Frankly, the chosen title and cover do "Hotel Dare" no good. I do usually enjoy titles published by Boom Studios, but waffled on this one as the title just screamed horror book and that's not something that really circulates well in my library. I suppose if I had read the synopsis more thoroughly, I would have known that I was wrong, but sadly I judged the book based on the cover and title alone.
Once I got around to reading "Hotel Dare" I loved it! It's a delightful, Doctor Who-esque romp! It has the feel of the Eleventh Doctor fun, family adventure included! I highly suggest this title, though it may need a little bit of prompting to get patrons to pick it up.

Hotel Dare, by Terry Blas, is a science fiction graphic novel about a family that find themselves in a strange predicament where three different worlds and three different races exist in precariously close proximities. to one another. Family secrets are revealed and many dangers await. Fun story and fast paced.

This is a great middle grade graphic novel. The art really popped and there was the perfect balance of character development and plot.

A family blended by adoption. Siblings sent to a grandmother in a country unfamiliar to them all. A haphazard hotel, a mystery, magic...

These are the building blocks of the amazingly entertaining Hotel Dare.

The art is bright and clean with easy to follow panels that is still complex enough to give the eye something new to find each time. Details like a broken door handle, lens flares when entering a room, or scuffs on a wall.

When these siblings enter a host of different worlds, literal different worlds that is, the color palettes are definitive and yet still have a cohesion with the rest of the book. The characters that are introduced are distinct and fully realized.

This story draws you in and leaves you interested in each of the different worlds - wanting to know more about their history and their futures - and hoping to travel there more often.

Without spoiling the story, the mystery and its conclusion were genuinely surprising. I had an inkling, but things did not play out in exactly the cookie cutter way that I expected and I was pleased with that.

The diverse cast, the emotions explored, and the lack of explicit sexual references or realistic violence, put this comfortably in the middle grade and up category for me. Interesting enough for an adult looking for a clean read, and accessible enough that a younger child could read this - especially if read with a parent or older sibling.

If your reader loves mysteries, escapes, magic, Amulet, or The Wormworld Saga: let them give this a try.

★★★★,5 | The many doors to finding a family.

Hotel Dare is a story about the family of Dares -- related by blood or acquired by other means. When three siblings visit their grandma in Mexico they stumble upon a certain family secret which will bring them on an adventure as well as bring them together.

It's a hilarious exploration of family relations -- growing together and apart and together again. The secrets and magic and Aztec beliefs all tie together in a magnificent way and nothing seems out of place no matter how absurd it may be. The ridiculous hotel, the bearded society, strange puffballs, and a space ship? In one story? Oh, yes. And it's all amazing, trust me.

Also, the family dynamics? A queer older sister, a soft shy middle kid brother, and a troublemaker youngest girl? Magnificent. But then it also gives me a stern but loving grandmother who's more badass than any of us can ever dream to be?? Ma'am, you own my soul...

Anyway, Hotel Dare is a great story for the whole family -- full of laughs, bonding, and gorgeous art!!

Many thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. This did not affect my rating.

*3/5*

This was a graphic novel I had been wanting to read.. and while the art style was great, the story moved way too fast.

This could have been spread out over a few novels to have the pacing be better and the characters be more fleshed out. There was not enough time to develop the characters or their motivations and conflict.

Multiple words, magic portals, unicorns, Aztec lore, land of the dead.. all great things.. sadly wasted.

The Dare grandchildren spend the summer cleaning their abuelas home, that was once a hotel. One day, the adopted Charlotte, accidentally opens the portals to 3 magical worlds. All different, all interesting. Charlotte doesn’t feel she belongs, and a lot of the story is her, finding her place.

I wish there was more.

Loved the story and the art was amazing, each world was uniquely it's own but still meshed well with all the others. Loved the overall theme of the story!

Arc provided by NetGalley. Beautifully drawn graphic novel. That stresses the importance of relying on your family. This book has it all pirates, wizards and portals. I love that they had some
Spanish. This story is about kids who go visit their kick ass grandma mama Lupe. She runs a hotel and warns the kids not to
Go to
Her office. Of course they go to her office and encounter portals to other worlds. The adventure begins. I would love if they extended this to
Make it a series.

Magic, technology, fantasy lands, even the land of the dead!? This story had it all. Even real life family issues that morphed, melted and healed to create a diverse, unique story. This was just wonderful!
#Netgalley

Hotel Dare is an upper elementary/ early middle school graphic novel.

It deals with blended families, adoption, loss of a parent and feeling of not belonging. There were aspects of the story that I really loved but I felt it pushed the supportive family and self love just a little to much and actually detracted from the overall story. However, with that being said it could be a good read alike for kids who like the Amulet series. It’s a family on an adventure in another world that picks up a robot, space pirates, and a cotton candy creature along the way.

I can't wait for this book to be available for purchase! I hope there will be a continuing series! When siblings Olive, Darwin and Charlotte visit their grandma, they find that the hotel she runs holds worlds of possibilities! They must work together to find the true magic that lies not only on the house, but in themselves as well!

Cute book! I loved the element of relying on family and family is not always family in the traditional sense. Nice colors, quick story (but not too quick). Lots of teen appeal.

I received a digital copy of this book from netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This graphic novel is a quick read, with more heart than you might first expect. It centres around the Dare family— three sibling, all adopted, one new to the family— as they go to visit their grandmother and help her clean up the hotel she’s turned into her home. As the kids get bored and nosey, they discover they have a lot to learn about their grandma and the magic and mysteries inside the hotel.

I liked this book. There were parts I wanted to see a little more flushed out— for example, it was a bit hard to jump so quickly into the family dynamic of life at the hotel without getting to know the kids a little better first. But I thought it was great that not only were the kids adopted, but it focused on kids being adopted into a non-white family, and I feel like that is under-represented. Spanish phrases are peppered throughout, in a way that feels realistically conversational, but should not frighten away anyone unfamiliar with the language away. The characters have realistic reactions of anxiety and self-doubt.

It’s a cute read, worth checking out if you’re looking for something a little different.

Thank you, NetGalley for a copy of this fantastic book in exchange for an honest review.

I can't explain how happy it makes me. This book was the perfect thing for me to read at this moment. It's family-oriented; it has Latinx representation, heritage, reconciliation of daughter and mother, a learning curve. It has everything you need in a story. Make it better with a line I agree wholeheartedly, I quote, ”But I do know that home isn't a place. Its where your family is.” end of quote.

I'm tearing up. It was, indeed, a beautiful story. Not only it has brown and black characters, but it has that latine feeling that I always crave when reading a book. Even when it's not my customs or traditions, I feel happy and satisfied. Another thing, Queer Teen Characters! Much needed!

I can't recommend this graphic book enough. Teens will enjoy this. Adults will enjoy it as well. Take the time and one-click it. You won't regret it. It's a loving, fantastic adventure of a family. There isn't much you will ask. It has all you need.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This graphic novel drops you right into the middle of 3 adopted siblings who go to Mexico to visit their grandmother and end up in the adventure of their lives. The hotel their grandmother runs is actually connected to other magical worlds. When each sibling finds themselves in another world, they must fight and work together to figure out what exactly is going on and how to get back together in one piece to make their family whole again.

In all honesty, the story was a little all over the place and I didn’t completely understand everything that was going on. Even so, it was a quick read and the illustrations were GORGEOUS. I really enjoyed the message of family being the people who love you, even if they’re not blood and not letting your pain and anger isolate you from that family. Very cute.

Hotel Dare has an incredibly strong premise and even stronger artwork. The story, at times, felt disconnected and moved almost too fast to keep up, but overall, I think it will be enjoyed by kids who enjoy the genre.

A fun graphic novel that I really enjoyed! I really liked the artwork and the use of bright colors. The characters were interesting and the setting really drew me in. I liked that the story incorporated many aspects of Mexican culture. I would love to read a sequel to this story!

A Mexican graphic novel with a really good and an adventurous plot. The characterization was okay, but the story was very gripping.

It was a cute story for fans of anything Wibbly Wobbly. Three teens go to their Grandmothers hotel for the summer and learn about what it means to truly be family. What makes this story unique is one of the teens is recently adopted into the family and is finding it difficult fitting in this new dynamic. When they discover three different worlds they can travel too, they start to uncover mysteries of their Grandmothers past.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Olivia and her siblings Charlotte and Darwin visit their Mamá Lupe at her dreadfully precarious hotel for the summer, oblivious to the great adventure ahead.

Hotel Dare is one of the greatest graphic novels I’ve ever had the pleasure to read. It had all and more than one could imagine. I’m immensely thankful for having had the honour and the chance to read this incredible work of art.
Terry Blas and Claudia Aguirre are incredibly creative and talented geniuses. No other words can better describe them. I wish I discovered them earlier and I am undoubtedly looking forward to reading any of their other works.

This illustrious graphic novel has it all: an interdimensional quest years in the making, a deceiving cotton-candied kingdom, a magic realm where beards are not only a temporary trend, but a requirement, an intergalactic pirate ship with a fabulous crew committed to saving people and an architectural horror of a hotel in dire need of an organisational system.
It has fully developed, deep and extraordinary characters that you cannot not love completely. I can’t even bring myself to choose a favourite as they are all phenomenal, but strictly in a gun-to-the-head scenario, I’d pick Darwin with whom I resonate the best.


Everyone should read Hotel Dare. It has everything one could look for in the genre (also, I don’t want to spoil anything, but… unicorns!)