Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers’ Favorite Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction (2022)
For fans of Caraval and The Night Circus, this decadent and darkly enchanting YA fantasy, set against the backdrop of a Belle Époque-inspired hotel, follows seventeen-year-old Jani as she uncovers the deeply disturbing secrets of the legendary Hotel Magnifique.
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.
I had this book preordered in 2022 and finally decided to pick it up. It wasn’t as fast paced as I’d normally like, but it still pulled me in right away.
I really liked the hotel setting and how it changed locations at midnight. The magic was different than things I’ve read before so I enjoyed that part. I also really liked the characters. Jani was easy to like. But I also found myself wanting to know more about so many others too. The romance was sweet and I liked how the book ended.
I gave this book 4 stars.
Have you read this? Is it on your TBR?
