Hotel for the Lost

by Suzanne Young

[whisperingchapters]

This review was originally posted on Latte Nights ReviewsAudrey, her brother Daniel and her father arrive very late at night at Hotel Ruby, just to pass the night and then be on their way to Audrey and Daniel's grandma's house to live. At first, Audrey is fascinated by the Ruby and she gets along very well with the employees but the Ruby has secrets and suddenly Audrey and her family are staying night after night. Audrey can't help but feel that something is wrong and maybe this hotel isn't safe for her family.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Before starting, I read a few negative reviews and that lowered my expectations but I am glad I didn't give up on it because the story was unique and very interesting. The characters were captivating. I loved Audrey's love for her family, especially for her brother Daniel—she would literally die for him. I got a tad frustrated with Audrey because she'd be naive and wouldn't keep on searching for answers—she would accept things as they were in the beginning and I wanted her to keep on going, to ask questions and figure out what was wrong. Still, it gave for a great ending and I loved how much she cared for all of the employees at the hotel as well.

I was skeptical of Elias' character. I wasn't sure of his true intentions but he surprised me... More than surprised me! Each of the supporting characters surprised me a lot. I actually liked all of them except two but one of them shall not be mentioned. The rest of the characters were fantastic. They brought an equal balance of joy and sadness to the story. I had kind of guessed one of the big secrets in the beginning (I say one because there was another that left me shocked) but wasn't completely sure so I pushed that thought aside but WOW! When I read it in the story, it felt real and emotional. The employees at the hotel are ghosts. They had died when the hotel caught on fire years ago. The other thing that I have to mention about the supporting characters is that they brought many emotions to the story once one of the secrets was revealed. I had gotten so attached to them and when the reveal happened, I felt so many emotions at once and it's rare for that to happen to me with the supporting characters.

I give props to the author. Suzanne gave a new perspective to the hotel. It's like she made the hotel come to life with the way she worded everything about this hotel and its secrets. The descriptions of it gave the story a haunted feel and everything was so vividly descriptive! What I would have wanted to be added to the story was how Audrey and her family were before her mom passed away and after. Some scenes are present in the story but not dived into entirely and I wanted to learn more of her family as a whole and as individuals as well. Also, it could have probably been longer when it came to their stay at the hotel since relationships are formed very fast. Still, this didn't put me off from the story at all. I was captivated by it all and I wanted to know more.

Overall, this story was a success and it will keep you hooked until the end without letting go.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews