You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Long time fan of Maggie Stiefvaters work and am very glad this isn't an exception to that! As always her characterisation is really wonderful and I especially enjoyed how the hotel was realised. The magic of the Sweetwater blending in with the magic of luxury and all the people it takes to make luxury happen was really cool to see described. In short enjoyed it a lot! Am excited to read what she puts out next! :)
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This might be 4stars on reflection.
A slow burn, amospheric ww2 novel. The hotel and it's Sweetwater are the main characters, how June and Agent Minnick relate to them is the main plot. The romance secondary. But strong in it's subtlety.
A slow burn, amospheric ww2 novel. The hotel and it's Sweetwater are the main characters, how June and Agent Minnick relate to them is the main plot. The romance secondary. But strong in it's subtlety.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Confinement, Antisemitism, Abandonment, War, Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Mental illness, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Alcohol, Deportation
Minor: Toxic relationship, Medical content
I loved it! It has Maggie's way of being serious without depressing. It has her way of being whimsicle without feeling childish or silly or fake.
slow-paced
Very atmospherical, so much so that I don't quite know if I liked the plot because I was so taken in by everything else. Bit of an abrupt ending but that fits as well.
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Rounded up to 3.85*.
Overall I liked the book, but there were some spots where it dragged, as the story moves quite slow. The book is the author's first foray into adult fiction I think, so this was quite different from the Raven Boys and Scorpio Races, which are some of my all-time favorites. It's a more mature and complicated set of themes as a result, which I think the author handled well, especially the one of complicity. It did bring to mind The Remains of the Day a bit. I'm not very familiar with WWII besides the basic facts because it's not usually the genre I read, but it was fascinating to read about these diplomatsjailed housed in luxury. M Stiefvater suffused this with the same wonderful magical atmosphere as her other beloved books, in a way only she can do. I also really liked the characters, with the Avallon being one such. All in all, it was a good read and I could be persuaded to revisit if the mood strikes me.
Overall I liked the book, but there were some spots where it dragged, as the story moves quite slow. The book is the author's first foray into adult fiction I think, so this was quite different from the Raven Boys and Scorpio Races, which are some of my all-time favorites. It's a more mature and complicated set of themes as a result, which I think the author handled well, especially the one of complicity. It did bring to mind The Remains of the Day a bit. I'm not very familiar with WWII besides the basic facts because it's not usually the genre I read, but it was fascinating to read about these diplomats
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ah, Maggie Stiefvater.
I read this basically in one sitting because once I started, I just couldn't stop. I'm still thinking about the balance between all the seemingly disparate elements of this story and how they all come together so magically, Maggie Stiefvater's always incredible writing, and how parts of this story feel like such an eerie reflection of the current state of the US without being overbearing. I would argue there's some subtle political commentary, but so much of the book feels like the listeners it's named after––observing the world and the people populating it, reflecting back what it sees, highlighting true emotions with minimal judgment... I absolutely loved it.
I read this basically in one sitting because once I started, I just couldn't stop. I'm still thinking about the balance between all the seemingly disparate elements of this story and how they all come together so magically, Maggie Stiefvater's always incredible writing, and how parts of this story feel like such an eerie reflection of the current state of the US without being overbearing. I would argue there's some subtle political commentary, but so much of the book feels like the listeners it's named after––observing the world and the people populating it, reflecting back what it sees, highlighting true emotions with minimal judgment... I absolutely loved it.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This wound up being less than the sum of its parts, I think. It's a real bummer, because Stiefvater is one of very few YA authors whose writing I enjoy so I was really anticipating this adult fantasy debut of hers.
I often forgive Stiefvater for loosey goosey plots because her character writing is so on point but in this one there's some je ne sais quoi missing. Her fantastic turns of phrase and really clever moments of storytelling craft are still here but something about the emotions of it all is missing. That may be intentional, as one of the main characters describes herself as a piece of furniture you can't see the shape of with a sheet thrown over it. Even if intentional, I think it's a miss. Same with the magical elements. I don't typically mind her keeping them vague and shrouded but when this one seems to have so much bearing on June's characterization, I think the choice to leave that very unexplained was a fumble.
The last 100 pages were pretty great—emotion, intrigue, plot, urgency. But the 300 pages before that just meandered in the usual Stiefvater way without managing to emotionally grab me the way she usually can.
I often forgive Stiefvater for loosey goosey plots because her character writing is so on point but in this one there's some je ne sais quoi missing. Her fantastic turns of phrase and really clever moments of storytelling craft are still here but something about the emotions of it all is missing. That may be intentional, as one of the main characters describes herself as a piece of furniture you can't see the shape of with a sheet thrown over it. Even if intentional, I think it's a miss. Same with the magical elements. I don't typically mind her keeping them vague and shrouded but when this one seems to have so much bearing on June's characterization, I think the choice to leave that very unexplained was a fumble.
The last 100 pages were pretty great—emotion, intrigue, plot, urgency. But the 300 pages before that just meandered in the usual Stiefvater way without managing to emotionally grab me the way she usually can.