Hotel Magnifique is a dark and enchanting tale that follows Jani into the darker side of the magical estate for the rich and powerful.

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While the magic of Hotel Magnifique is enough to tantalize the senses, the story falls flat with poor characterization and a lackluster pace.

Poor Characterization

Hotel Magnifique was very much a character-driven story. Still, unfortunately, these were not the characters that drew me into the story.

Jani is stubborn. She is relentless, demanding, and reckless. And not in a charming way.

When her sister gets a position to sing at the acclaimed Hotel Magnifique, it seems to be a dream come true. Until Jani is denied a job and an invitation to keep her sister safe. She forces Bel to take her in, and together they try to keep Jani’s sisters safe.

Usually, I would say this kind of love and devotion to her sister is charismatic. However, she does nothing else. She knows she must play by the rules to stay even as a servant in the Hotel. Instead, she shirks all responsibilities instead of listening to Bel to keep her head down to keep her sister safe. In fact, her actions end up hurting her sister.

There was nothing in the Hotel early on to earn her suspicions. She knows it runs on magic. She knows magic controls almost every facet of it. And yet she sticks her nose into places simply to move the plot around.

She was, quite simply, annoying.

Then there was Bel.

Bel could have easily been an interesting character. However, there is very little character development given to his character. He seems stagnant, the same old Bel from beginning to end. There could have been so much more done with this character who wants to end the tyranny of the evil maître d’hôtel. But with his memory being wiped, there is little backstory for the reader to pull at.

Wanting More

There was so much that I wanted out of Hotel Magnifique.

What story there is here is interesting to read. However, again, there is little devotion to it.

We have an evil maître d’hôtel and other nefarious characters in the Hotel that abuse their power. Still, there is little to no devotion to them. They simply exist. When the story begins to get exciting, and the plot thickens, the story wraps up too quickly.

The last few chapters are where the story is given more backstory and development, but it was thought it was all cut off too soon. I wanted more of the magic system that was barely flushed out, leaving me with more questions and confusion than anything else.

Following Jani through the same motions repeatedly, the story becomes repetitive and forgettable rather than engaging.

Final Thoughts

Hotel Magnifique wasn’t a bad novel; it was just dull. A character-driven story that fails to develop the characters, using them instead as plot devices to push the plot forward, the story is, unfortunately, forgettable.