I was excited about this one but it was archived before I got fully invested, so sadly it's a DNF for me.

I do enjoy a magical and mysterious place that makes you question everything from what's real to where and when you are. I've always been interested in all things Houdini, and this book had that magical and mysterious feeling that lasted throughout the book. You never know who you can trust and what is real, which makes for one exciting ride.

This was an OK story with a lot of lull in the middle and a lack of character exploration or development. Wanted more from...everything.

Thank you to Negalley and the publisher for access to this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Onto the review!

Alright, I didn’t like this book. Beautiful cover, interesting premise but Midnight At The Houdini does not deliver.

Our main character is a teenager, 16. So this is meant to be YA.

We’re told an annoying number of times that she’s logical. She’s the logical one. Her older sister is kind of ditzy. Her father runs casinos and her mother suffers from headaches when she fights with her husband. They’re both kind of absentee when it comes to the actual raising of their children.

The main character is the one who organized her big sister’s wedding. Who read magazines on dresses, stylings, learned to dance to teach her to dance. Picked out the song, basically everything an adult is meant to do.

During the early portions of the book, I honestly thought she was an adult. She did not seem like a teenager.

That’s not to say teenagers can’t do these things but the way she talked, the way she acted, did not come through as teenager to me.

Next, the characters are all a bit flat. I didn’t really care for any of them. The hotel was the most interesting portion of this book. I wanted to know more about that because I was very tired of hearing just how logical the main character was.

After she ends up in the magical hotel, we meet the love interest. It’s insta-love which I can’t stand. Sure, infatuation is a thing but this wasn’t that. It was insta-love. He’s literally never seen another person his age and then a girl shows up and he’s enamored with her.

Although, tiny spoiler, there’s a somewhat creepy reason why.

There’s an old automaton that draws pictures. And it’s always drawn pictures of the girl. He’d never met her before so it was odd, right? He hung them up in a room and when the main character sees the literally hundred of pictures, she’s scared she’s been stalked. When she finds out the automaton drew them she’s relieved that she wasn’t stalked.

Girl, this boy has had this thing drawing you over and over, plastered the walls with the pictures and fell in love with them. That’s not incredibly creepy to you???? I hated it.

This book takes place over the course of a few hours and there were only a few times when I felt a real sense of urgency. I mean it was boring a lot of the time. Which I don’t understand how that’s possible. There’s a literal magic hotel and it was interesting in and of itself. But the actual story was boring.

There was no diversity. Even in the background characters. None whatsoever. So, y’know, love that. (heavy sarcasm here.)

Now, here’s a trigger warning for suicide. If you are sensitive please proceed with caution and safety for yourself.

There is a point where we learn that the love interest attempted suicide by trying to jump off the roof of the hotel.

There was no trigger warning for this. It came out of nowhere and was rather jarring. I don’t appreciate that. Books need trigger warnings, full stop.

We also bounce around from one point of view to another and to be honest, that just got annoying.

If it seems like I didn’t like this book, it’s because I didn’t. There’s also a lot of moments where this girl changes clothes. I got tired of it.

I get that there’s a joke about outfit changes and Vegas shows and that’s where she lives so there might be something to it in that vein. But it was really just a pain to get through. I couldn’t stand it.

Also, for the characters being teenagers, some of the writing felt a bit younger than that.

I can’t in good conscious recommend this book because I did not enjoy it at all.

I’m giving it 1 star. I just didn’t like it. Maybe it wasn’t for me but here we are.

This was a very unique YA novel, that I would recommend to those who think it sounds interesting!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher

The setting was so well done and I loved how in a way the hotel was a character itself. The magic system was intriguing though I do wish we had gotten a clearer idea of how it works and what the rules of the magic where. It did occasionally feel like it works this way because that's convenient to the plot. That said, that was really my only problem with the book. The characters were well written and even the more secondary characters had a clear backstory. The romance was sweet and well suited to the YA genre. I would say the book leans a little to the younger end of YA while still being engaging for older readers. Lastly I loved the book references throughout the book it was such a fun detail and made the library my favorite of all the magical rooms.

I was really drawn to the mystery within the pages of "Midnight at the Houdini". I kept asking questions about WHY WHY WHY things were happening and getting excited as the story developed and answers were revealed.

I found this book to be very enjoyable. I loved the magic aspect of it and the plot twist at the end was top tier.

✨Book review: Midnight at the Houdini ✨

Step into the Houdini hotel and find magic in this place where rooms are constantly changing, food and drinks appear from nowhere, a walking wardrobe with clothes and shoes that always fit, ballrooms with music to dance to and books that appear at the mere mention of them. But not everything is as it seems and the more you try to escape, the hotel has its own mind , and will decide where you shall go next.

As a fan of Alice in Wonderland, I loved the references made to the story and how it took the idea of Wonderland and turned it into this magical hotel , with quirky characters, a queen ready to protect her kingdom and danger that the main character must face in order to get back to the real world. What will happen when the clock strikes midnight? ✨🕛✨

💛Favorite Quotes 💛

- While the woman is smiling like the Cheshire Cat, her young companion is cocking his head like a worried dog. 🐱

- There. On the ground. Not a person. Something white. A … rabbit? Surely not. 🐰

- The place has become strange over the years, as if it has a mind of its own. ✨

- But she’s not ready to drink yet. There’s a very Alice in Wonderland feel to- whatever this is. 🦋

- There used to be logic. Perfectly good logic. But then things went all topsy-turvy. 💦🍾

- Curiouser and curiouser , he mumbles. ♥️

- Instead of a traditional stylized man with curly hair, it’s a white rabbit in a vest holding up a pocket watch. 🐇⏱

- There is no right answer here is there? More like, there’s no wrong answer here. ✔️

- It’s ridiculous, but she’s beginning to feel ridiculous things. 💓

- Much like it’s namesake, this Houdini is good at making things disappear. 🗝

Thank you to @tbrbeyondtours & @delilahsdawson for a chance to read this arc and participate in this tour. Check the link in my profile to view a schedule of this tour.

#MidnightAtTheHoudini #TBRBeyondTours
#DelilahSDawson

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this novel. Check it out! It is worth picking up and taking home for the weekend! Excellent novel. A definite must read from Delilah S. Dawson.

In this retelling of The Tempest, a storm traps Anna and her father in a mysterious, magical hotel with a mind of its own and secrets beyond imagining.

My main problem with the book is that the characters feel insufficient. A lot of the beginning of book is focused on Anna's difficulties with her sister getting married and moving on, to the point where it seems like that should be a major recurring thing for the whole story. But it isn't. Anna and her dad's relationship feels like it should be more important, but I never understood their dynamic. Sometimes it seems he doesn't care at all, and the next, he's most concerned about finding her and making sure she's okay. Which is it? Anna and Max have a weird sort of insta-love that isn't quite insta on one side that never feels fully explained, so I didn't care one way or another if they worked out or even if they survived at the end of the book. Anna's dad's partners are mentioned and important, but I never got to truly understand their full story. Overall, it felt like the book was told through paper dolls. Beautiful, but I couldn't bring myself to care about any of the actors.

The writing was sometimes beautiful, sometimes just weird. I don't particularly like books in the present tense, but it worked okay for this book. It took me months to finish this book because the writing style kept distracting me to the point where I would give up and stop reading books completely for a few weeks. Some of the lines were mystical and interesting. But then you had lines like, "But this room is stuffy and as feminine as the inside of a woman's mouth," that made me stop reading for a minute. I... I don't even know what to do with that sentence. I've never really considered the inside of my mouth one of the most feminine parts of me. Was I supposed to? I don't understand what that line is supposed to mean, and I can't stop thinking about it -- and not in a good way.

What does shine in the book is the setting, which I would consider the most fleshed-out character of the book. It's eerie and whimsical and magical, making it feel like something out of Wonderland, The Haunted Mansion, The Secret Garden, and Narnia rolled into one with some Great Gatsby vibes to boot. Like with the characters, there isn't a whole lot of explanation here. You're supposed to just take what you get, but unlike with the characters, it works really well for the Houdini. No one really knows how it works, and that's okay. It just is dark and mystical and magical.

I do think readers who love a good setting and spooky mysteries would enjoy this book more than I did. But if characters are what make or break a book for you like they are for me, this book might not be for you. It's a creative concept with intriguing ideas that unfortunately fell flat.

Many thanks to Netgalley for providing me with my advance copy♥️

Holy cow! This book is insane! It’s like being trapped in a wild dream you can’t wake up from. Anna finds herself stuck in this creepy hotel where time freezes at midnight, and things get crazier from there. With the help of Max, the charming hotel boy, they must figure out the hotel’s secrets before it’s too late. The rooms are like a fantasy come to life, but also super eerie. The characters are so real, and you’ll feel all the emotions with them. Revenge, forgiveness, and love are woven throughout the story in a way that hits home. It’s a rollercoaster ride of twists and turns that keeps you on the edge of your seat. If you’re into fantasy and mystery, you’ll devour this book like I did!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. While it seemed aimed at readers younger than myself, I was fully engaged and enjoyed it a lot. It was exciting enough to keep me enthralled and the writing style also flowed very nicely, creating a pleasing reading experience. Recommended.

What if Alice fell down the rabbit hole in a hotel on the Las Vegas strip? That's how I'd describe this book to students! I definitely enjoyed the story of Anna and the Houdini, but I thought the ending was rushed and the subplot with the star Arielle is jumbled.

Delilah S. Dawson’s Midnight at the Houdini is a young adult novel that primarily takes place at a hotel. Not just any hotel, of course—this establishment, the titular Houdini, is infused with mysterious magic where most of the residents are ghosts, and there seems to be no way to check out before becoming one yourself when the clock strikes midnight. The Houdini also oozes in dark, decadent, 1920s-style vibes. If the supernatural establishment had marketing copy, it would be something like, “It’s not just a destination, but a state of being.”

Unfortunately, the state of being for most of its residents is obliviously non-corporal. As they flit in and out of view, each stuck in their own recurring loop of something they did at the Houdini before becoming literally insubstantial just adds to the mystery of the building. How or why they’ve become ghosts, however, is unexplained. And that’s okay—Midnight at the Houdini purposefully emphasizes ambiance.


In support of this point, Dawson dedicates the book to the Sleep No More experience at New York City’s McKittrick Hotel, a show where guests wear masks and walk freely from one intricately designed room to another (some of which may include secret passageways) as actors loosely enact scenes from Macbeth. Having been to Sleep No More myself, the mysterious, darkly mystical vibe of the experience comes through in various scenes throughout Midnight at the Houdini, though many readers will likely see some similarities with The Shining as well.

But while magic practically seeps through the walls of the Houdini’s dark secret passages and richly decorated labyrinthian hallways, don’t expect to get a thorough explanation of how that magic works. This is not a book centered around developing a detailed magic system—it is instead a story drenched in an early 19th-century atmosphere, a hotel you fully check into when you read.

But Midnight at the Houdini is also about its characters, particularly the teenage protagonist, Anna.

[more on tor.com]

https://www.tor.com/2023/10/26/book-review-midnight-at-the-houdini-by-delilah-s-dawson/

I've mentioned before that I have discovered an affinity for fantasy stories with performance magic style settings, so when I saw 'Midnight at the Houdini' by Delilah S. Dawson show up in the tour offerings for the month, I jumped at the chance to give it a read.

The concept is clever and I enjoy the ticking time clock on the course of events. It certainly keeps things interesting knowing that there's a finite point not far ahead and a lot for the main character, Anna, to deal with.. if there's hope of resolution.

While the story is good and the characters are likeable, I find for me personally.. the prose to be just a bit simple. I believe the author is just trying to set the tone to match Anna's age, but her voice doesn't change much between the opening pages when she's a mere 10 year old girl, to the core of the story.. six years later. Despite her whirlwind organizational skills, she seems the same in the way she communicates and processes thoughts.

Ironically, this is a young adult story with definitive young adult themes, some of which are relatively dark. But the style of writing just makes it feel younger. I'd still recommend it as a read, but I'd also suggest adjusting your expectations of the way it's told and how things unfold.

Nonetheless, I really enjoyed it. Anna is a sweet, if needy girl and Max is quite disarmingly charming. The dynamic between the others who run the hotel is filled with tension and the place has a lovely old eerie quality to it.

(Actual: ⭐3.5 stars, rounded down) I went into this book blind (something I don't particularly prefer or like doing, tbh haha), and yet I was [mostly] pleasantly surprised with this one! I found the plot to be very ambitious (especially given that this is classified as YA), and I enjoy magical realism as a genre, but admittedly this one was a bit slow to start. It wasn't until about a third or so of the way in that things really started to pick up, but once it did it was great from a storytelling perspective. That said, I think it's worth noting that the writing here at times though read a bit more middle grade/juvenile than it did YA, the latter of which can definitely gear itself toward more mature audiences, so that was something I was a bit disappointed about. I still think the book succeeded in telling its story and properly creating an atmospheric experience so, despite some of my above gripes, I still had fun and would rec this book out to others!

I really did enjoy this book, I think I was just looking for that something extra to keep me super invested. Good read, just needed that extra oomph.

I quickly devoured this book and loved every minute of it! Reminiscent of The Shining, but way less scary and way more magical, I loved the twists and turns throughout the story. Anna is a lot like me, so I related very closely to her. Max is so sweet, and Phoebe is the villain you love to hate. I love how the hotel had a mind of it's own, changing and showing people different spaces based on what the hotel wanted or the person needed at the time. Anna was so persistent, refusing to give up and determined to find a way out. The ending was everything I could hope for. Overall this was such a wonderful story and I loved it!

After experiencing a disaster of a princess party at the age of 10, Anna likes plans, structure, and always knowing her next steps. She vowed to never be caught unaware ever again, so when she is blindsided by the betrayal of her sister Emily after Emily's wedding, Anna flees into the stormy night raging over Las Vegas. The storm forces Anna to take shelter in the one place that opposes everything she set herself out to be, the Houdini.

When I picked up this book, I literally could not put it down. A girl finds her way to a magical hotel that has it's own set of rules. She meets a boy named Max who has lived there his whole life waiting for his best friend. Anna is enchanted by things she can't even imagine or explain as she tries to find a dry set of clothes, her father and possibly something to eat. While exploring the hotel, Anna begins to learn Houdini's secrets: when the clock strikes midnight, she will be trapped there forever. What she winds up finding is a tragedy and crime let go too long without justice and it's up to her to save not only herself, but everyone else in the Houdini.

I would rate this 4 out of 5 stars for a couple reasons.

In the book, we're introduced to around 5-10 characters that are relevant throughout the entire book. However the character development into the majority of the characters felt roughly 2 dimensional. Villains were villains and good guys were pretty much good guys. The only exception is Anna's father who at the beginning felt like he wanted nothing to do with her. Showing off wealth and power to a bunch of businessmen with little regard to his family's interests and needs. The only cataclyst for change was the storm and suddenly he is hyper-focused on Anna's safety and that thread continues as he enters the hotel. In real life would a father be suddenly hyper focused on his daughters safety out in the middle of a storm? Oh absolutely. Did I expect it as he sits with his pompous business partners smoking cigars sipping champagne? Not in a million years. This was such a hard pivot for me and made it difficult to believe that he actually cared about his daughter. Would I have believed this in real life? Yes. Did I believe it when I was reading the book? Absolutely not.

Max and Anna's interactions were breathtaking, even in such a sad situation. Max was kind, sweet, and caring to Anna. And even though they had only met a few hours prior, it felt so natural as you go through the story. Not only that but I loved how Houdini has almost like a mind of it's own. Which makes me think back to A court of Silver Flames and Cauldron knows how much Nesta came to like that house. It felt enchanting and magical, like you were stepping into another world within the walls of Houdini. Anna, like Nesta, came to gradually get used to Houdini and I think that's the beautiful thing about this book. It takes place in one whole day but everything is so gradual with a ton of detail. Dawson's world-building is similar to that of Sarah J Maas. The only key difference I would say is that this book would be better suited to middle grade coming into Young Adult books.

Captivating until the end when all of the mysteries are revealed. This book is perfect for fans of Adalyn Grace, Sarah J Maas, and Rachel Gillig.

Thank you to Delilah S. Dawson, Random House Children's, and Delacorte Press for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest opinion.