Book Review: Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor

𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙚𝙨: YA, Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Mystery
𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: 3.5⭐️

Unlike most people who picked up this book, I haven’t read Caraval or Night Circus, so to me, this felt similar to “Howl’s Moving Castle.”

As an adult reader/writer, I found myself critiquing things that were easy fixes: sister existing solely as a plot device; dialogue heavy on exposition; awkward chemistry with the love interest until halfway through; telling vs. showing; plot over character; things like that.

I also had trouble connecting with Jani, who felt a little immature (even for YA) with her string of bad decisions.

I think if you are (or have) a young reader, this will be an enchanting book. It had wonderful descriptions of the hotel, its enchantments, and the powerful summaries inside.✨

Largely, I enjoyed this book, but it 𝘫𝘶𝘶𝘶𝘴𝘵 missed the mark to be above average. It didn’t hit its groove until halfway in. If they had condensed the book, it would have been a tighter story.

Goodeads synposis

All her life, Jani has dreamed of Elsewhere. Just barely scraping by with her job at a tannery, she’s resigned to a dreary life in the port town of Durc, caring for her younger sister Zosa. That is, until the Hotel Magnifique comes to town.

The hotel is legendary not only for its whimsical enchantments, but also for its ability to travel—appearing in a different destination every morning. While Jani and Zosa can’t afford the exorbitant costs of a guest’s stay, they can interview to join the staff, and are soon whisked away on the greatest adventure of their lives. But once inside, Jani quickly discovers their contracts are unbreakable and that beneath the marvelous glamour, the hotel is hiding dangerous secrets.

With the vexingly handsome doorman Bel as her only ally, Jani embarks on a mission to unravel the mystery of the magic at the heart of the hotel and free Zosa—and the other staff—from the cruelty of the ruthless maître d’hôtel. To succeed, she’ll have to risk everything she loves, but failure would mean a fate far worse than never returning home.

Author: Robyn Storm