The Ten Thousand Doors of January Paperback – May 12, 2020

This book was not what I expected, but I still loved it. To be clear, this is not a whirling trip through ten thousand fantastic and alien worlds. You will visit perhaps three or four, and hear of a few more, but the book is more concerned with it's characters and theming. To be clear, it works. The themes are strong and wonderfully sweet, and the characters are the same. The book shares a strength with the best Disney films - it makes you want desperately for our main characters to be happy, and cheer for them to reach their far-off goal. Watching January grow into a force to be reckoned with is a true pleasure, and both the supporting cast and villains are excellent. The writing style is, to my mind, perhaps the best part of the book. First person and self-aware, mixing elegantly between different viewpoints through the two in-universe texts that the final novel is composed of. Unraveling the narrators, and their intended audience, is a delight (if not terribly difficult). Anyway, this book is charming and clever and well worth your time.

I found this book largely by accident — a bit ironic given the ending. The sample chapter provided didn't intrigue me as much as I thought it would, but something drew me into buying it anyway. To start, the storytelling is certainly unique. I enjoyed the mystery of the novel within a novel and very much enjoyed how it played it. And the various revelations throughout the story served to keep the plot moving and engaging.January's tale was well told for the most part. I'm generally not a huge fan of young main characters as I find it hard to wrap my head around more irrational decisions. But they worked well for the characterization of January. It was exciting to see her slowly push against the gilded cage of her youth. The mistakes and consequences seemed very real and worked well to help her grow.Outside of January, the supporting cast was equally interesting. One quirk Harrow did in the beginning was to sew doubt about the way the world worked, and once the fantasy aspects came into full play, those side characters became much more complex and threatening.There were still parts I didn't like as much in the story. The narration, or January's writing, gets a bit flowery and wordy at times. It was interesting in an overdramatic sort of way in the beginning, but later on started to feel a bit cumbersome. Additionally, it did feel like she failed one too many times whenever she did try to be more independent and brave. Perhaps that was the point, but it started to get a bit frustrating near the end.The final sequences in the story were more fast paced. Arcadia did feel a touch unnecessary, even last minute. I get the purpose it served, but its residents seemed far less interesting or developed due to how little time January spends there. Then barreling through to the end, the villains seemed a bit too quick to be dispatched. While the story did end in a satisfying manner, I wished the final confrontation was a bit more impactful.Overall, this was a very enjoyable read that really captures the spirit of fantasy and the wonders of storytelling. I've certainly learned a lot from it and hope to apply some of those lessons in my own writing.

On rare occasions, a book speaks to your heart as well as your intellect, ‘The Ten Thousand Doors of January’ is just such a book. Its author, Alix E. Harrow is a “wordworker” of note. Not only does she write in beautifully poetic language, but also creates characters who invade your life and remain in memory long after your reading is over.A memorable fantasy writer must build a credible alternate world with words. This author certainly achieves that, (in fact - many worlds). Not since finishing J. R. R. Tolkien’s ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Old Kingdom’ series by Garth Nix have I been so totally immersed in a fantasy story. But in addition, the author of Ten Thousand Doors writes with authority on social issues such as racial and sexual discrimination, male dominance and colonial power struggles; subjects she weaves into the fabric of her story without ever becoming preachy or condescending.This story is a fantasy, a quest, a mystery, a coming-of-age story, a love story and a social commentary, all rolled into one sensational book.January Scaller, daughter of Ade and Yule Ian, is raised to be an obedient, polite girl in the privileged home of rich Mr.Locke, her guardian. Her mother is missing, presumed dead; her father employed by Mr. Locke as a traveling gatherer of rare collectible items. But January, true to her heritage, retains a wild, wandering streak, which no amount of discipline is able to suppress. When she discovers that she possesses the power to open portals to other worlds, like her mother before her, the drama builds into a wild ride. The reader of this story is swept along with January, her faithful dog Sinbad (Bad), and her friends, Samuel and Jane, on a journey to worlds beyond the veil of the dark threshold.Haven’t we all wished on occasions in our youth to open a Door into another magical world? Haven’t we wanted to kick over the traces of convention and run free? If you still dream of magic, read this story.I wanted to start re-reading this story as soon as I had finished. I found this clever, whimsical book totally captivating. 5 Golden stars🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

How do I rate this ten stars? I've read a lot of books in my day and none of them come close to the magic of this one. It's the perfect mix of complexity, fantasy, cozy, adventure, mystery, and wonder. The author's writing is just, *chef's kiss*. Honestly, I keep thinking about January and Adelaide and Julian. Oh, and Jane! Their stories. Their paradises and hells. That feeling of wanting so badly to return to the wondrous place that is home. The starlight pull of finding something so new and so special. I was so thoroughly engaged with this book.