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Below the Grand Hotel
Below the Grand Hotel | Cat Scully
1 post | 1 read
The Great Gatsby meets Hellraiser in this 1920s horror novel of glitz, glamor, and demons. Mabel Rose Dixon will do anything to become a Ziegfeld girl--including picking the pockets of the wealthy NYC elite to fund her way to stardom. When she picks the wrong pocket, Mabel loses her soul to a hotel run by demons and tumbles into the world of The Grand Hotel, a place where any artist can make it big. Mabel's greatest wish to be famous is granted. Every night, she performs as the starring act to a crowded theater and finds she is never without patrons. But Mabel quickly learns that losing her soul to get everything she ever wanted comes at a much steeper cost than what she bargained for. She must steal her soul back before the Grand's annual May's Eve Ball or become a demon herself forever. With stylish art deco design and beautiful illustrations by the author, this stunning debut novel by renowned New England artist Cat Scully is a crown jewel for the dark gothic horror lover's collection. Welcome to The Grand Hotel. We hope you enjoy your stay.
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review
OutsmartYourShelf
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Mehso-so

Mabel Rose Dixon is in New York to become a Ziegfeld girl, but things haven't gone to plan & she is currently reduced to picking the pockets of the wealthy. When she chooses the wrong mark, Mabel makes a deal to save her life & ends up trapped in the Grand Hotel, a luxury hotel run by demons. Mabel agrees to procure souls for the hotel owner, Frank, in exchange for being his headline act every night in the crowded theatre, (continued)

OutsmartYourShelf but soon finds that this type of fame has a steep price & if she doesn't figure out a way to escape, she may be lost forever.

This has an interesting premise, a hotel where your dreams can come true forever, but every day you stay, you lose a bit more of your humanity. Mabel is a spirited main character but I found that her peppiness became a bit irritating as time went on.
13h
OutsmartYourShelf I could also have done without the (mercifully brief) mentions of animal cruelty, & I found the ending a bit jarring as Mabel had spent most of the book falling in love with one character only to suddenly be besotted with another & there'd been no hint of flirtation between them before. Overall, interesting but the conclusion & MC brings down the rating a bit. 3.25⭐

13h
OutsmartYourShelf Thanks to #NetGalley & publishers, CLASH Books, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Full Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6864101172
Read 1st-3rd May 2025

#ReadAway2025 @Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES
13h
Andrew65 Well done 🎉🎉🎉 51m
21 likes4 comments