I really wanted to like this one, and I think a lot of people will. It just wasn't for me. The artwork seemed a little flat to me. There was also a lot of characters and a lot of switching location which kept me from getting sucked into the story. I think other readers will definitely enjoy it.

Really adorable middle grade graphic novel with heartwarming themes and a magical plot. Highly recommend for younger readers looking for a fun, quick read.

Absolutely charming book! Latinx fantasy for middle graders? Yes, please. Can't wait to share it with friends.

Well, this is one of BOOM!'s agitated LGBT+ comics, where you can guess the author is queer/LGBT+ proactive person from first few pages. Well, that kind of spoils it for me because it's annoying when comics are like "I take a fine story and make it so much LGBT hate free as I can imagine". Which is quite sad, because the story and the universe are very nice (nothing creative, but well composed). It's very similar to Lumberjanes, but at least for a first few books, Lumberjanes wasn't so pushy in this topics. But hey, it's me who dislike when author spoils a good story with pushing his agenda without any finesse. On the other hand, kids could actually enjoy this adventurous story, which is actually not bad. Simple, but good. The art is again Luberjane-ish, kind of KaBoom/Boom Box generic artist style. If you like Lumberjanes in ar or/and style of adventure, where kids with attitude stick their noses where they do not belong and wreak havoc to eventually make everything right, you probably will like Hotel Dare.

Thanks to BOOM! Studios and NetGalley.net to provide the free copy. #HotelDare #NetGalley

Olive doesn't know her Abuela Lupé well, so when she and her adopted siblings Darwin and Charlotte go to help her clean her ramshackle hotel, she hopes to find out more about her, especially why her grandmother and father don't talk much. There is a lot of work to be done, but while cleaning the rooms, the children find a mask. This seems to be a portal to other worlds. Charlotte explores a futuristic space ship, Darwin is plunges into a weird, cartoonish world with a cuddle muffin he names Sunny, and Olive meets up with Brad, a wizard in training in a medieval world. When they eventuall talk to their abuela about it, they find that shortly after Olive's father was born, her husband disappeared, and she is estranged from her son because she spent so much time looking for him. Her daughter also went into the alternate universes to look for her father and found him, but is still having trouble getting him out. Can Olive and her siblings work together to solve the puzzle and retrieve their grandfather?

Strengths: This had a good original story and interesting illustrations. The three different worlds were distinct enough that I never got confused. There was some character development, which is hard to accomplish in many graphic novels. I liked the inclusion of Latinx culture. Olive says at the beginning that she is queer, but this is never developed further.
Weaknesses: Reading an e ARC on my 2011 Nook meant that I had to read this in 4 point font. I apologize for having missed crucial plot points during my struggle! I feel like I missed something crucial about Darwin's and Charlotte's adoption; this felt almost like book two of a series.

What I really think: This is similar to Aldridge's Estranged or Hicks' The Nameless City. Neither one (and fantasy in general, whether novels or graphic novels )circulate very well in my library, so I am debating about this one.

The three Dare kids, all adopted siblings, are visiting their grandmother, Mamá Lupe at her weird old house in Mexico, Hotel Dare. After a few days of hanging out and relaxing, Mamá Lupe puts them to work cleaning the rooms in her huge house with instructions to stay away from her office while she runs to the market. Of course, that’s where they want to explore first after she says that. There, Charlotte, the youngest and newest to the family finds a weird mask with a button she clicks. Later, once the three actually get to cleaning, they all find portals to other worlds in the rooms they are cleaning. Olive goes to a fantasy world where she finds a magician who feels like a reject. Darwin goes to a fantasy cloud world and meets a cute creature called Sunny. Both of them return to the real world after just a little while, but Charlotte remains on the spaceship she found herself on, and when Mamá Lupe finds out she gets very worried. The portals are part of something big, part of buried family secrets, and potentially very dangerous.

I have mixed feelings about this one. I’d like to rate it 2.5, but since GoodReads doesn’t do half stars I’ll round it up. I like the touches of Aztec mythology and the imaginative worlds included. In some ways it is nice to have a self-contained, single volume fantasy adventure, but on the other hand I think the story as a whole suffered a bit from needing to be wrapped up so quickly. Some parts that needed further exploration or more character development felt really rushed (especially things between Xochitl and Mamá Lupe, and Charlotte’s personal growth). I would have liked the story better with more explanation about changes of heart and further character development. I liked the inclusion of dialogue in Spanish without translation. I don’t speak or read Spanish well at all, but I was able to follow along fine and it helped with the atmosphere of the story. Many will like this story for the message about found families and family being a matter of the heart rather than blood, but it almost got emphasized a little too much and tipped over into the preachy/agenda-ish area I felt. But that’s just me. I know many will absolutely love the story for those points. Those looking for a fantasy graphic novel for upper middle grades/young adult readers with diversity representation and a single volume fantasy adventure, or stories with some Aztec influence should like this.

Notes on content [based on the ARC]: No language issues (at least in English). No sex scenes or decency issues. One of the Dare siblings says she is queer; she has no love interest. Some characters in the space world of different alien species are said to be in a married-like relationship and both have female-sounding names. (It also seemed to be hinted the relationship included a third member but that wasn’t super clear.) No displays of affection between anyone beyond a hug. Many characters visit the land of the dead, which may creep some readers out. There are some battles, most of which are magical/fantasy/scifi violence. One being loses an eye with some blood shown but later says it will grow back. Some mental damage of one character but there’s hope that can be cured.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun romp At the start it seemed like a more child friendly version of Locke and Key. However, it is it’s own story, and that is where comparisons stop. This book is about a blended family, and how even broken families can be fixed. Three kids are sent to grandma Lupe’s for the summer. She lives in an old hotel, that has special abilities. Think of it like the door to Narnia, except here, every door opens someplace different. But these worlds are not far apart, and there is a secret to traveling in them. It will take every member of the family to make this trip, this mission, a success. There will be a few fights, a few misunderstandings, but mended hearts will win in the end. A great books for kids or adults.
#ReadHarder #OwnVoice
#Booked2019 #pocmcparanormal
#NancyDrewChallenge #largeBuildingoncover
#KillYourTBR #Placeintitle

Excellent graphic novel that blends time travel, science fiction, fantasy, and Aztec lore while also exploring the nature of families. Suitable for high school, upper middle school, and adult readers. Characters are highly diverse and also explore the concept of adoption/blended families.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m going to be honest, this one was just okay for me. While I enjoyed the premise, there is A LOT going on in this graphic novel, and I feel as if a lot of it wasn’t elaborated on due to it being a standalone. I could see it working out very well in a series format. All in all, though, it wasn’t a bad time, and if the author were to expand Hotel Dare into a series in the future, I would be highly interested in picking up the sequels.

Hotel Dare will ensnare you. Visit alternate worlds, meet strange and exciting characters and the Dare family. You will not want to put this comic down. It has thrills, surprises, causes laughter, tears, and happy feelings all around. The only thing missing is a back story of how the family came to be but hopefully this will be covered by the author in another book. Read this book, I dare you!

This was a very unique story! I really enjoyed the art style. I really liked that some of the main characters were bi-lingual. The characters were likable and had me rooting for them by the end.

A great fantastical story about a blended family who discover a hotel that transports them to different worlds. I really enjoyed the message of your family is who you choose it to be. The different mystical and sci-fi worlds were fun. The art was solid as well.

What a terrific book! A fabulous first in a wonderful series that I cannot wait to continue to read. With its perfect blend of sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, and thriller; and the over-arching theme of family and friendship, this work has a little bit of everything for everyone. Further, the amazing artwork and pacing of the novel keeps readers locked in and turning the pages. This would be a wonderful recommended read for those looking for a touching adventure story with a lot of heart. It would also be a good hook for those reluctant readers as this is a first in a (hopefully) multi-volume series. A novel that is sure to make readers smile, laugh, and tear-up, Hotel Dare is a fantastic addition to any library!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
***
Hotel Dare is a cute but fairly short graphic novel about 3 kids being sent to their grandmother’s hotel and discovering a secret about their family. Olive, Darwin, and Charlotte may not share blood but that’s not what makes family anyway they discover as they travel to distant worlds to save each other and new friends.
A fun, colorful, lively comic. It’s fairly fast paced and over before you know it.

"We all come from different worlds, but as long as there's people who love you where you're at, you'll always be fine."

This is such a fun, diverse, heartwarming read about found/chosen family. The story is inspired by Aztec mythology, and the art work is beautiful. I absolutely loved the characters, and even though it took me some time to figure out the story, I ended up really enjoying that as well.

this book was so fun! i loved the art style and the story... there was such a diverse cast, it never felt like there were info dumps when introducing us to the world, it was quick and all around amazing!

Interest Level: 5-8

Imagine that you have to go visit a grandmother that you don't know and she lives in an old, creepy hotel. Would you be excited? Olive, Darwin, and Charlotte are not thrilled to say the least. Charlotte was adopted and she doesn't look like her siblings and she doesn't feel like she belongs. Grandmother tells them to go clean some of the guest rooms but before they do they decide to sneak in her office to see if they can find out why their father doesn't talk to his mother anymore. Little do they know that when they go snooping they are about to open up new worlds. Each of the grandkids go into a different room to clean and each discover a door that transport them into a magical world. Olive meets Brad who is looked down on because he can't grow a beard, which indicates how magical you are. Darwin meets a cuddlemuffin who he names Sunny. Charlotte meets some space pirates and she feels more at home with them and decides not to go back. But... what happens when these worlds begin to collide? What happens when Olive and Darwin go back but they know they can't close off the magic doors or they will lose Charlotte forever? And what part does their grandmother play in this? Read this awesome graphic novel to find out what happens!

This was a great book! It started off a little slow but once the action started I could not put it down! This book is full of fantasy, magic, action, and lots of imagination. It also has a great message about how families have to pull together to overcome unbelievable odds. The illustrations are fantastic - full of color and the action just jumps off of the page. Kids will love this graphic novel!!

10/10 recommend!! Family, friendship, adventure, magic, and even bilingual - everything you want from a children’s/middle grade graphic novel! Hotel Dare is bound to become a favorite amongst children’s and teens.

This family is up for the adventure of a life time. This book gives us a taste of a world you will be desperate to spend more time in. I can’t wait to follow this family inside the secret world of Hotel Dare in future graphic novels.

Thank you NetGalley and BOOM Studios for allowing me to read this gem! I’ll be certainly purchasing copies for my elementary school library.

4/5 stars: The start of the book was a bit rushed and confusing.

This was an excellent graphic novel with a diverse range of characters.
On the surface it's a tale of fantasy worlds, but it's main theme is the power of family, both born and chosen. It's also about belief in yourself and trust in others.
The story was entertaining and the artwork excellent.

Classed as children's fiction, but I found it enjoyable and suited to adults too.

This was a super interesting graphic novel. I absolutely loved the idea of it and the storyline.
I really liked all the characters but I feel like I didn’t get to know them very well. I feel like I say this a lot with graphic novels so maybe it’s just how they are, but I wish it went more in depth with both the story and the characters. I feel like everything happened boom boom boom and I was left feeling like I wanted more. But that is the only thing I disliked. It was still really fun and I would definitely want to read any sequels.