You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Scan barcode
arberry's review against another edition
3.0
Just very unserious.
I did like way more than Caraval, which this book has already been compared to a lot. I didn’t feel super connected to any of the characters in this book, but I didn’t actively hate them like I did the ones in Caraval. The flowery prose added to the atmosphere the book was trying to create, and didn’t feel too overdone or anything.
I wish I had liked it more but it was a solid book, and I’d read more from this author in the future.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
I did like way more than Caraval, which this book has already been compared to a lot. I didn’t feel super connected to any of the characters in this book, but I didn’t actively hate them like I did the ones in Caraval. The flowery prose added to the atmosphere the book was trying to create, and didn’t feel too overdone or anything.
I wish I had liked it more but it was a solid book, and I’d read more from this author in the future.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
ladydusk's review against another edition
1.0
This book should have been magical but the writing let it down. Every character, major or minor, is described the same way - by their skin color. It was written like: The light-skinned woman laughed. On stage an amber skinned singer started a new song. Down the hall there appeared a brown-skinned dancer. Similar to that; completely repetitive and laughable after a while. I kept on wondering how on earth this got past the editors. Aside from that the magic was presented in such a banal manner that it just seemed...unexciting...to me. I only made it through one quarter of the book.
ithlilian's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn't expecting to like this. I pushed it to the top of my library pile thinking it would be like other magical carnival books I've tried and I would quit quickly, but it was nothing like I expected. Magical buildings with magical people and potential shady things going on is right up my alley. The spectacle portion of it was downplayed and the main character's journey was on display instead. We got to experience it all from her point of view, which is the best type of storytelling to me. Don't give me an info dump and a history lesson of the hotel, let me experience it as our character experiences it. Thoroughly enjoyed this through and through, glad I gave it a chance.
cindeereadsbooks's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book so much one of the best standalones I have read in awhile. I loved the characters so much especially Jani, Zosa and Bel I loved the sisterly relationship between Jani and Zosa with Jani willing to fight hard for her no matter the cost. I really loved the romance between Jani and Bel it was not instant it was gradual they had such amazing chemistry. I loved Jani she was such a great and strong female lead that at the start just wanted both herself and her sister to make money to back to where they are from it ended up being a total nightmare with a few not so bad things attached. I loved the plot it started out with two sisters wanting to find a way to make money to go back home it moved into this nightmarish situation with an evil memory stealing and magic stealing man that became a fight to save many people from something terrible I loved how it ended it was just perfect. So overall I loved this book if the author writes another book I will read it for sure.
madiy's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
“I can already tell you’re too curious for this place.”
“If I have my way, you’ll be silent for the foreseeable future.”
This was pretty good. But honestly that’s about it lmao. If you’ve read Caraval, this is an extremely EXTREMELY watered down version of it. While Caraval was very world building focused and had very flowery gorgeous writing, this felt a little flat comparatively. And while no they’re not the same book and it may not be fair to compare them, they’re so similar it’s nearly impossible to not.
Think of this as the true YA version of Caraval.
The characters fell pretty flat for me. Jani had no personality, no likes or dislikes, she was just kind of…there. Which for being a main character feels unacceptable lmao. Bel was the most interesting character and he’s incapacitated for over 1/2 the book.
The world building is also really flat and confusing. At times it felt like it was trying to be fantastical and whimsical but it made it confusing. What time is this set in? What part of the world is this in? Why does the hotel appear every 10 years if they only have guests for 2 weeks? I have so many questions.
As I write this I don’t know why im rating so highly, but I was able to shut my brain off and read this predicable, funky little book, so points for that. (Also the way they describe the performers was beautiful and one of my favorite parts of the book, specifically the feather scene. LOVE)
“If I have my way, you’ll be silent for the foreseeable future.”
This was pretty good. But honestly that’s about it lmao. If you’ve read Caraval, this is an extremely EXTREMELY watered down version of it. While Caraval was very world building focused and had very flowery gorgeous writing, this felt a little flat comparatively. And while no they’re not the same book and it may not be fair to compare them, they’re so similar it’s nearly impossible to not.
Think of this as the true YA version of Caraval.
The characters fell pretty flat for me. Jani had no personality, no likes or dislikes, she was just kind of…there. Which for being a main character feels unacceptable lmao. Bel was the most interesting character and he’s incapacitated for over 1/2 the book.
The world building is also really flat and confusing. At times it felt like it was trying to be fantastical and whimsical but it made it confusing. What time is this set in? What part of the world is this in? Why does the hotel appear every 10 years if they only have guests for 2 weeks? I have so many questions.
As I write this I don’t know why im rating so highly, but I was able to shut my brain off and read this predicable, funky little book, so points for that. (Also the way they describe the performers was beautiful and one of my favorite parts of the book, specifically the feather scene. LOVE)
maplebear79's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.5
kathryn2211's review against another edition
3.0
Great premise but it all fell a bit flat!
Jani and Zosa are orphaned sisters living in the city of Darc who both want to live the dream of staying at the Hotel Magnifique; this is a hotel which jumps around every day from place to place and is a safe haven for magic users. However everything is not quite as it seems and Jani must use her wits to survive everything the hotel has to offer.
First of all I didn't warm to Jani; she is typical of every other female YA lead there probably has ever been. She is plain, stubborn, bossy and has such tunnel vision that she sees nothing around her diving head first into things and making matters worse. Also it turns out she is not like other girls in shock horror she has something no one saw coming.
Her relationship with her sister is very one sided for the most part and we don't get to know Zosa very much beyond her voice.
Also her relationship with Bel, the mysterious boy who works at the hotel, was also one sided. We don't really learn anything much about him. It's the usual enemies to lovers trope so commonly used. However I just didn't really feel the connection, they could have had them just being close friends or even been gender reversed, just something to distinguish it from other novels.
I wanted to know more about the magic system and about the side characters. But as this is a standalone it all felt rushed, especially the ending, and a bit disjointed.
If you like your typical YA you will love this, but to me it felt like a lot of it had been done before.
Jani and Zosa are orphaned sisters living in the city of Darc who both want to live the dream of staying at the Hotel Magnifique; this is a hotel which jumps around every day from place to place and is a safe haven for magic users. However everything is not quite as it seems and Jani must use her wits to survive everything the hotel has to offer.
First of all I didn't warm to Jani; she is typical of every other female YA lead there probably has ever been. She is plain, stubborn, bossy and has such tunnel vision that she sees nothing around her diving head first into things and making matters worse. Also it turns out she is not like other girls in shock horror she has something no one saw coming.
Her relationship with her sister is very one sided for the most part and we don't get to know Zosa very much beyond her voice.
Also her relationship with Bel, the mysterious boy who works at the hotel, was also one sided. We don't really learn anything much about him. It's the usual enemies to lovers trope so commonly used. However I just didn't really feel the connection, they could have had them just being close friends or even been gender reversed, just something to distinguish it from other novels.
I wanted to know more about the magic system and about the side characters. But as this is a standalone it all felt rushed, especially the ending, and a bit disjointed.
If you like your typical YA you will love this, but to me it felt like a lot of it had been done before.
pmsprincess's review against another edition
5.0
Taylor crafts a world that pays homage to the greats who came before her. Inventive nods to Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle and Miyazaki's Spirited Away and L. Frank Baum's the great and powerful Oz makes the Hotel Magnifique a true joy to read!