This book gave all of the Gatsby vibes with gruesome horror and demons. The story was overall very interesting, but it was such a slow burn and not in a way that necessarily worked AMAZINGLY for my brain. I also had a hard time to empathizing with the characters because they just felt very bleh and one dimensional to me. Overall though, I had a good time with the story!

** spoiler alert ** While the beginning chapters are captivating and the scene setting and premise made me hope for a great book, by the end of it, I was skipping paragraphs and pages, just wanting to be done with it.

I got a strong YA feeling from the style and quality of writing. The language is repetitive, and the story twists were far from logical at times. "I have the Persephony pin now, I can turn them back into humans!" You had it the whole time - what stopped you from using it before? "Oh no, the all-knowing, all-seeing demon knows about our plan to overthrow him!" That was literally explained in the very beginning - how is that even a consideration or surprise at this point?

I get the desire to adapt the language to the era, but once everyone starts "having kittens" all the time, it gets a little too much. I feel like the author looked up "10 common phrases of the 1920s" and had a sticky note above her desk to remind her to use them at least once on every couple of pages.

We get a romantic build-up with Will for pages upon pages, only to jump into Mabel and Frank's story right after. Frank is a good guy, all of a sudden, and wants to "save everyone?" Except we are kind of supposed to forget that when all the souls are freed, he and Raymond kill everyone who is trying to escape the hotel.

Mabel's logic is strange - she is willing to do anything not to kill people, then she happily kills to deliver 100 souls. She is afraid to lose her humanity, then happily stays a demon. The whole Ziegfield thing is very inconsistent - why not just keep it to the desire to become a magician and use the fact that she can do tricks for the plot? Also, we are just supposed to believe that she a absolutely amazing at everything she does -sure, some of it is the Canary Diamond she wears that enhances her talents, but still.

The book needs some good old editing.

Thank you, NetGalley and Clash Books, for providing an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was super intrigued by the premise of this book. I mean, any horror novel described as “[t]he Great Gatsby meets Hellraiser" is going to peak my interest. That premise wasn't quite what we got in the story, though. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely still come dark moments (gore, horror, etc.) but this reads like a dark romantasy more than anything else. This book was vibey, and I liked the writing style as well as the characters, but I was a little disappointed that this wasn't a horror story. However, even though I wasn't expecting the romantasy to be quite so prominent given that the description doesn't set that expectation, I still ultimately liked the novel. I would give this a 3.5/5 stars, but I will round it up to 4.

This book started off with a great premise “The Great Gatsby meets Hellraiser in this 1920s horror novel of glitz, glamour, and demons.”. The first novel by Cat Scully, Below the Grand Hotel, however, reads as more of a fantasy tale than horror. There is some gore and dark bits, but overall it felt more like a dark romantasy. Major horror fans may be disappointed, but for dark romantic fantasy readers, this book has all the vibes plus just enough gore to serve as an into darker horror stories. Beautiful design and cover.

My Rating: 4*

Mabel Rose Dixon moved to New York City to become famous. Her first goal was to become a Ziegfeld girl, but when she goes to her audition, she is quickly sent packing. She learns through the grapevine she may be able to buy herself a space if she is able to acquire some fancy jewelry. Soon Mabel is targeting a rich couple outside of the Grand Hotel who are in possession of a large yellow diamond necklace.

Upon entering the Grand Hotel, the posh atmosphere and glittering lights seem to distract from the underlying evil which lurks within. When Mabel finds herself in the room of the wealthy couple as their guest for dinner, she finds she has bitten off more than she can chew as they transform into their demonic forms and turn her into their prey. She soon finds herself selling her soul to a devil and now she must acquire a certain number of souls before she may be able to escape her bargain.

This was a good creepy book with glitz and glamour which tries to disguise much of the hellish landscape underneath. I cannot say I was a fan for any of the characters as most are incredibly unlikeable. I wasn’t rooting for anyone to be successful. However, the atmosphere of this gothic horror really kept me reading to the end.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Thief and struggling artist Mable has big New York dreams she wants to make come true. And while stealing isn’t ideal it helps with some financial stability. However when she sets her sights on a wealthy couple as her next victims of theft she soon finds herself face to face with demons and trapped within an infamous hotel. With the odds more than stacked against her Mabel is determined to find a way out of the horror filled maze that is the Grand Hotel. With her soul hanging in the balance will Mabel find her freedom or be trapped in the hotels halls forever.

Penned as a Great Gatsby meets Hellraiser style read I was immediately intrigued and excited to dive into this 1920’s set gothic book with its demons and suspense. I’ll start off but saying the setting for me was definitely the books highest point as it really was atmospheric and oozed creeping dread. I also couldn’t help but keep picturing AHS hotel when things were being described. However while I did enjoy the overall vibe and different descriptions the hotel held within it also did end up throwing off the pacing of the narrative in my opinion making it slightly muddled with almost too much. Mable as far as a character was just okay to me and while I did appreciate the way the author unravels her backstory I just had a difficult time feeling truly connected to her. And while their are some twists that I actually didn’t see coming in this book I do think comparing it to the absolute horror that Hellraiser unleashes is a bit too loose as this book for me didn’t evoke nearly as much fear as that film does. All in all this 1920’s flapper era demon filled suspense read was just okay for me and fell just a tad short of my expectations.

Below the Grand Hotel comes out May 6th, 2025.

Thank you NetGalley and CLASH books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Described as ‘The Great Gatsby meets Hellraiser’, Below the Grand Hotel is unlike any book you’ll have encountered before. What starts as a simple heroine’s journey of a poor country girl seeking fame quickly transforms into a twisting race to not only save one life, but the lives of every soul captured within the titular Hotel itself.

There are so many reasons that this book is one of my Best of the Year already. I was lucky enough to read an advance copy months ago, and have been basically sitting on my hands since then while wanting to write this review. Where to start…!

First of all, the protagonist. Mabel Rose Dixon has layers. By which I mean she can be full of charm one minute, a total bitch the next. Her ultimate goal for most of the book is survival - from life on the winter streets of the big city to fighting for her soul. And she’s not always successful.

The joy of Mabel comes from the fact that she is so multifaceted. She’s one of the most real characters I’ve ever read, and while I wanted to slap her occasionally for being such a little cow, I also found myself secretly jealous of how strong she is. Mabel is many things that I was never brave enough to be at her age, and as the book progressed, I found myself wondering at various key points whether I’d be able to manage as well as she does. She’s as fallible as any of us, but she learns, grows, yanks herself up by her glittery shoestraps and fights.

It also struck me how unusual she is as a heroine. Whatever the rulebook is for How Women Behave in Books, Cat Scully either hasn’t read it or threw it out of the window, because Mabel takes the floor in her own way through every single scene. The men in the book try to pigeonhole her as a cute flapper, gold-digger, girl-in-need-of-saving and various other stereotypes, but she is none of these - or she uses them to her advantage to get where she wants to be. There’s one other strong female character here too, and it’s fascinating to see the contrast between a more mature woman and our young Mabel; if she turned just a few steps in another direction, they could be the same.

Next, the Hotel itself, because it absolutely is a character. With every ‘ping’ of the elevator, a new floor and new horrors are revealed, and this space is a lot bigger on the inside. Stretching as far as its tenants’ imaginations, Mabel journeys both up and down like a mad Dante questing through far more layers than he ever anticipated, before finding herself back at the door of her own room. Escape? Nope. If you signed the register, you stay.

That’s not to say this is necessarily a bad thing. In several places, the Hotel seems to be ‘true neutral’, as it gives everyone who walks through its doors precisely what they wish for… but we all know how well that can go if that wish wasn’t well thought out. This is where the evil stems from: consequences.

The twists and turns come thick and fast, and there’s various points in the story where I simply couldn’t see what would happen next. In any other book, several places would be the end. I’m not saying that this is drawn out, far from it. Mabel just refuses to lie down and submit in any way, and so the story continues (to my immense pleasure).

Oh, and the ‘Hellraiser’ analogy? It’s accurate. This Hotel can be bloody, vicious (and viscous) and there’s a reason nobody wants to work in the laundry room. Guests are heading to their own private hecks in gilded handbaskets, and it sure ain’t pretty. As I said, Mabel’s fighting spirit is remarkable in places where I may well have turned up my toes.

‘Below the Grand Hotel’ is everything that ‘American Horror Story: Hotel’ wanted to be and so much more. Oscar Wilde would adore it, Clive Barker likely has the penthouse booked out, and I’d go so far as to say that Shakespeare probably visited once or twice. The imagination on show here is spectacular and I think I’m overdue for a revisit.

I honestly cannot wait to see what Cat Scully writes next, because the bar has been set at the Pearly Gates (not featured).

If you like your horror smart, original and unafraid, check in now. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Mabel Rose Dixon is in New York to become a Ziegfeld girl, but things haven't gone to plan & she is currently reduced to picking the pockets of the wealthy. When she chooses the wrong mark, Mabel makes a deal to save her life & ends up trapped in the Grand Hotel, a luxury hotel run by demons. Mabel agrees to procure souls for the hotel owner, Frank, in exchange for being his headline act every night in the crowded theatre, but soon finds that this type of fame has a steep price & if she doesn't figure out a way to escape, she may be lost forever.

This has an interesting premise, a hotel where your dreams can come true forever, but every day you stay, you lose a bit more of your humanity. Mabel is a spirited main character but I found that her peppiness became a bit irritating as time went on. I could also have done without the (mercifully brief) mentions of animal cruelty, & I found the ending a bit jarring as Mabel had spent most of the book falling in love with one character only to suddenly be besotted with another & there'd been no hint of flirtation between them before. Overall, interesting but the conclusion & MC brings down the rating a bit. 3.25 stars (rounded down)

Thanks to NetGalley & publishers, CLASH Books, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Unlikeable narrator Mabel is just a thief who wants to get ahead- and the Ziegfeld Follies is where she wants to be. As Mabel finds her next mark, she enters The Grand and the author really sets the historical scene. Right down to the clothing and I appreciate a story that does its research. But the Grand has a horrifying bargain she wasn’t quite ready for.

Mabel was a pretty silly character- she was superficial and didn’t really have a strong thought in her mind. She should have been given more depth, complexity, and not so surface level. As she never really pulled off as some great jewel thief. As a main character she never felt fully fleshed out and completed.

If this doesn’t give you vibes of American Horror Story Hotel, images of Lady Gaga as Evelyn but like combined a little with the novel Sign Here, that’s this in a nutshell. Everything around Mabel was better; the side characters had better personality, the detail in the scenery and some of the cleverness of the horror elements. Unfortunately the story was told from Mabel’s point of view, a way too much walking contradiction. And the plot tended to speed through some development things to get to where it was going. A little more lighthearted than I expected but if you’re a fan of anything in the art deco error, this just drips in it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Clash Books for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. This was my first Scully novel, and I was intrigued from the beginning. The hotel itself is a character and the shining star of the book in my opinion. I liked the progression of the novel from start to finish but I couldn't get a grip on Mabel herself. Sometimes her decisions felt very strange and I didn't really understand where some of the decisions were coming from. The action/demon scenes really stood out in this one, and I could picture the demons perfectly. A great mix of old NYC/ 20s vibes and horror. The novel is pretty short, but the longer chapters stretched it to feel longer, and it was pretty well paced. Exploring the hotel in all of its expansiveness was fantastic, and the side characters really held the novel together. I would definitely read more by Scully in the future.

The Grand Hotel was eerie, dramatic, and totally unhinged in the best way. It gave me gothic soap opera energy—with secrets, scandals, and characters I wanted to both slap and protect.

Mabel Rose Dixon will do anything to become a Ziegfeld girl—including picking the pockets of the wealthy NYC elite to fund her way to stardom. When she picks the wrong pocket, Mabel loses her soul to a hotel run by demons and tumbles into the world of The Grand Hotel, a place where any artist can make it big if they gather enough souls.
Mabel’s greatest wish to be famous is granted. Every night, she performs as the starring act to a crowded theater and finds she is never without patrons. But Mabel quickly learns that losing her soul to get everything she ever wanted comes at a much steeper cost than what she bargained for. She must steal her soul back before the Grand’s annual May’s Eve Ball or become a demon herself forever.
This is touted as Gatsby meets Hellraiser. I would have enjoyed this more but the protagonist was awfully annoying. The demons weren't as terrifying as I'd like and all the cute colloquialisms from the 20s got under my skin.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Clash Books for this digital e-arc.*

I started off really liking this book. Demons, suspense, humans losing their souls and being forced to work at the hotel (not really a spoiler don't worry).
But then the story just kept changing. Plot and character inconsistencies, severe pacing problems, and world building that just kept building and throwing off the story. By the end, it all just seemed way too messy and needed some serious editing.
Don't get me wrong, it wasn't all bad. I did enjoy some parts enough to give this 3⭐️.
As always, I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to have an advanced ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Good book, I enjoyed it between reads of a longer series. Thank you to the writer, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to review this book.

This is a wild ride. This book is a well written discourse on entertainment and how it changes you. Not just that, but how it itself changes. Mabel pulls you in with her heart and keeps you with the way it changes. This really left me thinking about how people accomplish things and if we get what we want are we ever truly satisfied. This book raises a lot of good reflective questions.

This book really needs a final review before publication as it has a few editorial mistakes, like unfinished sentences and wrong words used in the wrong places.

But I did enjoy the main idea of the story, but I did think it was probably a bit too long. It did get quite slow at times, and Will's story really did drag quite a bit. I am sure the idea of saying goodbye to Mabel's humanity could have been done another way.

But, all in all, an enjoyable read.

3.5 ⭐️s rounded up to 4 ⭐️s

Hooked me from the start with the strong FMC dealing with a hotel run by demons in the 1920s! 🙌

I definitely would say this seems like more of a dark fantasy than straight-up horror. While it did hook me initially, I felt it started to drag a bit towards the end. Despite that, I still enjoyed it and recommend checking it out for yourself! 👏

Thank you to NetGalley and Clash Books for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️

A blend of 1920s style and demonic horror, Below the Grand Hotel is a labyrinthine story of a young woman coming into her own.

This book has a lot of things it reminds me of. A bit of Hades and Persephone, a little bit of Orpheus, a lot of Labyrinth … it’s an underworld story in a way, but in a unique setting. The hotel is Art Deco glam that grows stranger and stranger as the story progresses. The descriptions, particularly of the hotel, were easy to picture, and some of the imagery was really cool.

The horror aspect of the book comes from the demons, as they are intent on feasting on humans and taking souls. As such, there is a lot of gore and violence in the book, though the book leans so heavily on the fantasy side that it’s not really scary or even disturbing. Then again, I read some pretty dark stuff at times, so do note the book has a lot of blood.

Mabel is more understandable than likable, at least at first. You get her motives and goals, but she also starts off as a weird blend of naive and over-confident. Once she begins to drop the act she puts on - she is expected, as a woman of the time, to be both virginal and a temptress, for example - she grows as a character. She definitely takes matters into her own hands and drives the narrative, and I loved the 1920s slang peppered here and there. The main gist of the book is a story about a woman rejecting the narrative she is forced into and making her own path under her terms. She changes her goal once she realizes it’s not what she really wants, and while her end result wasn’t exactly surprising to me, her growth was well done.

The other characters aren’t as fleshed out, but they are fun to watch. Had we gotten to know them more, I think the story would have been too serious. While it’s not a romp by any means, the book has a sort of detached vibe that keeps the horror aspects from being too horrific.

The plot is good - it starts off quickly and the twists at the end were a lot of fun - but I will say between around 50 - 70% I wasn’t as engaged. I’m not sure why, but the momentum sort of dropped off a little bit, so that I found myself struggling at times to get back to it and stay focused. The climax did bring it back in, though!

While the descriptions are strong, the writing is a bit heavy-handed. There’s a lot of overwriting with the author telling us stuff that should have been implied, or lines that we didn’t really need to get a point across. I wonder if this is because the author’s other work is for younger readers, who often need themes spelled out a little more overtly. It wasn’t super egregious, but I did notice a few spots here and there where I was like, “yeah, I know, you don’t need to tell me.”

Yet, overall, a solid horror fantasy that has a really cool setting, a tough main character, and some fun twists.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved this book. It was glitzy and glamorous with amazing descriptions of the hotel, clothes, food and every other kind of indulgence. At the same time is was gory and gruesome. One of the things that I really loved was the amazing sense of place that the books had. Both in time and location. I love Mable as a character and would love to see more from this author.

Below the Grand Hotel took me to all the places I wanted it to! I loved the setting of the 1920's Gatsby era. The story, gore, and decadence were perfectly balanced, and the pacing felt right throughout. The characters were fleshed out in a way that I cared about them and was fully invested in where their stories would lead. The writing made even some of the small side characters seem so important to the story as a whole! I was surprised more than once, which is always such a great feeling while watching a story unfold! The last quarter, the action really picked up and didn't let up until the very end. I felt the story wrapped up perfectly, and I would love to revisit to see what happens next! I will certainly be looking for more work from this author, and I absolutely recommend picking this one up in May!

Thank you, @netgalley, @clashbooks, and Cat Skully, for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!