Published by CLASH Books and available May 6, 2025, Below the Grand Hotel immediately caught my eye as both a 1920s and demon enthusiast -- a wannabe starlet enters a Faustian bargain in a hotel full of demons sounds awesome. I really wanted to enjoy this, but unfortunately I didn't vibe with it. Except for some references to Prohibition and Ziegfeld there isn't much historical detail, and in fact there are several glaring errors (like mentioning the Talkies in 1925, two years before The Jazz Singer) that really took me out of the story. There's very little 1920s atmosphere -- we don't even get to know the songs Mabel, the main character, sings. The demon content was better and I always like seeing demons with strange anatomy, like second mouths (a common medieval image), but I also couldn't get myself to care about any of the characters. The writing is really repetitive and nothing impacted me emotionally like other versions of the Faust legend have. Maybe I'm a little harsh on it, but I was really expecting more.

I like the concept of this: the 1920s setting, the demons, the morally gray career climbing. But this one didn't quite click for me. The beginning felt rushed and driven by plot, so the protagonist, Mabel, wasn't as strongly developed as I would have liked, and the character relationships were difficult to buy into. I expected her to be a bit more devious and single-minded about becoming a Ziegfeld girl, but given the literal deal with demons early on, her goals shift somewhat. It feels like Mabel has little agency throughout the book, first at the whims of the demons, and then partnering up with another character, Will, to save his sister. Mabel ends up feeling like a side character in someone else's story as a result. I did enjoy the concept and the setting, but this one wasn't for me.

Hotels are such phenomenal settings for horror novels and this one works so well! I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher.

I adored the setting for this historical horror. This is a golden age story set in a hotel in New York. We have a main character who has moved to New York from Georgia to become a star. However for now she’s making ends meet through thievery. She spots a particularly attractive target of a yellow diamond on a woman entering The Grand Hotel. Expecting to steal and run, she instead finds herself trapped in the hotel and having to make deals with supernatural entities. The hotel was an amazing setting and it was used within the context of the time period so well. The transience of guests in a hotel juxtaposed with the imprisonment of those who work there was really fascinating. The lens of a hotel as a temporary state vs a place of eternal torment was explored so compellingly.

The book sagged a little for me in the middle but started off beautifully and ended well too. I loved the full on way the main character was forced into the world of the hotel and exposed to its many horrors. The novel was fairly intense throughout but particularly at the start and end.

None of the characters in this story were really morally sound and human lives aren’t valued highly. We gaze upon eroding humanity and what it means to be a monster as characters are forced to make impossible choices.

A fantastic setting, an interesting premise and a wild ride!

Not for me I’m afraid. Great premise and a strong opening couple of chapters, but this quickly becomes a slog. Unlikeable characters, lots of over-explaining, and repetitive writing that really needed a stronger editor.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC, sorry it didn’t click for me!

Ooooofh….this is billed as The Great Gatsby meets Hellraiser and to be honest, I can’t describe it better.

Mabel Rose Dixon - just a girl wanting to make a better life for herself, ends up stealing to keep herself ticking over, makes one huge mistake walking into The Grand Hotel….then again, is it a mistake - she has everything she dreamed of after all.

This is brilliant- it’s a quick start, and it took me by surprise, and just kept going. Gripping stuff and a bit “ewwwww”!!

My thanks as ever to Netgalley and CLASH Books for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

(Actual: 3.5⭐) Crazy book, wasn't sure what to expect but this is basically like if TGG was set in hell lol. BELOW THE GRAND HOTEL is rather intriguing imo, as Scully write in such a way where (whether intentional or not) you can clearly see a nice tonal contrast between lightheartedness and thrilling "horror" (I mostly mean gore, tbh). Like others have said before me, I don' t think this book necessarily falls under the "Horror" genre.... I expected to be scared, and there are thematically frightening moments I suppose, but I would consider this to be more of a Dark Fantasy? Regardless, while I did feel like there were some noticeable pacing issues and characters falling short/a bit flat at times, I still had fun reading it since it's not something I would usually pick up. This read would be perfect for those who maybe want to dip their toes into the Horror genre without actually going all-in, those who like reimagined classics with plenty of twists, and/or who are maybe looking for a unique dark fantasy type of read!

2 stars and my thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the eARC.

What a book to waste time on. I'm not going to give it 1 star because I really think it had potential, if the writer cared to actually edit her novel.

Mabel wishes only to be a Ziegfeld girl, which I'm assuming is a showgirl in the 20s because the novel throws us right into the plot with little exposition. Normally, that's a good thing, I'm a fan of showing, not telling. But with this, we have no motive for Mabel, or any other thought than "GET IN THIS HOTEL AND DANCE, BABY."

Before I dive in to why I didn't like this book, I'm going to say, I really enjoyed Mabel as a character most of the time. She was sassy and had a good head on her shoulders, even when she was making insane choices.

Now, the writing.

"I would take his generous offer if I were you," Evelyn said. She and Martin exchanged a knowing grin. "If you refuse, you will make the most delectable feast."
"Refuse him, and we will make a meal of your flesh," Martin said. His second mouth in the pit of his stomach salivated. Drool splattered on the carpet between his legs. "Then your soul, piece by piece."
"Not so fast, Martin. Her will is so delectable. we should savor the taste of her soul."

Even without using the word "delectable" twice, the writing is so clunky and repetitive, even in that small exchange.

"You can't be serious," Evelyn said. "You're not giving her so precious a responsibility, are you?"
"I don't know the first thing about feeding a diamond souls," Mabel chimed in despite her disbelief at agreeing with Evelyn for once. "How am I supposed to find a hundred people willing to be fed to a diamond."

I'm begging an editor to look at this book.

"Mabel? Is that you?" Lucky said from the other side of the curtained divider.
"Yes. How did you know?"

This comes LITERALLY right after a scene where Mabel asks the all-knowing hotel if it can ask Lucky for permission to stop by and talk. Literally, Lucky was expecting you, Mabel. That's how she knew.

That's all I'm going to share for now. I am DNFing at chapter 9.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

Well that did not end how I expected. I thought Mabel would go off with Will and his sister and not stay with Frank. A majority of the story felt like it was heading in that direction and I honestly feel like it should have. Will and Mabel had so much chemistry together. They balanced each other out well. Then Frank suddenly swoops in last minute and is also the hero of the story?? I thought fro a few chapters there that "Will" might've been a disguise and it was actually Frank with her the whole time and he had like a second form running around "looking for them" but I guess not. I feel like that would've been a better twist because it would show how Frank and Mabel could work together. Rather than suddenly skipping several weeks and suddenly Frank and Mabel have this connection that we'd never seen before. Despite that, I still really enjoyed the story which is why I rated it pretty high. The demon hotel was such an interesting concept and I loved how it was comped to Great Gatsby.

Below the Grand Hotel by Cat Scully is a dark, atmospheric mystery that blends gothic elements with a touch of the supernatural. The story follows a young protagonist as they uncover secrets hidden beneath a grand hotel, exploring themes of family, betrayal, and ghostly encounters. Scully’s writing is rich and immersive, creating a suspenseful and eerie atmosphere that keeps readers intrigued throughout. It’s a compelling choice for fans of haunting mysteries and gothic fiction.

Silky fantasy horror set in the world of 1920’s big stage acts and dancing girls and the grande hotels for that sort of clientele. Except here the hotel is not really for relaxing in at all, walking in its door is the biggest mistake you could make. Avarice, desperation and a bit of thievery brings smart and sassy Mabel Rose Dixon into the hotel. Caught she is given the chance to fulfil her dreams. But this might be one way ticket to hell instead. Thank you to Clash books and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

In Below the Grand Hotel Mabel is trying to make it big on the stage, but has had to resort to thievery to survive. When she follows a patron wearing a rather large diamond into the Grand Hotel and gets caught trying to steal it she finds that the Grand Hotel is a front for a demon underworld intent on gathering souls. Mabel is tricked into selling her soul to save her life with instant regrets. Now she must navigate the demon hotel and try to free her soul before the month is up or be trapped there forever.

A lot of the charm in this book was the fact that it was set in the twenties, where society was on the cusp of huge changes in entertainment, styles, and sexuality. It set a perfect stage for the hotel and all the vices involved, from drinking and betting to awakening sexuality. The clothing, jewelry, and ambiance of the hotel was beautifully crafted and over the top. At first I was unsure of the pacing of the book. Things seemed to move awfully fast in the beginning with Mabel trusting people, especially considering that everyone in the hotel was either a demon, soon to be demon, or a meal for a demon. Everything made more sense as you got further along in the book, but I will say that I did NOT expect the book to end the way it did.

The book had good plot and a wonderfully creepy atmosphere. I don't know that I would classify it as a horror, but it definitely is dark. 3.5 stars rounded up for ambiance.

Wasn’t able to read this one digitally but I will be ordering a copy of the book so will be reviewing it after I’ve read it. I’m really excited for it as I’ve only heard great things about it.

Not what I thought it was going to be when I requested an ARC of this book. Below the Grand Hotel was marketed as Hellraiser meets The Great Gatsby but...lacked the Hellraiser part so much that i wonder if the writer or marketer who made that statement ever actually read or watched Hellraiser. This has much more of a dark fantasy vibe than horror and while witty and well written the glaring difference to its marketing disappointed me so much I couldn't enjoy it. I might come back to it again but this was a miss for me atm.

This book has an extremely intriguing plot involving a hotel run by demons and an aspiring actress/magician having to make a deal to save her life but potentially losing her soul. The execution wasn’t always for me, but there was more than enough intrigue and world building to keep me entertained. I will definitely check out more from this author in the future.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy! This book is an excellent demonstration of how setting, place, and environment can really set a scene that is at once foreboding and enticing. I love a good haunted hotel story, and this one pulls no punches!

Thank you to netgalley for a free copy in exchange for a review.

I liked this, I should have loved it. The story was well written and I enjoyed the concepts. The 1920s glitz was well done and i like the references in the story to the realities of the time. Horror in everyday settings is my jam and this fell short and I'm not sure why. I hope the author continues to experiment with this because there is some real potential here.

Where to begin. I'm struggling with the rating on this one because the concept is interesting, it's what first drew my attention. That and all things 20s. The setup was great, the descriptions were vivid, and there was a lot of uniqueness going for it. Especially with the hotel wanting to be a haven for the dying arts. Where it fell apart completely was with the protagonist. She was unlikeable, unbelievable, and unrelatable. She's supposed to be fantastic at everything from acting to singing to dancing to thieving. Which apparently she was only forced to steal for a few months, but that's ok because she was super at it. And oh so clever. At everything. She could outfox them all. Except, she wasn't really clever and didn't outfox anyone. But the reader is told over and over again how clever and thief like she is without us actually experiencing proof of that. Too much telling without showing. I can overlook a lot of things but not a sloppy protagonist.

Described via the publisher as "The Great Gatsby meets Hellraiser in this 1920s horror novel of glitz, glamor, and demons", this story is not short on gothic horror, mixed with some class. With this unique premise, we follow Mabel, who is drawn to the glitzy and shiny world of The Grand Hotel. But there is a catch ... what comes next is a descent to hell, but a fabulous one? Filled with blood lust, opulence and gore, this was giving AHS Hotel vibes, to me. Cat Scully takes us on a trip to the supernatural underground of 1920's New York and I quite enjoyed my visit. Thank you to CLASH books and NetGalley for the ARC. You can check this book out when it publishes May 06, 2025.

I really like the concept of this one and it gave some AHS vibes. I also really love anything set in the 20s. I think the beginning was a bit rushed and I would have liked more character build for Mabel before rushing into the twist aspect of the story.

Below the Grand Hotel by Cat Scully had a fun premise and was an amusing read, but it could have been better. I felt the author leaned a little too hard into the 1920s slang, which quickly started to feel forced and pulled me out of the story. The pacing was also sluggish at times, especially in the middle of the novel. It could have benefited from some editing to tighten up the pace. That being said, I enjoyed the concept, and it was still an entertaining novel. This is a debut novel, and I will definitely try another book by this author!