The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Review | ⭐⭐ 2 Stars – Seven Veils and Somehow I Still Couldn't Find the Story 😬🎬
📚 Book Information
Title: The Seventh Veil of Salome
Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Genre: Historical Fiction, Hollywood Fiction, Biblical Retelling
Rating: ⭐⭐ 2/5 stars
⚠️ Trigger Warnings
Racism
Sexual harassment
Domestic violence
Obsession
Toxic relationships
Physical abuse
Murder
Gun violence
Death
Substance use
Infidelity
Misogyny
Emotional manipulation
Political intrigue
🚨 Spoiler Warning 🚨
⚠️ This review contains FULL SPOILERS, including the ending.
Seriously. I'm lifting every veil here. There are no secrets left by the time we're done. 😆
📖 What Is The Seventh Veil of Salome About?
The Seventh Veil of Salome follows three interconnected stories.
🎥 In 1950s Hollywood, unknown Mexican actress Vera Larios unexpectedly lands the lead role in a biblical epic about Salome. Her sudden success sparks envy in struggling actress Nancy Hartley, who had desperately wanted the part herself.
🎬 Interspersed throughout are documentary-style interviews taking place decades later, where actors and crew members look back on the production and the tragedy surrounding it.
👑 The third storyline reimagines the biblical tale of Princess Salome, whose fascination with the prophet Jokanaan (John the Baptist) ultimately leads to his execution.
The novel explores Hollywood exploitation, racism, female ambition, jealousy, and doomed love.
🎥 Multiple Timelines, Multiple POVs… Multiple Headaches 😵💫
Oh boy.
This book jumps around so much that I felt like I needed one of those conspiracy boards with strings connecting everyone's names. 🕵️♀️📌
We get:
🎞️ First-person documentary interviews.
🎬 Third-person chapters following Vera and Nancy during filming.
👑 Third-person sections retelling Salome's story.
Past, present, future, interviews, recollections, biblical Judea, Hollywood...
It all felt strangely convoluted and unnecessarily complicated.
And because many of those documentary narrators only appeared once or twice, I kept asking myself:
"Wait… who are you again?" 🤨
Most of them existed solely to deliver tiny bits of information and then disappear back into the void.
👑 The Characters Had About as Much Depth as a Movie Set 🎭
Character development was unfortunately in short supply.
🎬 Vera
Vera had the potential to be fascinating.
As a young Mexican actress navigating 1950s Hollywood, there was so much material to work with. The book touches on how minorities and women were used and discarded by the studio system, which was one of the more interesting aspects.
But Vera herself felt oddly empty.
She often came across less as a person and more as a symbol.
😡 Nancy
Ironically, the most horrible person in the book ended up being the most interesting.
Nancy is bitter, jealous, selfish, and thoroughly unpleasant.
But at least she changes.
At least she reacts.
At least she possesses a personality.
Which is more than I can say for some of the other characters.
👑 Salome
Sorry, but Salome's chapters nearly put me into hibernation. 🥱
Despite all the political scheming and royal drama, she felt paper-thin.
Her storyline was easily the most tedious part of the novel.
❤️ The Kingdom of Instalove Was Thriving
Good grief, there was so much instalove.
Vera and Jay's romance felt painfully clichéd. Their relationship was sweet, but both the romance and Jay himself lacked much development.
Then there's Salome.
Poor girl hears a man speak once and decides:
"Yes. This is my entire personality now." 🤦♀️
She becomes completely obsessed with Jokanaan after a single encounter.
That's not love.
That's accidentally subscribing to somebody's newsletter and deciding you're soulmates.
🐌 The Pacing Was Slower Than Dial-Up Internet
This book moves at an absolutely glacial pace.
And because the foreshadowing was about as subtle as a marching band, none of the tragedy came as a surprise.
The novel practically stood beside me waving giant neon signs saying:
🚨 SOMETHING TERRIBLE IS COMING 🚨
Thanks. I noticed.
Unfortunately, I wasn't emotionally invested enough to care.
Doomed love stories have never been my favorite, and this one simply failed to make me feel anything.
📖 Full Plot Summary and Ending Explained (Spoilers!)
🎥 Hollywood Storyline
Unknown Mexican actress Vera Larios wins the coveted role of Salome in a lavish biblical epic being filmed in 1955.
Struggling actress Nancy Hartley desperately wanted the lead role and becomes consumed by jealousy.
Nancy briefly dates wealthy young man Jay Rutland, but her volatile personality and violent tendencies drive him away.
Later, Jay meets Vera and the two begin a romance built partly on their shared love of music.
Nancy spirals further. Convinced that Vera's death would allow her to inherit the role and reclaim the life she believes should have been hers, she manipulates her boyfriend Benny into murdering Vera.
😬 Excellent plan, Nancy. What could possibly go wrong?
Benny goes to Vera's house intending to kill her.
Instead, Jay answers the door.
Benny shoots Jay.
Jay dies in Vera's arms. 💔
Benny is arrested and convicted.
Following the tragedy, Vera abandons Hollywood and pursues a career in music, honoring the passion she shared with Jay.
👑 Salome's Story
Princess Salome becomes fascinated with the prophet Jokanaan, who openly condemns King Herod and Queen Herodias.
Salome quickly develops an obsessive love for him and repeatedly attempts to save him.
Jokanaan rejects her romantic advances, insisting that his divine mission is more important than earthly desires.
Meanwhile, political tensions are escalating.
Salome's cousin Agrippa proposes that if Jokanaan is executed, the resulting instability could allow them to seize power and rule together.
Salome dreams of becoming a queen and wrestles with her desires.
Even so, she offers Jokanaan one final chance to escape with her.
He refuses.
Eventually, Salome performs the famous dance for Herod.
Afterward, she requests Jokanaan's head on a silver platter.
He is executed.
Salome eventually achieves power and becomes queen, but she remains haunted by memories of Jokanaan and the life she imagined they could have had.
🎭 One Thing I Did Appreciate
To the book's credit, it never romanticizes old Hollywood.
✨ The racism.
✨ The exploitation.
✨ The disposable way actresses were treated.
✨ The ugly jealousy and ambition.
None of it is glamorized.
Hollywood is portrayed as toxic, ruthless, and often cruel.
At least somebody wasn't wearing rose-colored glasses. 😅
Final Thoughts ⭐⭐
Unfortunately, The Seventh Veil of Salome did not work for me.
😴 Slow pacing.
😵💫 Confusing narrative structure.
👥 Underdeveloped characters.
💘 Enough instalove to supply an entire Hallmark channel.
🥱 A tragedy I saw coming from miles away and never became invested in.
By the time the final quarter finally became interesting, it was simply too little, too late.
Not every book and reader are destined to meet under the stars.
Sometimes they meet, nod politely, and walk in opposite directions. 😂
Rating: ⭐⭐ 2/5 stars.
📚 Books I'd Recommend Instead
If you're looking for historical fiction with stronger characters and stories that actually grabbed me, I'd recommend:
📖 The Marriage Portrait — Maggie O'Farrell
📖 Isola — Allegra Goodman
📖 The Frozen River — Ariel Lawhon
📖 The Pull of the Stars — Emma Donoghue
📖 Hamnet — Maggie O'Farrell
📖 The Personal Librarian — Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
📖 The Daughter of Doctor Moreau — Silvia Moreno-Garcia
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