The set up for this book is very unique and I can't say it I really liked it or not. Each chapter is told from a different perspective which was interesting, but also made it hard to connect deeply to any of the characters. At the same time, it made unraveling the mystery that much more enjoyable. I am still on the fence about this book, but I am totally willing to read Grace Curtis again!

The Floating Hotel is a scifi mystery with shifting viewpoints. Despite my usual ambivalence about books that shift from one character's point of view to another, I loved the way each character only had one chapter. Each chapter revealed a little more of the story in a way that propelled me through the book. Initially its not clear where the mystery is but hang in there! Well worth the wait

Thanks to netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Truly such a unique set up for a book, which I found surprisingly enjoyable. I don't usually like that many POVs (each chapter is a new character) but it worked in this instance and I never felt completely lost. There were a lot of names to remember but it was so fun to see them intertwine in each other's stories, like a cozy mystery. It seems like it's all characters and back story but suddenly it becomes clear there actually is a plot, and I wanted to make sure I got my answers so it kept me hooked to the end.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was hugely excited to read Floating Hotel after having already devoured this author's 2023 debut, Frontier, which was a brilliantly quirky space western romp with lesbian gunslingers and drug-smuggling tortoises.

But somehow, Curtis has surpassed herself with Floating Hotel.

Poignant yet funny, earnest and full of warmth but still with the sharp edge of pointed social commentary, Floating Hotel was everything I wanted in a contemporary scifi novel. Defying genre boundaries, it's a brilliant murder mystery intertwined with small moments and personal dramas, set aboard a roaming luxury hotel-spaceship (the Abeona, which is certainly a character in its own right). But the novel is also a series of intimate character studies weaving in and out of the backstories of the ensemble cast of characters.

Each character is written with depth and care, and even without the broader plot that draws them all together, I would have been content learning about them all and how they came to find a family and a home aboard this strange, wonderful ship. As I read Floating Hotel, I experienced the odd feeling of longing for a place I've never been.

I won't spoil the ending, but I closed the book with that familiar heartache that means the author did one hell of a job of making me care.

I'd highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys Becky Chambers (although Floating Hotel had more of an overarching plot than Chambers' more slice-of-life narratives), hopepunk, found families, and vividly imagined future worlds.

I'm not sure this book ended up being for me. While I loved the way the story was told, with every chapter being narrated by a different character on the ship which gave a wonderful glimpse into all the world building that was done and showed all the ways in which different people can perceive different people and it was done wonderfully.
This book was more of a political mystery less then a view into this whimsical hotel and that just wasn't for me but if that is something that sounds interesting it is still wonderfully done with very good writing and details!
And the idea of a hotel just flying through the solar system kind of at random and stopping at so many unique and interesting planets is such an amazing idea that I love!

"Floating Hotel" by Grace Curtis is a cool mix of space adventures and personal connections. Imagine a fancy hotel cruising through galaxies—it's like Disney meets sci-fi. The story unfolds through various characters' perspectives, almost like mini-stories in a bigger plot. At first, it feels cozy, but it takes a darker turn, highlighting injustice and political issues in a totalitarian world. Despite a rushed ending, the book nails inclusivity and environmental themes. It's a bit like reading interconnected short stories in space. A fun, thought-provoking read that mixes cozy chats with thrilling mystery. Curtis sure knows how to spin a tale that's out of this world!

I love the concept of this book – a hotel that travels through the galaxies that’s part magical part luxury above all…. Vaguely in my head seems like something maybe Disney would invent if space travel ever became a practical thing. The story is VERY character driven and each chapter is told from a different character’s viewpoint. This slows the plot down considerably but if you enjoy learning about how each person in a story thinks and interacts it’s excellent. The book reads almost as several short stories with a larger plot happening behind the short glimpses into each character’s world. The story originally seemed like it was going to be a feel-good cozy like mystery set in space – however as it progressed it became clear that world of the story is a place full of terrible darkness and injustice with a totalitarian government. This leaves you with the characters and the hope that human connection will improve the world.
Thanks NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Huge thank you to DAW Books and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review! This was an easy 4-stars to give! The book blurb for this story was really captivating and I was really excited for this read from the get-go. The structure of this book was interesting and a nice change of pace from my previous reads. Almost every chapter is narrated by a different character while still feeling fluid and, especially towards the end of the book, very interconnected. Many of the chapters left me on a bit of a cliff-hanger in a particular character's story, however, those moments were often picked up by intertwining another character and their respective chapter. It was a refreshing stylistic choice. It was easy to fall in love with all of the characters and the unique world that they existed in. It felt incredibly realistic and like a potential future outcome for our current world state.

While there are certainly "cozy" aspects to this story, especially in regards to the conversations had between characters and much of their own internal development, I loved that it had more edge to it. There was plenty of mystery, political/environmental disruption, and even with some thrill - this really helped keep me engaged in the story line, especially as an avid thriller/horror reader. It didn't feel quite so cozy by the end and I'm thankful for that outcome.

After finishing this book, I felt like I could have read whole, individual books written by many of these characters - not necessarily a bad thing, I just felt like I would have been happy with more from many of them. My biggest qualm with the book was that the ending felt a little rushed. I feel like I needed more closure - or, better yet, a full sequel. While some of the excitement felt "let go of" in the ending, I think there could still be a lot of promise for a continuation of what happens with The Lamplighter and with Andromeda.

Bonus points for the inclusivity in this book! The inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters and disabilities were beautifully interwoven and oh-so natural! It never felt like the author was "trying hard" to show they were creating inclusive characters and there was never a big show around their introductions or presence in the story. Loved!
I was also so pleased with the prevalence of climate issues in this book. We learn that the reason people are even in this galaxy is because Earth was stripped of its resources and became uninhabitable. The Empire carries on the same practice for many of the planets in their new home galaxy, and this particularly impacts vulnerable, lower-income, and working-class populations (aka not the elite and wealthy). This felt very well-delivered and poignant!

Overall, I really enjoyed this read and look forward to seeing more from the author, Grace Curtis!

Abeona is a grand floating hotel Carl stowed away on over 40 years ago. Carl is now the Manager everyone comes to whatever their problems. Each chapter of the story is dedicated to each member of staff this causes a slow pace. It’s well worth sticking with as the book begins to jell and the characters begin to come alive.
Thank you NetGalley and (publisher, DAW) for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

5 stars, no question, no notes. I have a lot to gush about though.

From the start I was taken with this book. At first, I thought it was a collection of stories, highlighting the blurb's "interweaving lives and interlocking mysteries" but as you read the whole picture starts to come together and you see where past and present join together. It's so smoothly done, you don't even realise it until the end when you're already in love with the characters and their stories.

I'm not a sci-fi person generally but Floating Hotel just goes beyond that category to tell a really beautifully woven story and it will definitely be on my re-read list many times over.

Thank you to DAW Books and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of the book in return for an honest review! The promise of a "cozy debut science fiction novel tells a story of misfits, rebels, found family—and a mystery that spans the stars" was one I couldn't resist. I've been craving some good cosy fiction lately, especially after my recent string of books I didn't enjoy. The cover was really pretty too.

Although it took some time for me to get to the book (an aversion to reading had formed after so much bad luck), I mostly enjoyed it. The prose - something I rarely enjoy - was actually great. Floating Hotel is a series of short stories, each of them told by a different character (except Carl, who gets three chapters). In the beginning, they're all quite disjointed, but they come together more and more to form a story of mystery and rebellion against a cruel Empire. This aspect was quite nicely done, actually. The way it shows you a different character in each chapter allows you to better see them as people too, understanding their motives and their pasts and how that drives their present.

Floating Hotel by Grace Kurtis follows the motley crew of the space hotel Abeona. From its friendly manager Carl to its grumpy accountant Kipple to the ever-eager Reggie, all the different staff members have their own stories to tell -- stories that weave together into a tale of rebellion against the system, an encrypted message from beyond the stars, and the mystery of who the Lamplighter is, and if they can be safely extracted before the Empire gets to them.

Yet it also shows the more mundane side of the crew's life, like the sous chef going to his home planet to find some meat and meet old acquaintances, or a newly acquired staff member slowly but surely getting used to her new workplace and finding herself at home in the hotel. As the book progresses, the characters develop, doing things they never thought they would previously, like standing up for themselves or finding a place in the world where they belong. It's a sweet story that gradually grows more intense and dark towards the end.

Although I really enjoyed the book, the ending was... difficult for me. It felt rushed, leaving a lot unresolved, including a major plotline and a big subplot. It left me wondering what happened to some of the characters that we've grown really attached to. What happened to Daphne, to Sasha, to Ooly? Not knowing simply by absence of plot - especially since this is written as a stand-alone, and a lot of time is invested in making the reader invested in the character - makes it difficult for the book to feel resolved.

The plot has two major plotlines, really. The plotline of the Lamplighter and those involved - Mr. Corinth, the many hidden and not-hidden agents of the Empire, and the Lamplighter themselves. And then there's the plotline of the strange encrypted message, which gets significantly fewer pages but is quite major regardless. And this one is mostly left unresolved, quietly fizzling out. It could've been an excellent jumping board for a sequel, and it's a shame that opportunity was missed.

I honestly really liked the beginning, where the stories were still very disjointed but had a mostly calm and cosy feeling to them. Slice-of-life, almost, just getting to experience what life on the Abeona is like for the crew. I didn't mind the slower pace since I didn't feel cosy fantasy needed to have a specific purpose or end goal. On the flip side, the Lamplighter plotline did begin stressing me out towards the end with all the kidnappings, torture, stalking, and executions through throwing people out of the airlock. More and more, the backstories revealed the grim and cruel setting where planets are gutted, children are left for dead in shipwrecks, and people are blinded by exploding suns. It didn't feel so cosy anymore towards the end.

Honestly, I wish the story would've continued like it did at the beginning. The relatively calm and peaceful life of the staff members running a luxury hotel in space. I would've loved to see Carl's original story too, as opposed to him ageing forty years between the prologue and the real first chapter. The prologue really got me excited for Carl's story, only for it to be skipped. Ah well.

While I didn't expect this at all from the description of the book, the novel is filled with normalised representations of marginalised groups. There's LGBTQ+ representation throughout the book, with one main character using they/them pronouns, several characters being bi/pan or lesbian (unlabelled, since it's so normal in this world labels aren't necessary), there's a blind character, a character with a stutter, and I'm pretty sure Ooly has autism. They're all considered completely normal and are supported by the rest of the cast. All in all, excellent on the rep side!

All in all, I genuinely did like Floating Hotel and would recommend it to others despite the ending. It's a good study of how to write realistic characters that readers get invested in. If the ending bothers you, you can come up with endings for the characters that are missing yourself -- I know that I will be giving them a happy one. It's a fun story with a genuinely interesting mystery with plenty of hooks and surprises. If you like science fiction that focuses on characters and their personal stories and relationships as opposed to big action and tech-heavy novels, this book might be the one for you.

-=-=-=-

Content warnings
Domestic violence
Some of the characters shown in the novel are physically and verbally abused.

Torture and death
One character is tortured. While not on-screen, there is a lot of showing that it's been/being done. Lots of bloody descriptions, the victim missing his teeth, etc. There are also murders.

Climate stress
In the books, humans have stripped Earth of its resources and turned it toxic in the process. This was the first planet to be 'gutted'. Many planets in the setting have gotten the same treatment, except methodically and much faster. Lots of worlds are destroyed for resources. This can hit quite close to home.

Brownie points
LGBTQ+ inclusion
One character, Kipple, is non-binary (THE FIRST!! IN ALL THESE YEARS!!). They get they/them pronouns as if it's just as natural as she/her or he/him - it's not even mentioned or pointed out once. They're just allowed to exist. Similarly, several characters are lesbian, pan, or bi, and it's not even mentioned with any label. It's completely normalised. THIS is the type of inclusion we're looking for.

Disabilities inclusion
One character, Ooly, has autism, which is shown in a natural and believable way (especially from his perspective). Another character, Angoulême, is blind. Daphne has a stutter, and while her old master gives her some abuse for it, it's completely accepted by the crew of the Abeona.

Wondered where it was going then kind of arrived. Follows several characters as the floating hotel makes it rounds. Very low key still a interesting first novel

This book was both delightful, and simultaneously not what I was expecting. The intrigue and plot to ferret out a hidden revolutionary in the midst of genteel, decaying luxury led to interesting juxtapositions. Overall I liked this book a lot, and would recommend it, with a caveat about the slightly melancholy ending.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me an ARC copy of the book.

2.5 stars rounded up. This "cozy" sci-fi novel is told from a variety of characters point of views. While this gives a lot of background information on these characters, it doesn't allow you to really fall in love with any of the characters. When looking for something cozy to read, that's what I want.

I thought the pace of the book was too slow. I didn't really get interested in the plot until after 50%. The ending was a bit of a letdown. I was expecting more with all of these storylines floating around.

This was a really cool concept! I knew once I heard of a hotel with a bunch of characters I’d be intrigued and I was right! It was so good! I’m going to recommend this to everyone 😤

Thank you so much to DAW Books and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of Floating Hotel in exchange for an honest review.

Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis is heartwarming novel about the power of found family, the value of kindness, who we are, and what we are running from, all wrapped up in a mystery of political intrigue.

The book opens with Carl Kravitz, a stowaway, being offered a job abroad the Grand Abeona Hotel, a floating hotel housed in a spaceship that travels the stars. Many years in the future we are introduced to the ragtag crew of the Abeona, a found family full of misfits, former criminals, and those looking for answers to life’s bigger questions.

As the story progresses, we understand that there is much more going on in this hotel than meets the eye. The Problem Solver’s conference has introduced a cryptic new puzzle. There are some mystery guests that might just be spies for the Empire. There is a mysterious anti-imperial writer who is sending out notes against the Emperor and might have a connection to the ship.

When reviewing a book, I feel it is unfair to hold all books to the same standard. Floating Hotel is advertised as a cozy science fiction novel, but it also has aspects of a mystery as well, so I am going to review it on a number of criteria.

Characters | ✦✦✦✦✦
As I was reading, the thing that kept me most engaged was wanting to know the stories of each individual character. While they all have a role to play in the story on the Abeona, I found myself being more interested in their origin stories. My only complaint about the characters is that there are so many of them. It would have been helpful to get a list of characters in the front of the book, but I figured it out in the end.

Story | ✦✦✦✦✧
The story of Floating Hotel seems a bit mixed in ways that don’t seem intentional. There are the moments of “cozy”, especially when we are having a closer look at some of the characters and their interactions amongst themselves. There are the moments of the mystery and political intrigue that keep you guessing until the end. There is the puzzle set forth by the Problem Solver’s conference. These are all great stories, but it almost seems like they each could have been their own book within a series set on the Grand Abeona Hotel.

It did also feel like the stories could have been tightened up. Have you ever seen someone knitting and they make a beautiful scarf or sweater, but their tension isn’t right and it’s all too loose? It sort of felt like that.

Comfort | ✦✦✦✦✧
The characters in the book feel like talking to old friends, but the story itself seems too serious and dire to be fully cozy. If you are thinking of cozy fantasy books like Legends & Lattes, this book feels much higher stakes than that.

Science Fiction | ✦✦✦✦✦
I know this seems like a broad category, but I simply wanted to give the book credit for being an approachable science fiction novel. I enjoy science fiction, but it’s certainly my most read genre. I found Floating Hotel to be approachable while still being firmly planted in space.

Mystery | ✦✦✦✦✧
The mystery aboard the Grand Abeona Hotel is not one that I feel you could solve on your own. Unless I missed something, which I could have, there was nothing that would have pointed you towards the solution.

As I finished Floating Hotel, I found myself happy to have read it, but with the wish that it had been three books; a cozy slice of life aboard a spaceship, a mystery novel, and a space exploration epic.

Head over to your local independent bookshop to pre-order your copy! Supporting indie bookshops is incredibly important and pre-orders do so much for those early sales for authors which are vitally important. If you don’t know your local indie, check out the Indie Store Finder.

Book: Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis
Rating: ✦✦✦✦✧
If you end up loving it try: The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers

This one is weird. Because if I rate it solely off of the feelings it gave me, it's a solid 4 stars. Something about it was just so comfortable to read. But, if we consider anything more than that, it's nothing more than 3 stars. Because the plot was so odd. Did I enjoy reading it? Yes. Can I tell you a single thing about it? Absolutely not. I know that some of that was probably intentional, but it wasn't my thing. I wanted more. And in all honesty, the ending of this felt so unfinished. I'm not sure what was missing, but something was. It almost felt like the author got tired of writing and quit. So while I enjoyed the way Floating Hotel made me feel (so cozy!), that feeling wasn't backed up with any real substance.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

This cozy debut science fiction novel tells a story of misfits, rebels, found family—and a mystery that spans the stars.

So fun and cozy and queer! Loved it!

Something new!

You know those science fiction novels in which there are four point-of-view characters, and each character gets point of view for a chapter, then we move on to the next? (I think Gibson's Cyberspace trilogy was the first time I really noticed it.) You know how you never know quite what's going on, and it's all very confusing? Well, in Floating Hotel Grace Curtis takes it to the max, and SOMEHOW, she makes it work!

Floating Hotel takes place on the Abeona, a hotel that is also a spaceship, so it floats through space. Don't expect a lot of technobabble -- the Abeona is determinedly retro-chic. For instance, the Abeona's messaging system is paper messages sent through pneumatic tubes. There are of course a whole bunch of people on the Abeona -- staff and guests.

Each chapter is told from the point of view of one of these characters, a different one each time. There is just one character who gets two chapters, and by the time that happens, you will be expecting it. This is much less confusing than it sounds. Each character mentions some of the other characters, just a few in the earliest chapters. Thus when one of those characters gets a chapter of their own, you're ready for it. I never found the story hard to follow.

It must be admitted, at the beginning I was not quite sure if there WAS a story. Because this story-telling approach is a slow way to introduce characters and setting, the first half is fairly slow. However, I came to see that a story had gradually crept up on me -- a mystery, in fact. And it was fun.

I would probably rate this a mere three stars were it not for the novel story-telling technique. I'm a Neophile, so I'm always intrigued to see something in a book that I haven't seen before. If you prefer the tried-and-true, you may not like Floating Hotel as much as I did.

Thanks to NetGalley and DAW for an advance reader copy of Floating Hotel. This review expresses my honest opinions. Release date 19-Mar-2024.

Thanks, Netgalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review!
Although the POV chapters were too much for my taste I enjoyed each one, simply because the author has created very well-developed and distingly intriguing characters that drove the story forward and equally helped the development and the mystery building with each passing chapter until the very end of the story! The setting and the world-building are original and unique for the novel. Definitely a must-read!