⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 "People are willing to show themselves in a hotel because it's an in-between kind of place. Normality is suspended. One is repeatedly exposed too strange, even dubious phenomena." This book was not what I was expecting at all in the slightest, but that was certainly not a negative as I read on.

This book follows Nora, a psychoanalyst, who travels to a hotel in Birmingham to spy on her "friend" Leo's wife, Berenice, to uncover her infidelities. However, when Nora arrives not all is as it seems as people disappear and secrets which were long meant to be kept hidden begin to arise.

I will start by saying that this book was not what I expected in the least. I believed that it would be a classic murder mystery, a whodunnit of the sort where there is killer in the hotel whilst all are trapped in due to the snow. However, it bore no great resemblance to that. It was instead a wonderfully bizarre tale spanning numerous different genres. There were elements of romance, fantasy, historical fiction, and crime. The fantastical element is what took me by surprise the most as it was as it was not mentioned in the summary. I did not mind the introduction of the hyring in the slightest, it was a unique surprise. But if what you are expecting from this book is a murder mystery set in 1920s Birmingham, there is an element of the peculiar.

Nora is one of the most uniqueI have ever read about. She is just extraordinary and slightly strange, yet you get too see exactly how her mind is working. The whole idea of her being a mimic was something I found rather confusing at the start, but interesting nevertheless. Her relationships with the different characters were all unique and easy to read about. I was also slightly confused about what the relationship between her and Leo was at the start. The more predominant characters in this book all easily recognised and memorable. In particular, Valery, whom I could read a book entirely dedicated to. The whole section regarding Nora's childhood was fast paced and captivating. It wasn't normal, none of the characters were, but then again this book makes you question what normality even is in the first place as everyone is slightly twisted.

The book went straight into the action, as you were instantly picking up characters and motives. However, I felt at the start reading about Nora it seemed rather lists- Nora this, Nora that, Nora said. However, that really only happened at the start so it didn't bother me too much. The rest of the writing was phenomenal and so crudely dark and poetic, flowing with each of the twists and turns as they came along. My main issue with this book is that I just don't believe it was what it was advertised to be. I didn't mind the element of fantasy, it just honestly wasn't expected. I also found it difficult to remember the more minor characters in the hotel after the section about Nora's childhood and her work in the hospital.

All in all this was an incredibly unique read and one that I recommend if you wish to read something fast paced and very twisted. Thank you netgalley for the arc!

🍸hokey pokey by kate mascarhenas🍸

thanks netgalley for an arc of this book which will be published 8th June 2023

🌟🌟🌟.5

a queer mystery/fantasy set in the 1920's which follows a psychoanalyst with a gift of perfect mimicry to a hotel where the guests become trapped by a snow storm. there's ghosts and monsters and an obsession with one of the guests as the mysteries unfold. this isn't my usual read but the author wrote one of my favourite books, the psychology of time travel, so I had to read this. I went in with mixed feelings because I didn't enjoy their other book the thief on the winged horse, but I enjoyed this more. I really really recommend the psychology of time travel if you're into queer space books!

I thought this was a pretty decent read, the authors very good at setting an atmosphere which really made reading it fun.. The ending wasn't to my taste but was overall a fun read.

This was a weird ride. I had no idea where this story was going and usually I'm pretty good at guessing. The first part was predictable but then it just got weirder, I'm not quite sure if it was good weird or just weird weird. The backstory of the main character was written very good and I would have loved a story about her past more. The stroytelling was good.

Very interesting read, I loved the characters and the plot, It had me guessing what would happen next. A great read.

Hokey Pokey is about a woman that is stuck in a hotel and she is on a mission. There is mystery and fantasy combined in a historical fiction and it even has it's own cocktail recipe!

That's a really short description of what this book actually is. There are parts where I wasn't able to put it down, most of it however didn't spark my interest and I really had to make myself read this book just so I could finish it and move on from it. I would say I enjoyed about 30% of it. There are parts that drag on for pages and pages and there are parts where an enormous event happens that are described in just half a sentence.
I'm not sure if I would recommend this book to a friend. But I am interested in the drink that's mentioned in the book.