'Hotel Magnifique' Book Club Readalong Day 4!

Welcome back to the fourth day of our book club readalong for OwlCrate's April book, Hotel Magnifique!

Just a reminder that this will be a SPOILER discussion for Chapters 17-21 of Hotel Magnifique, so make sure you read are finished this section before continuing.

Discussion questions are listed below, and anyone who participates in the comments will be entered to win a free OwlCrate box! Don't forget, you can also post about the readalong on Instagram with the hashtag #OCHotelMagnifique for another chance to win!

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The story continues...

Chapter 17:
Béatrice invites Jani to be her escort into Elsewhere to get supplies for a sink that needs repairing. The twins are reluctant to let Jani leave, but grants them two hours. Once in town Béatrice actually leaves her with Bel - this was a plan Bel put together after Jani revealed she was lonely. He also has just found another artéfact. He takes her to a cafe run by none other than Béatrice’s sister, but explains that neither Béatice nor Margot remember the other. Once inside the hotel it is as if staff cease to exist. They are forgotten by those outside, removed from paintings, erased from memories.

Bel says they have to go, now, but before they can leave they are accosted by three large men. One flings Jani to the ground where she scrambles under a cart to hide, cutting her wrist while doing so. The men find the artéfact Bel has and pocket it, but as soon as Bel starts to fight back using his switchblade finger the men stab him. The twins arrive and two of the men flee, while they handle the third one they ask if Bel will be able to retrieve the artéfact, and trying to pull himself together he says yes. Once the twins are gone Jani scrambles out to help.

Chapter 18:
Béatrice creates a distraction to allow Jani to help Bel up to his rooms, but Bel is losing blood and doesn’t seem to be healing like he should. Jani gets an idea, remembering the gold paste Yrsa used on Zosa to heal her cut when they first arrived at the hotel. She tells Bel not to go anywhere, and heads to the salon where she recalls seeing a pot.

Entering the salon she finds Hella, not Yrsa at the bar, and of course he refuses to give her the gold paste. Needing a distraction to get him away from the salon, Jani releases the library bird, causing havoc in the room. Alastair joins the commotion, demanding that Frigga come get the birds. Frigga is responsible for the birds of the hotel, which Jani notes in her mind. Crouching low, Jani escapes from the salon.

Jani awakes the next morning in Bel’s room to find him healed. He reveals to her that he and Hellas used to be a couple, but it ended horribly between them. He warns her to avoid him as he reports to Des Rêves and Alastair. He leaves her with a towel and tells her to wash the gold paste from herself.

Chapter 19:
Jani reports to the kitchen for work and she is tasked with making room service deliveries to all the dignitaries staying from Morvay, and their pet leopards. Jani asks Chef who Frigga is, and she explains that Frigga is Hella’s sister. Jani wonders what else Bel is keeping from her.

Going to see Frigga, Jani asks if they can talk inside, and Frigga reluctantly lets her in. She notices letters addressed to someone named Issig, and she bargains with Frigga that if she delivers them, Frigga will take her into the aviary. Problem is, Issig is in the deep freeze, where everyone is forbidden to go. Jani decides to take the chance.

Outside Frigga’s room Jani is cornered by Hellas, asking her about the stolen gold salve, but before anything can happen Bel appears, and tells Hellas it is time they talked.

Chapter 20:
Jani knocks on the freezer door and it opens for her - Issig, a suminaire, is chained up inside. Creating the ice for the guests. This is the suminaire Bel talked about when he told her why Alastair stopped amending suminaire contracts. Something in Issig broke, and he is no longer in control. Jani manages to give him the letter, but he doesn’t know who Frigga is. Jani leaves the angry suminaire only to run into Chef outside. She is angry, and is going to report Jani to Alastair.

Jani returns to Frigga who takes her into the aviary. Scanning the birds she can find no evidence of her sister, although she does see a bird that has a glass eye.

Chapter 21:
Frigga confirms that many of the birds are transformed suminaires, but before they can leave a guest and a leopard wander in. Frigga didn’t lock the door behind them. Zosa flutters down to Jani, seeming to know her, but just then Alastair and Hella burst in. Before Alastair can take Frigga to be punished, Jani says she was the one who stole Frigga’s key and she was only trying to get it back. Alastair throws Jani in a dark room. Soon Bel comes, and he tells her he made a deal with Alastair. Her contract is voided, and she will be going back to Durc.

As Yrsa and the twins drag Jani from the hall she remembers Bel stating that if Alastair found out about the broken orange he’d never let her leave. In a last ditch effort to stay, Jani sends a branch to the floor, breaking oranges everywhere. Alastair appears, confirming she won’t be leaving.

 

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 Questions:

1. What do you think the significance of the oranges are? Why do you think they make Alastair keep Jani in the hotel?
2. What sort of bargain do you think Bel made with Alastair to allow Jani to leave?
3. Why do you think it seems like Zosa remembers Jani?
4. What horrible event do you think ended Bel and Hella’s relationship?

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