I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis Published by Daw Books on March 19 2024
Genres: Adult, Science fiction
Pages: 291
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A (mostly) gentle character study about a motley crew of hotel staff and patrons, Floating Hotel is light on plot but succeeds with its lively characters and emotional connections.
Floating Hotel is a delightful found family, slice-of-life story revolving around a group of people aboard the Grand Abeona Hotel, a spaceship that ping-pongs through the solar system, visiting various planets as it makes its way through space. Readers who like plot heavy stories and firm answers might struggle a bit with this book, but I knew going in that the story was focused on character vignettes rather than a driving plot, and it ended up working well for me.
Curtis sets her story on a luxury “floating” hotel in space, where visitors can enjoy fine dining and upscale services, relax in the hotel’s pool and spa, or simply enjoy some privacy on their way to somewhere else. Carl is the hotel manager, and he’s worked on the Abeona for the last forty years. Other hotel employees include Omar Mataz, assistant manager; Sasha, Chief Technician; Uwade, the receptionist; Ryōko, the head chef and Dunk, sous-chef; Rogan, the pool lifeguard; Reggie the bellhop; Daphne, the waitress; Angoulême, the house pianist; and Ephraim, in charge of cleaning the rooms. When the story opens, we discover that Uwade has been receiving messages in the form of romantic sonnets from a secret admirer. Or are the messages something more ominous, since other crew members seem to be getting them as well?
Among management there are rumblings about a spy on board, as well as a renegade called the Lamplighter who opposes the Empire and posts inciting missives. At the annual Problem Solvers’ Conference, currently meeting on board the Abeona, attendees have been given a puzzle to solve, and Professor Azad and her assigned partner Ooly Mall are about to make a startling discovery as they begin to crack the code. And then a guest goes missing, and panic sets in. How are all these things connected? Who is the Lamplighter? And how does the old movie Friends From Beyond fit in? Carl just wants to keep the peace, but tensions are rising and everything is starting to spiral out of control.
Each chapter focuses on a different character in the hotel and includes a flashback that shows how that character ended up on the Abeona, and I thought this was a great way to introduce everyone and explain their relationships with each other. I really loved these backstories, and as you get to know each character, you begin to realize that most of the hotel staff have run away from something unpleasant in their lives. The fact that this misfit group of people ended up together is what makes this such a good found family story. Some of my favorites were Uwade, who was (briefly) a famous pop star back on her planet, and Sasha, who is hiding a big secret and who has an intriguing backstory, one that comes full circle by the end of the story. My favorite, though, was Carl, the enigmatic manager who stowed away on the Abeona when he was twelve, running from a horrible family situation. His predecessor Nina is a bit of a mystery in this story, and even though she’s dead, she seems to have a presence on the ship.
And then there are the guests, like Azad and Ooly, two completely different people who end up bonding over their ability to solve an impossible puzzle, and the Countess, who nearly causes a terrible accident with her hovercraft and ends up ditching her assistant Daphne, a young girl with a stutter who finds herself without a job (but is immediately swept up by the staff and given a job in the restaurant). The story takes a very dark turn when we meet Mr. and Mrs. Applegate, a couple who turn out to be more than they appear, tasked by their boss to uncover the identity of the Lamplighter. Their story turned into a kidnapping/torture subplot that almost felt out of place among the rest of the crew’s stories, and this was the only element that didn’t seem to fit.
Reggie, the hotel’s bellhop, has started an activity for the staff called “Shit Movie Night” and he’s currently screening an old sci-fi flick about aliens called Friends From Beyond. These “movie night” gatherings not only show how close the characters have become, but the movie itself seems to parallel what’s happening on the Abeona. I loved these sections, because the staff is off duty and relaxed, and here’s where their real personalities come out.
As for negatives, the resolution of the Lamplighter mystery was a little vague, and the way the kidnapping tied in didn’t really make sense to me, but these side dramas weren’t the main attraction anyway. I enjoyed these characters so much, even the prickly, unfriendly ones, who all seem to have reasons in the past for the way they act in the present. There’s a bigger world beyond the walls of the Abeona that the reader only glimpses at times, an oppressive Empire that is ruining lives and even planets. But I loved the insular feel of being wrapped up in the ship, and I was content to spend time with the characters and their immediate issues.
This is a cleverly constructed, feel good story, and I’m eager to read more of Grace Curtis’s work.
Big thanks to Wunderkind PR and the publisher for providing a review copy.
Great review Tammy – I think Carl was my favourite character too!
Thanks Ollie! Carl held it all together, right?
He is the glue of the family!
I was on the fence about this one because of some negative reviews I read, but your comments about the sense of found family among the crew have raised my expectations, since this is one element I always enjoy. Reading your review I kept thinking about Becky Chambers’ storytelling, and The Floating Hotel sounds like it offers the same kind of vibes, which is encouraging…
Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…MISTER LULLABY, by J.H. Markert
I think you just need to adjust your expectations going in. That helped a lot for me.
Great review
Thanks!
You already had me at found family Tammy!
The found family aspect was so well done!
Well, I’m glad you liked it better than Suzy and some of the other reviewers I’ve seen! I’ll keep my eye out for some of her other stuff—including Frontier. But—big question—do you think it’s worth $17? ‘Cause that’s what the ebook is selling for now
$17 is pretty steep for any ebook! Which is why I rarely buy them.
When I saw the cover and title my first thought was Love Boat in space. 🙂 But it sounds like this might get a little darker than the show did. I do like found family and if the characterization is strong enough it can easily overcome any lack of plot. If I ever find myself working there I’ll be all onboard with Shit Movie Night! 🙂
Ha ha Love Boat in Space would be a lot of fun! But there isn’t much romance going on here, although there are a few possibilities:-)
The found family trope is such a great one and one of my favorites. Also would love to go to “Shit Movie Night”, it just sounds like so much fun. 😀
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Book Blitz: The Professor by Skye Warren + Amazon Gift Card Giveaway
Ha ha right? I loved those scenes where they’re watching the movie together, it brought back memories of college for me.
This sounds just nice. I’m looking forward to reading it. Great review, Tammy!
Thanks Lauren, I hope you enjoy it:-)
I’ve been looking forward to seeing your review for this and I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it. I loved the way that everyone was introduced in a way that let you discover their own personal stories and Uwade was one of my favourites too. I really appreciated how the author managed to factor in the dark side of the music industry whilst telling her story. I’m glad the more prickly characters worked for you too. I didn’t mind the ubiquitous nature of the ending but I did think at the time that it wouldn’t work for everyone.
Yes, I loved learning about Uwade’s terrible experience with her music, and to see how she’s recovered from it.
Sometimes I am just more in the mood for characters rather than plot, it generally is easier to get emotionally attached/involved that way. Sounds like this might be one to keep in mind when I’m in the mood for something like that.
Me too, I thought she did a great job making you care about all these weirdos! lol
I am glad this worked out so well for you! I think my main problem with it was that the characters didn’t really worked for me. I liked Carl enough and my favorite were the kitchen staff but… I didn’t really care. Anyway, I am so glad you enjoyed it!
I get that, since the characters are so important, I can see why it didn’t work that well.
I liked it but I had a bit more trouble with the limited plot than you did. My review is tomorrow. Excellent review!
Anne – Books of My Heart recently posted…Killer Secrets by Kathleen Donnelly @KatK9writer @CarinaPress
I fancy the sound of this!
calypte recently posted…Play of Shadows – Sebastien de Castell
“I knew going in that the story was focused on character vignettes rather than a driving plot, and it ended up working well for me.”
I guess that’s why I wasn’t a huge fan, though as I said in my review, it’s a perfectly fine book in its own right. I’ve just read another novel with a huge cast (The Book of Love by Kelly Link) and I loved it because there’s a strong story arc and, at the same time, the author managed to make me care for/keep me interested in every single character, even the peripheral ones. Not the case here (though it’s a short book, which might be one of the reasons)…like, you mentioned Sasha in your review, and I was drawing a blank. I think I’ve already forgotten half of them LOL.
Brilliant review, as usual!
Roberta R. recently posted…Ryan Leslie: “Colossus” (ARC Review)
Great Review! This one is sitting on my TBR pile – will have to move it up the list!
Charlotte recently posted…Book Review: The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
I guess so long as you go into this with reasonable expectations it could work ok. If you’re expecting some dramatic plot – not so much. Kind of made me think of Becky Chambers with the slice of life side and character focus.
Lynn 😀
I’ve seen some very mixed reviews for this one, but so far all the bloggers I follow and trust that have read this enjoyed it, so I am actually pretty optimistic I’ll like it too. I would love to pick it up next month!
This sounds like so much fun! Adding to my never-ending list…
I liked the movie nights too! I felt like while their were a lot of characters, it really was Carl’s story more than anyone else’s, even though they’re well developed too. Agree with you about the kidnapping bit feeling out of place, too. Great review!
Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight recently posted…Conageddon 4: We’re Back, Bitches!
I do love a good found family story! It’s a shame that it’s a bit light on the actual plot but the characters all sound wonderful.
Lovely review, Tammy. Now that I know it’s more of a mystery novel, it’s probably not for me, but I can admire the cover and your review about it. It sounds kind of in the style of an Agatha Christie mystery. Then again, I’ve only read one, so what do I know? LOL!!
Celeste | A Literary Escape recently posted…SFINCS Review: The Collector’s Lost Things by Jessica A. McMinn
Lovely review, Tammy. And I’m really glad that you enjoyed this one as much as I did:)). I kept seeing all the negative reviews and was scratching my head a bit as to exactly why. But I do think the blurb is a bit misleading and that never works out well for a book.
I does sound good, for I was expecting more action
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Nice review. Sound like a cozy read.
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Almost sounds like it could be a tv show. Great review, thanks for sharing!
Lisa Mandina (Lisa Loves Literature) recently posted…ARC Review: Otherworldly by F.T. Lukens
Who do you think Omar mataz liked? I’ve been wanting to know for a while on what your opinion is. Absolutely loved the book though it was really good. Would you recommend Frontier?