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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is like if Strange the Dreamer and Starless Sea had a baby, but it can’t live up to either of its parents.
January is the least interesting character in her own story, and the pacing was all over the place with her. I was way more invested in her parents, in the side characters, and the other worlds. The plot was pretty obvious, none of the twists were surprising, and maybe this would actually be rated lower if not for the story within the story/the side characters. It was enjoyable though.
January is the least interesting character in her own story, and the pacing was all over the place with her. I was way more invested in her parents, in the side characters, and the other worlds. The plot was pretty obvious, none of the twists were surprising, and maybe this would actually be rated lower if not for the story within the story/the side characters. It was enjoyable though.
I wish I had the book to follow along with because I kept getting a little confused. But I still loved the writing and my eyes got pretty watery twords the end!
adventurous
inspiring
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
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:
Complicated
Great writing great story just took me forever to get into
D.N.F. at page 154.
I'm disappointed. I've enjoyed some of Harrow's other work, but this doesn't feel like her at all. Sure, in her other work, she uses the same flowery, lyrical prose but in this, it just doesn't work. Maybe if she had tried more to follow the fantasy book aspect and tried less to be a piece of literature it might have gone somewhere. (Yes, there is a difference)
The concept is so cool! Doors that lead to other worlds, a group of bad guys trying to maintain the "natural" order of things, a family broken apart by time and worlds, and words with actual power. Those are all great ideas, but Harrow missed the mark by a long shot in my opinion.
The main character does nothing but whine, pontificate her woes, and read...in 150 pages she stands up for herself once! Which results in her getting sent to an asylum and her dog being killed. (I'm not putting this under a spoiler filter because everyone should know going in that a dog is beaten to death!).
There is also the fact this book has quite a few racially charged comments, which fits the period and January is POC, but Harrow is white.... Now, I don't have a leg to stand on here but it just doesn't sit well with me for some reason. I don't know.
I just can't read any more of this book, and maybe it gets better and January learns to fight for herself. Maybe the dog isn't dead. Maybe, she doesn't just sit back and read while waiting for someone else to save her. I don't care enough to find out, but if you do, go for it I guess.
I'm disappointed. I've enjoyed some of Harrow's other work, but this doesn't feel like her at all. Sure, in her other work, she uses the same flowery, lyrical prose but in this, it just doesn't work. Maybe if she had tried more to follow the fantasy book aspect and tried less to be a piece of literature it might have gone somewhere. (Yes, there is a difference)
The concept is so cool! Doors that lead to other worlds, a group of bad guys trying to maintain the "natural" order of things, a family broken apart by time and worlds, and words with actual power. Those are all great ideas, but Harrow missed the mark by a long shot in my opinion.
The main character does nothing but whine, pontificate her woes, and read...in 150 pages she stands up for herself once! Which results in her getting sent to an asylum and her dog being killed. (I'm not putting this under a spoiler filter because everyone should know going in that a dog is beaten to death!).
There is also the fact this book has quite a few racially charged comments, which fits the period and January is POC, but Harrow is white.... Now, I don't have a leg to stand on here but it just doesn't sit well with me for some reason. I don't know.
I just can't read any more of this book, and maybe it gets better and January learns to fight for herself. Maybe the dog isn't dead. Maybe, she doesn't just sit back and read while waiting for someone else to save her. I don't care enough to find out, but if you do, go for it I guess.
The kind of book you don't want to put down and you also never want to end. The first few chapters I wasn't sold on the framing or the main character, but I quickly changed my tune and soon I was tearing through it.
Closer to a 4.5?
I really enjoyed this book overall. I loved the concept of portals to other worlds acting as sources of myths and instruments of change, and some of the commentary on portal fiction generally.
I also enjoyed the exploration of the privilege that wealth can give, the toxicity of the 'kind colonialism' idea, and the loneliness of being seen more as an object than a person. It also was sad but seemed real, how someone's love for a parental figure lingers even after the realization that they have been lying and manipulating you for your entire life, even if you 'should' hate them. Locke and January's pseudo-parental relationship was fraught and complicated and unhealthy and had a terrible power dynamic, but there was love (in some form, even if it was selfish) on both sides, which made everything harder.
I also thought that the time period the book was set in was really interesting - I haven't read too many books set primarily in the 1900s/1910s. The treatment of race was also well-handled, as was people reacting differently to her cedar-red skin depending on her age and perceived socio-economic status. I also just liked January as a protagonist overall.
The book knew how to build up tension well, and the relief I felt at the end was enough to make me tear up a little. I also loved the use of her word power in such a mundane but practical way to craft a will. Finally, I thought that the way the pieces of the plot fit together over the course of the book was extremely well done; it was just a very well-plotted book all-around.
Cons:
The first couple chapters of the book-within-the-book killed the momentum for me a bit. Until I realized they were her parents, the long academic-style text and then story about Adelaide felt irrelevant and kind of boring when what I wanted to know was how January's situation was going to turn out. It didn't help that I remain meh about the concept of 'true love'; eventually I did get invested into Adelaide and Julian's story, though, and was invested in what happened to Julian as the entries caught up to the present time.
I never really cared too much about Samuel and his/January's relationship. While Samuel was kind and loyal, those are about the only two personality traits he had.
Nitpick: the florid descriptions of capital letters that occasionally popped up irrationally irritated me. Like, I get what the author was doing but I personally didn't like it (admittedly for no real reason).
I really enjoyed this book overall. I loved the concept of portals to other worlds acting as sources of myths and instruments of change, and some of the commentary on portal fiction generally.
I also enjoyed the exploration of the privilege that wealth can give, the toxicity of the 'kind colonialism' idea, and the loneliness of being seen more as an object than a person. It also was sad but seemed real, how someone's love for a parental figure lingers even after the realization that they have been lying and manipulating you for your entire life, even if you 'should' hate them. Locke and January's pseudo-parental relationship was fraught and complicated and unhealthy and had a terrible power dynamic, but there was love (in some form, even if it was selfish) on both sides, which made everything harder.
I also thought that the time period the book was set in was really interesting - I haven't read too many books set primarily in the 1900s/1910s. The treatment of race was also well-handled, as was people reacting differently to her cedar-red skin depending on her age and perceived socio-economic status. I also just liked January as a protagonist overall.
The book knew how to build up tension well, and the relief I felt at the end was enough to make me tear up a little. I also loved the use of her word power in such a mundane but practical way to craft a will. Finally, I thought that the way the pieces of the plot fit together over the course of the book was extremely well done; it was just a very well-plotted book all-around.
Cons:
The first couple chapters of the book-within-the-book killed the momentum for me a bit. Until I realized they were her parents, the long academic-style text and then story about Adelaide felt irrelevant and kind of boring when what I wanted to know was how January's situation was going to turn out. It didn't help that I remain meh about the concept of 'true love'; eventually I did get invested into Adelaide and Julian's story, though, and was invested in what happened to Julian as the entries caught up to the present time.
I never really cared too much about Samuel and his/January's relationship. While Samuel was kind and loyal, those are about the only two personality traits he had.
Nitpick: the florid descriptions of capital letters that occasionally popped up irrationally irritated me. Like, I get what the author was doing but I personally didn't like it (admittedly for no real reason).
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:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Alix Harrow is masterful mind-blowing this was her debut, arguably her best!!!