Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Bell (The Winter Garden) sets this beautiful and bittersweet time travel fantasy at a magical hotel deep in the Swiss Alps. In 2016, Eve Shaw, a London art appraiser, wrestles with guilt and grief, believing she was responsible for her little sister's death years earlier. She's haunted by both a spectral white rabbit that follows her around and the tattoo of a white octopus that moves around her body, and her only comfort is the beautiful music of her favorite 20th-century composer, Max Everly. When a strangely familiar elderly visitor arrives at her office, hands Eve an octopus figurine, and promptly drops dead, the bizarre encounter leads Eve to the eponymous luxury hotel, where, she soon learns, each room leads to a different era. From there, the narrative shifts continuously from 2016 to 1917 and 1935, chronicling Eve's love story with a younger iteration of the mysterious stranger, who turns out to be Max. As she helps him heal from the horrors of his time in the WWI trenches, she hopes to find a way to keep them together despite their different timelines. The convincing, emotional love story, lavish settings, and a wealth of spooky side characters make this sing. It's a gem. (Oct.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
This whimsical novel blends mystery, art, and time travel into a charming adventure. When Alex agrees to investigate an ornamental white octopus for an elderly stranger, she is unexpectedly transported to the 1930s. What follows is a mesmerizing hunt through a richly imagined past, filled with artistic intrigue, eccentric characters, and emotional depth. The novel's tone is cozy and nostalgic, evoking a sense of warmth and quiet wonder, and the story wraps readers in a world where the past feels alive and immediate. The use of historical artifacts is more than just set dressing--they become conduits of human connection, linking stories across time and space. While the plot unspools with a gentle suspense, it's the atmosphere that lingers: velvet-draped parlors, mirrored ballrooms, and whispered secrets in museum corridors. Bell (The Winter Garden) cleverly uses motifs from Alice in Wonderland--curious doors, riddling guides, surreal dream logic--while grounding them in historical detail and the world of fine art. Ultimately, this is a story about the magic of looking closely at objects, history, and the people who pass through both. VERDICT A delightful read for lovers of time-slip fiction, vintage aesthetics, and whimsical mysteries.--Jessica Calaway
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