The premise was excellent. But the characters felt really flat. The plot kept around in circles and by the time the book ended the reader is just not excited enough. The plot twist is really bland and unsurprising.

I’ve had an ARC for this, but also a beautiful hardcover copy from Book Box Club, and I finally wanted to get to this in July. I read it while travelling home, and that really suited the setting – given that the Hotel travels to numerous fantastic places. I liked the magic and how it worked, the Hotel was fantabulous enough, and I didn’t mind how the relationships developed. The story could have been slightly less repetitive – our heroine investigates/stumbles into something new, gets caught, somehow gets away with it, rinse, repeat – as it became a little unrealistic that nobody was catching on to what she was doing. She didn’t seem that good of an actress! Still, the atmosphere was glorious, and the finale really picked up the pace.

3.5 stars
Dark and magical, it's the mix of enchanting but dangerous I love

Hotel Magnifique is about a magical hotel that appears at a different location everyday, but beneath its whimsical enchantments lie deeply disturbing secrets
in other words magic doors! immortal magicians! blood contracts! reluctant allies to lovers! evil teacups! one bed trope but make it magical! epic wanderlust!

I think it is safe to say my favourite part was the hotel itself, the way it shifts and transforms to accommodate the various guests is absolutely fascinating. The rooms and illusions are richly imagined, while reading about it you can't help but wish you could visit it and experience its wonders for yourself.

My second favourite thing about this book is the magic system, it's also probably the most original part about it. I don't want to give away too much so you can witness it unfold yourself, but the rules and workings of the magic are very interesting and the different abilities they have are really cool.

My first thought was that this is caraval but with a mysterious hotel!

The hotel magnifique is a hotel that appears for only one day every 10 years, the story centres on two sisters who get a job at the hotel and get caught up in the mysteries the hotel holds - what would you do to helps save your sister?

Overall i liked the sister’s relationship and of course the mysterious Bel who is involved it the hotel.

Thank you netgalley for my e-arc copy of this book. Although i received an arc the above review is my own.

Well this was a book suited to the spooky months!!!! But we can celebrate all year round can’t we? This is a stunningly haunting but whimsical fantastical read and one which I will recommend for years to come

Haunting, atmospheric, eerie and whimsical. Cannot guarantee you'll ever want to check out once you're in

This is blurbed as for fans of The Night Circus and Caraval and I think that is very much true. While it doesn't quite live up to the Night Circus, which in all fairness is one of my favourite books, it is what I wanted Caraval to be. For me this delivers what Caraval could not. We have a gorgeous mix of magical world building mixed with a story that kept me engaged and caring for the characters.

I really enjoyed the pace of the plot. It really allowed us to explore the magic of the hotel but also kept us moving to discover more and more. There were some great late twists that just when you thought you were coming to a conclusion would take you on a turn and truly surprise you. I really liked the dynamic in the sister's story there was just such a genuine and caring bond between them and the slow burn to the romance was fantastic.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I loved the world building, the magic and the journey it took. I think fans of Caraval and the Night Circus will find something to love in this.

I can absolutely see why Hotel Magnifique would appeal to fans of Caraval and The Night Circus - it has that same YA fantasy, place everyone HAS to get a ticket for, but there’s some deeper mystery vibe to it.

The hotel itself is intriguing and its magic reminds me somewhat of knowes in stories with sidhe, the way it can change seemingly at the will of its ‘owner’, or in this case, manager.
Some of the characters were more interesting and fully fleshed out than other, however unfortunately some of the more intriguing ones were only side characters.

I was enjoying Hotel Magnifique until right at the very end, and probably would have given it 4 stars, except something happened which threw me completely. Without spoiling anything for anyone, a character did something which… I can’t see as anything but somewhat betraying another character, and it was completely glossed over and never discussed and the two just carried on their merry way as if nothing ever happened. I know YA fantasy isn’t necessarily known for its adult conversations about relationships between people (whether romantic or not), but it almost felt like the author forgot they had written this to add tension and just… continued with the story without dealing with it at all.

Unfortunately, this has left me very confused and dissatisfied at the end of an otherwise fairly enjoyable YA fantasy read, and I can therefore only give it 3 stars.

Hotel Magnifique is a stellar novel that held everything I hoped for. The characters and plot was riveting and I liked the main character Jani. This novel is filled with the perfect combination of mystery, romance and adventures that will keep you glued to the pages. I liked the relationships between Jani and Belle, the various secrets Jani uncovered and it provides an interesting world which is tied to the hotel itself.

I love the initial idea of this book. The colourful and creative imagination in the writing kept the mystique factor about the hotel. It's characters: young and quirky kept it stationed in the YA field. Like when their curiosity became stronger, the story lacked in that magic. I feel as though something was missing from this book but it wasn't half bad!

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the magical aspects of this book. I haven't read The Night Circus but I have read Caraval and it does give similar vibes. I liked the mystery of how the Hotel works, who doesn't want to visit a Hotel that is full of magic and changes location every night.

I enjoyed the characters in this book for the most part but as a lot of characters had no memory of before the hotel, it made it slightly hard to flesh them out. I feel like a downside of this book is the characters don't feel like real people. They don't have enough flaws and most are easily defined as "good" or "bad". Which isn't necessarily an issue but does make the characters appear a bit flat.

I would recommend this book to those who enjoy books like The Night Circus and Caraval, or who generally like secretive magic themes in their books!

First of all, I think that marketing this as 'for fans of 'the Night Circus' is doing it a disservice; that is not what this book is like, this is 'for fans of Caraval' and that is a hugely different vibe. It sets readers up with the wrong expectations, and sadly I am one of those readers. Had I known what I was going into I think I would have enjoyed it more, but I felt so jarred that I just couldn't reconcile what I wanted/expected this book to be, and what it actually was.

It's a fun story, I love the concepts here, I think the writing is solid and it's an entertaining ride. The character development was a little lacking, but I don't think that was the point. It's meant to be a good time, and I think it delivered.

If you enjoy Stephanie Garber then please give this a go, if you love Erin Morgenstern then this is probably not what you're looking for.

The Hotel Magnifique is known for travelling and appearing in a different town every morning. Jani feels stuck in a dead-end job, taking care of her talented younger sister Zosa but then Hotel Magnifique arrives. Securing jobs as staff, the sisters are sucked into a whirlwind adventure and the sinister truth at the dark heart of the hotel. I loved the bond between Jani and Zosa and never had any doubt that they’d make it through the very dark plot that was laid out for them. There is some stunning, magical imagery in this Night Circus-esque world and a slow-burn romance that I thoroughly enjoyed. Hotel Magnifique definitely isn’t just a pretty cover!

2.5 stars

When I saw the comparison to “The Night Circus” I instantly thought it would be a book for me. I love Erin Morgenstern’s writing and was expecting a lot out of “Hotel Magnifique”. How big was my disappointment when I discovered that it was nowhere near my beloved book. The world was quite interesting, but it wasn’t enough of it shown throughout the novel to actually hook me on it. Our main heroine, Jani, was absolutely not likable at all. The plot didn’t really make much sense to me either. Other characters in the book were put there only to be either servants to Jani or her enemies. Nothing in between. Not even mentioning that they were just fillers for the read and not fully developed beings. Even having in mind that this is a debut novel by this author I was expecting much much more than I’ve got out of it.

Out of many flaws in this book, I’d like to focus on one in particular here. And its name is Jani. I still can’t fathom how stupid this character was. It’s almost unbelievable. What she says and what she’s actually doing are two completely different things. She acts recklessly, only to start regretting her actions mere minutes after. She doesn’t care for anybody else except herself, even though she says that her sister is the most important person in the world for her. She doesn’t have any scruples to use other people to do her bidding, even when it means that they’ll be punished for what they’re about to do. Also, and I think this is the most ridiculous of all, her alleged relationship with Bel is so unbelievable that it would be laughable if not so sad. His character had so much potential and yet he got so little space in the book. He was only coming to the scene when Jani needed his help. I just don’t get it. Neither how did they actually fall in love taking into consideration the amount of time they’ve spent together.

All in all, it was a book with lots of potential that was sadly left unused. I’d love to see more character development throughout the whole cast, improvements to the plot and showing more of the fantastical world that the author has so creatively created there. Last, and it’s a mental note to myself, to never ever again believe in blurbs that are comparing any book to “Night Circus” - there will never be any other book just like it.

This was a fun and magical story featuring a mysterious hotel that houses a host of secrets with each guest. Following two sisters wishing to escape their difficult lives, the Hotel Magnifique arrives to whisk them away into an enchanting world of magic and mayhem and offer them opportunities they could only dream of.

This was definitely what I would describe as whimsical. Sisters Jani and Zosa are swept up in various situations with a colourful cast of guests, all watched over by the omnipotent and ominous maitre. The descriptions of the world and magic, although a little lacking, did give off a definite vibe of opulence and mystery that oozes from every page.

Jani is the dominant sister, leading the investigation into finding out what is really going on at the hotel. I liked her quick wit and confidence, and the bond between the two sisters felt genuine and heart warming. However, Jani is also incredibly irritating at times and felt a lot like every generic YA heroine going with the busybody, self involved tenancies. She also jebet learns from her mistakes, constantly throwing herself into the same dangerous situations and not listening to anyone. It did get on my nerves.

I also thought the plot itself was a lot like every other YA fantasy, just set in a hotel and unfortunately we're never reallh shown enough of the hotel or its world and magic system to really make the story stand out. Some of the secondary characters had so much potential to be interesting, but they're just not fleshed out enough either. It's as though the author spent too much time trying to push Jani and make her shine, to the detriment of everyone else.

Some interesting ideas, but this could have down with spending more time building up the world and the hotels guest to resllt make this something a bit different.

A brilliant, entertaining read that had the magic of Caraval and the intrigue and mystery of the night circus. A wonderful, rich and imaginative story that literally pulls its reader in. Just like the hotel itself, this dazzling book with capture you and refuse to let go.

I picked this up for the major caraval vibes and stayed for the dark fantasy of it all. The comparison to caraval is used a lot but I think for this book it genuinely fit? It felt way too slow for me at the beginning so when the book wrapped up a little after I started to get really invested I have to say I was pretty disappointed. Anyways, you should definitely check this one out.

When Jani secures employment for her and her sister at the legendary Hotel Magnifique, a magical hotel that appears in a new place in the world every night, she thinks all their problems have been solved. But all is not what it seems at the hotel, something darker is at play and Jani finds herself drawn into something much more sinister than she could have imagined.

This was a really cool and interesting concept, and for the most part, pretty well executed. There was some clunky dialogue and awkward time jumps here and there, but they rarely took me out of the story, the world and the narrative was always intriguing enough to carry me along.
I really enjoyed the world building in this book. There were no major infodumps, we were simply immersed and gradually familiarised with the world and its history, politics, and magic system. It felt natural.
The mystery element to the story was very well written. Any questions asked were answered without feeling forced. They were woven in with foreshadowing and the omission of various pieces of information throughout. The payoff felt satisfying without feeling too neatly tied up.
My primary issue I feel could have been avoided by aging our main character, and thus potentially the target audience, up ever so slightly. Partly because the age difference between her and Bel felt unnecessary at best, and vaguely uncomfortable at worst. As well as this, I think this story could have benefited from leaning into its darker elements, more easily done when writing for an adult audience.

That said though, I did really enjoy this book for what it was. The world and the story felt really fresh and unique, a very enjoyable read.

Thank you NetGalley and Pushkin Press for my e-arc of this title, received in exchange for an honest review.

Wow!

This was such a magical read! I love out main characters Jani and Zosa- their sibling relationship was so wholesome and sweet. We start off with a bang, as the sisters take up roles in the mysterious hotel. But dark secrets are lurking, and it was so interesting to see Jani uncover them!

The writing was beautiful and lyrical. There was some great worldbuilding and scenes that made my heart leap. I really liked the other characters and the pacing of the story, it made for an edge-of-your-seat read. Similar to Caraval, we have a sweet and compelling romance with a character called Bel. Jani and Bel's relationship did move a bit too fast, but I didn't mind as it wasn't the main focus of the story.

Overall, a wonderful and magical read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an e-arc!

Love love love ! I enjoyed this book so much I finished it in one day ! I was so into it I couldn’t let it go. I loved the main character. She messed up a lot but it made her more realistic in my eyes.
I recommend this book 100% percent