Silky fantasy horror set in the world of 1920’s big stage acts and dancing girls and the grande hotels for that sort of clientele. Except here the hotel is not really for relaxing in at all, walking in its door is the biggest mistake you could make. Avarice, desperation and a bit of thievery brings smart and sassy Mabel Rose Dixon into the hotel. Caught she is given the chance to fulfil her dreams. But this might be one way ticket to hell instead. Thank you to Clash books and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

In Below the Grand Hotel Mabel is trying to make it big on the stage, but has had to resort to thievery to survive. When she follows a patron wearing a rather large diamond into the Grand Hotel and gets caught trying to steal it she finds that the Grand Hotel is a front for a demon underworld intent on gathering souls. Mabel is tricked into selling her soul to save her life with instant regrets. Now she must navigate the demon hotel and try to free her soul before the month is up or be trapped there forever.

A lot of the charm in this book was the fact that it was set in the twenties, where society was on the cusp of huge changes in entertainment, styles, and sexuality. It set a perfect stage for the hotel and all the vices involved, from drinking and betting to awakening sexuality. The clothing, jewelry, and ambiance of the hotel was beautifully crafted and over the top. At first I was unsure of the pacing of the book. Things seemed to move awfully fast in the beginning with Mabel trusting people, especially considering that everyone in the hotel was either a demon, soon to be demon, or a meal for a demon. Everything made more sense as you got further along in the book, but I will say that I did NOT expect the book to end the way it did.

The book had good plot and a wonderfully creepy atmosphere. I don't know that I would classify it as a horror, but it definitely is dark. 3.5 stars rounded up for ambiance.

Wasn’t able to read this one digitally but I will be ordering a copy of the book so will be reviewing it after I’ve read it. I’m really excited for it as I’ve only heard great things about it.

Not what I thought it was going to be when I requested an ARC of this book. Below the Grand Hotel was marketed as Hellraiser meets The Great Gatsby but...lacked the Hellraiser part so much that i wonder if the writer or marketer who made that statement ever actually read or watched Hellraiser. This has much more of a dark fantasy vibe than horror and while witty and well written the glaring difference to its marketing disappointed me so much I couldn't enjoy it. I might come back to it again but this was a miss for me atm.

This book has an extremely intriguing plot involving a hotel run by demons and an aspiring actress/magician having to make a deal to save her life but potentially losing her soul. The execution wasn’t always for me, but there was more than enough intrigue and world building to keep me entertained. I will definitely check out more from this author in the future.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy! This book is an excellent demonstration of how setting, place, and environment can really set a scene that is at once foreboding and enticing. I love a good haunted hotel story, and this one pulls no punches!

Thank you to netgalley for a free copy in exchange for a review.

I liked this, I should have loved it. The story was well written and I enjoyed the concepts. The 1920s glitz was well done and i like the references in the story to the realities of the time. Horror in everyday settings is my jam and this fell short and I'm not sure why. I hope the author continues to experiment with this because there is some real potential here.

Where to begin. I'm struggling with the rating on this one because the concept is interesting, it's what first drew my attention. That and all things 20s. The setup was great, the descriptions were vivid, and there was a lot of uniqueness going for it. Especially with the hotel wanting to be a haven for the dying arts. Where it fell apart completely was with the protagonist. She was unlikeable, unbelievable, and unrelatable. She's supposed to be fantastic at everything from acting to singing to dancing to thieving. Which apparently she was only forced to steal for a few months, but that's ok because she was super at it. And oh so clever. At everything. She could outfox them all. Except, she wasn't really clever and didn't outfox anyone. But the reader is told over and over again how clever and thief like she is without us actually experiencing proof of that. Too much telling without showing. I can overlook a lot of things but not a sloppy protagonist.

Described via the publisher as "The Great Gatsby meets Hellraiser in this 1920s horror novel of glitz, glamor, and demons", this story is not short on gothic horror, mixed with some class. With this unique premise, we follow Mabel, who is drawn to the glitzy and shiny world of The Grand Hotel. But there is a catch ... what comes next is a descent to hell, but a fabulous one? Filled with blood lust, opulence and gore, this was giving AHS Hotel vibes, to me. Cat Scully takes us on a trip to the supernatural underground of 1920's New York and I quite enjoyed my visit. Thank you to CLASH books and NetGalley for the ARC. You can check this book out when it publishes May 06, 2025.

I really like the concept of this one and it gave some AHS vibes. I also really love anything set in the 20s. I think the beginning was a bit rushed and I would have liked more character build for Mabel before rushing into the twist aspect of the story.

Below the Grand Hotel by Cat Scully had a fun premise and was an amusing read, but it could have been better. I felt the author leaned a little too hard into the 1920s slang, which quickly started to feel forced and pulled me out of the story. The pacing was also sluggish at times, especially in the middle of the novel. It could have benefited from some editing to tighten up the pace. That being said, I enjoyed the concept, and it was still an entertaining novel. This is a debut novel, and I will definitely try another book by this author!

I wouldn't even mention "Hellraiser" in connection with this book. Although "Below the Grand Hotel," is marketed as horror, it's more dark fantasy than anything (unless you count the mere mention of demons in the plot as horror). The main character could have been a lost princess who's forgotten her origins, or an ambitious peasant girl with delusions of grandeur. The hotel could have easily been replaced by Bluebeard's castle, and so on and so forth. However, as a fairy tale/urban horror mashup, it works! Plotholes and inconsistencies aside (and in the first 100 pages, they're quite rampant), "Below the Grand Hotel" is not a bad book per se. It has a solid story; but that's all: dialogue is unnatural, most times the voices cannot be differentiated, and the pacing is atrocious - incredibly sluggish, even for a slow burn I had to force myself to finish the book. The ending was satisfying, but obviously planned ahead by the author, so that many turns of the story are solely there to force the plot forward, towards the planned ahead ending. This might have worked better if marketed as a YA book, without any mention of horrific elements.







All in all, I don’t think this one was for me, I really had to push myself to finish but I appreciate the opportunity to review it. I rate it a 2.5 rounded up to a 3.

This was an enjoyable surprise. A horror story set in 1920s which was genuinely creepy. I saw someone else describe it as ‘The Great Gatsby in hell’ and that really sums it up. Great characters and an intriguing plot. Thoroughly enjoyed.

Definitely felt AHS Hotel vibes with demons instead of vampires. World building was interesting, but confusing. I wasn't sure if the characters were being helpful or undermining, which kept me guessing. The commentary on talent, fame and art was also interesting.

I was in the moment it was comped to The Great Gatsby. Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me read this early!

I loved Below the Grand Hotel. It's not the sort of story I might normally choose but the plot summary was really exciting. I like horror and this was a very stylish Gothic romp set in New York City. The spiky protagonist Mabel Rose Dixon immediately put in mind another Mabel, that played by Selena Gomez. Cat Scully has devised a frightening and foreboding, subtle and complete world in this hotel basement. Of course people mention Fitzgerald but I also think of the Eagles: can Mabel ever hope to leave?

Below the Grand Hotel takes the idea of the Overlook Hotel in its 1920s prime, infuses it with big-city life, and populates with it with the denizens of hell. Scully spins a terrific tale of the desire/cost of fame in the heyday of when stardom was new and exciting, and drops it all into an almost House-of-Leaves-esque panorama of architectural intrigue. Tight pacing, intriguing characters, and eerily accurate comps (Great Gatsby x Hellraiser) without sacrificing originality.

Cat Scully’s Below the Grand Hotel is a dark and eerie tale that weaves Faustian bargains and demons into a dazzling art deco setting.
Mabel Rose, a struggling performer in 1920s New York City, faces rejection from the Ziegfeld Follies. To fund her desperate dream for stardom, she resorts to stealing from the wealthy. However, her life takes a sinister turn when she steals from the wrong person and becomes trapped in a hotel run by demons, where she trades her soul for a shot at fame. Throughout the story, Mabel must fight for her soul while questioning whether being human is worth the price of an ordinary life.

The story's glamorous 1920s backdrop contrasts sharply with its devilish plot, using the pursuit of fame and success as a metaphor for the underworld. While at times the narrative is gory, featuring grotesque scenes reminiscent of a Ryan Murphy production, the character development is particularly strong. Each character, especially Mabel, is forced to confront difficult emotions, and their imperfect choices humanize them for the reader. The illustrations evoke a 1920s film noir atmosphere, adding depth to the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and CLASH Books for this ARC!

I initially enjoyed this, especially Mabel’s character. I enjoyed where her character went and how she progressed throughout the novel but found the pacing to be quite slow and sometimes stagnant at times. It was an interesting premise, and the writing was good, I wish the pacing was a little steadier.

Thank you to NetGalley and Clash Books for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As a horror girlie, I really was reeled in by the plot initially as well as the Gatsby-esque vibe of the Grand Hotel.

The start seemed exciting but the the pace slowed to the point of it almost being sluggish. There was so much emphasis on the maze that is the Grand Hotel that it felt like the characters storyline’s were taking a bit of a back seat.

I enjoyed the characters, I personally didn’t find them relatable (to me) although I did like Mabel’s transformation from who she was when she first enters the hotel to who she is at the end of the book.

Like a few others have said, I felt like I had a bit of whiplash at the end but the ending did tie it all together nicely.

All in all, I don’t think this one was for me, I really had to push myself to finish but I appreciate the opportunity to review it. I rate it a 2.5 rounded up to a 3.