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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
I waxed and waned between 3 and 4 stars. This eventually became a page turner lurching forward while sometimes slinking backward. It is a fabulous tale from an author who I feel sure has an amazing imagination. To my pleasant surprise, this was not a tale in which I always knew what was going to happen next; there were a few very definite surprises.
Taking a step back, periodically I had a niggly thought that some part of the story - a scene or a situation - reminded me of other stories from books or movies. Additionally, what kept me from 4 stars was the writing. Like some of my book reviews, ;-), the writing at times felt more verbose than necessary. Having recently read a book where not one single word felt wasted and every word felt necessary, the books that have been read in its wake suffer from being held up to a most high standard. (Since having read three books in May that merited 5 stars, I've noticed my doling out of stars has become a bit more nuanced than it was prior to reading those books.)
Nonetheless, I enjoyed the meshing of "reality" with "fantasy," though who is to say which is which among the door worlds of January. I rooted and cheered, became frustrated and annoyed, as January slowly (and slowly cannot be overstated!) grew into her self and what might be seen as her destiny.
Enter this world with patience, dear reader, and allow yourself to be immersed in all the doors of January Scaller and her faithful dog Bad.
Taking a step back, periodically I had a niggly thought that some part of the story - a scene or a situation - reminded me of other stories from books or movies. Additionally, what kept me from 4 stars was the writing. Like some of my book reviews, ;-), the writing at times felt more verbose than necessary. Having recently read a book where not one single word felt wasted and every word felt necessary, the books that have been read in its wake suffer from being held up to a most high standard. (Since having read three books in May that merited 5 stars, I've noticed my doling out of stars has become a bit more nuanced than it was prior to reading those books.)
Nonetheless, I enjoyed the meshing of "reality" with "fantasy," though who is to say which is which among the door worlds of January. I rooted and cheered, became frustrated and annoyed, as January slowly (and slowly cannot be overstated!) grew into her self and what might be seen as her destiny.
Enter this world with patience, dear reader, and allow yourself to be immersed in all the doors of January Scaller and her faithful dog Bad.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
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:
Yes
This was a solid story that I really enjoyed. It was different, it was interesting, and January was just trying her best to live her life. Normally I read about female main characters who rail against the societal chains that bind them, or oppressive guardians, but January doesn't. She just meekly accepts her place at first. But it *makes sense*. She is a child, and treated well in a fancy house. The unknown scares her, as it should! So she needs to find her way and make those choices: does she stay in a place that is safe and familiar, even if she hates it, or does she go off into the unknown like she wished she could? That's a lot to ask for a kid, and the way January is written and how we see what's going on in her head made her ultimate decisions that much more impactful.
The writing is beautiful - let's start there. Just lovely descriptions, emotions that leaped off the page. The middle of the book, the prose, plus an engaging plot and interesting premise kept me going.
On the con side, it dragged at the beginning to point where making it to 25% felt a chore. And then again in the last 25% I was skipping lines and even a paragraph here and there. More editing would have helped immensely. Only one character was fleshed out (the main) and she was an annoying snowflake for much of the book. And the dreaded insta-love made an appearance.
The writing and the story helps to make up for some limitations in characters and editing. Solid read, but could have been much better.
On the con side, it dragged at the beginning to point where making it to 25% felt a chore. And then again in the last 25% I was skipping lines and even a paragraph here and there. More editing would have helped immensely. Only one character was fleshed out (the main) and she was an annoying snowflake for much of the book. And the dreaded insta-love made an appearance.
The writing and the story helps to make up for some limitations in characters and editing. Solid read, but could have been much better.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
This starts a little slowly, with several story strands that don't seem to be connected. However, they do intertwine. In any case, it is all so beautifully written and moved and such a thoroughly satisfying ending.
I liked but didn't love this one. I felt like the framing device actually hit the characterisation a little, as I felt myself being pulled away from January. I loved the concept of Doors (capital D) which reminded me of [b:The Subtle Knife|41637836|The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials, #2)|Philip Pullman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1535965085l/41637836._SY75_.jpg|1570229] but I felt like we got bogged down a little in the current time and the switching between the embedded narrative to really let the Doors sing.
Did women actually faint, I wondered, or was that an invention of bad Victorian novels and Friday night picture shows? Or perhaps women simply contrived to collapse at convenient moments to delay the burden of hearing and seeing and feeling, just for a little while. I sympathized.
I love Harrow's writing style and wit, so this of course was a joyful experience for me. However, I have to admit that the book has some flaws. It's a backstory on a backstory and so if you are not the type of reader who is patient with all the digressions, this might not be for you. They are not a true digressions, because everything connects at some point or the other, but... it can be frustrating.
Our protagonist is likeable if not particularly bright and the book is full of a... let's just say it, dumb decisions. And... very delayed realisations.
But I absolutely fell in love with the whimsical worldbuilding. I loved to see all the different worlds and I would probably like the book more if we spent more time in them... But then I guess we wouldn't get as much historical fiction goodness, so... it's fine.
I also absolutely loved Jane... I would so love to have Jane-book... that would be so badass...
I clearly can't hold a thought, so I'll end it here. This was a very enjoyable read for me, the audio is Amazing for this one and yeah... I'm on a quest to read everything Harrow written, this isn't the best in my opinion, but it's still pretty good...
Image source: https://www.tumblr.com/airyfrasc/619371027985776640/an-illustration-from-the-ten-thousand-doors-of
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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:
No
A wonderful fantasy coming of age story, thrilling and tightly plotted. The heroine is loveable and relatable, the adventure well-paced and perilous without being harrowing. This and the romantic elements make this quite a cosy read, and the myriad imaginative fantasy worlds found just the other side of a magic Door seal the deal. Cut from the same cloth as things like the Starless Sea, but with less mystery and more character development. Great fun.