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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
Didn’t really get moving until about halfway through so it felt like a slog until the end. Interesting concept, though, and I could see myself recommending it to certain people.
This isn't a perfect book. Until a little less than half the way in , I was only slightly interested in the story, though I could appreciate what a gifted writer the author is, exquisitely crafting every single sentence. This was mostly because I felt like shaking January every other page. So by all rights this book should be a 3 or 4 star book, but when it came down to it, I couldn't bear to give this book anything less than 5 stars, because it was such an experience to read. Once I was invested, the emotions of the characters were so palpable they leaped off the page, and Harrow succeeded at creating a vast, limitless world and placing a whole host of characters with varied motivations in it, without making it too unbelievable or overextending the main character. Harrow was also excellent at demonstrating the complexity of human relationships. How we feel about someone doesn't necessarily correlate to the objective conclusion and sometimes there isn't any objective conclusion, and this comes up in January's story again and again.
Not everything was solved at the end, which I am glad of, because January couldn't have righted all the wrongs in the "multiverse" just in this book. On that note, I could have done without the epilogue. Usually I love epilogues because, but here too much was spelled out when the strength of the ending was that it didn't do so.
I also liked the small instances of January's romance that were complementary to main story. There is an element of Love at First Sight in this book which I usually dislike, but I'd argue it's a little justified here.
Finally, another reason for why I truly loved this book was how all of the seemingly random elements are incorporated into one cohesive story. Each strand comes together in the complex, glorious web that Harrow has woven. This is one of those books where rereading would reveal so many previously hidden clues!
Spoiler
when I realized who Julian was, my jaw dropped, and I couldn't look at this book the same way again (honestly others could probably figure this out earlier, I'm just very obtuse)Not everything was solved at the end, which I am glad of, because January couldn't have righted all the wrongs in the "multiverse" just in this book. On that note, I could have done without the epilogue. Usually I love epilogues because
Spoiler
happily-ever-after scenes are so sweetI also liked the small instances of January's romance that were complementary to main story.
Spoiler
Of course, there was a far larger theme of romance with Julian and Adelaide, but that was central to the plot, so I didn't mind it, though it did suffer from one thing:Finally, another reason for why I truly loved this book was how all of the seemingly random elements are incorporated into one cohesive story. Each strand comes together in the complex, glorious web that Harrow has woven. This is one of those books where rereading would reveal so many previously hidden clues!
This was a beautiful YA fantasy. It was innocent, but didn't feel childish.
January is a young girl of mixed race, living as a ward in her guardian Mr. Lockes home. Her father is only semi present, he often travels collecting rare artifacts to be sold. Their relationship is strained, she longs for quality time with her father and wishes she could go explore with him.
She is gifted a book which changes her life and opens her horizons. She learns about other worlds and her ability to find them.
This book is filled with adventure, it's a coming of age and we are finding ourselves and family. I loved the setting and the diverse characters.
It kind of reminded me of A Wrinkle In Time.
January is a young girl of mixed race, living as a ward in her guardian Mr. Lockes home. Her father is only semi present, he often travels collecting rare artifacts to be sold. Their relationship is strained, she longs for quality time with her father and wishes she could go explore with him.
She is gifted a book which changes her life and opens her horizons. She learns about other worlds and her ability to find them.
This book is filled with adventure, it's a coming of age and we are finding ourselves and family. I loved the setting and the diverse characters.
It kind of reminded me of A Wrinkle In Time.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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:
Complicated
Enjoyed this on audiobook
I will come back to this one
While reading this book, I didn't know what was going on and wasn't sure if I liked it or not - there's a book within a book - that's pretty weird, right? I kept going because you can't get all the information right away or you'd be bored. The more I read, the more I liked it then loved it. Now that I'm done I want to go back and pick up the details I didn't think were important before because they were. They all were. But I'm going to sit with this story for a while before diving back in through the Door. I would love a sequel with these characters!
While reading this book, I didn't know what was going on and wasn't sure if I liked it or not - there's a book within a book - that's pretty weird, right? I kept going because you can't get all the information right away or you'd be bored. The more I read, the more I liked it then loved it. Now that I'm done I want to go back and pick up the details I didn't think were important before because they were. They all were. But I'm going to sit with this story for a while before diving back in through the Door. I would love a sequel with these characters!
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
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:
Yes
Took me about 180 pages to get into the story but then it got really good and I ended up really liking this. Only other fault was a white author writing from the perspective of a biracial girl. Gave me the ick.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
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:
Complicated
Started off very slow, but once it picked up I needed to know what would happen. It’s easy to get swept up into January’s story and her never ending quest for answers. I also loved the intertwined chapters of what January is going through vs the pages of the book she found. Good read!