Reviews tagging 'Stalking'

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

7 reviews

silverhill's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Stalking, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Classism, Colonisation, Bullying, Abandonment, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Death of parent, Self harm, Pregnancy, and Mental illness

spineofthesaurus's review

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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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

thereadinghammock's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Blood, Confinement, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Self harm, Gaslighting, and Classism

Minor: Misogyny, Stalking, Animal death, and Self harm

k_galloway's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

2.5

beautifully written, but i’m sick of white authors writing characters of  color with internalized racism as their main (and sometimes only) trait. do better.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Classism, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Animal cruelty, Blood, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Trafficking, Colonisation, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Forced institutionalization, Violence, Gore, Gun violence, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Medical content, and Medical trauma

marioosa517's review

adventurous dark mysterious 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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Racism, and Self harm

Minor: Death, Stalking, War, Cursing, Body horror, Alcohol, Child abuse, Gore, Grief, Animal cruelty, and Cultural appropriation

alyssasaurus's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racial slurs, Forced institutionalization, Self harm, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Animal death, Cultural appropriation, Death, Blood, Confinement, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Racism, Xenophobia, Body horror, and Stalking

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.

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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