[alert variation=”alert-info”]Publisher: Talos Press
Formats: Paperback, eBook, Kindle, Audible
Purchase: Powell’s | Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble | iBooks[/alert]

The Grand Hotel holds a collection of stories told by interesting characters. Any supernatural elements are subtle as the stories are as important as the characters that tell them. The mysterious and cryptic night clerk guides this tour of the strange, beautiful, and sometimes tragic tales as told by the long-term residents of the hotel.

Themes of wanting and familiarity are explored throughout the tour. Some desire wealth, others desire fame and others that most essentially human desire – love. Perhaps even the night clerk himself is someone that wants.

A perceptive and precocious little red-haired girl in the tour group seems to be a stand in for the reader. This allows her to ask questions of the night clerk as well as chip away at the mystery surrounding him that oddly only she seems to be interested in. Everyone has a tale to tell.

There are a few disappointing aspects of this book though. The reference to a famous modern television host took this reviewer out of the story and at least one of the stories seemed a little predictable. However, these minor issues did not ruin the overall enjoyment of this book.

Readers interested in stories within stories, surrounded by secrecy will enjoy their stay at The Grand Hotel.

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