BOOK REVIEW: Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor
This book took me way longer than it should have to read. It was slow going for me from the start, but once I got to the last 75 pages for some reason I just came to a roadblock. I was only reading, maybe, about 5 pages every other day. The thing is, I didn’t hate the book. I didn’t even not like it. It was enjoyable and a good book, but I was so engrossed in other books. (And it has a gorgeous cover!) Thankfully, I have finally finished it.
Characters drive this pot, and I for one am a big fan of character driven stories. The one area I struggled with was that for some reason I didn’t really connect to them. We find Jani and her younger sister, Zosa, as orphans wanting to have a better life. When the mysterious Hotel Magnifique makes its appearance Jani, jumps on the chance to leave their current lives behind. Being a little crafty, they end up in the hotel as members of the staff and soon learn that appearances can be deceiving.
Think Night Circus just not as elevated in its writing style, and a hotel instead of a circus. Hotel Magnique is definitely a YA book with a good blend of characters. Jani, loves her sister and soon finds herself in a race to save them both and everyone else they have come to know. The concept of family runs deep throughout the story. Every one of Jani’s decisions is based on what will lead her to save her sister. Before entering the hotel, they didn’t have much to live for, but through the circumstances they find themselves in, Jani becomes surrounded by a found family all wanting the same thing and created a ragtag team to save magic.
Besides Jani’s love for her sister, she begins to care deeply for the other characters that are critical to helping her figure out who she is as well as how to survive the hotel. Each character adds their own specific ability that is required to achieve the end goal. Beatrice and Bel are two of the most important secondary characters. Again, we find them acting on motivations that center around protecting those they care about, which can definitely backfire. I did wonder how many times Bel was going to have to save Jani for her reckless and impulsive behaviors. Beatrice was so constant through the book, but was often flying under the radar.
Alistair, Yrsa, and Madame des Reves are a formidable trio of nefariousness. As the book progresses, there are some revelations about these characters that help unfold some of the events that take place. Foreshadowing is utilized very successfully as it surrounds what initially appear to be random items that the characters carry around with them. I appreciated the desperation of these three, but I was left wanting a little more when it came to the ending of Alistair’s storyline. Unless I completely overlooked it, it felt that it was more of an assumed conclusion for him. However, I did enjoy the overall conclusion of the book.
There were several creative elements woven throughout the book that helped to keep everything linked. The foreshadowing was there, and elements all came to light as Jani learned information through her own expereinces. The aviary, the oranges and Issig are just a few elements that are frequently part of the storyline but clearly have a deeper importance. So again, I’m not sure exactly why I stalled in the reading and why I just couldn’t fully connect with Jani. Everything I wanted in this story was there, but there was just a feeling about it that left me a little flat.
The focus of the story centers around the sacrifices we make for those we love. Even though decisions were made by various characters that often backfired, the motives behind them came from a good place. But, as we know, when people don’t communicate those motives and reasons, it ends up blowing up in everyone’s face and making things worse. It is also about self-discovery and acceptance. Learning who you are and what you are capable of. Jani and Zosa, Bel and Betrice and many of the other characters that help the final scenes play out all find themselves changed and better for what Jani initiates.
Where does this book land on my bookshelf?
Definitely on the middle shelf. It’s rare that I read a book that just leaves me at a loss of what to say. I don’t feel strongly enough about any characters to really go off on tangents about them, and the premise was good, but I feel that there were places that it could have gone into more depth. I loved the hotel itself as a developed setting. The magic of the hallwalls and lobby and the enchantments of the guest rooms were really creative and portrayed clearly enough for me to picture it all in my mind. There is so much more to the hotel than the guests realize, and it’s all happening right under their noses, but reality is masked by the magic housed in the hotel. As it is the one place in the world that magic is acceptable and safe. If you loved The Night Circus, I’m not sure how you will feel about this one. While they both have very different plots, the initial concept of the magical travel experience is parallel. I enjoyed the read, but was left wanting a little more.
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