I audibly sighed with joy and hugged this book to my chest when I finished it. It was such a refreshing story, quite unlike anything else I've ever read. Even so, fans of Caraval, Shadow and Bone, and The Night Circus will adore this story.

Sisters Jani and Zosa attempt to escape the monotony of their unremarkable lives by joining the staff of the Hotel Magnifique but they have no idea what they've really signed up for. In a place so full of magic that up is down and left is right, it's nearly impossible to know who to trust and what is real.

Everything is just as magnificent as the Hotel Magnifique itself. Both the world-building and the characters are well developed. The magic system is incredible and complex, but still very easy to understand. The action and suspense are nonstop and guaranteed to have you pulling an all-nighter because I assure you... you will not be able to put it down.

There are so many mysteries and twists woven together so beautifully. They fit seamlessly into the plot. I'm honestly flabbergasted that this book is a debut novel for this author. And the romance!! This book had the BEST slow burn I have read in a very long time. The banter, the tension, the delicate balance of trust and secrets... it was phenomenal.

I truly devoured this book and I urge everyone to preorder and read it immediately upon release. This one is an instant bestseller.

Emily J. Taylor's debut novel is a fantasy with lots of magic and dark secrets. It follows 17-year-old Jani, who has been trying to support herself and her younger sister Zosa in the years since their mother died. When the legendary Hotel Magnifique makes its once-in-a-decade stop in their city, Jani jumps at the opportunity to get her and Zosa jobs there.
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I had a feeling pretty early on that something was off with Hotel Magnifique, but one cannot deny the mysterious allure of the place. Not only can the hotel travel, it is one of the only places in this universe where magic is not persecuted, making it a haven for magicians such as the deviously charming Bel. I absolutely loved the tentative romance that Jani has with him. Taylor does such a good job at writing the tension between them. Bel even ends up helping Jani discover hidden truths about herself which I wasn't expecting.
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A big part of this story is about Jani's relationship with Zosa, and while I wish we got to see them interact a but more, it's obvious how much Jani cares about Zosa. As the darkness of Hotel Magnifique makes itself known, Jani thinks not only of her own fate but that of Zosa, who ends up going through a lot.
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This book definitely stands on its own, but it would be interesting to read a sequel if only to see what happens with the Jani/Bel romance because I seriously need more, and to see where the sisters end up.
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Overall, a stunning debut.

So first of all, after reading the blurb, I fell in love with the concept immediately! This book was undoubtedly giving me vibes for Caraval and The Night Circus, with the main difference being that it's set at a hotel. Considering my love and intrigue for those two comp books, I was very excited to dig into this book.

I really enjoyed this book overall! I thought the writing was both lovely and whimsical to start, and dark and creepy as the story went along. I loved getting that balance of dark and whimsy.

I felt like the beginning of the book was a bit too similar to The Night Circus compared to what I was expecting/hoping for, so the dark turn that Hotel Magnifique took was definitely appreciated. I loved that was got to see the rot that was going on behind the curtain so to speak, even if it did get a bit repetitive after a while.

I wish the magic system was explained a bit more; it was rather vague, and I would've liked a more concrete magic system.

I really did enjoy it overall though!

I seriously don’t know why it took me so long to pick up this wonderful book!
Hotel Magnifique is a magical story about a hotel that only appears once every 10 or so years. People are given a chance to to spend 2 weeks in the hotel for a very steep price. But the price is well worth it. They see magic beyond their wildest dreams and are taken to places that could only imagine.
Everything about this book was wonderful. I loved the characters even though Jani, the main character, could be a tad frustrating at time. She is the curiosity in all of us. The setting was beautiful and I wanted to be inside the hotel despite the darker side to it all. I wish there could be more about the hotel because it sounded amazing!
Absolutely loved this and I’ll have to look out for more of this authors books going forward!

Hotel Magnifique is an interesting story of magic, hope, and desire. I enjoyed seeing how the story slowly peeled back the glamour of Hotel Magnifique to reveal a darkness within. I liked the creeping sinister. The description of the hotel and the magic was lovely ans I could onlu imagine how gorgeous this would be as a movie!

While I appreciated the sisterly love and banter between Jani and Bel, the characters and the romance was just serviceable and didn't intrigue me as I had hoped. That being said, this was a lovely debut novel.

After reading the blurb, Hotel Magnifique seemed like it would be Caraval meets Night Circus. But it failed to meet those standards.

As a fan of Caraval and Night Circus, I was a bit disappointed by this book. It had all the makings to be a great book. But I think a book like this should have been a duology or a trilogy. Just so the magic of the hotel would have been fleshed out more. It would have been nice to see the sisters bond more. I felt like I barely knew the characters.

The ending was very rushed. It was a lot of information in such a short time. There are so many questions that I still need to be answered. I had hoped there would be an announcement for a sequel but that did not happen. Maybe one day this author will give us a novella or something. Because even if I didn't love this book, I still enjoyed it for the most part.

I really enjoyed this book! I loved the magic, the dark twists and turns, and the characters. I got lost in the world and could not put this book down. This book is a little darker than what I usually read but it was a nice change and I highly recommend it!

Take a trip to Hotel Magnifique and your life will be forever changed, at least that is what Jani and Zosa are hoping for when they take the chance of a lifetime. This book is packed full of secrets and magic that explodes off the page. Emily Taylor did a wonderful job bringing this world and Jani to life through her writing. Fantastic read!

Ouu this was such a fun and whimsical read, a perfect distraction from everyday life! I haven’t read the Night Circus yet but I have read (and loved) Caraval and I can definitely see the similarities! A magical hotel that moves to a brand new fabulous location at the strike of midnight where everything SEEMS mystical and beyond your wildest dreams! But everything might not be as it seems…

The magic system was so much fun and unique. Every room is tailored to whoever it staying at it, there’s never ending hot tea and ice cubes and singers and dancers, stunning birds and anything you would ever want. The secrets and undercurrent of this hotel is what intrigued me the most and kept me invested in this story until the very end!

Overall, if you’re looking for a magical and whimsical escape from your every day life, Hotel Magnifique could be it for you!!

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Written by Emily J Taylor

This was YA Fantasy.
This book wasn't for me. It has such a great and magical premise but I couldn't stand the main character. Jani was self absorbed, whiny and obnoxious and because of her reckless behavior throughout the book, it hurt or killed other innocent characters who were trying to help her! It's one thing if she learned she'll one reckless behavior but she did it over and over and over.

Great background and setting. Magical otherwise but the main character was just obnoxious. The ending was good but not great. No justice for those who were hurt bc of her reckless behavior.

The romance was ok but I'm surprised any one would like a person like Jani.

I've read other reviews that this is a knock off copy cat of Carval with is on my TBR but haven't read yet. Honestly id HATE that. But since I didn't read it I'm not going to comment on if that's true or not. But let's say there's countless reviews saying so.

Definitely similar to Caraval, which I really enjoyed. This YA novel was still creative enough in their premise to keep me engaged. The will they, won’t they have the two main characters was interesting and then it just got to be annoying. Definitely would recommend this to people who enjoy YA fantasy!

The title and description of this book was just too hard to resist. First, the world building was interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed the idea of the hotel and without giving away too much information, its expanse and detail were well done. The magic system was interesting and the plot moved quickly. You want the main character, Jani, to find everything she is looking for when getting a job at the hotel. Most of the supporting characters were not that interesting and only slowed down the main plot about Jani and her employment. While I didn’t get to finish the NetGalley version, I was able to get my hands on the book at my public library.

My Thoughts:
I am a sucker for girl magic and danger books so this one gets a 5 star. Like Beasts of Prey which started my year in 2022, this is gripping action, betrayal, family and loss. It is hard to say much more than the publishers about the book because it needs to unfold at the same pace as the main character, but the idea of a mystery hotel that shows up in an alley is already intriguing. Add to it the golden ticket aspect of packing for a 2 week adventure to places unknown. . .even with your memory swiped after, it would be worth it?

Read it in one sitting.

From the Publisher:
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.

Publication Information:
Author: Emily J. Taylor

Publisher: Razorbill (April 5, 2022)

I really enjoyed this one so much that I added it to my Wine & YA book club list so that I could force all of my patrons into reading it too.

Thanks to NetGalley / Edelweiss and the publisher Edelweiss for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for a review.

This was a really fun book. The writing was well done and it had a very interesting strong. Solid debut and I will have it on our book fair list for the upcoming season.

Finally a book that offers something different to the reading public! I really enjoyed this book's unique characters. The character development was well thought out. As I read, I could "see" the characters and what they looked like, how they acted, in my mind. The details of the inside of the hotel and how it changes nightly were also developed and quite thorough. The plot and plot twists were unique and interesting and kept me reading the book which says a lot since I have ADHD. I would definitely recommend this book to patrons at the library I work at and intend to recommend that the library purchase it for our collection.

I absolutely loved this book. It was a magical stand standalone with enemies to friends to lovers romance with banter like they were enemies the whole time! I also loved the magic system and world building. This book is perfect for fans of The Night Circus and Caraval!⁣
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Taylor’s world building, world within our world, is impressive. This book will keep you guessing at every turn, and you’ll want to slow down to savor the vivid and rich details.

The plot was intriguing and moved along quickly, the characters were charming and the magic was unique. The mystery grew as steadily as the danger, keeping me guessing and feeling like something ominous was just about to happen.

This was a cool and unique story. I’ve heard it’s similar to the night circus, but I haven’t read that one, so this was unique to me. I enjoyed the twists and turns of this book, enjoyed the characters, and the love story. It was fun and enjoyable.