Reviews with content warning for Grief - Floating Hotel

"Every job in hospitality is the hardest job in hospitality. If you're not physically exhausted at the end of the day, you're emotionally wrung-out, or braindead from making too many decisions."

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and DAW in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

It might come as a bit of a surprise to see Floating Hotel popping up on It's All About Books, because it's not exactly my usual genre... But there was just something about this cozy sci-fi slash space opera title that had me fully intrigued. The fact that it takes place on a huge space hotel probably has something to do with it considering my own background in hospitality... And I guess I saw the fact that it was going to be published on my birthday as a sign. I'm glad I did decide pick it up, because I ended up having an excellent time with this quirky story!

There is something unique about Floating Hotel, and therefore it might not be for everyone. This story doesn't seem to have a properly structured plot during most of the story nor does it follow one or two main characters; instead, Floating Hotel jumps between the different characters on board of the Grand Abeona and each chapter seems to be introducing someone new. There are also mysterious messages from a certain Lamplighter in between... This all might seem a bit tedious, but somehow it actually works.

While the POVs are different, there is always a common denominator in the form of the hotel itself, and the setting somehow binds everything together. The lives of the characters themselves intersect as well, and especially in the second half certain connections will become clearer. What at first glance simply seems like a collection of character backgrounds and random events, soon becomes a lot more layered as certain events take place and you start making connections and uncovering secrets. The structure of this story was very cleverly done and while the beginning was on the slower side, as soon as you start suspecting something strange is going on on board things become a whole lot more intriguing.

There is no doubt that Floating Hotel is mostly character-driven, and there are a lot of different characters in play at that. It is still quite easy to keep them apart though, especially since a lot of them appear in the other POVs as well. Things can be said about there being too many stereotypes and I don't think it's believable that most of them seem to love their job in hospitality (trust me when I say it's no picnic!), but I personally enjoyed spending time with this group of quirky characters. And despite the fact that Floating Hotel is set in the far future and in space, it is very much a cozy read indeed and the science fiction part isn't too overpowering at all.

All in all Floating Hotel turned out to be an unique and quirky cozy sci-fi story featuring a bunch of misfits and a space hotel where there is more going on than meets the eye. Initially it feels a bit disjointed with the constant switching to a different character, but everything does come together in the end.

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clarabooksit's review

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adventurous slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced copy for review.

Told in a variety of povs, Floating Hotel is about the people who have made their way from across the universe to live and work at the Abeona Hotel. More than a giant, charming, if slowly decaying, spaceship hotel, the Abeona is a home and refuge for its inhabitants but it seems like something is about to threaten that safety.

This took me awhile to get into. While the writing is engaging, each section is a new start as we get each character’s backstory, which made for a slow, winding read. The action does pick up near the end but the overall plot fell flat for me as it’s sparsely sprinkled throughout each character’s pov, which left the story without a sense of tension or even a build toward the ending. The plot scaffolding is there but not present enough to make the ending feel really impactful.

Where this book excels is in its character development—every one of the people onboard the Abeona felt real, nuanced and interesting with their own distinct voice. I was invested in each of them.

Unfortunately, the bulk of the book is made up of character backstories and there’s not enough on-page interaction between the characters, so the found family aspect is told but rarely ever shown. I know how the characters feel about some of their coworkers but I never got to experience them actually being a family.

Overall, I liked this, especially the character development, but was underwhelmed by the plot and the lack of the promised found family. It was fun discovering how each person came to be on the Abeona and how their stories contributed to the plot, but I wish there had been more on-page action as I was never fully invested in the mystery.

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jadehusdanhicks's review

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

The idea of this book is something I fell in love with but it just felt lacking. It put me in a huge slump and was hard to follow at times.

I feel like with more focus on the writing style this would’ve been really engaging as it was such a unique plot and very found family with all the hotels staff but as I said it simply fell short for me personally

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ruthhelizabeth's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I received an e-arc of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

Floating Hotel is the story of a glamorous high tech hotel which has had many decades to settle into her bones and become home to a host of muddled and messy folks.

In each chapter you hear a little more of the story of a staff member or visitor of the hotel, learning a snapshot of their life. The world in which it is set is effortlessly queer which is always glorious to read. The hotel has become a meeting place and a comfort for wonderful connections to take place.

I really enjoyed this book. I found many of the characters to be refreshingly original and quirky and I was intrigued to learn more about them and about the fate of the Abeona, the ship.

I found the marketing a little inaccurate to my experience. I was really hoping for cosy, but a number of the scenes were too far from that description for the book to be warm and easy to read throughout. Nonetheless I am very glad I read it, and I think I am likely to read Grace Curtis' previous book in my near future.

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