Hotel Magnifique, Emily J. Taylor

The hardcover for this skated in at the last minute, and I was worried I wouldn’t get the book done in time for release day. That was a silly worry, as any reader who starts this will find it near impossible to put down. Taylor has drawn the reader in with a magical hotel. This hotel could make all the difference for Jani and her sister, Zosa. But Jani is a bit klutzy, stubborn, and nosy, and all that combined might land them in a load of hot water.

This reminds me of a song: “You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave!”

The blurb compares this to The Night Circus, and I think you will love this book all the more if you go in not expecting that. There is just the right amount of mystery and magic while reading. The setting has the potential to be so utterly horrifying, and Taylor has prayed on that and twisted it into an addicting and satisfying read.

Hotel Magnifique releases Tuesday and is available for preorder on Amazon, Bookshop, and B&N.

About the Book:

Decadent and darkly enchanting, this lavish YA fantasy debut 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.

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