Reviews

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

talknerdybookblog's review

adventurous emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Representation: Black biracial main character, Kenyan bisexual supporting character in a polyamorous relationship

Mature Themes:

• Non-descriptive sex scene
• Mild swearing

Possible Triggers: Yes

• Racism
• Allusion to enslavement on Caribbean plantations 
• Sexism
• Forced institutionalization 
• Physical assault
• Medical trauma
• Self-mutilation for magic
• Animal harm (he lives!)
• Parental abandonment 
• Murder
• Gun violence
• Knife violence 
• Emotional and psychological abuse
• Confinement

Ending:

HFN

smunro's review against another edition

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

4.25

so_darling's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious 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

3.75

thepaperbackplanner's review

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

5.0

You know, sometimes you just need a fun, heartwarming, historical fantasy story to whisk you away for a bit. Part of what I enjoyed about reading this novel was that I could clearly see puzzle pieces being laid out before me, I could see where they likely fit together, and yet I still really enjoyed watching things fall into place. I can definitely see how some might find the writing to be a bit flowery for their taste, but that wasn’t the case for me. I enjoyed the location descriptions, and the emotions hit for me in most, if not all, of the places they were meant to, I think. Overall, I think this makes a great summer read. Check it out if you’re looking for something relatively light and fun to take with you on vacation! 

codename_cyan's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring tense 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? Yes

5.0

brooke1202's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

5.0

moyushii's review

adventurous emotional inspiring 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? N/A

5.0

pharmdiva's review

adventurous mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

jess_mango's review

5.0

4.5 stars! A fun, fantastical adventure of a read.

It's the early 20th century and January Scaller lives with her foster father/benefactor, Mr. Locke, in a mansion in Vermont. There she reads books and finds all sorts of treasure's in Locke's collection. January's father is employed by Locke to travel around the world to bring back all sorts of items for his collection. One day. she finds a strange book in a box and starts to read it. It tells an amazing story about doors that can take you to another world. January starts to find that some of the things in the book relate to her life.

I really enjoyed this one. I initially wasn't finding time to finish the book but then I finally found a cozy afternoon or two to sit with it and quickly finished it up. The author also makes commentary on the lives of people who weren't white in the 1910's in America. January herself is "other" and we see the difference of how she is treated when she is with her rich, powerful white guardian and how she is treated on her own.

I recommend this to anyone who is looking for a good escapist read.

This book counts towards the Book Riot Read Harder 2020 Challenge Task #7: historical fiction not set during World War II.

This counts towards the Reading Women 2020 challenge task #22: Read a book by a favorite or new to you publisher I don't believe that I've read anything else published by Redhook

elvenrapier's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5