Scan barcode
cherry_lake's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.5
Really enjoyed this book. Slow paced movement from historical fiction into fantasy. Felt like an homage to older YA novels and also did I detect direct inspiration from Broken Earth Trilogy? Definitely difficult themes!
Seems like those who didn’t enjoy it were mainly disappointed by false advertising or assumptions, but I had no idea what it was about or that it existed until a friend recommended! Glad I tried it.
Seems like those who didn’t enjoy it were mainly disappointed by false advertising or assumptions, but I had no idea what it was about or that it existed until a friend recommended! Glad I tried it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, Torture, Self harm, Racism, and Violence
skbat's review
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
tense
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: Forced institutionalization, Animal cruelty, Grief, Gun violence, and Abandonment
Moderate: Torture, Murder, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Self harm, Animal death, Colonisation, and Racism
Minor: Sexual assault, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
spineofthesaurus's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Xenophobia, and Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Alcohol, Death, Drug use, Murder, Pregnancy, Torture, Ableism, Gun violence, Sexual harassment, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Slavery, Abortion, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Stalking
angela005's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Classism, Forced institutionalization, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Colonisation, Gun violence, Torture, and Blood
m0czy's review
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
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
freyjajok's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-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? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Forced institutionalization, Self harm, Racism, Torture, and Murder
Minor: Animal cruelty
purplepenning's review
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
onceuponabookcase's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? No
2.0
I absolutely loved Alix E. Harrow's second novel, The Once and Future Witches, so I was so looking forward to reading her debut, The Ten Thousand Doors of January, and had quite high hopes. Unfortunately, it fell a little short of my expectations, and I was kind of disappointed.
I love the premise of the novel, and the whole idea that all of the fantasy stories we know are actually real and not fiction, that they just slipped through a door between our world and others, where magic is real. It's not exactly original, there are so many portal fantasies out there, but this book takes those stories and says, no, they're actually real. That there really are doors in the world, which had me thinking of the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy and The Starless Sea. The fact that doors exist that can take you elsewhere makes The Ten Thousand Doors of January seemlessly fit with so many other stories we know, and I just loved the idea of this huge, expansive multiverse, where all stories are connected. It just blew my mind and I loved it.
However, I also expected the story to be more about stories than it is. From the blurb, I expected the book January finds to be the key to other worlds. Stories are doors, and this book smells of other worlds, so it's going to take her to them, right? And she's going to have so many adventures in so many worlds! Actually, no. The story is about January, her life and her family, and her past. She lives with Mr. Locke, a very wealthy man for whom her father works, who travels the world looking for archelogical finds to steal from other cultures for the museum that is Mr. Locke's home. It's set in a time when racism is rife, and being a biracial young women, January is an oddity and anomoly herself that Mr. Locke parades at the party he hosts, for others to gawk at, along with his other treasures. But there's more to January's life and her past than she realises, and she's about to discover it with the help of a book, titled The Ten Thousand Doors, that tells of doors to other worlds.
The book tells the story of other people who found doors and went travelling, and in telling the story of these people and what they found, certain truths about January herself are revealed. January does not herself travel through ten thousand doors and visit ten thousand worlds, and that is where the story really disappointed me. In the great scheme of things, she barely goes anywhere. Because this isn't really a story about doors and other worlds, it's about January, the life she lives, and the lies she's been told.
We do get to read The Ten Thousand Doors along with January, so there's a story within a story. And you would think maybe through this story, we get to see and visit the worlds January doesn't. But not really. The book she is reading is very much tell instead of show. We find out very little about these worlds, just little glimpses that tell us the doors to those worlds exist, and someone went there and came back - again and again. Honestly, I just found it so frustrating! I honestly feel the title and the blurb are misleading. And having read The Once and Future Witches, which is absolutely incredible, I expected so much more to take place than actually does. I was so completely underwhelmed. Don't get me wrong, things do happen; January does have an adventure of her own, and at times the story is terrifying, and at others absolutely devastating. But I expected more. I do think I would have enjoyed Harrow's debut more if I had read it before The Once and Future Witches - a book in which so much happens - but I still would have been disappointed by the lack of actually travelling through ten thousand doors.
The story I wanted, that I expected, is very likely The Ten Thoudand Doors that January reads, but novel length, with more show than tell, expanded, to show us the worlds these people travelled to, what they saw and experienced there, and the bittersweetness of discovering such incredible things, but not finding what they were actually looking for. That story could even be a series, and one I would absolutely have lapped up. But that's not the story we have, and for me, January's story was really disappointing.
But that's just me. There are many others who have loved The Ten Thousand Doors of January, so do make sure you read other reviews before deciding whether or not you'll give it a go.
Thank you to Orbit via NetGalley for the eProof.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Racism, and Self harm
Minor: Kidnapping and Torture
Animal attack
More...