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korelle's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
timinbc's review against another edition
3.0
Three because it drew me in and for a while was compelling. Only three because by the weak ending I was starting to see the ways it isn't a very good book.
January: the pills, the attitude - she's Dr. House.
The cardboard characters: why is every SF security chief a martial arts expert? why is every senator evil? why is every smart scientist too fuzzy-thinking to work with ordinary people?
Sadly, we have the usual baloney about guessing passwords. That was just one step short of the movie trick of having two people typing on the same keyboard at once
The time travel as a given was a good idea, saves a lot of explaining. That only one group can do it is awfully convenient, and that everyone else agreed to that is unlikely
We have about ten repeats of the "we're taking you off this case" with heroine right back on it about ten minutes later and everyone's cool with it.
The Mena storyline is interesting, and gives hints of where it's heading
Ruby was fine, but we aren't told how January got her
There were too many characters in play sometimes, and several sets of similars.
Hart's not overly subtle about who the bidders are re their realworld parallels.
The rollout of the Davis subplot near the end felt really familiar, as if from a different book that I read less than a year ago. Hmm.
But writing time travel is HARD, and I recognize that.
This was a compelling read for the most of its length.
January: the pills, the attitude - she's Dr. House.
The cardboard characters: why is every SF security chief a martial arts expert? why is every senator evil? why is every smart scientist too fuzzy-thinking to work with ordinary people?
Sadly, we have the usual baloney about guessing passwords. That was just one step short of the movie trick of having two people typing on the same keyboard at once
The time travel as a given was a good idea, saves a lot of explaining. That only one group can do it is awfully convenient, and that everyone else agreed to that is unlikely
We have about ten repeats of the "we're taking you off this case" with heroine right back on it about ten minutes later and everyone's cool with it.
The Mena storyline is interesting, and gives hints of where it's heading
Ruby was fine, but we aren't told how January got her
There were too many characters in play sometimes, and several sets of similars.
Hart's not overly subtle about who the bidders are re their realworld parallels.
The rollout of the Davis subplot near the end felt really familiar, as if from a different book that I read less than a year ago. Hmm.
But writing time travel is HARD, and I recognize that.
This was a compelling read for the most of its length.
justinkhchen's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
An absorbing, fascinating mess, The Paradox Hotel packs in so many ideas, and simply can't decide which one is the dominating thread. Is it a time travel sci-fi? A political/social espionage? A friendship story circling around the hotel staff? or a personal, intimate journey of grief? The answer is this novel is all of the above (and more)—if you're willing to be open-minded, and simply let the book throws its unruly wildness at you, you'll come out of it appreciating its emotional depth and exciting creativity.
Turning the classic hard-boiled fiction setup on its side, The Paradox Hotel features a woman in the role of the cynical detective with a dark personal past. Along with her sapphic relationship and inclusion of a nonbinary character, The Paradox Hotel feels progressively modern while still maintains some of the genre's trademarks, such as a comic relief sidekick (in the form of a surveillance robot — one that I kept imagining as a flying Roomba), and sarcastic, highly foul-mouthed dialogs.
Be ready to take note if you want to keep track of its 15+ characters spanning across the hotel staff, its guest and government personnel. The Paradox Hotel can be a little unforgiving, referring to its characters by either their first or last name, often switches around for no apparent reason. The inconsistency is minor, but still a noticeable annoyance keeping track of everyone's full name at all time.
For a novel of relative typical length, it's a marvel how much plot is packed in here. The staff members all have easily identifiable (and relatable) personalities, the political and social commentary nicely laid out, even the time travel has enough 'movie logic' for me to buy it without batting an eye. Yet I'm most impressed with the character arc of the protagonist, particularly moments spent with her girlfriend; the book dives into some philosophical discussions regarding death and acceptance I don't often see explored in mainstream fiction.
I felt like I've read a 500+ pages novel even though The Paradox Hotel is only in the 300 range; yet this statement is not meant to be a criticism — there are so much intrigues to unpack one simply has to slow down and absorb them. Yes, the plot can be overwrought at times, and the constant narrative shifts can give one whiplash (perhaps appropriately judging by what the characters are going through). But overall Rob Hart (even if just barely) was able to reign it all in, delivering a cohesive story that covers an insane amount of ground (time travel, murder mystery, close-knit 'family' dynamic, and even architecture), and still remains completely heartfelt.
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**
An absorbing, fascinating mess, The Paradox Hotel packs in so many ideas, and simply can't decide which one is the dominating thread. Is it a time travel sci-fi? A political/social espionage? A friendship story circling around the hotel staff? or a personal, intimate journey of grief? The answer is this novel is all of the above (and more)—if you're willing to be open-minded, and simply let the book throws its unruly wildness at you, you'll come out of it appreciating its emotional depth and exciting creativity.
Turning the classic hard-boiled fiction setup on its side, The Paradox Hotel features a woman in the role of the cynical detective with a dark personal past. Along with her sapphic relationship and inclusion of a nonbinary character, The Paradox Hotel feels progressively modern while still maintains some of the genre's trademarks, such as a comic relief sidekick (in the form of a surveillance robot — one that I kept imagining as a flying Roomba), and sarcastic, highly foul-mouthed dialogs.
Be ready to take note if you want to keep track of its 15+ characters spanning across the hotel staff, its guest and government personnel. The Paradox Hotel can be a little unforgiving, referring to its characters by either their first or last name, often switches around for no apparent reason. The inconsistency is minor, but still a noticeable annoyance keeping track of everyone's full name at all time.
For a novel of relative typical length, it's a marvel how much plot is packed in here. The staff members all have easily identifiable (and relatable) personalities, the political and social commentary nicely laid out, even the time travel has enough 'movie logic' for me to buy it without batting an eye. Yet I'm most impressed with the character arc of the protagonist, particularly moments spent with her girlfriend; the book dives into some philosophical discussions regarding death and acceptance I don't often see explored in mainstream fiction.
I felt like I've read a 500+ pages novel even though The Paradox Hotel is only in the 300 range; yet this statement is not meant to be a criticism — there are so much intrigues to unpack one simply has to slow down and absorb them. Yes, the plot can be overwrought at times, and the constant narrative shifts can give one whiplash (perhaps appropriately judging by what the characters are going through). But overall Rob Hart (even if just barely) was able to reign it all in, delivering a cohesive story that covers an insane amount of ground (time travel, murder mystery, close-knit 'family' dynamic, and even architecture), and still remains completely heartfelt.
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**
madgerdes's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
becxreadz's review against another edition
Nothing really wrong with this but 15% in I could tell it wouldn't be higher than a 3 star and I just don't want to waste my time. Nothing was keeping me interested enough to see how this ends
breadandmushrooms's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
bangell's review against another edition
4.0
UPDATE: 4.5/5 stars.
Definitely mind-bending but to quote the book, “…Time travel!” AKA confusing is to be expected. I found the main character and host of side characters absolutely delightful. If you’re someone who wants a classically likable protagonist, this is not the book for you. January is cranky and fully of trauma and sometimes downright bitchy and you know what? I love that. Sassy AI robot sidekick Ruby was probably my favorite. There were admittedly a lot of side characters to keep track of so I sometimes had to flip back to doublecheck a name.
The central plot of the book/mystery kept me turning pages on its own but learning more about our protagonist’s past was equally compelling. Again, I will say, if you’re someone who wants to arrive at the end of the book with everything fully explained and tied up in a neat bow, this is not the book for you. Personally I’m just fine with some purposeful ambiguity.
I hope the author considers writing a prequel!
——
4.5 stars. I’ll write a real review once I’ve sat with it for a bit (/positive)
Definitely mind-bending but to quote the book, “…Time travel!” AKA confusing is to be expected. I found the main character and host of side characters absolutely delightful. If you’re someone who wants a classically likable protagonist, this is not the book for you. January is cranky and fully of trauma and sometimes downright bitchy and you know what? I love that. Sassy AI robot sidekick Ruby was probably my favorite. There were admittedly a lot of side characters to keep track of so I sometimes had to flip back to doublecheck a name.
The central plot of the book/mystery kept me turning pages on its own but learning more about our protagonist’s past was equally compelling. Again, I will say, if you’re someone who wants to arrive at the end of the book with everything fully explained and tied up in a neat bow, this is not the book for you. Personally I’m just fine with some purposeful ambiguity.
I hope the author considers writing a prequel!
——
4.5 stars. I’ll write a real review once I’ve sat with it for a bit (/positive)
bookph1le's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars
There were a lot of things I liked about this book, but it just didn't hang together for me. I did get impatient at times, but I thought Hart did a good job of handling January's self-destructiveness. As a character, I liked her quite a bit as I found her human and quite believable, even if she is extremely exasperating at times.
The concept of this book was really interesting too. The problem is, I found it hard to follow what was going on. I thought the structure was okay, but the flipping between time periods sometimes made me have to go back and reread to reorient myself. I also found it very hard to keep track of the characters for some reason.
Even though this one was a bit of a letdown, I like what this author has done so far and do want to read his next book.
There were a lot of things I liked about this book, but it just didn't hang together for me. I did get impatient at times, but I thought Hart did a good job of handling January's self-destructiveness. As a character, I liked her quite a bit as I found her human and quite believable, even if she is extremely exasperating at times.
The concept of this book was really interesting too. The problem is, I found it hard to follow what was going on. I thought the structure was okay, but the flipping between time periods sometimes made me have to go back and reread to reorient myself. I also found it very hard to keep track of the characters for some reason.
Even though this one was a bit of a letdown, I like what this author has done so far and do want to read his next book.
amphytrite's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
sapheri's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The book has a large cast of characters that is kind of hard to keep track of. The main 4-5 characters were interesting and diverse. I loved the sass of the main character and the humor she had with her AI companion. This felt like a sci fi Sherlock Holmes book.