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research_department's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
Stats: science fiction (not hard, not soft, so I guess medium), multiple third person POV/almost entirely past tense, TW: off page torture and off page murder
I have mixed feelings about this book. It has multiple POVs, changing every chapter. It’s an interesting choice, and I do feel that it has been done fairly well. Still, I think that is part of why I initially had difficulty connecting to the book, since how I connect with the characters has a huge impact on my enjoyment of a book. Also, the book is fairly slice of life at first, and so there isn’t much plot moving things forward either at first. Now, I was expecting a cozy, slice of life, optimistic, feel-good saga, with found family and a safe haven, so the initial lack of plot movement wasn’t surprising.
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Murder
kaneebli's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Ableism, Xenophobia, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Xenophobia, Car accident, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, and War
aelis_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, and Torture
maggpiebymoonlight's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Torture
bookwyrmknits's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.5
What I liked:
- I enjoy slow-paced, character-driven, slice-of-life stories.
- I enjoyed the hotel setting.
- Some of the characters (mostly Carl and Daphne) were enjoyable to read about.
What I disliked:
- The mystery part of the plot revolved around a mystery that gets very loosely resolved on the 4th page from the end. I wanted more denouement.
- Each chapter (except the final one) had a new main character, but I barely got a sense of personality from any of them. I definitely didn't get enough to connect with them.
- There was no need to throw in a torture scene in the middle of the book. That didn't fit the tone leading up to that point, and resulted in me distrusting the book.
I had very high hopes for this one, but I didn't get what I was expecting. I thought the hotel would play a larger part of the book and be more relevant to the story instead of being important for the first chapter and then turning into a background. If you go into this book expecting something closer to what it is than I did—less whimsical, more thriller, and definitely not cozy—then you might enjoy it more.
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Car accident
bel017's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
I liked the atmosphere of the Albion, that faded grandeur. Lovely gentle world building there. And the ever changing viewpoint was less disorienting than I expected. Overall--other than the abovementioned scene--I enjoyed it, the slow pace was pleasantly soporific. There are a lot of loose ends, but I wasn't deeply invested in the characters so that was fine. It was a nice place to pass some time.
Moderate: Torture and War
Minor: Vomit and Murder
mirrorstarweb's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
Moderate: Torture
skipjack's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Moderate: Torture, Murder, Colonisation, and War
pageheart's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Characters were interesting but the plot wasn't as fleshed out
Moderate: Torture
milliemudd's review against another edition
3.25
Graphic: Torture, Blood, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Murder
Minor: Car accident