Silver and Smoke

By: Van Hoang

Narrated by: Elyse Dinh

It’s the golden age of Hollywood. For two Vietnamese dreamers, success means conjuring a magical break in a spellbinding novel about the frightening price of fame by the author of The Monstrous Misses Mai.

More like sisters than best friends, Issa Bui and Olivia Nong grew up dreaming of becoming movie stars. But for young Vietnamese women in 1930s Hollywood, the MGM back lot seems unreachable. Undeterred, Issa knows she’s meant for great things. The blood of shamans runs through her veins. To find fame in this town, for herself and for Olivia, Issa needs to make connections. For starters, with her dead grandmother Bà Ngoại.

Frightening enough in life—Issa’s own mother forbade any contact—Bà Ngoại is even more intimidating in death. A formidable presence of smoke, promises, and pacts, Bà Ngoại introduces Issa and Olivia to her friend on the other side: the late Ava Lin Rang, a singularly magnetic Asian star of the silent screen. Ava coaches, encourages, and utilizes her own unique influence to open doors for her determined protégés.

As Issa begins drawing on her own untapped powers, every dream is coming true. But in a city of illusions, at what cost?

©2025 by Van Hoang. (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“The classic story of the Hollywood dream meets an ancestral ghost story in this entertaining audiobook, narrated by Elyse Dinh. She provides excellent voices for both Issa Bui and Olivia Nong, best friends who dream of becoming movie stars. Dinh's voice-acting experience is apparent in the dialogue between the friends, as well as that of the many other characters.… The story is strongest as the magical power of Issa and her connection to her dead grandmother, Bà Ngoai, become more dominant.”—AudioFile Magazine

“Hoang captures both the glitz and the cruelty of Hollywood.”—Publishers Weekly

“[A] suspenseful story about sisterhood, family, and the dangers of fame.”—Booklist

characters were great

Thrilling, mind attention, well done story. Several turns and twists that kept the intrigue real

Female relationships with friends and family

Interesting characters who love each other even when they don’t agree. Descriptions of the studio system in that time period woven with the cultural bias was interesting but sad.

Boring

About an hour in, I don't care about what's happening at all. As the other person said, I don't know who's giving you 5 stars and why.

Don’t waste your time or money.

How did this get good reviews? The story is silly. The narrator is horrible. The narrator at times sounds like she’s trying to do a Marilyn Monroe impersonation and other times sounds like an anime cartoon.