Welcome to my stop for Something Wicked Rises spotlighting Hotel Ruby by Suzanne Young! This is the third or fourth year I've participated and it's been fun every year. You can see the full schedule (including giveaways) here. Check out my review and enter the giveaway below...
Hotel Ruby
by Suzanne Young
YA Thriller
Hardcover & ebook, 288 Pages
Hardcover & ebook, 288 Pages
November 3rd 2015 by Simon Pulse
Summary
When Audrey Casella arrives for an unplanned stay at the grand Hotel Ruby, she’s grateful for the detour. Just months after their mother’s death, Audrey and her brother, Daniel, are on their way to live with their grandmother, dumped on the doorstep of a DNA-matched stranger because their father is drowning in his grief.
Audrey and her family only plan to stay the night, but life in the Ruby can be intoxicating, extending their stay as it provides endless distractions—including handsome guest Elias Lange, who sends Audrey’s pulse racing. However, the hotel proves to be as strange as it is beautiful. Nightly fancy affairs in the ballroom are invitation only, and Audrey seems to be the one guest who doesn't have an invite. Instead, she joins the hotel staff on the rooftop, catching whispers about the hotel’s dark past.
The more Audrey learns about the new people she's met, the more her curiosity grows. She’s torn in different directions—the pull of her past with its overwhelming loss, the promise of a future that holds little joy, and an in-between life in a place that is so much more than it seems…
Welcome to the Ruby.
Audrey and her family only plan to stay the night, but life in the Ruby can be intoxicating, extending their stay as it provides endless distractions—including handsome guest Elias Lange, who sends Audrey’s pulse racing. However, the hotel proves to be as strange as it is beautiful. Nightly fancy affairs in the ballroom are invitation only, and Audrey seems to be the one guest who doesn't have an invite. Instead, she joins the hotel staff on the rooftop, catching whispers about the hotel’s dark past.
The more Audrey learns about the new people she's met, the more her curiosity grows. She’s torn in different directions—the pull of her past with its overwhelming loss, the promise of a future that holds little joy, and an in-between life in a place that is so much more than it seems…
Welcome to the Ruby.
My Review
HOTEL RUBY was a slowly building thriller with some serious romance. The author did a fabulous job of letting the story feel sinister and that the characters were in constant danger. That feel just kept building while the story gave some red herrings and some real clues as to what was really going on. The complete mystery was kept almost until the end; and what a climatic ending it was. With a fabulous cover like it has, it had better be!
This author always writes about characters with some serious issues, depression, or are dealing with grief. All traits were present in the characters in this story. Audrey, her brother Daniel, and her father all haven't grieved well after Audrey's mom's unexpected death. The characters at the hotel also had their own griefs to deal with, although on the surface it's not seen at first. My favorite interactions would have to be between Audrey and her brother and Audrey and Elias. They connected and brought some humor and happiness into this story.
I loved how the plot became more menacing as the story progressed. There was no clear explanation for some time. Just hints left for Audrey, and thus the reader, at different points. The romance did become a little overwhelming at some parts for me, enough so that there was too much detail and I wanted to skim. I also could have done without the profanity. On the flip side, the spookiness was so well handled and quite gruesome in parts. Between the suspense and some fabulous twists, I literally could not put the book down towards the end.
HOTEL RUBY is ideal for readers who enjoy thrillers with a strong romantic plot, ghost stories, seriously creepy hotels, and don't mind the content.
Content: Some profanity here and there including the f-word, innuendo, heavy/detailed making out, some violence.
Source: I would like to thank Simon Pulse for my complementary eARC through Edelweiss, which did not affect my review in any way.
This author always writes about characters with some serious issues, depression, or are dealing with grief. All traits were present in the characters in this story. Audrey, her brother Daniel, and her father all haven't grieved well after Audrey's mom's unexpected death. The characters at the hotel also had their own griefs to deal with, although on the surface it's not seen at first. My favorite interactions would have to be between Audrey and her brother and Audrey and Elias. They connected and brought some humor and happiness into this story.
I loved how the plot became more menacing as the story progressed. There was no clear explanation for some time. Just hints left for Audrey, and thus the reader, at different points. The romance did become a little overwhelming at some parts for me, enough so that there was too much detail and I wanted to skim. I also could have done without the profanity. On the flip side, the spookiness was so well handled and quite gruesome in parts. Between the suspense and some fabulous twists, I literally could not put the book down towards the end.
HOTEL RUBY is ideal for readers who enjoy thrillers with a strong romantic plot, ghost stories, seriously creepy hotels, and don't mind the content.
Content: Some profanity here and there including the f-word, innuendo, heavy/detailed making out, some violence.
Source: I would like to thank Simon Pulse for my complementary eARC through Edelweiss, which did not affect my review in any way.
About the Author
Suzanne Young is the New York Times bestselling author of The Program series. Orginally from Utica, NY, Suzanne moved to Arizona to pursue her dream of not freezing to death. She is a novelist and an English teacher, but not always in that order.
Hardcover of Hotel Ruby by Suzanne Young
Ends October 31st
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