A captivating read about a traveling magic hotel. It’s the only place in the world where Suminaires can use their magic safely and they invite people to stay for a show. The protagonists are a couple sisters who have been poor their whole lives. The hotel happens to be hiring staff when it comes to their village and they’re lucky enough to get hired on (kinda, one forces them to take her basically). But are they actually lucky?

Jani spends a lot of the book trying to just talk to her sister, but she meets a lot of interesting characters along the way and discovers many secrets about the hotel. Employees are supposed to have the memories of their past lives erased, but Jani’s are kept intact. Because of this, she is able to investigate what’s going on and retain her discoveries. Bel, the bellhop (definitely his real name), becomes her most trusted confidant. 

Obviously removing someone’s memories is evil, but why? Well, the story unfolds many layers to this reasoning though its pages. The shows the Suminaires put on for their patrons are what draws the wealthy to stay at the hotel. These moments of grandeur are almost enough to make one forget the darkness hiding just beyond the surface. From Jani’s point of view, however, we can see behind the curtain.

There is not much to this book and I like it for that. Everything is relatively straightforward. The sisters’ journey, hotel secrets and characterization will keep you turning pages until the end. I think about this story a lot and would recommend it for those that want a concise story with an intriguing world.