Literature & Fiction
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Hotel Magnifique
"Hotel Magnifique opened the door to a sumptuous and glittering world of magic and mysteries and left me enchanted. Perfect for fans of Caraval and The Night Circus." –Erin A. Craig, New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows and Small Favors
Decadent and darkly enchanting, this lavish YA fantasy debut follows seventeen-year-old Jani as she uncovers the deeply disturbing secrets of the legendary Hotel Magnifique.
All her life, Jani has dreamed of Elsewhere. Just barely scraping by with her job at a tannery, she's resigned to a dreary life in the port town of Durc, caring for her younger sister Zosa. That is, until the Hotel Magnifique comes to town.
The hotel is legendary not only for its whimsical enchantments, but also for its ability to travel-appearing in a different destination every morning. While Jani and Zosa can't afford the exorbitant costs of a guest's stay, they can interview to join the staff, and are soon whisked away on the greatest adventure of their lives. But once inside, Jani quickly discovers their contracts are unbreakable and that beneath the marvelous glamour, the hotel is hiding dangerous secrets.
With the vexingly handsome doorman Bel as her only ally, Jani embarks on a mission to unravel the mystery of the magic at the heart of the hotel and free Zosa-and the other staff-from the cruelty of the ruthless maître d'hôtel. To succeed, she'll have to risk everything she loves, but failure would mean a fate far worse than never returning home.
Decadent and darkly enchanting, this lavish YA fantasy debut follows seventeen-year-old Jani as she uncovers the deeply disturbing secrets of the legendary Hotel Magnifique.
All her life, Jani has dreamed of Elsewhere. Just barely scraping by with her job at a tannery, she's resigned to a dreary life in the port town of Durc, caring for her younger sister Zosa. That is, until the Hotel Magnifique comes to town.
The hotel is legendary not only for its whimsical enchantments, but also for its ability to travel-appearing in a different destination every morning. While Jani and Zosa can't afford the exorbitant costs of a guest's stay, they can interview to join the staff, and are soon whisked away on the greatest adventure of their lives. But once inside, Jani quickly discovers their contracts are unbreakable and that beneath the marvelous glamour, the hotel is hiding dangerous secrets.
With the vexingly handsome doorman Bel as her only ally, Jani embarks on a mission to unravel the mystery of the magic at the heart of the hotel and free Zosa-and the other staff-from the cruelty of the ruthless maître d'hôtel. To succeed, she'll have to risk everything she loves, but failure would mean a fate far worse than never returning home.
Editorial Reviews
★ "A wondrous read for anyone searching for a bit of magic." –Kirkus Reviews, starred review
★ "Clear and creative worldbuilding, exquisite set pieces, and emotionally complex, intersectionally diverse characters complement the twist-riddled plot of Taylor's spellbinding debut. The stakes mount in tandem with Jani and Bel's romantic tension, captivating readers and catapulting the tale to a spectacular, cathartic close." –Publisher's Weekly, starred review
"This impressive debut novel is set in a fictional, magical version of France. The level of detail is engrossing, and the sinister touches of the hotel's secrets will keep readers hooked." –Booklist
"In Hotel Magnifique, Emily J. Taylor creates a world both dazzling and dark. Readers won't want to turn the final page." –Laura Sebastian, New York Times bestselling author of the Ash Princess trilogy
"Hotel Magnifique opened the door to a sumptuous and glittering world of magic and mysteries and left me enchanted. Perfect for fans of Caraval and The Night Circus." –Erin A. Craig, New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows and Small Favors
"Like the hotel contained in its pages, Hotel Magnifique will sweep you away to an enchanting world filled with mystery and spectacle." –Katy Rose Pool, author of The Age of Darkness series
"Dazzling, enchanting, and expertly crafted, with the perfect amount of gritty secrets that kept me flying through the pages. Emily J. Taylor is my new auto-buy author. The debut was impossible to put down and had me positively spellbound from start to finish." –Adalyn Grace, New York Times bestseller of
★ "Clear and creative worldbuilding, exquisite set pieces, and emotionally complex, intersectionally diverse characters complement the twist-riddled plot of Taylor's spellbinding debut. The stakes mount in tandem with Jani and Bel's romantic tension, captivating readers and catapulting the tale to a spectacular, cathartic close." –Publisher's Weekly, starred review
"This impressive debut novel is set in a fictional, magical version of France. The level of detail is engrossing, and the sinister touches of the hotel's secrets will keep readers hooked." –Booklist
"In Hotel Magnifique, Emily J. Taylor creates a world both dazzling and dark. Readers won't want to turn the final page." –Laura Sebastian, New York Times bestselling author of the Ash Princess trilogy
"Hotel Magnifique opened the door to a sumptuous and glittering world of magic and mysteries and left me enchanted. Perfect for fans of Caraval and The Night Circus." –Erin A. Craig, New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows and Small Favors
"Like the hotel contained in its pages, Hotel Magnifique will sweep you away to an enchanting world filled with mystery and spectacle." –Katy Rose Pool, author of The Age of Darkness series
"Dazzling, enchanting, and expertly crafted, with the perfect amount of gritty secrets that kept me flying through the pages. Emily J. Taylor is my new auto-buy author. The debut was impossible to put down and had me positively spellbound from start to finish." –Adalyn Grace, New York Times bestseller of
Readers Top Reviews
sydnienovaJaime A
The appeal of Hotel Magnifique, in my opinion, lies within the magic system. The story is quite literally about a magical hotel that *poofs* into existence for a single day every ten years and whisks its guests off to “Elsewhere”. But don’t get it twisted. This is not a light hearted story. It's almost deceptive in it’s premise, because I went in expecting a light-heartedness to the magic system, and instead found something darker and much more sinister. I won’t spoil what happens in the story, but much of the meat of the novel is about the elder sister, Jani’s determination to save her sister and understand the magic of the hotel. There is a romantic plotline, that is decent, but I honestly could have taken or left it. And while I’m sure a great deal of time went in to planning the story’s world building and magic system, it still didn’t feel as flushed out or unique as it could have been. I did like the characters and their story arc, but sometimes I found myself confused right along with Jani.
Charliesydnienova
Hotel Magnifique is an enchanting, thrilling tale begging to be set loose on the world. From the start, readers will be charmed by sisters Jani and Zosa before being pulled into the mysterious and magnificent Hotel Magnifique. Here, an entire cast of curious characters take center stage as a world bigger than the sisters’ own unfurls before them. This world and the magic system it hinges upon is completely original, brimming with intrigue and dazzling with wonder. Paired with a whimsical tone that darkens the further individuals read, Hotel Magnifique sets itself up as a promising and delightful debt from author Emily J. Taylor. If you are a fan of books like Caraval or tv series like Hotel del Luna, this book is sure to become a new favorite. I’m so happy I got the opportunity to read it when I did and am very eager to see what Emily J. Taylor surprises readers with next!
TatyanaCharliesyd
This is for lovers of Caraval, Night Circus, and Narnia. This story follows the life of two sisters who acquire jobs at the infamous Hotel Magnifique. Soon after becoming employees, they discover you not every magical disappearing hotel is all it’s cracked up to me. I loved how vibrant and mystical the world was and Janis love her for sister is unmatched. Overall, I really loved this story and going on this journey with all these characters.
Short Excerpt Teaser
I often heard my sister before I saw her, and tonight was no exception. Zosa's supple voice spilled through the open window of Bézier Residence, sounding so like our mother's-at least until she began a raunchier ditty comparing a man's more delicate anatomy to a certain fruit.
I crept inside, unnoticed in the crowd of boarders. Two of the younger girls pretended to dance with invisible partners, but every other eye was fixed on my sister, the most talented girl in the room.
A special kind of girl rented rooms at Bézier Residence. Almost all worked jobs fitting of their foul mouths: second shifts as house grunts, factory workers, grease cooks, or any number of ill-paying positions in the vieux quais-the old docks of Durc. I worked at Tannerie Fréllac, where women huddled over crusted alum pots and wells of dye. But Zosa was different.
"Happy birthday," I shouted when her song ended.
"Jani!" She bounded over. Her huge brown eyes shone against a pale, olive-skinned face that was far too thin.
"Did you eat supper?" I'd left her something, but with all the other girls around, food had a tendency to disappear.
She groaned. "Yes. You don't have to ask me every night."
"Of course I do. I'm your big sister. It's my life's greatest duty." Zosa scrunched her nose and I flicked it. Fishing in my sack, I pulled out the newspaper that had cost me half a day's wage and pressed it into her palms. "Your present, madame." Here, birthdays weren't dusted with confectioners' sugar; they were hard-won and more dear than gold.
"A newspaper?"
"A jobs section." I flipped open the paper with a sly grin.
Inside were advertisements for jobs in fancy dress shops, patisseries, and perfumeries, positions that would never belong to a thirteen-year-old who didn't look a day over ten. Luckily, they weren't what I had in mind.
Skipping past them, I pointed to a listing that had appeared in papers across town an hour ago.
The ink was vibrant purple, like Aligney blood poppies or crushed amethyst velvet. It stood out, a strange beacon in a sea of black and white.
Hotel Magnifique is hiring.
Interested parties inquire tomorrow at noon.
Pack a bag for Elsewhere & prepare to depart by midnight.
The girls crowded around us, and everyone leaned in as the purple ink winked with an iridescence that rivaled polished moonstones.
No address was given. The legendary hotel needed none. It appeared every decade or so in the same old alley downtown. The whole city was probably there now, already waiting like fools for a chance at a stay.
Years ago, when the hotel last made an appearance, the majority of the invitations were delivered beforehand to only the wealthiest citizens. Then, the day the hotel arrived, a few more precious invitations were gifted to random folk in the crowd. Our matron, Minette Bézier, was one of those lucky few.
That midnight, the guests stepped into the hotel and disappeared, along with the building. Two weeks later, they famously stepped back, appearing in the same alley from nothing but thin air.
My fingers twitched and I pictured cracking the seal on my own invitation. But even if we were fortunate enough to win one, we'd still have to pay for a room-and they weren't exactly cheap.
Zosa's brows drew together. "You want me to interview?"
"Not quite. I'm going to interview. I'm taking you to audition as a singer."
It had been four years since I'd taken her to a singing audition-the first one hadn't worked out in our favor, and I couldn't stomach going through it again, so we didn't try for more. But today was her birthday and this was the Hotel Magnifique. Everything about it felt different. Perfect, somehow. "Hotels hire singers all the time. What do you say?"
She answered with a smile that I felt in the tips of my toes.
One of the older girls shoved a lock of greasy blonde hair behind her pink ear. "That advertisement is a tease. It would be a miracle if any of us got a job."
I straightened. "That's not true."
She shrugged as she turned away. "Do what you want. I wou...
I crept inside, unnoticed in the crowd of boarders. Two of the younger girls pretended to dance with invisible partners, but every other eye was fixed on my sister, the most talented girl in the room.
A special kind of girl rented rooms at Bézier Residence. Almost all worked jobs fitting of their foul mouths: second shifts as house grunts, factory workers, grease cooks, or any number of ill-paying positions in the vieux quais-the old docks of Durc. I worked at Tannerie Fréllac, where women huddled over crusted alum pots and wells of dye. But Zosa was different.
"Happy birthday," I shouted when her song ended.
"Jani!" She bounded over. Her huge brown eyes shone against a pale, olive-skinned face that was far too thin.
"Did you eat supper?" I'd left her something, but with all the other girls around, food had a tendency to disappear.
She groaned. "Yes. You don't have to ask me every night."
"Of course I do. I'm your big sister. It's my life's greatest duty." Zosa scrunched her nose and I flicked it. Fishing in my sack, I pulled out the newspaper that had cost me half a day's wage and pressed it into her palms. "Your present, madame." Here, birthdays weren't dusted with confectioners' sugar; they were hard-won and more dear than gold.
"A newspaper?"
"A jobs section." I flipped open the paper with a sly grin.
Inside were advertisements for jobs in fancy dress shops, patisseries, and perfumeries, positions that would never belong to a thirteen-year-old who didn't look a day over ten. Luckily, they weren't what I had in mind.
Skipping past them, I pointed to a listing that had appeared in papers across town an hour ago.
The ink was vibrant purple, like Aligney blood poppies or crushed amethyst velvet. It stood out, a strange beacon in a sea of black and white.
Hotel Magnifique is hiring.
Interested parties inquire tomorrow at noon.
Pack a bag for Elsewhere & prepare to depart by midnight.
The girls crowded around us, and everyone leaned in as the purple ink winked with an iridescence that rivaled polished moonstones.
No address was given. The legendary hotel needed none. It appeared every decade or so in the same old alley downtown. The whole city was probably there now, already waiting like fools for a chance at a stay.
Years ago, when the hotel last made an appearance, the majority of the invitations were delivered beforehand to only the wealthiest citizens. Then, the day the hotel arrived, a few more precious invitations were gifted to random folk in the crowd. Our matron, Minette Bézier, was one of those lucky few.
That midnight, the guests stepped into the hotel and disappeared, along with the building. Two weeks later, they famously stepped back, appearing in the same alley from nothing but thin air.
My fingers twitched and I pictured cracking the seal on my own invitation. But even if we were fortunate enough to win one, we'd still have to pay for a room-and they weren't exactly cheap.
Zosa's brows drew together. "You want me to interview?"
"Not quite. I'm going to interview. I'm taking you to audition as a singer."
It had been four years since I'd taken her to a singing audition-the first one hadn't worked out in our favor, and I couldn't stomach going through it again, so we didn't try for more. But today was her birthday and this was the Hotel Magnifique. Everything about it felt different. Perfect, somehow. "Hotels hire singers all the time. What do you say?"
She answered with a smile that I felt in the tips of my toes.
One of the older girls shoved a lock of greasy blonde hair behind her pink ear. "That advertisement is a tease. It would be a miracle if any of us got a job."
I straightened. "That's not true."
She shrugged as she turned away. "Do what you want. I wou...
