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Rob Hart: The Paradox Hotel (Hardcover, 2022, Ballantine Books) 4 stars

Review of 'The Paradox Hotel' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Book has trigger warnings of: violence, blood, gore, guns, depression, swearing. If you don't like (or don't want to read) any of those, then don't read this book.

A science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and storytelling book all mixed into one, and a wild story that happens along the way. When you start the book you feel out of place, unsure of what is going on, but as you continue to read it all makes sense. The details in this book allow you to imagine yourself there, being one of the characters, and looking around.

"Breathe deep. Can’t tell Ruby. Can’t tell anyone. Not until I figure out what this is."

There are some places you will feel confused, and many have to read over multiple lines again. It's particularly because it's so weird, but also because there may be multiple characters speaking and you aren't sure who is saying what.

There were a few times I just had to laugh from the situation or words that were said.

"Godfuckingdamnit I forgot about the dinosaurs."

From what I can tell, multiple stories happen within this book, and it can be confusing to know which story you are currently in. Most of them do come together by the end, but it can be confusing until you get there. Some of those stories feature jumps in time, either back or forwards, and you may not even know there has been a time jump until you read one particular thing.

“I like learning, and getting hurt is the only way you learn.”

When you get near the end, the main character does a great job giving a recap of what all happened and how some of the stories come together. That isn't the end of the book, there is more, which I'm not sure the author needed to include as finishing may leave you in a state where you aren't sure if it was a good or bad thing.

"“The fuck?” I ask."

There will be times that you don't feel like continuing, and that's ok, keep reading, overall it's a good book.

"Silence, which I accept to mean I am correct."
"I almost want to say this out loud. But I’m not ready. Not yet."