This book was a perfectly fine, gruesome horror story filled with demons, blood lust, glitz and glam, and adventure. The Grand Hotel was very reminiscent of the hotel season of AHS. While I did get some of the Gatsby vibes, it really didn’t feel Gatsby to me except for the 20s type of elements thrown in. I thought the overall plot was interesting, but it slowly started to drag as we got closer to the end. For a short book, it should’ve flown by with the task that Mabel and Will had to free all the lost souls. There were some elements of the story that kind of came out of left field and it took me out of the story quite a bit. The characters also felt a little one dimensional and I couldn’t bring myself to root for them in the end. It was mostly an enjoyable read, but wasn’t a favorite of mine.

Thank you NetGalley and Clash books for an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Mabel is drawn into the glitzy, dangerous world of the Grand Hotel which offers up her most precious dreams in exchange for her soul. What follows is a descent into hell itself filled opulence amd gore. I'm not sure I've read anything quite like this book. I didn't see any of the twists coming. The world building was fascinating in an almost locked door scenario in a prison that feels expensive and neverending. Horrifying, delightful, and even insightful at times with its discourse on art and fame. I had a great time reading this. Thank you to Netgalley and Clash books for the ARC.

I really wanted to like Below the Grand Hotel, but I found the various proofreading issues more and more distracting as I went along. In many places there seemed to be words missing. In others I struggled to discern the author’s intent. When the author couldn’t even keep the characters’ costumes straight from scene to scene…or worse, in the same scene, I was ready to throw in the towel. I made it through the entire novel, but found it unsatisfying. I realize that the publication date is still some months away, and only hope that someone proofreads the work prior to publication. I am, nonetheless, grateful to NetGalley for the opportunity to read the eARC.

Easily a 5 star read for me!

Demons, starlets, 1920’s New York, The Art Deco Grand Hotel. Mabel finds herself in New York trying to make it on stage. Failing, Mabel is dragged into the allure of The Grand Hotel, but not everything is as it seems.

This book gave me stranger things and labyrinth vibes.

The setting of this story was combined with a devilish plot. This story that will appeal to fans of occult fiction and horror. I appreciate being given the opportunity to read an ARC of this book and will be recommending it to other fans of YA horror.

The Great Gatsby meets Hellraiser?!? The 1920s, demons, glitz and glam?!? I was hooked from the get-go!!! Mabel Rose Dixon picked the pocket of the wrong person and now is singing every night at a hotel for a sold-out crowd. Sounds perfect, right? Nope. She crossed a demon and risks becoming one herself if she doesn't escape. This was such a fun adventure and fast paced. I love the time period, especially the description of art deco, and had many twists and turns that kept me guessing! This is a must read for horror fans!

This books was an excellent mix of great gatsby vibes. I’ll be honest as a fan of F Scott Fitzgerald it was hard not to feel like putting this down and picking up one of his classics. The pace was a bit slow for me but I did enjoy the story and the writing was quite good.

Art Deco and demons? Count me in! The cover is stunning and matches the era of the book perfectly. I was captivated by the plot and the Faustian theme and find the whole selling of your soul so interesting. It kind of translates in to our society and the ways young people go to be accepted. I received a free eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity.

What wasn’t to love about this book! It had everything for a YA horror book, scary demons, the roaring 1920s aesthetic, and a young woman who is embarking on a mission in a spooky maybe even haunted hotel!!
Mabel is literally my favorite! She had it all and then some, she as a main character was so satisfying to read about!

Thank you for the early ARC!

In Beneath the Grand Hotel, we follow Mabel who leaves home in 1920s small town America to grab herself a slice of the stage in New York. As with many young girls seeking stardom, things don’t quite go to plan and Mabel ends up stealing to make ends meet. Then she sees her opportunity to steal from a wealthy couple headed into the Grand Hotel but she’s targeted the wrong people!
Mabel falls into their trap and has to make a deal to save herself and so begins Mabel’s stay at the Grand Hotel. Will Mabel lose her humanity and become a demon? Can she get her soul back and escape the evils lurking in the Grand?

I really enjoyed following Mabel on her quest and rooted for her the whole way. As horrors go, this was definitely more palatable than others although gruesome in places. With lots of likeable characters and characters you love to hate, I looked forward to picking it up.
There were a few pace changes but it didn’t affect my enjoyment and once we got to the climax of the story, I wanted more of that fast pace action.

I’m not generally a lover of demon stories but this was great and I will definitely be more inclined to pick them up after reading Beneath the Grand Hotel.

Scary demons, a young woman embarking on a quest and spooky hotel?
I came for the blood and guts and 1920's aesthetic, but stayed for Mabel and her satisfying asf character arc I did not see coming.

Thank you to Cat Scully, Clash books and netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Book review || Below the grand hotel by Cat Scully
Edition : ARC
Rating : 4.75/5⭐️
⚠️Spoiler review⚠️

This book is the great gatsby meets angelfall. I was really surprised with how easily I slipped into the world and how it was built all around us. I just had one time where I was wondering the chronology of things, the whole poor girl from Atlanta knows an artist like Alfons Mucha But it was stunning. I never was interested in the early 1920s in the USA but this really opened my mind to it, I ended up reading articles for hours about some celebrities. I ended up really loving it.
The switch from Will to Frank was a bit strange bc I never expected Mabel to not go for « the most beautiful guy she ever laid her eyes on ».
Anyways I think it was really great and i kinda hope it’s a standalone but we get more books in the same universe just different POVs.
I kinda wished that Evelyn had longer hair and in my head she looked like Evelyn Hugo lol. All the other characters were pretty likable, I feel like all the bloodbaths were useful and it wasn’t just to get rid of characters. It tackles a tiny bit of religious imagery and trauma that I enjoyed quite a lot. I kinda hoped we could have gotten more of Mabel’s family.
I would definitely recommend this book.

I really wanted to like this and I’m really disappointed that I didn’t. I thought the 1920s time period was really cool and I wish we got to see a bit more of it outside of the hotel and I thought the concept of a 1920s girl trying to make it big as a performer, but losing her soul and needing to steal it back was really intriguing.

Where it fell flat for me was mainly the writing for the characters. I thought Mabel was very unlikeable and it made it very difficult for me to get invested in the story. She had little to no survival instinct from what I saw and had a serious lack of ability to read a room.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I recently began my spooky season reading this fascinating book. It revolves around a young woman on a quest to pursue her dreams, only to have her soul ensnared by demons in a hotel. The book presents a strange and highly original story, set in the glitz of the 1920s, but intertwined with grotesque elements that serve as a metaphor for the hellish nature of fame and success. Definitely a great read for me

What would you sacrifice to make your dreams come true? In Cat Scully’s Below the Grand Hotel, Mable Rose Dixon’s dream of becoming a vaudevillian is complicated when she stumbles into a hotel from hell. Literally.

Set in 1920s Manhattan, Below the Grand Hotel takes readers on an opulent ride into the dark heart of decadence. Mable is a scrappy wanna-be stage star who has taken to thievery to make ends meet while she waits for her big break. When she sees a beautiful woman sporting a massive diamond necklace entering a midtown hotel, Mable thinks she’s found her meal ticket. Unfortunately, nothing is what it seems in the Grand, and soon the aspiring starlet discovers she’s become trapped in the demon-filled building, body and soul.

Below the Grand Hotel is a wonderfully creative story that combines classic horror themes with a unique setting to create a fresh and entertaining tale. Scully’s power of description delivers endlessly breathtaking scenery—from marbled ballrooms lined with Greek statues to feather-and-ruffle filled dressing rooms—while her nightmarish narrative continuously builds tension that threatens to boil over into demonic violence at any moment. Horror authors have long understood there is something captivating about juxtaposing the beautiful and the terrible, and Below the Grand Hotel does just that. Demonic dancers move in a “flurry of silk and blood,” handsome men reveal fanged and hungry second mouths, and cleaning away sticky clumps of gore becomes second nature for the inhabitants of this satanic site.

And yet, there is an undefinable distance between Below the Grand Hotel’s violent imagery and its impact on the reader. While there are plenty of blood-drenched scenes of demons feasting on flesh, innocents succumbing to supernatural afflictions, and painful transformations, the story never allows the reader to fully step inside the shoes of the tormented. Below the Grand Hotel has been compared to both The Great Gatsby and Hellraiser, but those stories take great pains to physically place the reader inside the experiences of its protagonists. In this novel, we watch as Mable struggles to survive but we rarely feel her do it. This lack of viscerality is not a problem, per say, but it is a marked difference from many novels exploring the same themes.

Under the Grand Hotel is a deliciously demonic period drama that is sure to delight horror fans of all stripes. Don’t wait to add this one to your TBR.

4.25 This story is exactly as it is described, The Great Gatsby meets Hellraiser. So good and finds a way to be spooky without being overly scary. I recommend this for people that are looking for something stronger than "cozy" but not King-esque in it's fear level. Great world building and you really feel like to are apart of that era.

I’m very torn on Below the Grand Hotel. I felt like the storyline had great possibility, but for some reason it just didn’t hit home to me. Normally demon novels leave me feeling quite uneasy, but this fell short.

The plot of this book is really interesting, a young woman searching for her dreams has her soul captured by demons of the Grand Hotel. But, halfway through the book I felt like there were two storylines mashed into one and the plot didn’t flow and had lost meaning on me as a reader. I feel like the first half of the book could have been one whole novel and the second half could have been a completely different novel or even a sequel. By the second half of the book I’d lost interest which is sad as I loved the first half. The plot felt rushed and like the author had so many ideas they wanted to fulfil in this book but didn’t need to include them all.

I enjoyed this one! The setting was immaculate and I thought the way of speaking was perfect for the time period. Mabel's character was a bit annoying at times though and her internal dialogue felt very repetitive. Other than that, the story was a fast paced and twisty horror filled ride!

What a read!!!! Such a good story. I recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can because it's really good and the characters are fantastic. I rated this book 5 stars.