Scan barcode
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
tealstorytelling's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment
mmackoy's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Blood, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Confinement, and Forced institutionalization
mjwhitlock18's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
Written in a lyrical, flowery writing style, which bogged me down and led to some pacing issues in the first third to half of the novel. A portal fantasy meets historical fiction in the early 1900s, following a biracial heroine, and deals with themes of colonialism and racism (which I’m not sure I loved how this was handled, read reviews from BIPOC people for a nuanced understanding of this). I enjoyed the story within a story structure, though it had some confusing POV switching at times, and appreciate how it helps unfold the backstory without info dumping the whole thing at once. It was wrapped up in a satisfying way for me, leaving me with overall pleasant feelings about this novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Racism, and Self harm
mikaelaandherbooks's review against another edition
While the premise of this book sounded great, I wasn't pulled into the story and felt it could've been executed better. I didn't find the MC lovable or even dislikable in a good way. For how much occurred within the 78 pages I read, reading it still felt slow-paced.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Abandonment, Sexism, and Racism
heytherekaity's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
5.0
hello yes I LOVE this book!!!!!
do you like portal fantasies? have you ever wished the Wayward Children series were full length books instead of novellas? do you dream of a grown up version of The Magician's Nephew? because if so, WOW do I have the book for you!
The Ten Thousand Doors of January is an absolutely PHENOMENAL book and you should read it as soon as you possibly can!!!
and also Alix E. Harrow is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE authors and somehow I ended up reading her debut THIRD (I read A Spindle Splintered first, then The Once and Future Witches) and OH MY STARS it's just SO GOOD! her writing style just really works for me and I wish she had at least ten more books for me to read RIGHT NOW! (but there will be more soon and I will wait. patiently. or at least attempting to wait patiently)
Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads | Readerly
do you like portal fantasies? have you ever wished the Wayward Children series were full length books instead of novellas? do you dream of a grown up version of The Magician's Nephew? because if so, WOW do I have the book for you!
The Ten Thousand Doors of January is an absolutely PHENOMENAL book and you should read it as soon as you possibly can!!!
and also Alix E. Harrow is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE authors and somehow I ended up reading her debut THIRD (I read A Spindle Splintered first, then The Once and Future Witches) and OH MY STARS it's just SO GOOD! her writing style just really works for me and I wish she had at least ten more books for me to read RIGHT NOW! (but there will be more soon and I will wait. patiently. or at least attempting to wait patiently)
Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads | Readerly
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Violence, and Xenophobia
rachelgronbach's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Grief, and Violence
cluckieduck's review against another edition
I just couldn’t connect with this story. I tried, I really tried, but the quirky style of prose was just a bit too rambling and tedious that I found myself drifting off. I’ve read some summaries and based on the upcoming content, I’m glad to be stopping now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Racism
Moderate: Racial slurs and Misogyny
archaicgambit's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
I wanted to love this book. I thought the concept was great. I really struggle with first person and wasn’t connecting to January’s voice, and the first half felt incredibly slow. I liked the passages ‘by’ her dad a lot better? Her parents were definitely my favourite characters.
I also felt the book was predictable in a lot of ways that stifled my enjoyment. I figured most of the reveals out long before January and just sort of felt disconnected because of it. Normally I’m not someone focused on the reveals and wouldn’t mind but it irritated me.
I wasn’t sold on the romance with Sam until the end bc I thought January wasn’t pulling her weight or really giving him any reason to be interested, but the ending WAS very sweet. I’ll allow it.
I also felt the book was predictable in a lot of ways that stifled my enjoyment. I figured most of the reveals out long before January and just sort of felt disconnected because of it. Normally I’m not someone focused on the reveals and wouldn’t mind but it irritated me.
I wasn’t sold on the romance with Sam until the end bc I thought January wasn’t pulling her weight or really giving him any reason to be interested, but the ending WAS very sweet. I’ll allow it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Racism, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Xenophobia and Abandonment
mollywill's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, and Blood
Moderate: Gaslighting and Animal cruelty