A review by research_department
Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis

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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