Below the Grand Hotel

Scully’s unsatisfying adult debut (after the YA novel Jennifer Strange) blends horror and historical fantasy against the backdrop of 1920s New York. Mabel Rose Dixon, a talented performer fresh out of Atlanta, has dreams of making it big in the Follies. In the meantime, she turns to stealing to make ends meet. When she steps into Manhattan’s stylish Grand Hotel in hopes of pulling off her biggest heist yet, she has no idea that literal demons await her. What follows is a somewhat chaotic account of Mabel’s time trapped within the bowels of the Grand, where she is separated from her soul. She must search for it throughout the opulent hotel while trying not to turn into a demon herself. The rules that govern the hotel and its occupants’ magic are unclear, making it hard to grasp what exactly Mabel is up against, which in turn makes it difficult to become fully invested in her success. Also inconsistent are the characterizations of the supporting characters, who can oscillate between antagonist and ally from scene to scene. Though the glitzy Jazz Age setting brings moments of pleasure, the familiar-feeling plot falters in execution. It’s disappointing. (May)