starting note: this novel has nothing to do with hotels, ‘Hotel’ is the name of Yu Sheng’s (the MC) supernatural organization. There is no deeper connection lmao

this is a sequel to Deep Sea Embers. It doesnt seem like it at first, but towards the 200 chapter mark, they start directly referencing the ending of DSE. So that something to be beware of if you’re reading this novel first.

Dimensional Hotel is very different from Deep Sea Embers. The tone is more comedic, and the Lovecraftian horror aspect basically nonexistent. It takes... more>> place thousands of years in the future when the confined, ocean-centered world of Deep Sea Embers no longer exists. This makes each arc much less predictable, because one will be about Yu Sheng stuck in an evil Little Red Riding Hood story, and the next will be him fighting cultists in a sci-fi xianxia.

i have mixed feelings on this. I like the variety of each arc (you literally never can predict what will happen next), but the novel feels way more cluttered than DSE ever was. There is always so much going on all the time and some of it feels unnecessarily convoluted.

characters from Deep Sea Embers haven’t showed up yet in the story, but no they’re legends referred to as the ‘Ancient Holy Spirits.’

Spoiler

Duncan’s crew is still alive, but they’re currently up to something (we don’t know what yet) in the farthest reaches of the universe. It’s especially fun because both Irene and Yu Sheng are connected to them in some way, so it’s guaranteed to be interesting when the two casts finally interact properly

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i like the characters for the most part. Yu Sheng, Bai Li Qing, Foxy, and Fairytale kids are great. I like Irene but she can be very obnoxious at points. And Luna is pretty boring but her backstory is so sad.

it’s definitely above average, like the best moments are the some of the hypest things ever, but the dull moments can be hard to get through. Id recommend it though, especially if you’re a DSE fan. <<less

Not bad so far! The beginning is more horror-like, eerie, when you don't know what's going on, but soon after getting his sidekick, the tone shifts to more humorous. A horror setting with comedic characters?

The plot so far is interesting and straightforward. The MC gets "a quest to save a princess" and tries to complete it while further learning about his new world and his own powers. Minor spoiler, as it happens in the first few chapters: ( ((when he dies, he soon comes back to life as if... more>> he never died.)))

I don't see the connection with the title "Hotel" yet, but it is still chapter 45.

The world-building is interesting but suffers a bit from amateurish writing.

There is an organization that works as a cardboard placeholder organization. Imagine a cartoon where the scene cuts to workers watching monitors and reacting to graph fluctuations. That's all they do. There are operatives, but they mostly miss the MC's shenanigans and so far seem like headless chickens.

The MC is a good guy type who likes to tease his sidekick. The sidekick is typical female character with less braincells than MC to make him look smarter. <<less

The premise is good, and it’s written well—so well in fact that the plot still makes no sense even at chapter 130.

The author wants to be so suspenseful and mysterious that it became too much.

The chapters are written in the pattern that introduce an event, like an explanation of a concept or a new character. But then the chapters ends so abruptly because another crisis or supernatural event suddenly occurs in the middle—sometimes completely unrelated—leaving the previous event unsolved or unexplained way until several chapters later. But even then, they’re... more>> still somehow unexplained, because a new crisis interrupts the explanation. So now there’s the new crisis/event/scenario that inserted itself from the previous event, but then this one is also interrupted because another new thing happened. And this pattern goes on and on right up until when I last read. That’s one hundred chapters of that pattern.

This isn’t even written in a nonlinear plot (think flashbacks, no chronological order), it just genuinely is a messy narrative.

I’m still going to read it though, but I just wanted to write this review as a sort of cautionary note. <<less

Really good! Funny, well written, and a plot that doesn’t seem forced. It definitely takes its time getting there, which is a downside, but each arc in the story really add to the worldbuilding and character development. The settings are genuinely creative, building on and twisting existing concepts so that they’re modern and fun.

The MC is a pragmatist, first and foremost, while also being easygoing. He never dismisses other people’s concerns, but he always focuses on problems he can solve, and the wellbeing of others around him. He’s likeable, if... more>> a little bit of a doormat sometimes, but he asks as much as he tolerates. He’s just very likeable to me, and watching him walking around terrifying everyone is a little bit satisfying.

It might be the slow pacing that has given this novel its low rating, but it’s a great read with good characters (excluding Irene. Irene is a brat.), interesting and well rounded world building, and a solid mystery. I really, really want to know what’s up with the MC. <<less

This book is so fun! I’d probably give it a 4.5, but I’ll just round up to 5. There’s a lot happening, and the author is definitely taking their time filling in background, but the story does keep moving forward, and it’s never boring. I’m very invested in all the chaos, and, having read works by this author before, I’m confident they’ll get around to explaining things eventually. Until then, as a reader, I’m enjoying the crazy ride, and that’s what I’m really here for, at the end of the... more>> day. <<less

I mean the novel seems pretty interesting so far with a guy who has the power to connect to various dimensions. Even though there is not really a plotline, the story itself has been pretty interesting so far with a diverse cast of characters who have a lot of personalities. The interaction between different groups and characters has been very interesting. I hope the translator continues this story as I can see potential in it getting even better.

It look pityful with rating of 3.6, in actually, it is not that bad. Just remember that it is mostly comedy. Maybe the reader that read it expect it to be as horror as 'Deep Sea Embers', then they found, no, this one is lighter because it have more comedy. Oh, and the comedy in here is crack type of comedy. So not suitable for everyone.

The horror in here is less, compared to Deep Sea Embers. But, as usual, the author have hobby to hide hint of the story plot... more>> in the everyday life. Usually in a simple things people think is normal in story until readers think critically of what they speak about or what the characters observe.

I will not add more, as I also long from the finish. I will add or change this note next time. <<less