Reviews

Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis

beansandfungi's review

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious relaxing sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Grace Curtis hooked me with her first book Frontier, so as soon as I heard she had another one coming I rushed to order it! And it was worth it! Floating Hotel is beautifully bittersweet, full of fantastic characters, with a mystery in the background to keep things churning along

utopiastateofmind's review

3.25

(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.) 

I have been looking forward to reading this for a while. I'm not even sure how I heard of Grace Curtis, but once I read the premise I was hooked. Talk about a story which feels like straight out of a Doctor Who episode. Featuring multiple POVs, Floating Hotel is like a Space Titanic with a dose of rebellion. While there's a slow build up to the impetus of the story, the first half reads more cozy SF about the hotel guests. The things we hide from others, how we appear in one interaction, and all our motivations.

michellewalsh's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

I picked up this book on a whim —the blurb sounded interesting enough — and then promptly forgot about it until a few days ago. I cannot express how glad I am that I did. 

Floating Hotel is very much not what I expected:heavy on the character exploration, integrating charming and telling flashbacks with present-day interactions aboard the Abeona to show both the passing of time and the impact of life before coming on board. I was anticipating some mystery, perhaps some murder, but I wouldn’t trade a second of Floating Hotel. 

As an avid SFF reader who is big on both world-building and character development, this book was a strange sweet spot. While the present-day plot of the novel isn’t grandiose or action-packed, I was enticed by the mystery.

Truthfully, around the halfway mark, I stopped worrying about who the Lamplighter could be and was more interested in learning about the rest of the staff members.

There is something about Grace Curtis’s writing that just clicked for me. The description consistently focuses on the small details to tell the biggest pieces of the story— a half smirk or the flatness of a waiter’s wrist or the crumple of paper in a fist— and I felt myself slipping into this world effortlessly. Because of this level of description, almost filtering out the gaudy or grand details one would usually expect, I felt more able to visualize this book than I have with others in a very long time. 

Not to mention the varied and fascinating cast of characters.

Their daily life is heavy on mundanity, wildly contrasting criminal pasts to show the power of comraderie and found family at its peak. Every POV offered some new insight into the Abeona, into the Manager and the other staff, into life in this galaxy and how unchanged the human race remains even in 2814.

I cannot forget to mention my deep love for Omar Mataz’s overdramatic but expertly executed phrasings, the semi-grotesque but wholly endearing way the characters are physically described, and the name Kipple Pittsburgh. These things will live on with me for all of time. 

I love you, Floating Hotel. I love you, Grace Curtis. I love you DAW and Netgalley for giving me access to this arc in exchange for an honest review.

losgoosebumps's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

mebius's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny informative lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Loved the format of one chapter - once character. Characters feel alive and different enough to warrant that style. I wouldn't call it entirely cosy since there are some dark elements but it's lighthearted enough.

lhartlage's review

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

nnbb's review

emotional sad slow-paced

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

1.0

katierussell798's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

bridgettmorigna's review against another edition

funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

4.0

rachtmh's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious relaxing tense medium-paced

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

5.0

The chapter style and writing for this book was phenomenal! The spilt and inserts and pov changes, the characters, the plot, the intrigue! It all blew me away! I usually read high fantasy but have always had a soft spot for science fiction and this did not disappoint! 
The pacing was a bit quicker than my normal but still great and there is plenty of diversity. 
A must read for all sci-fi/space opera fans…and espionage…..in space!!!! 
Definite re-read 5 ⭐️

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Content Warnings

Minor: Cursing, Torture, Alcohol, Blood, and Classism