Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

83 reviews

hwesta's review against another edition

adventurous dark

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed this. Doors to other worlds is always a fun concept. 

I figured several things out before the narrator, but I most cases it was plausible that she didn't because the world doesn't normally work on story logic. 

I was pretty frustrated with January for making an obviously terrible decision

to send a letter to Locke

partway through but I suppose she is young and can make poorly thought through decisions 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, Confinement, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Classism, Grief, Sexism, and Racism

Minor: Pregnancy

alora03's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Classism, Death, and Abandonment

Minor: Racism

amaranth_wytch's review

adventurous inspiring medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Classism, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Blood, Confinement, Death, Violence, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Animal cruelty, Abandonment, Grief, and Self harm

Minor: Gun violence

antoniac's review

hopeful mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm

Moderate: Grief, Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Violence

Minor: Abandonment

hilwithonel's review

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? No

5.0

The vibes of "The Starless Sea" but I understood what was going on.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Abandonment, Kidnapping, and Racism

Minor: Violence

craftysnailtail's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious 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

I can't get enough of Harrow's style of writing. Her metaphors and descriptions are like nothing I've encountered in writing before. Everything feels lyrical and alive. It's honestly difficult to move on after reading one of her books because it's like I have a book hangover, but in the worst way. I love the story and the characters, but what I can't move on from is Harrow herself. Her style almost ruins reading anything else after finishing a novel of hers.

Overall, I highly recommend this book just for Harrow's style alone, but it's also a fascinating plot with creative and well developed characters. Yes, it starts off rather slow, but that's extremely intentional. Yes, January feels frustratingly naive, but of course she is given her living situation. This book is all about adventure, imagination, and developing your own life's narrative. One of the top books I read all year and I recommend it to everyone!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Self harm

Moderate: Child abuse, Colonisation, Confinement, Cursing, Death of parent, Sexism, Slavery, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Racial slurs

Minor: Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, and Death

anastasiamakes's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

I've really enjoyed all of the Harrow I've read so far and can't believe I waited so long to get round to this one which I think is my favourite of the bunch.

It's whimsical but dark, tackles important topics without feeling preachy, and made me cry happy tears.

I have so many quotations highlighted in this book, it's just so beautifully written.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Grief, Abandonment, Self harm, and Death of parent

Moderate: Blood, Racism, and Animal cruelty

Minor: Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, Gun violence, and Slavery

heshanks's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious 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? Yes

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Racism

Moderate: Sexism, Abandonment, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Colonisation, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

m_siege's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

Absolutely spectacular! I could not put it down. The world building is so detailed without being overdone and I felt like I was in each scene as I read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment

Moderate: Death of parent and Grief

lyndsay_bibliophile's review

adventurous hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

The .5 is for the beautiful writing and quotes coming out of this book.

“The Ten Thousand Doors of January" delivers in its beautiful prose, but left me wanting more from the doors themselves.

Harrow's wordsmithing is undeniable. Words paint vivid pictures, but felt fleeting, leaving the broader world-building underdeveloped. We sneak a peek at fantastical lands, but never truly get to explore.

The story itself meanders through time and narrative styles, which was sometimes distracting and I found it difficult to connect with the characters through this back-and-forth.

One trope was annoyingly loud: miscommunication. While it fuels some dramatic moments, its overuse felt like a missed opportunity for deeper character exploration.

Ultimately, this is a hopeful story. While it doesn't quite reach its full potential, Harrow clearly has a talent with words.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Violence, Misogyny, and Racism