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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
Disappointing but I probably had too high of hopes. It was probably well written but just wasn’t what I was expecting.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
slow-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
reflective
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
Didn’t finish in time for book club :( I swear this book almost put me into a reading slump
This book is *everything*.
Perhaps more suited to a YA audience but Harrow is such a beautifully lyrical writer.
This book explores complex themes of race and class and it’s sometimes a little to overt but overall handled with care.
January is a wonderful main character and Mr Locke a subtly evil villain.
I adored the story telling technique via two timelines and the ending was simply brilliant.
Perhaps more suited to a YA audience but Harrow is such a beautifully lyrical writer.
This book explores complex themes of race and class and it’s sometimes a little to overt but overall handled with care.
January is a wonderful main character and Mr Locke a subtly evil villain.
I adored the story telling technique via two timelines and the ending was simply brilliant.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Plenty of people told me how absolutely beautiful this book is, but I never took them quite as seriously as I should have because I didn’t particularly enjoy Harrow’s book, The Once and Future Witches. I’m so glad I did end up giving The Ten Thousand Doors of January a chance though, because I absolutely love this book. It’s gorgeously written, initially jumping between a couple different perspectives before eventually landing on just one, that of January Scholar, told almost as a historical exploration in the first person.
As you can probably tell from the title, The Ten Thousand Doors of January is a book about doors to other worlds, which is a sub genre I am absolutely enamored with (I can’t quite let go of the desperate hope that it’s true, that there are doors somewhere in this world that lead to another door in a different world.). The pieces told from January’s perspective are told in “present day” (sometime in the 1800s), whereas other portions are told a couple decades prior and up to her birth. January’s own story runs from young childhood to young adulthood, so that in its entirety the book encompasses at least 40 or 50 years across the United States (and, briefly, a couple of other countries) and several other worlds. I’m hesitant to describe it in any more detail than that, because I don’t want to give anything away.
To say this book was beautiful isn’t strong enough - I use that word too often to describe other books, and it doesn’t seem sufficient here because of it. But I’m not sure how else to describe it. You know that feeling of mild heartbreak that a story you’re reading isn’t real? That’s how finishing The Ten Thousand Doors of January felt.
As you can probably tell from the title, The Ten Thousand Doors of January is a book about doors to other worlds, which is a sub genre I am absolutely enamored with (I can’t quite let go of the desperate hope that it’s true, that there are doors somewhere in this world that lead to another door in a different world.). The pieces told from January’s perspective are told in “present day” (sometime in the 1800s), whereas other portions are told a couple decades prior and up to her birth. January’s own story runs from young childhood to young adulthood, so that in its entirety the book encompasses at least 40 or 50 years across the United States (and, briefly, a couple of other countries) and several other worlds. I’m hesitant to describe it in any more detail than that, because I don’t want to give anything away.
To say this book was beautiful isn’t strong enough - I use that word too often to describe other books, and it doesn’t seem sufficient here because of it. But I’m not sure how else to describe it. You know that feeling of mild heartbreak that a story you’re reading isn’t real? That’s how finishing The Ten Thousand Doors of January felt.
What an adventure! I may read this again at some point so… 5 stars, it is!
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love this story but it took me forever to get through, I haven't figured out why but that brings it down a half a star. I partially know why, I wasn't fond of most of the characters: Ade- leaving her family, Julian constantly whining and leaving his daughter and while I felt for January, in many ways, Jane was right. She was a whining, spoiled, little, rich girl. She did redeem herself in the end though. I loved the monsters. Mr Locke's demise seemed a little too simple though. She should have sent him back to his original world and locked the door.
The whole story was excellent!I loved tattooing the important things, I love that she was a word worker and Samuel called her Strega. I loved Bad, the dog.
The whole story was excellent!I loved tattooing the important things, I love that she was a word worker and Samuel called her Strega. I loved Bad, the dog.