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tanisha_112's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing and Sexual content
foldingthepage_kayleigh's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This one reminded me of Caraval and I’m not mad about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Grief
betweentheshelves's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
From the beginning, I was definitely digging the vibes of this dark YA fantasy. I haven't read Caraval, but from my understanding, it fits those overall vibes. A Hotel that travels around, showing up in different places with magical vibes. The first third was fascinating and I loved the way the world was developing.
I didn't like the second half as much as the first, as it felt like it dragged a bit in places. I think the overall pacing could have been done a bit better, and the plot took some interesting turns I wasn't necessarily expecting. These did add to the overall dark and forboding nature of the book, though!
All in all, I enjoyed this book for the most part, I just wish the pacing was a bit more even.
I didn't like the second half as much as the first, as it felt like it dragged a bit in places. I think the overall pacing could have been done a bit better, and the plot took some interesting turns I wasn't necessarily expecting. These did add to the overall dark and forboding nature of the book, though!
All in all, I enjoyed this book for the most part, I just wish the pacing was a bit more even.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Torture
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Confinement, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
eve_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Overall Thoughts:
⁕ The atmosphere of this book was it's strongest aspect. The descriptions of the magical hotel rooms were serving HEAVY Night Circus vibes.
⁕ The text could have gone through another round of editing. There were a couple of grammatical errors and VERY some repetitive descriptions of all the characters' skin?! Like, the author dedicated SEVERAL lines per page at times to break from the plot to point out every single character's complexion (even if they were no name/background characters and had NO impact on the story whatsoever). It was so weird.
⁕ The magic system was cobbled together at best. I would have forgiven this, if it were not for the fact that the largest conflict in the story was dependent on how the energy of magic is used/stolen, etc.
⁕ The main romance came out of nowhere with hardly any build up and it enraged me.
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online/
For regular book-related content, follow my Instagram account: @eve_reads
⁕ The atmosphere of this book was it's strongest aspect. The descriptions of the magical hotel rooms were serving HEAVY Night Circus vibes.
⁕ The text could have gone through another round of editing. There were a couple of grammatical errors and VERY some repetitive descriptions of all the characters' skin?! Like, the author dedicated SEVERAL lines per page at times to break from the plot to point out every single character's complexion (even if they were no name/background characters and had NO impact on the story whatsoever). It was so weird.
⁕ The magic system was cobbled together at best. I would have forgiven this, if it were not for the fact that the largest conflict in the story was dependent on how the energy of magic is used/stolen, etc.
⁕ The main romance came out of nowhere with hardly any build up and it enraged me.
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online/
For regular book-related content, follow my Instagram account: @eve_reads
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Death of parent, and Abandonment
stephbakerbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The premise for this one was really intriguing—a mysterious magical hotel that only appears in one place for twenty-four hours before moving somewhere new? Yes please, I would like to book a reservation! Unfortunately, the premise was the best part of this, as both the plot and characters are pretty formulaic and forgettable.
It's written in first person POV, and I think the main character's name is only said like five times—I kept forgetting her name! She also has that not-like-the-other-girls personality without actually having a personality beyond being sassy and stumbling into convenient-for-the-plot situations. Her sister is also a flat character and barely present in the story. There's insta-love of course, but thankfully the love story wasn't the main focus of the book. The love interest has a little bit more complexity, and some of the other side characters had potential to me, but all the action seems to just be in service to the plot rather than the characters.
The plot was okay, though predictable and a little nonsensical at parts. Overall, the book entertained me and I did enjoy the setting and the magic system; I think I would've liked more world building and character development, but those are my personal preferences. If you like a quick magical read and YA tropes, you'll probably enjoy this one!
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for my ebook!
It's written in first person POV, and I think the main character's name is only said like five times—I kept forgetting her name! She also has that not-like-the-other-girls personality without actually having a personality beyond being sassy and stumbling into convenient-for-the-plot situations. Her sister is also a flat character and barely present in the story. There's insta-love of course, but thankfully the love story wasn't the main focus of the book. The love interest has a little bit more complexity, and some of the other side characters had potential to me, but all the action seems to just be in service to the plot rather than the characters.
The plot was okay, though predictable and a little nonsensical at parts. Overall, the book entertained me and I did enjoy the setting and the magic system; I think I would've liked more world building and character development, but those are my personal preferences. If you like a quick magical read and YA tropes, you'll probably enjoy this one!
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for my ebook!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Torture
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Confinement, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
taryn_g's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 Stars
When I picked up Hotel Magnifique, it seemed like it was quite promising despite my worries that the description seemed a little too similar The Night Circus. And while it actually wasn’t all that similar, it also just didn’t do it for me.
There were a lot of things that I didn’t love throughout the story, but I think it boils down to the story feeling lacking to me. The first thing that jumped out at me was that it seemed as though the book wasn’t sure what it wanted to be. After a slow start, the story has the makings of what I would describe as a magical thriller, which seemed interesting. Our MC, Jani, has been contracted to work in a hotel where she begins to realize the wonders of magic are covering something more sinister. But just as this thriller angle is picking up, I felt that it flatlined.
The next portion of the book is basically just Jani trying to get by day to day in the hotel, which wasn’t all that interesting to read about. Finally, over halfway through, we’re introduced to the main conflict, which is precipitated by a plot twist I found rather predictable. The conflict itself wasn’t particularly thrilling, but it was alright. I do think its resolution, however, was kind of anticlimactic.
Beyond these things, the characters weren’t my favorites. I found Jani to be a little boring, and the romance will Bel seemed forced to me. I didn’t find myself cheering for them to get together; I was rather apathetic towards their relationship. Also, I didn’t love the writing style, especially the way characters are described (it felt like everyone was described in the same manner and the descriptions were rarely deeper than hair color/skin color/eye color), but I can acknowledge that this is a debut novel, and the author’s style will likely adapt as they write more books.
However, all that being said, I still didn’t *dislike* this book. I did enjoy some of the more thriller aspects, and do wish that had gone on a little more. I thought that the magic system was interesting, especially the way the artéfacts are worked in. The focus on Jani’s relationships with her mother and sister was also nicely done.
All in all, probably not a book that I will recommend often, unless I encounter someone looking for some specific plots or tropes.
2022: 28
When I picked up Hotel Magnifique, it seemed like it was quite promising despite my worries that the description seemed a little too similar The Night Circus. And while it actually wasn’t all that similar, it also just didn’t do it for me.
There were a lot of things that I didn’t love throughout the story, but I think it boils down to the story feeling lacking to me. The first thing that jumped out at me was that it seemed as though the book wasn’t sure what it wanted to be. After a slow start, the story has the makings of what I would describe as a magical thriller, which seemed interesting. Our MC, Jani, has been contracted to work in a hotel where she begins to realize the wonders of magic are covering something more sinister. But just as this thriller angle is picking up, I felt that it flatlined.
The next portion of the book is basically just Jani trying to get by day to day in the hotel, which wasn’t all that interesting to read about. Finally, over halfway through, we’re introduced to the main conflict, which is precipitated by a plot twist I found rather predictable. The conflict itself wasn’t particularly thrilling, but it was alright. I do think its resolution, however, was kind of anticlimactic.
Beyond these things, the characters weren’t my favorites. I found Jani to be a little boring, and the romance will Bel seemed forced to me. I didn’t find myself cheering for them to get together; I was rather apathetic towards their relationship. Also, I didn’t love the writing style, especially the way characters are described (it felt like everyone was described in the same manner and the descriptions were rarely deeper than hair color/skin color/eye color), but I can acknowledge that this is a debut novel, and the author’s style will likely adapt as they write more books.
However, all that being said, I still didn’t *dislike* this book. I did enjoy some of the more thriller aspects, and do wish that had gone on a little more. I thought that the magic system was interesting, especially the way the artéfacts are worked in. The focus on Jani’s relationships with her mother and sister was also nicely done.
All in all, probably not a book that I will recommend often, unless I encounter someone looking for some specific plots or tropes.
2022: 28
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Blood
brandilovesbooks's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Delightful new magical world. Great world setting. Great character development.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Gore, and Violence
purplepenning's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Am imaginative YA fantasy adventure that ends up feeling a little haphazard.
Jani, our determined (and impulsive) heroine, is appalled to find that the mystical, magical, traveling hotel she's gotten herself and her sister into is not their passage to a safer, better future. The magic is dazzling, but the facade of safety wears thin and begins to rapidly crumble.
Similarly, the magical feats described throughout the book are dazzling but the plot is driven by an ill-informed but determined Jani stumbling and bashing her way through it all. It didn't feel as satisfying as it might if the characters, relationships, and magical foundations had been a bit more developed.
It's a fun world to plunge into, though! Fans of magical moving houses, vaguely French fantasy worlds, bigger-on-the-inside dimensionalism, sisters and orphans tales, sinister hearts lurking behind dazzling smiles, and posh magical amusements and amenities will thoroughly enjoy their time here!
Jani, our determined (and impulsive) heroine, is appalled to find that the mystical, magical, traveling hotel she's gotten herself and her sister into is not their passage to a safer, better future. The magic is dazzling, but the facade of safety wears thin and begins to rapidly crumble.
Similarly, the magical feats described throughout the book are dazzling but the plot is driven by an ill-informed but determined Jani stumbling and bashing her way through it all. It didn't feel as satisfying as it might if the characters, relationships, and magical foundations had been a bit more developed.
It's a fun world to plunge into, though! Fans of magical moving houses, vaguely French fantasy worlds, bigger-on-the-inside dimensionalism, sisters and orphans tales, sinister hearts lurking behind dazzling smiles, and posh magical amusements and amenities will thoroughly enjoy their time here!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Medical trauma
Minor: Death of parent
missprint's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
4.25
Creative, original, and interesting. A bit of a YA Night Circus, only darker in aspects. The romantic angle was a little meh; I liked their chemistry, but it was a little insta. There were definitely twists I didn't see coming.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Death and Death of parent