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Floating Hotel
This cozy debut science fiction novel tells a story of misfits, rebels, found family—and a mystery that spans the stars.
Welcome to the Grand Abeona Hotel: home of the finest food, the sweetest service, and the very best views the galaxy has to offer. All year round it moves from planet to planet, system to system, pampering guests across the furthest reaches of the milky way. The last word in sub-orbital luxury—and an absolute magnet for intrigue. Intrigues such as: Why are there love poems in the lobby inbox? How many Imperial spies are currently on board? What is the true purpose of the Problem Solver's conference? And perhaps most pertinently—who is driving the ship?
Each guest has a secret, every member of staff a universe unto themselves. At the center of these interweaving lives and interlocking mysteries stands Carl, one time stowaway, longtime manager, devoted caretaker to the hotel. It's the love of his life and the only place he's ever called home. But as forces beyond Carl's comprehension converge on the Abeona, he has to face one final question: when is it time to let go?
Welcome to the Grand Abeona Hotel: home of the finest food, the sweetest service, and the very best views the galaxy has to offer. All year round it moves from planet to planet, system to system, pampering guests across the furthest reaches of the milky way. The last word in sub-orbital luxury—and an absolute magnet for intrigue. Intrigues such as: Why are there love poems in the lobby inbox? How many Imperial spies are currently on board? What is the true purpose of the Problem Solver's conference? And perhaps most pertinently—who is driving the ship?
Each guest has a secret, every member of staff a universe unto themselves. At the center of these interweaving lives and interlocking mysteries stands Carl, one time stowaway, longtime manager, devoted caretaker to the hotel. It's the love of his life and the only place he's ever called home. But as forces beyond Carl's comprehension converge on the Abeona, he has to face one final question: when is it time to let go?
324 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 19, 2024
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January 12, 2024
What a fun read to kick off the new year! Each chapter of Floating Hotel features a different passenger or crew member on board the hulking Grand Abeona Hotel as it saunters through the galaxy and Grace Curtis paints vivid portraits of the ragtag cadre of characters. While spending limited time with and shifting through each person’s perspective may be disorienting for some, there is a captivating mystery at the core of the book that provides a compelling thread connecting each distinct section.
The tone of the book vibrates on a similar frequency as Josiah Bancroft’s “Books of Babel” series — there are airships, class divides, a dash of whimsy, and a hodgepodge of peculiar characters, each aboard the vessel for a different reason.
There were some deliciously dark details that might make some question the “cozy” genre classification, but the story and characters exude charm, Curtis’s writing flows beautifully, and I raced through each chapter until reaching the final page. All in all, I greatly enjoyed my time spent aboard the Grand Abeona Hotel.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
See this review and others at The Speculative Shelf and follow @specshelf on Twitter and @thespeculativeshelf on Instagram.
The tone of the book vibrates on a similar frequency as Josiah Bancroft’s “Books of Babel” series — there are airships, class divides, a dash of whimsy, and a hodgepodge of peculiar characters, each aboard the vessel for a different reason.
There were some deliciously dark details that might make some question the “cozy” genre classification, but the story and characters exude charm, Curtis’s writing flows beautifully, and I raced through each chapter until reaching the final page. All in all, I greatly enjoyed my time spent aboard the Grand Abeona Hotel.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
See this review and others at The Speculative Shelf and follow @specshelf on Twitter and @thespeculativeshelf on Instagram.
December 22, 2023
A book with its heart in the right place and good intentions. Ultimately, it tries to do too much, but I still ended up enjoying it.
There is Abeona, a hotel-shaped oasis in an evil (of course it’s evil) Galactic Empire.
“Not for Abeona were the sharply curled edges of a gilt pedestal, the bone-bruising hardness of a veined marble floor, sallow gold and lace trim. … It looked like something somebody loved.”
Here are the guests and the employees with their backstories, and here are those who would rebel against the Empire. It starts off cozy. Come and follow Carl the manager (who is too nice to have this job, if you ask me); Uwade at the reception (good backstory); Dunk the sous-chef (“People sometimes asked Dunk what he’d be of he wasn’t a chef. … “Easy,” he’d say. “I’d be dead.”); Acad the grumpy linguistics professor; Ooly the math genius with bad social skills (such a cliché, but the author makes it work) etc etc etc. There is some Shakespeare and other poetry that made me smile in happy recognition. There are movie nights. The plot veers off into darker territory quite fast, though. Increased reading speed detected!
My problem was too many POV’s, all the characters hardly had space to breathe, so some were more well-written than others. I wasn’t impressed with the undercover agents’ chapters, for example. There were too many stories in one book, too many themes. We spent too little time on the big reveal and I had to suspend disbelief a couple of times. But there were brilliant scenes, passages, conversations, and a life-affirming ending.
3.7 encouraging stars, rounded up.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free e-book!
There is Abeona, a hotel-shaped oasis in an evil (of course it’s evil) Galactic Empire.
“Not for Abeona were the sharply curled edges of a gilt pedestal, the bone-bruising hardness of a veined marble floor, sallow gold and lace trim. … It looked like something somebody loved.”
Here are the guests and the employees with their backstories, and here are those who would rebel against the Empire. It starts off cozy. Come and follow Carl the manager (who is too nice to have this job, if you ask me); Uwade at the reception (good backstory); Dunk the sous-chef (“People sometimes asked Dunk what he’d be of he wasn’t a chef. … “Easy,” he’d say. “I’d be dead.”); Acad the grumpy linguistics professor; Ooly the math genius with bad social skills (such a cliché, but the author makes it work) etc etc etc. There is some Shakespeare and other poetry that made me smile in happy recognition. There are movie nights. The plot veers off into darker territory quite fast, though. Increased reading speed detected!
My problem was too many POV’s, all the characters hardly had space to breathe, so some were more well-written than others. I wasn’t impressed with the undercover agents’ chapters, for example. There were too many stories in one book, too many themes. We spent too little time on the big reveal and I had to suspend disbelief a couple of times. But there were brilliant scenes, passages, conversations, and a life-affirming ending.
3.7 encouraging stars, rounded up.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free e-book!
March 28, 2024
3.5 Stars
Video Review: https://youtu.be/nOaOLBiqSXw
This was such a cute science fiction novel. The idea of the floating hotel was a wonderful idea. While written as a novel, this read more like interwoven short stories exploring vignettes. I liked this one, but I did not find the narratives to be particularly gripping or memorable.
I would recommend this one to readers looking for a cozy, slice of life space opera in the vein of the Wayfarer series by Becky Chambers.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
Video Review: https://youtu.be/nOaOLBiqSXw
This was such a cute science fiction novel. The idea of the floating hotel was a wonderful idea. While written as a novel, this read more like interwoven short stories exploring vignettes. I liked this one, but I did not find the narratives to be particularly gripping or memorable.
I would recommend this one to readers looking for a cozy, slice of life space opera in the vein of the Wayfarer series by Becky Chambers.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
March 7, 2024
A cozy lil space story with some excellent characters.
Somehow got from this exactly what I expected? It was a story about various random people in a hotel floating in space. I liked the chill vibe, to be honest. It was calm sci-fi - not something I've really experienced before!
Essentially, all of these characters have a past that led them to this floating hotel. Most are staff, escaping various things, but there are a few regulars as well who round out the story quite well.
I liked that each character's view progressed the story in its own way. There's no real jumping back and forth; the story marches steadily on, gaining greater insight into the players as we go.
No hectic terminology or wildly deep ideas. Just a soft lil space adventure featuring a bunch of misfits.
I do think things could have been a little more thrilling, but as it is I still enjoyed getting to know the characters and their stories. There were still plenty of moments that kept me invested in these people, the hotel, and the collective future of all.
With thanks to Netgalley for an e-ARC
Somehow got from this exactly what I expected? It was a story about various random people in a hotel floating in space. I liked the chill vibe, to be honest. It was calm sci-fi - not something I've really experienced before!
Essentially, all of these characters have a past that led them to this floating hotel. Most are staff, escaping various things, but there are a few regulars as well who round out the story quite well.
I liked that each character's view progressed the story in its own way. There's no real jumping back and forth; the story marches steadily on, gaining greater insight into the players as we go.
No hectic terminology or wildly deep ideas. Just a soft lil space adventure featuring a bunch of misfits.
I do think things could have been a little more thrilling, but as it is I still enjoyed getting to know the characters and their stories. There were still plenty of moments that kept me invested in these people, the hotel, and the collective future of all.
With thanks to Netgalley for an e-ARC
April 2, 2024
even though i know i don’t like cozy fantasy i thought i might give cozy scifi a try. unfortunately this didn’t really work for me either, like always i just found it boring. i think if you’re going to do a cozy book you should make it a novella at least. anyway this kinda reminded me of doctor who a bit which i did think was fun
March 23, 2024
"Cozy" is code for "boring" in this intergalactic romp.
I had high hopes going in, but they were quickly dashed at the quarter mark. Every chapter is written from a new character's POV. It's supposed to build the idea of the crew being a found family, but at most, they seemed to tolerate each other. I would barely get a grasp of a character's past life and future ambitions before the chapter ended, moving on to someone I couldn't care less about.
The author tried to build a plot between the character's stories, but it was a half-baked storyline. The hints at rebels and secretive groups were just that. Hints. The author was too busy introducing a whole character in a ten-minute chapter for the plot to be held up consistently.
This story could have been a great addition to the cozy sci-fi world if it had focused on either fleshed-out well-written characters, or a crazy intergalactic spy organization hiding in plain sight with few key characters trying to flush them out. Instead, the author tried to fit both and ended up with a forgettable novel.
Thank you, NetGalley and DAW, for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
I had high hopes going in, but they were quickly dashed at the quarter mark. Every chapter is written from a new character's POV. It's supposed to build the idea of the crew being a found family, but at most, they seemed to tolerate each other. I would barely get a grasp of a character's past life and future ambitions before the chapter ended, moving on to someone I couldn't care less about.
The author tried to build a plot between the character's stories, but it was a half-baked storyline. The hints at rebels and secretive groups were just that. Hints. The author was too busy introducing a whole character in a ten-minute chapter for the plot to be held up consistently.
This story could have been a great addition to the cozy sci-fi world if it had focused on either fleshed-out well-written characters, or a crazy intergalactic spy organization hiding in plain sight with few key characters trying to flush them out. Instead, the author tried to fit both and ended up with a forgettable novel.
Thank you, NetGalley and DAW, for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
March 19, 2024
Something new!
You know those science fiction novels in which there are four point-of-view characters, and each character gets point of view for a chapter, then we move on to the next? (I think Gibson's Cyberspace trilogy was the first time I really noticed it.) You know how you never know quite what's going on, and it's all very confusing? Well, in Floating Hotel Grace Curtis takes it to the max, and SOMEHOW, she makes it work!
Floating Hotel takes place on the Abeona, a hotel that is also a spaceship, so it floats through space. Don't expect a lot of technobabble -- the Abeona is determinedly retro-chic. For instance, the Abeona's messaging system is paper messages sent through pneumatic tubes. There are of course a whole bunch of people on the Abeona -- staff and guests.
Each chapter is told from the point of view of one of these characters, a different one each time. There is just one character who gets two chapters, and by the time that happens, you will be expecting it. This is much less confusing than it sounds. Each character mentions some of the other characters, just a few in the earliest chapters. Thus when one of those characters gets a chapter of their own, you're ready for it. I never found the story hard to follow.
It must be admitted, at the beginning I was not quite sure if there WAS a story. Because this story-telling approach is a slow way to introduce characters and setting, the first half is fairly slow. However, I came to see that a story had gradually crept up on me -- a mystery, in fact. And it was fun.
I would probably rate this a mere three stars were it not for the novel story-telling technique. I'm a Neophile, so I'm always intrigued to see something in a book that I haven't seen before. If you prefer the tried-and-true, you may not like Floating Hotel as much as I did.
Thanks to NetGalley and DAW for an advance reader copy of Floating Hotel. This review expresses my honest opinions.
Blog review.
You know those science fiction novels in which there are four point-of-view characters, and each character gets point of view for a chapter, then we move on to the next? (I think Gibson's Cyberspace trilogy was the first time I really noticed it.) You know how you never know quite what's going on, and it's all very confusing? Well, in Floating Hotel Grace Curtis takes it to the max, and SOMEHOW, she makes it work!
Floating Hotel takes place on the Abeona, a hotel that is also a spaceship, so it floats through space. Don't expect a lot of technobabble -- the Abeona is determinedly retro-chic. For instance, the Abeona's messaging system is paper messages sent through pneumatic tubes. There are of course a whole bunch of people on the Abeona -- staff and guests.
Each chapter is told from the point of view of one of these characters, a different one each time. There is just one character who gets two chapters, and by the time that happens, you will be expecting it. This is much less confusing than it sounds. Each character mentions some of the other characters, just a few in the earliest chapters. Thus when one of those characters gets a chapter of their own, you're ready for it. I never found the story hard to follow.
It must be admitted, at the beginning I was not quite sure if there WAS a story. Because this story-telling approach is a slow way to introduce characters and setting, the first half is fairly slow. However, I came to see that a story had gradually crept up on me -- a mystery, in fact. And it was fun.
I would probably rate this a mere three stars were it not for the novel story-telling technique. I'm a Neophile, so I'm always intrigued to see something in a book that I haven't seen before. If you prefer the tried-and-true, you may not like Floating Hotel as much as I did.
Thanks to NetGalley and DAW for an advance reader copy of Floating Hotel. This review expresses my honest opinions.
Blog review.
September 29, 2023
This book has a unique structure, which is both its greatest strength and its greatest weakness: each chapter is told from the point of view of a different character, either a guest or a staff member of the Grand Abeona, a spaceship hotel orbiting around the galaxy, their stories interweaving and intersecting.
What's great about this is that for every reader there's at least one point of view character they'll enjoy reading about, but at the same time it's hard to get truly, deeply invested in anyone when so little space is devoted to each storyline. In this aspect the book would have benefitted from being longer, or from focusing on fewer characters.
I really liked the setting, both the hotel and the wider galaxy surrounding it - it felt well-drawn and realistic.
The book is a bit less cozy than I was originally expecting it to be: while the focus of the story is on hope and human connection, the stakes are high throughout, and it's set in an essentially dystopian future under a totalitarian government, with all that entails: murder, famine, death, the destruction of entire planets for the sake of harvesting resources... I would call this less cozy and more hopepunk. The world of the story is a place full of terrible darkness and injustice, but there is hope for a better future to be found in human connection, and in acts of kindness.
Overall, I enjoyed this very much, and I will be keeping an eye on future works by this author.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
What's great about this is that for every reader there's at least one point of view character they'll enjoy reading about, but at the same time it's hard to get truly, deeply invested in anyone when so little space is devoted to each storyline. In this aspect the book would have benefitted from being longer, or from focusing on fewer characters.
I really liked the setting, both the hotel and the wider galaxy surrounding it - it felt well-drawn and realistic.
The book is a bit less cozy than I was originally expecting it to be: while the focus of the story is on hope and human connection, the stakes are high throughout, and it's set in an essentially dystopian future under a totalitarian government, with all that entails: murder, famine, death, the destruction of entire planets for the sake of harvesting resources... I would call this less cozy and more hopepunk. The world of the story is a place full of terrible darkness and injustice, but there is hope for a better future to be found in human connection, and in acts of kindness.
Overall, I enjoyed this very much, and I will be keeping an eye on future works by this author.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
March 25, 2024
The Abeona: a hotel in space, with an ensemble cast of crew and guests. They all have their own stories, most of which overlap to a greater or lesser extent: an amiable manager; an anonymous political dissident; a professor and a mathematician attending a conference; some imperial spies; a chef; staff members who have fallen from fame, and those that have joined the hotel from more chequered backgrounds.
To the extent that there is an overall story, it is told, chapter by chapter, from the varying perspectives of each of the characters - sometimes overlapping in time with each other, and sometimes carrying the story forward. These vignettes are almost like fully formed short stories of their own - with each character vividly drawn, and uniquely distinct. This layering of stories and characters gradually builds an intricate picture of the vibrant life on the hotel, while weaving in a few mysteries and a (very) small amount of jeopardy, as the plot ambles forward.
While it was nice to immerse myself in the life of the Abeona, the stucture of the book isn’t without its issues. The switch in point of view in every chapter was a little jarring until I got into the rhythm of it - the need to ‘reset’ to a new perspective at (almost) every chapter. Some of the characters that have a chapter devoted to their point of view play quite a minor role in the overall plot - so, while their backstories and relationships with other characters were engaging, I wonder how necessary their inclusion was. Some of the major characters had an emotional authenticity that I found quite poignant and moving (Angoulême being particularly memorable), and I would have liked to have explored their lives a little more.
This could have been a plot-driven book if it had gone into greater depth with the mysteries, imperial spies, and shady backstories - the material is certainly rich enough. But, for me, that’s not what this book is. The book is about the characters of the staff, the guests, and the Abeona itself. The resolution of the plot in the closing chapters successfully ties up all the loose ends and mysteries that had been developed throughout the story, although this did seem a little weak. But, for me, this didn’t really matter, as the overall plot was a vehicle to tell the stories of the individual characters - it’s just good form to give the story an ending.
Thank you #NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the free review copy of #FloatingHotel in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
To the extent that there is an overall story, it is told, chapter by chapter, from the varying perspectives of each of the characters - sometimes overlapping in time with each other, and sometimes carrying the story forward. These vignettes are almost like fully formed short stories of their own - with each character vividly drawn, and uniquely distinct. This layering of stories and characters gradually builds an intricate picture of the vibrant life on the hotel, while weaving in a few mysteries and a (very) small amount of jeopardy, as the plot ambles forward.
While it was nice to immerse myself in the life of the Abeona, the stucture of the book isn’t without its issues. The switch in point of view in every chapter was a little jarring until I got into the rhythm of it - the need to ‘reset’ to a new perspective at (almost) every chapter. Some of the characters that have a chapter devoted to their point of view play quite a minor role in the overall plot - so, while their backstories and relationships with other characters were engaging, I wonder how necessary their inclusion was. Some of the major characters had an emotional authenticity that I found quite poignant and moving (Angoulême being particularly memorable), and I would have liked to have explored their lives a little more.
This could have been a plot-driven book if it had gone into greater depth with the mysteries, imperial spies, and shady backstories - the material is certainly rich enough. But, for me, that’s not what this book is. The book is about the characters of the staff, the guests, and the Abeona itself. The resolution of the plot in the closing chapters successfully ties up all the loose ends and mysteries that had been developed throughout the story, although this did seem a little weak. But, for me, this didn’t really matter, as the overall plot was a vehicle to tell the stories of the individual characters - it’s just good form to give the story an ending.
Thank you #NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the free review copy of #FloatingHotel in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
April 3, 2024
Hi! If you liked this book, you may enjoy the official character playlist. Presented here in order of apperance, excluding the interludes (sorry Reggie): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5jY...
That's all from me. Thanks for reading! Tip your servers!
That's all from me. Thanks for reading! Tip your servers!
March 31, 2024
Floating Hotel is part sci-fi, part mystery and part vignette, as you move from character to character, slowly piecing together the mystery happening aboard the Grand Abeona Hotel, a futuristic spaceship. This probably has the most POVs I've seen in a story, but as the majority of characters only appear from their own perspective once, this really works.
Each character comes from different walks of life, they're different ages, from different places and are various genders and sexualities and this made the story so interesting to read from each perspective. There were characters I really grew to love other the course of their chapters, and I was sad when their moment started to close.
I was worried when we hit the final chapter with no answers, but chose to trust the author. I made the right decision, as everything came to a close without feeling rushed, finally putting all the pieces together to make a complete picture. Frontier is very high on my want to read list after this!
Each character comes from different walks of life, they're different ages, from different places and are various genders and sexualities and this made the story so interesting to read from each perspective. There were characters I really grew to love other the course of their chapters, and I was sad when their moment started to close.
I was worried when we hit the final chapter with no answers, but chose to trust the author. I made the right decision, as everything came to a close without feeling rushed, finally putting all the pieces together to make a complete picture. Frontier is very high on my want to read list after this!
April 3, 2024
3.5 rounding up. This is a very sweet premise. A floating intergalactic hotel with staff and passengers that have become like family. Each chapter is a POV from a new character so we get their history and then their current predicament. I love the idea but I don’t think it was executed to its full potential. It needed a stronger story to tie it all together and every POV felt rushed because it was trying to do too much. I love the creativity so I’ll definitely look for more work from this author.
September 10, 2023
4.5/5 Stars
I want to thank Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Y'know when a blurb advertises a book as "perfect for fans of Becky Chambers", I feel it is my duty to read it and see for myself. This one? Oh yes.
Safe to say it's easy to see where the comparison comes from, but Floating Hotel has its own very unique charm. The story is told through a dozen characters as focalizers and, even though each of them has their own story to tell (which they do) and their own little plot to work on, they also keep building the story of this space hotel as a big cohesive group. There are characters you'll hate, those you'll love, any everything in between. The book goes deep emotionally but since it is rather short and has so many different perspectives, it goes deep very fast instead of with the long build-up like a Becky Chambers book.
Nonetheless, this made me laugh and tear up and restore a little hope in humanity. And that's all you can want from a book.
I want to thank Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Y'know when a blurb advertises a book as "perfect for fans of Becky Chambers", I feel it is my duty to read it and see for myself. This one? Oh yes.
Every job in hospitality is the hardest job in hospitality.
Safe to say it's easy to see where the comparison comes from, but Floating Hotel has its own very unique charm. The story is told through a dozen characters as focalizers and, even though each of them has their own story to tell (which they do) and their own little plot to work on, they also keep building the story of this space hotel as a big cohesive group. There are characters you'll hate, those you'll love, any everything in between. The book goes deep emotionally but since it is rather short and has so many different perspectives, it goes deep very fast instead of with the long build-up like a Becky Chambers book.
SHOOT FOR THE MOON! EVEN IF YOU MISS, YOU'LL LAND AMONG THE STARS!
Nonetheless, this made me laugh and tear up and restore a little hope in humanity. And that's all you can want from a book.
April 3, 2024
The Grand Abeona Hotel is a luxury establishment that travels in a year-long circuit of the Milky Way, stopping at certain planets along the way. Its staff come from throughout the galaxy, and is made up of runaways, misfits, and malcontents; nonetheless, the Abeona is known for its exemplary service, wonderful food and fantastic views.
Carl arrived on board when young, and never returned to his home planet.(He would not have been able to anyway, as its resources were stripped and environment destroyed to fee the ever-hungry Empire.) The then Manager, Nina Windrose, took Carl in, and over the years Carl worked most staff positions, and rose to the level of Manager after Nina’s death.
Their clientele is typically wealthy, but every year there is a conference held aboard; this year The Problem-Solvers’ Conference are meeting and staff is busy getting ready for the influx of academics. The purpose of this year's conference is secretive, with professors having to sigh NDAs so they can solve a strange code whose purpose and origin is not revealed.
The Abeona is also, by nature of its guests and circuit through the galaxy, home also to plots, intrigues and espionage, with Imperial spies regularly travelling along with regular guests.
Author Grace Curtis focuses on several characters, devoting alternating chapters to their perspectives, and through these we see the workings of the hotel, as well as the thoughts of some of the guests. Curtis also intersperses the narrative with subversive dispatches from the Lamplighter, who questions and points out problems with the 500-year-old Emperor, who stifles all dissent and questions, including the idea that there could ever be any kind of life other than human (not even single-celled) in the galaxy. Imperial spies currently on board are convinced that one of the staff is the Lamplighter, and are eager to apprehend the person.
We gradually get the sense that there may be merit to the Imperials' belief, and that the Professors' work on the code may be pointing to some uncomfortable truths about the basis of the empire.
I greatly enjoyed this novel and its quirky cast. I was charmed by the humour, gentle emotions (despite a few grisly scenes), and the kindness exuded by Carl to everyone. In turn, the profiled staff members each had interesting, and in some cases tragic, backgrounds, but managed to work together fairly harmoniously, despite the emotional baggage each carried.
I was a little surprised by one of the reveals, however, as I wasn't sure that there had been quite enough groundwork laid for it, but this is a relatively small complaint. I loved the atmosphere Curtis created, and I came to care a lot about Carl, Uwade, and Professor Mara Azad, and the fate of them and the floating hotel.
Thank you to Netgalley and to DAW for this ARC in exchange for my review.
Carl arrived on board when young, and never returned to his home planet.(He would not have been able to anyway, as its resources were stripped and environment destroyed to fee the ever-hungry Empire.) The then Manager, Nina Windrose, took Carl in, and over the years Carl worked most staff positions, and rose to the level of Manager after Nina’s death.
Their clientele is typically wealthy, but every year there is a conference held aboard; this year The Problem-Solvers’ Conference are meeting and staff is busy getting ready for the influx of academics. The purpose of this year's conference is secretive, with professors having to sigh NDAs so they can solve a strange code whose purpose and origin is not revealed.
The Abeona is also, by nature of its guests and circuit through the galaxy, home also to plots, intrigues and espionage, with Imperial spies regularly travelling along with regular guests.
Author Grace Curtis focuses on several characters, devoting alternating chapters to their perspectives, and through these we see the workings of the hotel, as well as the thoughts of some of the guests. Curtis also intersperses the narrative with subversive dispatches from the Lamplighter, who questions and points out problems with the 500-year-old Emperor, who stifles all dissent and questions, including the idea that there could ever be any kind of life other than human (not even single-celled) in the galaxy. Imperial spies currently on board are convinced that one of the staff is the Lamplighter, and are eager to apprehend the person.
We gradually get the sense that there may be merit to the Imperials' belief, and that the Professors' work on the code may be pointing to some uncomfortable truths about the basis of the empire.
I greatly enjoyed this novel and its quirky cast. I was charmed by the humour, gentle emotions (despite a few grisly scenes), and the kindness exuded by Carl to everyone. In turn, the profiled staff members each had interesting, and in some cases tragic, backgrounds, but managed to work together fairly harmoniously, despite the emotional baggage each carried.
I was a little surprised by one of the reveals, however, as I wasn't sure that there had been quite enough groundwork laid for it, but this is a relatively small complaint. I loved the atmosphere Curtis created, and I came to care a lot about Carl, Uwade, and Professor Mara Azad, and the fate of them and the floating hotel.
Thank you to Netgalley and to DAW for this ARC in exchange for my review.
March 8, 2024
HIGHLIGHTS
~no one has a happy backstory
~secret sonnets
~a rebel propagandist
~cows as presents
~don’t judge this book by its cover
Let’s get one thing straight: this is not a cosy book. I don’t know why it’s being marketed as one – perhaps the publicity/marketing team had no more idea of what, exactly, this book is trying to be than I did.
Because what it is? Is kind of a mess.
And before we go any further, I want to let you know that Floating Hotel doesn’t have a happy ending. It’s one of those infuriating endings that tries to dress itself up as a happy or at least hopeful one, but is in fact pretty fucking tragic if you think about it for more than .2 seconds. It’s an ending that retroactively ruins any feel-good fuzzies the rest of the book managed to scrape together. (And it did not scrape together many.)
So if you’re looking for a nice cosy sci fi to curl up with…this isn’t it. Allow me to instead point you in the direction of Lovequake by TJ Land (Lovecraftian alien takes human form and adopts human and superhuman misfits) or perhaps Three Twins at the Crater School by Chaz Benchley (traditional English boarding school story but set on Mars) or Gail Carriger’s Tinkered Starsong series (forming a band in space). But absolutely, categorically not Floating Hotel.
Like Frontier, Curtis’ debut, Floating Hotel follows a different character with every chapter. Unlike in Frontier, most of these mini-stories don’t tie together into an overarching plotline; instead, each one is more of a flashback to how the character in question ended up working for, or visiting, the hotel, sometimes split between that flashback and what their life looks like now. The characters’ backstories are, to a one, pretty miserable, and the hotel is presented as an escape, a home for all these misfits – one they appreciate to varying degrees. Not everyone’s happy to be working in a hotel for what will presumably be the rest of their lives.
This had plenty of potential to be a very cosy book indeed, which might be one of the reasons I’m so annoyed with it – because instead, Floating Hotel reads like a book that doesn’t know what it’s trying to be. Let’s take the imperial spies mentioned in the blurb as an example. In a cosy story, the spies would probably be played for comedic effect; they might be useless, or completely on the wrong track, or essentially toothless. (…which is an unintentional pun, which you’ll recognise if you’ve read the book.) Instead, we have discussions of and see the aftermath of torture and murder, backed up by many, many mentions and reminders of how horrific the Empire is – and how useless and pointless trying to change things is.
…What part of that is cosy?
Read the rest at Every Book a Doorway
~no one has a happy backstory
~secret sonnets
~a rebel propagandist
~cows as presents
~don’t judge this book by its cover
Let’s get one thing straight: this is not a cosy book. I don’t know why it’s being marketed as one – perhaps the publicity/marketing team had no more idea of what, exactly, this book is trying to be than I did.
Because what it is? Is kind of a mess.
And before we go any further, I want to let you know that Floating Hotel doesn’t have a happy ending. It’s one of those infuriating endings that tries to dress itself up as a happy or at least hopeful one, but is in fact pretty fucking tragic if you think about it for more than .2 seconds. It’s an ending that retroactively ruins any feel-good fuzzies the rest of the book managed to scrape together. (And it did not scrape together many.)
So if you’re looking for a nice cosy sci fi to curl up with…this isn’t it. Allow me to instead point you in the direction of Lovequake by TJ Land (Lovecraftian alien takes human form and adopts human and superhuman misfits) or perhaps Three Twins at the Crater School by Chaz Benchley (traditional English boarding school story but set on Mars) or Gail Carriger’s Tinkered Starsong series (forming a band in space). But absolutely, categorically not Floating Hotel.
Like Frontier, Curtis’ debut, Floating Hotel follows a different character with every chapter. Unlike in Frontier, most of these mini-stories don’t tie together into an overarching plotline; instead, each one is more of a flashback to how the character in question ended up working for, or visiting, the hotel, sometimes split between that flashback and what their life looks like now. The characters’ backstories are, to a one, pretty miserable, and the hotel is presented as an escape, a home for all these misfits – one they appreciate to varying degrees. Not everyone’s happy to be working in a hotel for what will presumably be the rest of their lives.
This had plenty of potential to be a very cosy book indeed, which might be one of the reasons I’m so annoyed with it – because instead, Floating Hotel reads like a book that doesn’t know what it’s trying to be. Let’s take the imperial spies mentioned in the blurb as an example. In a cosy story, the spies would probably be played for comedic effect; they might be useless, or completely on the wrong track, or essentially toothless. (…which is an unintentional pun, which you’ll recognise if you’ve read the book.) Instead, we have discussions of and see the aftermath of torture and murder, backed up by many, many mentions and reminders of how horrific the Empire is – and how useless and pointless trying to change things is.
…What part of that is cosy?
Read the rest at Every Book a Doorway
March 20, 2024
Release: March 19
Delightful, delightful, delightful: engrossing from first page to last, this involving Science Fiction "locked-room" mystery serves up what is almost the equivalent of a generational ship, given the lengths many of the staff have lived and worked on "the Grand Abeona Hotel." Think of the luxury cruise ships [for the excessively wealthy] of the early 19th century: the luxe accommodations, wide-ranging exquisite cuisine, superb service; and of course, classism, with the staff in cramped quarters, often denigrated by elitist guests, welcoming their time alone or with other staff.
Now picture such a vessel in Deep Space, traversing a galaxy, planetary system to planetary system, collecting guests, shuttling them to visit planets, and later to home planets. But the Abeona Hotel never ceases, never calls any planet home. It continually travels, a wabderer in Space (albeit on prescribed routes).
This elite vessel is set against a background of totalitarian authority, a "500-year-old" Emperor who rules the galaxy with iron control, and denies the existence of extraterrestrial sentience. He is the epitome of intelligent life, therefore aliens cannot exist. His rule reminds me of the Ottoman Empire of the first millennium Earth.
Of course, there will be rebellions and subterfuge, and suddenly his henchpersons target the Grand Abeona Hotel as the location of the long-duration gnat in the Emperor's reign, a "pamphleteering" journalist exposing truths the Emperor could not want known.
FLOATING HOTEL inspires devoted reading and rereading, to carefully elicit all its layers.
Delightful, delightful, delightful: engrossing from first page to last, this involving Science Fiction "locked-room" mystery serves up what is almost the equivalent of a generational ship, given the lengths many of the staff have lived and worked on "the Grand Abeona Hotel." Think of the luxury cruise ships [for the excessively wealthy] of the early 19th century: the luxe accommodations, wide-ranging exquisite cuisine, superb service; and of course, classism, with the staff in cramped quarters, often denigrated by elitist guests, welcoming their time alone or with other staff.
Now picture such a vessel in Deep Space, traversing a galaxy, planetary system to planetary system, collecting guests, shuttling them to visit planets, and later to home planets. But the Abeona Hotel never ceases, never calls any planet home. It continually travels, a wabderer in Space (albeit on prescribed routes).
This elite vessel is set against a background of totalitarian authority, a "500-year-old" Emperor who rules the galaxy with iron control, and denies the existence of extraterrestrial sentience. He is the epitome of intelligent life, therefore aliens cannot exist. His rule reminds me of the Ottoman Empire of the first millennium Earth.
Of course, there will be rebellions and subterfuge, and suddenly his henchpersons target the Grand Abeona Hotel as the location of the long-duration gnat in the Emperor's reign, a "pamphleteering" journalist exposing truths the Emperor could not want known.
FLOATING HOTEL inspires devoted reading and rereading, to carefully elicit all its layers.
March 20, 2024
3.5*
So Floating Hotel was a quiet, cozier sort of mystery, set in an interstellar space hotel. Cool, right? And it was all of those things! I liked the mystery, I adored the idea of the hotel itself, and I enjoyed the overall concept. Perhaps there were a few too many points of view for my liking, because it was harder to connect to the characters when we were constantly switching among them. That said, there were definitely some characters I enjoyed, so that was good!
There are, as the synopsis suggests, quite a few secrets to unfurl during the story, and mysteries to uncover. Still, it remains a quieter tale, even when the stakes are high. I wasn't exactly on the edge of my seat, but I didn't want to give up on it either. Obviously, the fact that this giant hotel is in space, in the middle of nowhere, ups the ante, so that certainly helped set the stage and the atmosphere, which was on point.
Bottom Line: Cozy and mysterious at once, this story featured a lot of characters and mysteries without being too dark, but appropriately atmospheric.
You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
So Floating Hotel was a quiet, cozier sort of mystery, set in an interstellar space hotel. Cool, right? And it was all of those things! I liked the mystery, I adored the idea of the hotel itself, and I enjoyed the overall concept. Perhaps there were a few too many points of view for my liking, because it was harder to connect to the characters when we were constantly switching among them. That said, there were definitely some characters I enjoyed, so that was good!
There are, as the synopsis suggests, quite a few secrets to unfurl during the story, and mysteries to uncover. Still, it remains a quieter tale, even when the stakes are high. I wasn't exactly on the edge of my seat, but I didn't want to give up on it either. Obviously, the fact that this giant hotel is in space, in the middle of nowhere, ups the ante, so that certainly helped set the stage and the atmosphere, which was on point.
Bottom Line: Cozy and mysterious at once, this story featured a lot of characters and mysteries without being too dark, but appropriately atmospheric.
You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
March 18, 2024
Mini blurb: In a dystopian future, on a cruise spaceship turned into a sanctuary for a group of misfits, lives and destinies intertwine and mysteries blossom, while an undercover rebel and spies from the Empire play cat-and-mouse.
***
Rated 3.5 really.
First off...DISCLAIMER: I requested this title on NetGalley. Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for providing a temporary ecopy. This didn't influence my review in any way.
Let's preface this review by saying, Floating Hotel is good at what it does. My problem is that I don't fare well with characters galore and short stories (of which the book is, for all purposes, a collection, though they intersect creating a broader narrative), and I like a little more action and stakes in my books...not to mention I expected the sci-fi aspect to be meatier - hence my rating. But if you're more interested in the human angle, and you don't mind getting a condensed version of the many protagonists' lives, and you like coziness and gentle humour (with the occasional patch of violence, and on the backdrop of a dystopia/totalitarian regime), you'll enjoy this one. While not every character is particularly memorable or relevant for the main plot, most of them are captivating, and it was fun to see how they - or their stories - connected. There's a satisfying (if a bit implausible) twist in the end, and though we don't exactly get closure about the hotel employees, the epilogue is a celebration of quiet heroes, and a testament to hope and resistance in the face of oppression. No small feat these days...
Note: definitive review (I don't have enough to say to justify writing a full-length one later).
***
Rated 3.5 really.
First off...DISCLAIMER: I requested this title on NetGalley. Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for providing a temporary ecopy. This didn't influence my review in any way.
Let's preface this review by saying, Floating Hotel is good at what it does. My problem is that I don't fare well with characters galore and short stories (of which the book is, for all purposes, a collection, though they intersect creating a broader narrative), and I like a little more action and stakes in my books...not to mention I expected the sci-fi aspect to be meatier - hence my rating. But if you're more interested in the human angle, and you don't mind getting a condensed version of the many protagonists' lives, and you like coziness and gentle humour (with the occasional patch of violence, and on the backdrop of a dystopia/totalitarian regime), you'll enjoy this one. While not every character is particularly memorable or relevant for the main plot, most of them are captivating, and it was fun to see how they - or their stories - connected. There's a satisfying (if a bit implausible) twist in the end, and though we don't exactly get closure about the hotel employees, the epilogue is a celebration of quiet heroes, and a testament to hope and resistance in the face of oppression. No small feat these days...
Note: definitive review (I don't have enough to say to justify writing a full-length one later).
April 7, 2024
The description of Floating Hotel overtly likens it to The Grand Budapest Hotel, and this comparison is both correct and compelling. Recreating the same tragicomic balance with her wandering space hotel, Grace Curtis takes this story places I didn’t expect it to go. Simultaneously heartwarming and heartwrenching, this is a book about doing what you love—and then saying goodbye to what you love. I received a copy in exchange for a review.
Carl is the manager of the Grand Abeona Hotel. This spacecraft makes a circuit of the known galaxy, taking on new guests for a system or two, hosting conferences, etc. Populated by a quirky cast of misfits and the occasional malcontent, the hotel is renowned and beloved by many, yet behind the scenes it has seen better days. The book follows Carl and several employees and guests in a series of interwoven plots, culminating in a confrontation that threatens the survival not only of Carl and his guests but of the Grand Abeona itself.
Curtis is skilled at a kind of shorthand with characterization, and the structure of this novel serves that well. At first, I was annoyed that I didn’t learn more about Carl immediately, didn’t get more of his backstory with Nina and how he came of age aboard the hotel. However, Curtis quickly won me over. With each chapter and each new viewpoint character there is a new opportunity to learn about the hotel through their eyes. I’m not exaggerating when I say that each character’s story has sufficient depth to be its own novel (or at least novella). Although Curtis returns to some of them throughout the novel, others only have a brief moment in the spotlight, and it always felt bittersweet to swipe left and say goodbye.
There are several intersecting mysteries at the heart of this novel. None of them by themselves are particularly deep or intricate. Whether it’s the identity of the Lamplighter or the nature of the mysterious message investigated by the Problem Solvers conference, I thought the solutions were fairly obvious from the start. However, that’s OK—the mysteries themselves are kind of beside the point, for the real reward here is the immersion in the setting and the characters who populate it. The vibe reminds me a lot of Becky Chambers’ Wayfarers series, though less cozy than quirky.
Indeed, the transformation in tone that this book undergoes is perhaps the most enjoyable thing about it. When I reached the chapter with the spies, when there was a scene with the bathtub, I realized this story was turning serious. From there, each chapter turned up the tension, yet the book overall never lost its charm and wit. Once again, a delightful sense of balance infuses Curtis’s writing. After several heavier books—many of which I enjoyed—Floating Hotel managed to be exactly what I needed.
Although I easily guessed the resolution of most of the mysteries, I was surprised by how the book itself ends—and I’m happy about that. Without spoilers, let’s just say that I expected Carl to come up with a very different plan from the one he ends up implementing. I expected something … perhaps more trite, more storybook? And instead, Curtis reminds us that sometimes the only way to win is not to play the game. It would be harsh if it weren’t also so hopeful: this book is a reminder that no matter what you lose, no matter what happens, your life goes on and you can always move forward. You’ll be different, that’s for sure, but you can move forward.
This is a sweet, sometimes sad, always entertaining novel. Highly recommend for people who want some soft, creative, and satisfying science fiction.
Originally posted on Kara.Reviews.
Carl is the manager of the Grand Abeona Hotel. This spacecraft makes a circuit of the known galaxy, taking on new guests for a system or two, hosting conferences, etc. Populated by a quirky cast of misfits and the occasional malcontent, the hotel is renowned and beloved by many, yet behind the scenes it has seen better days. The book follows Carl and several employees and guests in a series of interwoven plots, culminating in a confrontation that threatens the survival not only of Carl and his guests but of the Grand Abeona itself.
Curtis is skilled at a kind of shorthand with characterization, and the structure of this novel serves that well. At first, I was annoyed that I didn’t learn more about Carl immediately, didn’t get more of his backstory with Nina and how he came of age aboard the hotel. However, Curtis quickly won me over. With each chapter and each new viewpoint character there is a new opportunity to learn about the hotel through their eyes. I’m not exaggerating when I say that each character’s story has sufficient depth to be its own novel (or at least novella). Although Curtis returns to some of them throughout the novel, others only have a brief moment in the spotlight, and it always felt bittersweet to swipe left and say goodbye.
There are several intersecting mysteries at the heart of this novel. None of them by themselves are particularly deep or intricate. Whether it’s the identity of the Lamplighter or the nature of the mysterious message investigated by the Problem Solvers conference, I thought the solutions were fairly obvious from the start. However, that’s OK—the mysteries themselves are kind of beside the point, for the real reward here is the immersion in the setting and the characters who populate it. The vibe reminds me a lot of Becky Chambers’ Wayfarers series, though less cozy than quirky.
Indeed, the transformation in tone that this book undergoes is perhaps the most enjoyable thing about it. When I reached the chapter with the spies, when there was a scene with the bathtub, I realized this story was turning serious. From there, each chapter turned up the tension, yet the book overall never lost its charm and wit. Once again, a delightful sense of balance infuses Curtis’s writing. After several heavier books—many of which I enjoyed—Floating Hotel managed to be exactly what I needed.
Although I easily guessed the resolution of most of the mysteries, I was surprised by how the book itself ends—and I’m happy about that. Without spoilers, let’s just say that I expected Carl to come up with a very different plan from the one he ends up implementing. I expected something … perhaps more trite, more storybook? And instead, Curtis reminds us that sometimes the only way to win is not to play the game. It would be harsh if it weren’t also so hopeful: this book is a reminder that no matter what you lose, no matter what happens, your life goes on and you can always move forward. You’ll be different, that’s for sure, but you can move forward.
This is a sweet, sometimes sad, always entertaining novel. Highly recommend for people who want some soft, creative, and satisfying science fiction.
Originally posted on Kara.Reviews.
Shelved as 'dnf-baby'
February 1, 2024DNF at 15%
Unfortunately this book was not for me. I found it to be a bit tedious and boring. If you like the niche of Cozy Fantasy, this book could be for you, as it is Cosy Sci-Fi. For me, it was a little bit boring, and I feel like I just realized that cosy fantasy and sci-fi is just not my thing. I need some high stakes and more action and general excitement going on.
- January 2024
Unfortunately this book was not for me. I found it to be a bit tedious and boring. If you like the niche of Cozy Fantasy, this book could be for you, as it is Cosy Sci-Fi. For me, it was a little bit boring, and I feel like I just realized that cosy fantasy and sci-fi is just not my thing. I need some high stakes and more action and general excitement going on.
- January 2024
February 26, 2024
Oh boy, this was the messiest of mess and not in a good way.
I usually enjoy books which don’t have a plot, I’m all for the vibes, but this book has no plot and absolutely no vibes. I was so bored i thought I would DNF it so many times but I really didn’t want to because it’s an ARC. The writing is good but that’s pretty much it. Each character gets their own chapter and 1. There’s way too much back story, 2. It makes the story very choppy. Also in my opinion, it’s not found family, they’re barely colleagues. Finally, it was supposed to be a mystery and I think this part of the book was lost in outer space because where is it???
I usually enjoy books which don’t have a plot, I’m all for the vibes, but this book has no plot and absolutely no vibes. I was so bored i thought I would DNF it so many times but I really didn’t want to because it’s an ARC. The writing is good but that’s pretty much it. Each character gets their own chapter and 1. There’s way too much back story, 2. It makes the story very choppy. Also in my opinion, it’s not found family, they’re barely colleagues. Finally, it was supposed to be a mystery and I think this part of the book was lost in outer space because where is it???
October 1, 2023
4.5
Thanks to the author/publisher for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.
Full review here.
This was a really good read. The way it's structured is perfect for the story that is being told. It's like a collection of short stories with different main characters, and there's a bigger story going on in the background of the short stories. And with that structure, it managed to be character focused while still having a thrilling plot. Yes, sometimes maybe it gets a bit carried away at being character focused, but it's not that big of a deal. The prose is a joy to read from start to finish, really playful without being annoying. It reads a lot like cozy sci-fi, but it's actually quite high stakes, and I just love that contrast.
Thanks to the author/publisher for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.
Full review here.
This was a really good read. The way it's structured is perfect for the story that is being told. It's like a collection of short stories with different main characters, and there's a bigger story going on in the background of the short stories. And with that structure, it managed to be character focused while still having a thrilling plot. Yes, sometimes maybe it gets a bit carried away at being character focused, but it's not that big of a deal. The prose is a joy to read from start to finish, really playful without being annoying. It reads a lot like cozy sci-fi, but it's actually quite high stakes, and I just love that contrast.
April 5, 2024
The Abeona, a luxurious floating hotel that travels across planetary systems captured Carl's heart as a boy. He snuck aboard and was taken under the wing of Nina, the then-manager of Abeona, until Carl himself takes up that mantle years later. While the Abeona caters to some of the most wealthy and spoiled echelons of society, Carl and his eclectic staff have each found their refuge and home on the Abeona as they each want to restart their lives for their own reasons. The story follows several POVs as we explore the relationships between Abeona's staff and customers set against a background of interplanetary political intrigue.
I have complicated feelings for cozy sci-fi stories because I always end up enjoying them, but that is usually after struggling through some boring stretches, and the stories do not stay with me for long after the fact. This one fell in the same category. I appreciated the multiple POVs but found that I did not care for some characters and wanted more of others. The cozy part of the story also meant that plenty of mundane day-to-day activities were given a lot of metaphorical screen time, while the political intrigue was not deeply explored.
I will say though, that I got mild Wes Anderson's Grand Budapest Hotel vibes and I thoroughly enjoyed that.
Thank you to NetGalley, DAW and the author for this advance reader copy. I leave this review voluntarily.
I have complicated feelings for cozy sci-fi stories because I always end up enjoying them, but that is usually after struggling through some boring stretches, and the stories do not stay with me for long after the fact. This one fell in the same category. I appreciated the multiple POVs but found that I did not care for some characters and wanted more of others. The cozy part of the story also meant that plenty of mundane day-to-day activities were given a lot of metaphorical screen time, while the political intrigue was not deeply explored.
I will say though, that I got mild Wes Anderson's Grand Budapest Hotel vibes and I thoroughly enjoyed that.
Thank you to NetGalley, DAW and the author for this advance reader copy. I leave this review voluntarily.
March 22, 2024
"I reckon there's a lot more to love than romance. Sometimes love can be making a bed, you know. Fixing a drink."
"The perfect drink."
"You get it.”
That's an example of the parts of this book I loved. There were segments that felt like the adorable cozy sci-fi I was promised. The rest of this was not quite what I wanted.
1: This is an experimental novel. Every chapter is a new character. So while we have an amazing setting and a few great characters, we don't get to focus on it as much as I wanted. Every chapter is a backstory for a character we really don't...care about. They're all part of the puzzle of the plot, but it's so much piecing together that by the halfway point my brain didn't care anymore. I could only take in so many characters before I wanted them all to disappear and leave me alone with the two or three I liked.
2: The writing isn't bad, but it feels hard to get through. Now I think it's because so much of it is spent explaining who people are. Curtis has a poetic quality at times that I want to see more of.
3: This is marketed as cozy, but it really isn't. Which is fine...as long as it's not marketed as cozy. I know cozy fiction is a trend right now, but marketing a book as cozy when it's not will only draw in the wrong readers.
All that aside, I do recommend reading this to form your own opinion. If it sounds interesting to you, go grab a copy! I just wanted to point out some of the things that didn't work well for me. It's all personal preference and doesn't reflect on the quality of the book.
"The perfect drink."
"You get it.”
That's an example of the parts of this book I loved. There were segments that felt like the adorable cozy sci-fi I was promised. The rest of this was not quite what I wanted.
1: This is an experimental novel. Every chapter is a new character. So while we have an amazing setting and a few great characters, we don't get to focus on it as much as I wanted. Every chapter is a backstory for a character we really don't...care about. They're all part of the puzzle of the plot, but it's so much piecing together that by the halfway point my brain didn't care anymore. I could only take in so many characters before I wanted them all to disappear and leave me alone with the two or three I liked.
2: The writing isn't bad, but it feels hard to get through. Now I think it's because so much of it is spent explaining who people are. Curtis has a poetic quality at times that I want to see more of.
3: This is marketed as cozy, but it really isn't. Which is fine...as long as it's not marketed as cozy. I know cozy fiction is a trend right now, but marketing a book as cozy when it's not will only draw in the wrong readers.
All that aside, I do recommend reading this to form your own opinion. If it sounds interesting to you, go grab a copy! I just wanted to point out some of the things that didn't work well for me. It's all personal preference and doesn't reflect on the quality of the book.
April 17, 2024
this felt like wall-e if it wasn't dystopia rather slice of life
February 18, 2024
This was such an interesting novel, a bit mystery, a bit sci-fi, a bit found-family all rolled into one. I couldn't help fall but in love with the Abeona, the same way all the staff did. I kept imagining something like a flying Titanic, filled with decadent wonders.
I really enjoyed the back stories of each member of staff and some of the key passengers. Some might think it covered too many characters, but I think that was what appealed to me. Knowing how and why each came to be on the Abeona was engrossing.
The only sticking point for me was the non-linear timeline in the last few chapters, which was confusing...until it all came together in the end.
Thanks to DAW Books and NetGalley for the eARC.
I really enjoyed the back stories of each member of staff and some of the key passengers. Some might think it covered too many characters, but I think that was what appealed to me. Knowing how and why each came to be on the Abeona was engrossing.
The only sticking point for me was the non-linear timeline in the last few chapters, which was confusing...until it all came together in the end.
Thanks to DAW Books and NetGalley for the eARC.
October 17, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for approving my request to read an arc of this book
This is my first book by Grace Curtis so I wasn’t too sure what to expect. This book was so completely different to the books I usually read as it wasn’t about a romantic relationship although there were characters in the book who were in relationships or who liked each other, it didn’t focus solely on one couple and their ups and downs like I’m used to. This book is told from multiple perspectives and did take me a while to get into as there were lots of names to learn and remember which jobs each character was responsible for.
This book was such a mystery and while I definitely enjoyed it, I still can’t say for certain that I understood it. But I don’t think it was necessary to the story to always know what was going on.
Rogan and her rat Garbage were my favourite characters but there were lots of great characters in this story.
I did have some issues with this book though. It probably bothered me more because I’m disabled, so I pick up on language like this more than able bodied people do, but, it really did bother me that a book set hundreds of years from now would still use words like “idiot” “moron” “disfigured” because it means that not only have disabled people not become more well treated and respected, but it hasn’t even slightly improved.
This is my first book by Grace Curtis so I wasn’t too sure what to expect. This book was so completely different to the books I usually read as it wasn’t about a romantic relationship although there were characters in the book who were in relationships or who liked each other, it didn’t focus solely on one couple and their ups and downs like I’m used to. This book is told from multiple perspectives and did take me a while to get into as there were lots of names to learn and remember which jobs each character was responsible for.
This book was such a mystery and while I definitely enjoyed it, I still can’t say for certain that I understood it. But I don’t think it was necessary to the story to always know what was going on.
Rogan and her rat Garbage were my favourite characters but there were lots of great characters in this story.
I did have some issues with this book though. It probably bothered me more because I’m disabled, so I pick up on language like this more than able bodied people do, but, it really did bother me that a book set hundreds of years from now would still use words like “idiot” “moron” “disfigured” because it means that not only have disabled people not become more well treated and respected, but it hasn’t even slightly improved.
July 30, 2023
Quietly, he said, 'I'd like to stay, please.'
Nina nodded. 'Very well.'
Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis.
This is how the short prologue ends, and it summarises how I felt about this book. I just want to stay in it. I want to visit the hotel, meet the characters. Some were friendly, some distinctly not, but all are worth getting to know.
For those who read the bonus story at the end of Frontier, this is actually the opening of Floating Hotel, a massive spaceship hotel full of grandeur and luxury. The plot immediately jumps ahead forty years later from the prologue, with Carl running the hotel, surrounded by a whole host of beautiful misfits. Think Firefly without the action, Wayfarers without the aliens, the Spare Man by Kowal without the robotics dog. These comparisons are not to suggest this book was lacking in any way (except perhaps that last...). It's a brilliantly told story, jumping round POVs to give background and context to our cast, whilst also advancing an intriguing plot. I'm not here to spoil that story; it's one to unravel yourself.
I really enjoyed Frontiers and wanted more of the same style and wider universe building. This is it. An utter treat for sci-fi found-family fans, I'm already excited to see what Curtis comes up with next.
Nina nodded. 'Very well.'
Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis.
This is how the short prologue ends, and it summarises how I felt about this book. I just want to stay in it. I want to visit the hotel, meet the characters. Some were friendly, some distinctly not, but all are worth getting to know.
For those who read the bonus story at the end of Frontier, this is actually the opening of Floating Hotel, a massive spaceship hotel full of grandeur and luxury. The plot immediately jumps ahead forty years later from the prologue, with Carl running the hotel, surrounded by a whole host of beautiful misfits. Think Firefly without the action, Wayfarers without the aliens, the Spare Man by Kowal without the robotics dog. These comparisons are not to suggest this book was lacking in any way (except perhaps that last...). It's a brilliantly told story, jumping round POVs to give background and context to our cast, whilst also advancing an intriguing plot. I'm not here to spoil that story; it's one to unravel yourself.
I really enjoyed Frontiers and wanted more of the same style and wider universe building. This is it. An utter treat for sci-fi found-family fans, I'm already excited to see what Curtis comes up with next.
December 22, 2023
This was excellent. Feel-good but also exciting, and with definite nods to other authors while feeling wholly new as well.
January 12, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in return for an honest review.
I really wanted to love this book a lot, and in a way I did. In other ways, sadly the book didn't make it quite so easy.
One thing I appreciate is the introduction of the characters and how the readers learn about the world through the various characters. Each character is unique in a new way and the cast is unexpectedly diverse. Some characters are extremely lovable and others are intentionally less lovable - and I still enjoyed reading about them just as much. I love the worldbuilding and, of course, the concept of a spaceship hotel is just fascinating! The story itself is well thought out and until the very end, I wasn't sure how the conflict would resolve. Of course, there is plenty of foreshadowing, which keeps the tension.
I think the biggest issue the story has is pacing. The pacing makes it quite hard to continuously go forward in the story, especially because each chapter focuses on a different character. For me that resulted in rather large breaks that I took in between reading sessions. I do have to say, it was always very easy to get back into the book even after multiple weeks of not continuing.
Overall, I did enjoy the book a lot. I think this book is perfect for reading every day a little bit, and less so for trying to read it all in one go (which is my usual approach and probably the main reason I struggled to keep reading). I would enjoy this book for all sci-fi lovers, everyone who enjoys a good mystery, and all those who need to be reminded that quiet resistance is also a form of rebellion.
I really wanted to love this book a lot, and in a way I did. In other ways, sadly the book didn't make it quite so easy.
One thing I appreciate is the introduction of the characters and how the readers learn about the world through the various characters. Each character is unique in a new way and the cast is unexpectedly diverse. Some characters are extremely lovable and others are intentionally less lovable - and I still enjoyed reading about them just as much. I love the worldbuilding and, of course, the concept of a spaceship hotel is just fascinating! The story itself is well thought out and until the very end, I wasn't sure how the conflict would resolve. Of course, there is plenty of foreshadowing, which keeps the tension.
I think the biggest issue the story has is pacing. The pacing makes it quite hard to continuously go forward in the story, especially because each chapter focuses on a different character. For me that resulted in rather large breaks that I took in between reading sessions. I do have to say, it was always very easy to get back into the book even after multiple weeks of not continuing.
Overall, I did enjoy the book a lot. I think this book is perfect for reading every day a little bit, and less so for trying to read it all in one go (which is my usual approach and probably the main reason I struggled to keep reading). I would enjoy this book for all sci-fi lovers, everyone who enjoys a good mystery, and all those who need to be reminded that quiet resistance is also a form of rebellion.
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