Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - Le diecimila porte di January

This book took me forever to get through. I’m saying that not to be mean, but for the purposes of this is not a ideal book that I wouldve choosen for myself.
This was actually a Christmas gift from my father.

With that said, my main problem with this book was the story within a story. As the story continued it made sense as to the plot behind it and now having concluded the book I dont believe that it would have been the same without that storyline.

This is a well written book and by the end it was truly enjoyable, but there are slow parts and lulls so my advice is do not give up on this book.

Highly recommend for people who enjoy fantasy and magically storyline . Also good for romantics that believe love is always triumphant.

Content Warnings

carolined314's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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thequiltyreader's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad 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

4.0

I really enjoyed this story. There are a number of back stories, while slow in places they tie nicely together in the end.

I loved the occasional exploration of using particular words, capitalisations and the general importance of words.

There are fleeting references to various other lands / worlds through the Doors and I would have loved it if these had been explored in some way.

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beccaand's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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

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thereadinghammock's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

While I usually enjoy meandering story telling and have no issues jumping back and forth between storylines within a novel, the pacing and format of January's chapters and Yule Ian's were so jarring for me and I found myself struggling for much of the first half of the book. Once the stories began to converge, however, I was all in. I LOVED being able to piece mysteries together just before they were revealed (sometimes a chapter or two ahead of January's revelations). As someone who often guesses wrong in "whodunit" stories, it makes me feel like an accomplished sleuth. I especially loved the emphasis on the power of words in this story. Between how January wrote as a storyteller, and the power they have as blessings within the City of Nin, such as tattoos marking life milestones and blessings stitched into ship sails.

I went into this book with high enough expectations to have been a bit nervous. I enjoyed Once & Future Witches, and my sister had finished this book before me and praised it as having a Starless Sea vibe (while still being quite it's own book). When someone compares a book to one of your all time favorites, the worry of disappointment is high. After a bit of a slow start, I was quite pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed TTDOJ!

<spoilers>I nearly cried at the Scaller family reunion on the pier. My heart breaking for Yule Ian, warring with the guilt of leaving his daughter behind, against his will, but reuniting with his wife after nearly 20 years apart. With Adelaide, letting him stew in his grief for just a moment, before gesturing to January and Bad, limping their way down the dock to celebrate the family reunion they never thought was possible. I also love the open door left for us, the reader, as January reveals her story is the one she wrote for Samuel, to help him remember. And I truly hope January is able to find Jane and write her a way home too.

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bookwyrmdancer's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes

4.0

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marsh_mall0w's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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

3.5

This book won't be everyone's cup of tea.

You are reading a book about a book - with the said book chapters included as interludes. Fist 50% of the story is exposition (admittedly beautiful and gut wrenching) and the slow atmospheric buildup might be better suited for an audiobook, given that only around midway the story picks up the pace.

It was very poetic, pretty, but honest and raw kind of a tale.

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