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clarabooksit's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Murder, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Xenophobia, Grief, Confinement, Sexism, Classism, and Blood
Moderate: Violence, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Animal cruelty, and Gun violence
takarakei's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Really enjoyed this audiobook! Great narrator who does all the voices (my only criticism is the voice of January's father and Sam were too similar). This was a very unique story in both concept and execution.
- Portal fantasy
- Mysterious
- Just fun adventures!
- Swoon-worthy romance
- Fantastic world building
- *chefs kiss* character development
Alix Harrow really can write!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Blood, Classism, Confinement, Racism, and Violence
Minor: Grief
m0czy's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
A whimsical adventure, where a young girl finds meaning in her relationships, her world, and herself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Racism, and Death of parent
Moderate: Racial slurs, Gun violence, Torture, Grief, and Kidnapping
Minor: Animal cruelty
dariusmortee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Holy shit why haven’t I read this book sooner. It’s so good and magical and exactly in my alley.
I would compare this book to The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern in vibes.
Alix managed to write this book in a way I start to believe there may be actually Doors hidden in our world. It makes me want to go and explore, see if I can end up in different worlds, without minding the risk of ending up in a shitty one. I love how stories are woven through this book it makes it so much more magical.
The Once and Future Witches was my first book by Alix E Harrow and I will absolutely read more if she decides to publish them.
I would compare this book to The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern in vibes.
Alix managed to write this book in a way I start to believe there may be actually Doors hidden in our world. It makes me want to go and explore, see if I can end up in different worlds, without minding the risk of ending up in a shitty one. I love how stories are woven through this book it makes it so much more magical.
The Once and Future Witches was my first book by Alix E Harrow and I will absolutely read more if she decides to publish them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Classism, Racism, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Confinement, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Death of parent, Slavery, Gaslighting, Torture, Forced institutionalization, and Grief
laurenfro22's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
“…the place you are born isn’t necessarily the place you belong.”
I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did. Given other reviews, I expected a slapdash attempt at magical realism and tropic overuse. What I read was an unfurling love letter to imagination and the power of words and hope and the little mysteries of life.
Harrow sets her story at the turning of our 20th century, when the western world had been gripped by industrialization, for better or for worse. Her main character is stubborn and clever, both important for the challenges she faces. Harrow writes her main character a specific voice and speaks directly to us the reader, which feels so personal as we journey through the story.
Throughout the twists of this plot, Harrow continues to surprise and delight, both in her delivery and in drawing on the best parts of the storytelling traditions. Her world building layers our often bleak surroundings with a softly glinting façade that we can nearly believe exists in our peripheral vision. I enjoyed the occasional highfalutin language and overly particular descriptions. Some readers may find it obnoxious or unnecessary. For me, it makes the real world feel just slightly more magical when I close the book, like maybe there is a way to see small spots of magic and change in everyday life.
Important for readers wanting to avoid some topics, review closely the content warnings. I am glad I knew of a few items to be aware of, as I would have found a couple of sections pretty jarring without the forewarning.
This is a surprising five star for me, made even more so by the fact that I randomly picked it up at the bookstore because it was first on the recommended list when I opened the app two weeks ago. Harrow’s masterful use of language, and her powerful connection to the importance of love in all its forms, of family in its many manifestations, and wonder at the beauty in the world makes The Ten Thousand Doors of January a must read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Classism, Grief, Animal cruelty, Forced institutionalization, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
flyawaybooks's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Racism, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, and Sexism
waytoomanybooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Harrow writes beautiful prose and excellently nails the desperate longing for something more that every young woman feels growing up in a world full of adults who make it their mission to squash their spirits. January, Ade, and Jane are brave and strong in the face of prejudice and heartache, and I can't help but sympathize with them on a rather personal level.
The concept of looking for an escape, a way out, a Door is deeply relatable. There is nothing more appealing to me than a door. Especially when that door is old, secluded, or has a special Something that has drawn me to it. I find it difficult to resist the urge to try to open every door I pass, and then I am left wondering what was behind it, even years after I've passed it by. It was so cathartic to see a character who is just like me in that regard, always asking questions and looking for answers.
If there was anything I'd say against it, it's that descriptions of events, people, places, etc. trailed on for too long until it felt as though I was reading a list of adjectives. She's also quite fond of the words "oil," "greasy," "shush," and "bronze." And the ending was rather abrupt.
Overall, I enjoyed this read. And it hits a lot of bullet points in my reading wheelhouse: female MC, historical settings, time travel, magical realism, secret doors/passages, and women on journies.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Misogyny, Colonisation, Animal cruelty, Blood, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Grief, Classism, Confinement, Racism, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, and Forced institutionalization
elliebeemellie's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This book was terrible and lovely and exactly the sort of bittersweet adventure I wanted so badly as a child. The beginning was slow, but the writing turned lovely, and I loved the exploration of deliciously complicated character relationships. I can't say too much without spoiling bits of the book, but the story explores themes about love and abuse and neglect in really interesting ways.
.
.
“There's only one way to run away from your own story, and that's to sneak into someone else's.”
"Worlds were never meant to be prisons, locked and suffocating and safe. Worlds were supposed to be great rambling houses with all the windows thrown open and the wind and summer rain rushing through them, with magic passages in their closets and secret treasure chests in their attics."
.
.
“There's only one way to run away from your own story, and that's to sneak into someone else's.”
"Worlds were never meant to be prisons, locked and suffocating and safe. Worlds were supposed to be great rambling houses with all the windows thrown open and the wind and summer rain rushing through them, with magic passages in their closets and secret treasure chests in their attics."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Self harm, Abandonment, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent
isabelmary's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
This book was such a mixed bag for me. The prose was lovely, and the sense of atmosphere the author evokes is wonderful. The path that January takes - from subdued “good girl” to untamed and free - is compelling, but overall I won’t be revisiting this book or investigating the author’s other works.
Some pros:
- Gorgeous prose - describing the Doors and the other worlds etc
- it was nice to have race actually play a realistic role in a historical fantasy
- the ending was satisfying
- the work itself is clearly well crafted with a lot of love
- the premise is great
- the interweaving of the stories works overall
Some cons:
- it took the protagonist a LONG time to realize things that felt very obvious to me, and that was frustrating
- the interpolation of the two different first person narrative accounts felt contrived (For the middle half of the novel, January ends every chapter picking up a book and reading a chapter of it. In some ways this must’ve taken a lot of clever planning to pull off, but it ended up getting a little unlikely and irritating)
- both narratives were written from the character’s future, and both of them take multiple moments to decry the decisions of the past eg “if only I’d been fast enough”…. That stressed me out
- the love interest has no personality of his own and seems to have a totally improbable attachment to her
- the ending confrontation was actually pretty anticlimactic to meLocke was clearly evil from day 1, and January’s shock at realizing that did nothing for me. It was realistic for her, sure, but annoying as a reader. There was no real explanation for how she withstood his will and so his death felt unearned to me
Some pros:
- Gorgeous prose - describing the Doors and the other worlds etc
- it was nice to have race actually play a realistic role in a historical fantasy
- the ending was satisfying
- the work itself is clearly well crafted with a lot of love
- the premise is great
- the interweaving of the stories works overall
Some cons:
- it took the protagonist a LONG time to realize things that felt very obvious to me, and that was frustrating
- the interpolation of the two different first person narrative accounts felt contrived (For the middle half of the novel, January ends every chapter picking up a book and reading a chapter of it. In some ways this must’ve taken a lot of clever planning to pull off, but it ended up getting a little unlikely and irritating)
- both narratives were written from the character’s future, and both of them take multiple moments to decry the decisions of the past eg “if only I’d been fast enough”…. That stressed me out
- the love interest has no personality of his own and seems to have a totally improbable attachment to her
- the ending confrontation was actually pretty anticlimactic to me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, and Grief
Moderate: Abandonment, Colonisation, Death of parent, and Racism
purplepenning's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
"Once there was a brave and temeraryous (sp?) girl who found a Door. It was a magic Door that’s why it has a capital D. She opened the Door."
Set (mostly) in the early 1900s in (mostly) Vermont, The Ten Thousand Doors of January tells the (mostly) coming-of-age tale of January who longs to join her father on his artifact-hunting trips but is stuck being raised in luxury and on display by their wealthy benefactor-collector, Mr. Locke. It is, of course, about so much more than that: a possibly real magic Door, a possibly evil Society, an impossible love story, the impossible power of words, the possibilities of courage and progress.
I'm a sucker for a portal fantasy and this is such a good one! The narrative follows an unusual format, which might weigh down some readers, but I loved the dimension it adds and the way it drew me into the experience.
Content notes: racism, bigotry, confinement (to room, closet, mental asylum, bed, with and without restraints), tattooing and cutting, knife and gun violence, death, vampire, mind control
Set (mostly) in the early 1900s in (mostly) Vermont, The Ten Thousand Doors of January tells the (mostly) coming-of-age tale of January who longs to join her father on his artifact-hunting trips but is stuck being raised in luxury and on display by their wealthy benefactor-collector, Mr. Locke. It is, of course, about so much more than that: a possibly real magic Door, a possibly evil Society, an impossible love story, the impossible power of words, the possibilities of courage and progress.
I'm a sucker for a portal fantasy and this is such a good one! The narrative follows an unusual format, which might weigh down some readers, but I loved the dimension it adds and the way it drew me into the experience.
Content notes: racism, bigotry, confinement (to room, closet, mental asylum, bed, with and without restraints), tattooing and cutting, knife and gun violence, death, vampire, mind control
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Blood, Abandonment, Body horror, Death, Forced institutionalization, Classism, Confinement, Racism, Sexism, Torture, and Violence