I will always be interested in a floating science fiction hotel. It gives me the best Doctor Who vibes. And Floating Hotel definitely tracks! If you love the premise alone, keep reading this book review of Floating Hotel.
Summary
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?
Review
(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.
It feels quiet at the beginning. Instead it focuses on characters, through snapshots, and this worked in some aspects. I wish we had a bit more space within each to understand a bit more of each characters. Also to appreciate the breadcrumbs Curtis is leaving for us. But in general, it lends itself to a cozy quiet feel – even till the end. The other shoe drops and you can retroactively look at all the clues as little sections show that nothing is cozy for everyone.
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But Floating Hotel has this whimsical nature, this unhurried unfurling of the characters, and all these lives holed up in solitary bodies. To see all these people’s lives who you see for a moment, whose lives are full of luxury or severity. Considering the unhurried nature, when the plot ignites at the end I suffered minor whiplash, but in general enjoyed the sense of fate’s clues. Find Floating Hotel on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.