Read + Review: A Castle in the Clouds by Kerstin Gier

You can place a hold on this book’s print copy, eBook copy, or eAudiobook copy.

Sophie Spark is an intern at a grand hotel in Europe called “Castle in the Clouds”. On a daily basis, she deals with misbehaving children, rude chambermaids, and crazy guests. Her job isn’t all bad though; she makes friends throughout the hotel and she meets two boys. Ben is the hotel owner’s son and Tristan is a sketchy guy who seems like he has something to hide. On top of everything going on in her daily life, one of the biggest hotel events is coming up. As the renowned New Year’s Eve Ball at the hotel grows closer, odd things seem to be happening. Her usually dull job is now filled to the brim with stolen jewelry, missing children, and even people lying about their identity. Sophie ends up in the middle of this predicament and she must figure out how to expose the crimes being committed and still find a way to come out alive.

The plot was engaging and mainly was about Sophie’s life as an intern. Sophie was a likeable protagonist and her personality and character was one of my favorite parts of the book. Also, small details were slowly disclosed as the story went on, and they all led up to the final plot twist. Looking back, you can clearly see how all the little clues hinted at the ending. This was another thing I loved about the book; the ending wasn’t blatantly obvious but looking back, you wonder how you could have missed all those things. On the other hand, I wish more time was spent talking about the strange things going on at the hotel instead of Sophie’s life as an intern. The plot was very masterfully written and in way that everything had a purpose and was very carefully thought out. Although there is one central plot, there are other smaller things going on that connect in with the main plot in the end. The story is tied together very neatly and different aspects of Sophie’s life all come together for a happy ending.

Something that I found memorable about this book was when I realized why the title was “A Castle in the Clouds”. Of course, that is the name of the hotel, but the magic of the hotel plays a bigger role in the plot and the hotel itself is much more significant than it seems at first glance.

Review by Nainika, Twin Hickory Library