Reviews with content warning for Murder - Floating Hotel

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Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis

12 reviews

research_department's review

dark reflective tense

Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.0

3⭐️, it’s ok.
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.

However, reading this, I felt like this was somewhat bait and switch. I knew that it had a mystery, but I thought it was going to be a cozy mystery. For me, it turned darker than I expected. Although the torture and murder are off page, for me (and I am sensitive to these things) it still evoked more ugliness, fear, and tension than I prefer. And if this is found family, it’s a pretty dysfunctional found family, with some real animosity within it. The safe haven is more of an illusion or a temporary reprieve.

One of the characters says: “It’s hard. Making things end in a way that’s satisfying is hard.” Which is ironic, because the ending isn’t entirely satisfying.

Still, there’s a lot to like here. As I mentioned earlier, the multiple POVs are handled really well. The characters are interesting and layered, including the late manager whom we barely meet directly. The Grand Abeona Hotel, an aging luxury space hotel is depicted vividly and lovingly, including the shabbier behind the scenes aspects. And some deeper themes are explored. Relatively early on, we start to read dispatches from a pamphlet critiquing and exposing the secrets of the oppressive Empire. More subtilely, we also see how peoples experiences and surroundings do or do not shape their personalities.

So, all told, it wasn’t a great book for me, but I think it is likely a good or great book for someone else.

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kaneebli's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious sad medium-paced

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

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bel017's review

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mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

In the middle of the story there's a present-day torture scene. In the middle of a book that is heavily promoted as cosy. There are some miserable back stories, and an off-page murder, but they feel sufficiently remote. The torture scene does not, at all, feel remote. It felt out of place and vicious.

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.

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skipjack's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious sad fast-paced

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

Best fiction book I’ve read this year.

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milliemudd's review

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emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

3.25

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senevilla's review against another edition

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emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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thecriticalreader's review

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

The Run-Down: Your mileage may vary with Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis based on your expectations of its genre, but it manages to convey a richly imagined sci-fi world filled with a colorful cast of characters.

Review:

Based on the cover and blurb, I expected Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis to be a low-stakes, cozy sci-fi mystery about found family set in a sumptuous hotel setting. Some of these expectations were satisfied . . . sort of. Is the book low stakes? No. Is it cozy? Depends on your definition of cozy; it certainly contains elements associated with the “cozy” genre, but it also conveys considerable darkness and tense thrill. Is it a sci-fi novel? Yes, but a soft sci-fi. Is it a mystery? Yes, but the mystery is unevenly developed and hastily resolved. Does it contain found family? Sort of—more like a group of coworkers who are fond of each other. Is the hotel sumptuous? Yes! As you might be able to tell, a person’s expectations could considerably alter how they respond to this book.

Some readers might not initially realize, for example, that each chapter of Floating Hotel follows a different hotel staff member or guest, creating a mosaic of slice-of-life stories tenuously connected by the central mystery thread. The chapters explore these characters’ backstories prior to their time at the hotel, thereby building a picture not only of their lives but life in the galactic Empire more generally. Curtis demonstrates a strong ability to vividly capture characters’ essences in a relatively short space, and each cast member is unique and fascinating in their own right.

Personally, I found myself sufficiently entertained and fulfilled by the book’s creative and effective worldbuilding and character descriptions. The mystery added enough stakes to the story to keep me glued to the page, even if it didn’t ultimately result in the payoff I expected. Your mileage may vary, however, which is why I recommend people read reviews before picking up Floating Hotel.

You might like this book if . . .

· You enjoy large casts of diverse and distinct characters

· You love books that take place in hotels

· You want to read a book that combines a slice-of-life approach with a high-stakes political mystery

You might not like this book if . . .

· You dislike books with multiple POVs (every chapter follows a completely different character)

· You enter the book with the wrong expectations

· You are a plot-driven reader

Content Warnings

szuum's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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yvo_about_books's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

4.0

Finished reading: March 13th 2024

"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 against another edition

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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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