I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I enjoyed this book although I did find it a bit repetitive at times. I especially liked the world building that went into the book. It was very detailed and allowed me to immerse myself into the book.

This is an enjoyable, cozy science fiction tale, with plenty of fun and a healthy dash of intrigue. Sylvestine, our protagonist and hospitality professional, is nervous but ultimately undaunted by the significant ups and downs of taking over a hotel on Particle, an alien (to her) planet. Her extended family and friends have joined her on this new world, and the swirl of interpersonal management is as complex as alien business negotiations. Add to that a range of small crises (like the standard Particle greeting of being splashed with water when entering a building) as well as large ones (such as the mysterious figures attacking non-Particlans as a political statement), and Syl has even more to juggle.

The Particlans as a people were fascinating, with their economical trisected speech and water-based religion. I found it quite charming how welcoming they were, and how important it was to them for the aliens to understand their faith. Most of the characters were, frankly, adorable—happy and eager to befriend and care for others, which made the conflicts and worries Syl experienced all the more grim.

Aside from some repetitive bits which might have been trimmed, my main critique is that the worldbuilding was great, but I wanted more detail. Most of the time it was delightful to imagine the inventive things the author gave us, like towering Particlan architecture, the bejeweled brooch translators, and the black stone necklaces worn by clergy. But I would have loved even more sensual, textural details about food, especially, or interiors.

That said, I found this to be an engaging read, and I'm eager to go back to the first book in the series to see the beginning of Syl and Dedare's relationship, and learn more about the Irions.

I received this copy from NetGalley in an exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NG, the publisher, and the author for a fun read.

“”why did someone lock me in the laundry room?” When only silence greeted my question, I changed the subject.” -From Alien Innkeeper on Particle

2 stars

There is a lot in this book that makes no sense. One of the hardest things to contend with is the Particlan language you have to weed through, despite the MC having a translator. Why can’t it just be translated then?? The dialogue is already choppy even between humans, so the addition of these three word sentences is so cumbersome. The MC is clueless, doesn’t even know about the planet and culture, let alone how to run things. They seem to have zero authority, like what I quoted. This incident left her in the hospital (somehow), and she brings it up, gets no answer, and just moves on? You have to slog through the boring running of the hotel A LOT. I wouldn’t think you could make an alien hotel boring. Everything is told to you, rather than shown; and then repeated. There’s an odd side plot of the Particlan Olympics, and if you’re feeling brave you can make a drinking game over how many times this MC mentions they dive. The idea is kinda cool, but the execution is an exhausting not entertaining read.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.