After reading the premise and first look, I knew I had to read this book. The world building is well done and provides the dark, magical atmosphere that I felt myself transported into. I found myself gasping at some of the plot twists and revelations, but also found some of the world to be copies of others that I've read before. The book started off slowly, but the pacing picked up quickly. I loved the characters and felt they were well drawn. The romance was slow build, just as I prefer, but I think the book needed to be longer to give more time to Bel and Jani's relationship.
There are ethical questions and issues that pulled the plot along and I felt all the emotions Jani and the supporting characters felt when facing the painful new realities that living at the hotel brought. I think this novel could be classified as upper middle grade; I was anticipating a darker magical world than I experienced in Hotel Magnifique. I also wish to have "visited" the places traveled to more as I think this would have deepened the world created.
About half way through, I thought this was going to be the first in a duology or series, but the ending wrapped up very quickly maybe too quickly. I did appreciate the epilogue and maybe companion novels will be written in the future to bring me back to this world.
There are ethical questions and issues that pulled the plot along and I felt all the emotions Jani and the supporting characters felt when facing the painful new realities that living at the hotel brought. I think this novel could be classified as upper middle grade; I was anticipating a darker magical world than I experienced in Hotel Magnifique. I also wish to have "visited" the places traveled to more as I think this would have deepened the world created.
About half way through, I thought this was going to be the first in a duology or series, but the ending wrapped up very quickly maybe too quickly. I did appreciate the epilogue and maybe companion novels will be written in the future to bring me back to this world.