation you place your characters in when you decide to include topics that are current hot topics like diversity and inclusion and the Asian American story.
Now I really wanna read a novel about Vietnamese immigrants in the USA before 1975!! Tell me about those 700 people living in the USA before we lost our country.
December 6, 2024
This was a cute magical story. Wish I had more background on the roommates. Wasn't sure what brought them to this juncture. Also Cordi seemed very immature, as did all the roommates. Appeared to be more emotionally in line with high school.
Book club 12/24
Book club 12/24
April 20, 2024
Kind boring and repetitive. Ending was forced. Interesting story but it could have been done much better.
December 12, 2025
I enjoyed this for what it was but the ending actually made me want to stick pins in my eyes, I was so annoyed.
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