The Ten Thousand Doors of January is a beautiful, lyrical read that is filled with magic, mystery and love.

This book took me on a great journey and I knew I’d love it from the very first line. Alix Harrow wove a tale that feels classic and refreshing all at once. The idea of being able step through magical Doors leading to ten thousand different worlds sounds like a book lovers dream and makes me recall one of my favorite stories - The Lion, The Witch and the Wadrobe. I just wanted to spend the entire time exploring these amazing worlds that the author describes.

January Scaller finds a book that confirms her suspicion that these hidden Doors exist. However, the more January learns about these mysterious Doors the more danger she finds herself in. January seems an unlikely heroine at first but that’s part of the reason I loved her character so much. This story unfolds in ways I did not expect and I didn’t know what would happen next.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for review. All opinions are my own.

I am so grateful to Redhook and @netgalley for my eARC of The Ten Thousand Doors of January. Obviously I loved it so much that I bought a copy after work today!
The Ten Thousand Doors follows January Scallar throughout her life as a ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke while her father is an adventurer who travels the world looking for treasures for Locke’s Archaeological Society.
When she finds a book in one of Mr. Locke’s treasures, she starts to see the world differently.
This book was full of beauty and magic and wonder. If you love words and adventure and strong heroines with amazing friends then you should absolutely add this to your reading list!

One of my favorite reads of 2019. Alix E. Harrow has created a delightful and lovely story and I loved every page. Any fan of children's adventure and fantasy stories should be excited to grab this book.

The above synopsis is accurate but totally different than I would have described this novel. Yes, January Scaller is a curiosity. She’s of mixed race and is the ward of a wealthy white businessman. In his social world, she is a curiosity, but she is also biased against, treated pretty abominably by Mr. Locke, and has an absentee father who occasionally visits but has his own agenda that isn’t explained until the end of the book. January lives in a very black and white world. If not for the friendship of the grocer’s son, she’d be unbearably alone and her life would be pretty bleak.

One day she goes delving into a chest in Mr. Locke’s office and finds a book about these Ten Thousand Doors. When she reads this book she can escape from her dismal life through the story of another young girl. That story is about love at first sight and her journey to find a mysterious young man who had stepped through a door from another world. Doors that may or may not be real. This tale is certainly brighter than January’s own story, and for me more interesting. It’s not until the two stories intertwine that I really became invested in The Ten Thousand Doors of January and the character in her own world.

This novel mixed several genre’s creating a kind of hybrid, atmospheric historical fantasy. I would even say it bordered gothic and was very dark. The elegant prose with which it was written, while beautiful, created an emotional barrier that made it really hard for me to immerse myself in the story and care strongly for January. I did have feeling’s for Her and some of the other characters, but I didn’t feel involved or invested in what happened to them. Am I the only person who’s read this novel that feels this way? It feels like it! Other reviews have waxed lyrical about the writing, and it was certainly all that, but for me, there was a piece missing that kept it from being a great novel. Can I pinpoint what that may be? No. Not to say that I hated all of it, I didn’t! I loved how there were doors into other worlds and the possibility of journeys into those worlds. Unfortunately with a couple of exceptions that I can’t go into without spoiling the outcome, those weren’t avenues that were explored much in this novel.

I did like the alternate storyline. It was a wonderful journey of exploration and self discovery. January’s storyline was a bit more subversive, her story was about wanting something strong enough to change her circumstances and go after it. She did do that, I just wish I had cared more for that self exploration than I did. ❤️❤️❤️❣️

I received a free copy of this ARC for my honest review and it was honest.

If you like slow winding lyrical coming-of-age fantasy books this is the book to read. It’s definitely a slow burn, but a beautifully written book, as the plot takes awhile to come about because this is an extremely heavy worded character-based book and not truly plot driven. If you like fantasy books in the vein of Patrick Rothfuss then pick this one up.

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book seeps into your bones while you are still trying to decide what to make of it. One minute there is confusion and utter bewilderment on what the author's intentions are and then suddenly you are so wrapped up in the tale that you can't imagine a time when you haven't read the book. There are points in the book where the delivery seems unpolished but that is mostly in the opening chapters. The tale itself is a good one. It is part love story, part battle of good versus evil, part adventure tale, and part fantasy all wrapped up in one. Harrow delivers a remarkably original tale and presents it in a unique style.

The award for the prettiest cover of the September 2019 book releases certainly belongs to Alix E. Harrow’s debut young adult fantasy novel. Growing up in the early 1900s, January Scaller lives in a expansive mansion in Vermont, the home of her guardian Mr. Locke, who collects peculiar treasures from all over the world. January herself is one of those treasures, not quite white but also not quite black. Her father travels the world finding treasures for Mr. Locke, while January sits at home trying to be a good girl. When January discovers a book about doors – magical passageways between worlds – she begins a journey toward a fantastical future and an understanding of her past.

I must admit, Harrow’s novel certainly was original. I enjoyed the thought-out approach to the magical concept of doors between universes. At first, I was worried because the novel alternates between January’s story and chapter excerpts from the book she is reading – which did blend as harmoniously as I would have liked. Luckily the book within a book was short and applied directly into the story line.

Also, the first half of the novel was a bit slower, without much action. Then, in the second half the action comes much quicker, almost a bit too quick. I wish the author had been able to more even out the action.

All in all, it was an enjoyable novel for me to read. I wouldn’t recommend it unless you particularly like the young adult genre, for it is not nearly as developed as you would expect from an adult novel.

Did you ever go through the closet door into Narnia as a child? The Ten Thousand Doors of January reads as a more grown up whimsical tale, following January as she discovers the mysteries surrounding her life and her true abilities.
Harrow brings us such gorgeous imagery as she describes the journeys of January, Adelaide, and Yule Ian (Julian) and alongside it includes suspense, romance, and fantasy.
This book will tug at your heartstrings, make you cheer for the characters and their bravery, and make you wonder about the limitations of our world - what lengths they really reach. It is truly beautiful and worth a read.

What if there were doors to other worlds just waiting to be discovered? How would people use this opportunity? The settings, characters, and story created an experience that blew me away! I really enjoyed this book.

What I Liked:
Setting:

I enjoyed the early 20th century time period. This moment before the first world war is a heart-breaking mix of optimism and innocence. You can tell how different the world will soon be when the massive war machine of Europe awakens.

January is growing up in a world of privilege as the ward of Mr. Locke. But being a girl of color, she is never really accepted. People don't know how to treat her. Is she a servant, an exotic pet? She gets many different reactions from people. This realism was smart and refreshing.

Characters:

I loved January. She struggled to fit in anywhere, and was torn about her feelings about Mr. Locke. Mr. Locke treated her as though she should be eternally grateful for his support, that she should follow him without question. Did he love her like a father? Or was he manipulating her (and her father) to profit from her potential?

She tried so hard to fit in and behave like a proper Edwardian girl. But she also longed to escape and see the world like her father. I loved her determination to live life on her own terms.

Mr. Locke was a complicated character. You don't know for most of the book if he was trying to protect January or exploit her. Perhaps it was a little of both. What I can say about Mr. Locke is that he was a complicated man who was really full of his own importance.

There are several other characters who were complex and intriguing. I loved how surprised I was by all these people.

Story:

The story was a roller coaster ride of adventure as we learn of all the ways the doors can be used and of all the things that pass between the many worlds. I loved how January, despite her efforts to maintain a low profile, found adventure and held on to her dreams of finding her father. This was a story of overcoming other people's low expectations and persevering through adversity.

DNF @ 52%

ARC received from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All of my opinions are my own, and are in no way affected by the exchange.

This was... fine I guess. I made it 52% through the book and just could not go on. I was really excited because I saw a lot of Booktubers getting ARCs of this and the cover is gorgeous but I really could not connect with this at all. I only slightly cared about January's timeline but even that was only slightly. The timeline with Adaline or whatever her name was was not interesting in the slightest. There was a reveal that connected the two timelines and I guessed it pretty early on. Theres nothing WRONG with the book, I just dont think it was the book for me. Because of that I'm not rating it.

I enjoyed a portal fantasy that was in a historical setting. Adding in the unusual formatting, this was a recipe for enjoyment. It took some time to get into the format as the plot due to pacing, but it's a really solid addition to the portal fantasies that have been popping up lately.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January Alex E. Harrow is a book that I wanted to love but I found the two storylines to be confusing. The first story is about January who is basically an orphan and left in the care of her guardian while her father travels the world to acquire items for the guardian. The second story is in a book found by January. It is the story of Ade Larson who seems to have a lot in common with January. They have both found doors to other worlds and both do not seem to belong where they are living.

Thank you to Netgalley and Redhook Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Sci Fi & Fantasy
Release Date: Sept 10, 2019

Every time I open a book I find a door to a thousand different places so when I got approved for this book I was so excited. Step inside and enjoy your own magic!

My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"In the early 1900s, a young woman embarks on a fantastical journey of self-discovery after finding a mysterious book in this captivating and lyrical debut.

In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and utterly out of place.

Then she finds a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds, and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. Each page turn reveals impossible truths about the world and January discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own.

Lush and richly imagined, a tale of impossible journeys, unforgettable love, and the enduring power of stories awaits in Alix E. Harrow’s spellbinding debut–step inside and discover its magic."

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January
By: Alix E. Harrow

*REVIEW* 🌟🌟🌟🌟
The Ten Thousand Doors of January is a transporting story. Literally, the main character, January, a young girl of mixed race, is transported by way of doors. She lives in the early 1900s, and a girl of her color is not acceptable to society. She lives in Locke Mansion where she feels like a display piece. Her father, a black man, also not acceptable, is frequently away on business for Mr. Locke. January falls upon a bit of something magical that allows her to be transported through all of these different doors. Maybe she will find answers about her heritage, or maybe there are secrets to reveal. The possibilities are endless. January is a compelling character with an independent spirit, plus intelligence and perseverance. She is likeable, and I did feel sympathetic for her situation and judgement from society. This story is definitely unique and obviously requires a suspension of disbelief. Magical realism, etc. is not what I usually read, so I stepped out to read this book. I enjoyed it, although, I was confused a couple of times or felt tired out of the story and had to take a break. Overall this is a well written unique adventure story with a strong heroine, and I definitely recommend reading it.

Just wow, people! This is simply a fantastical bit of storytelling which is filled to the brim with plot twists and intriguing characters. I was utterly fascinated with this world that Ms. Harrow has created. From those first few paragraphs until the final words on the final page, I was swept into January's life and subsequently was unable to put her story down! Let me attempt to describe to you why...

Firstly, there's the world-building. Ms. Harrow has created a complex world which requires some delving out. I learned never to assume anything about anything, there are always more possibilities than you may be imagining. And also one never can tell for sure who may be trustworthy and who isn't. I was constantly kept on my toes wondering just what may yet come in the next chapter. The details that we begin to uncover about who everyone truly is and how they truly fit into this world are slowly, tantalizingly revealed. There is so much going on underneath the surface that I think a reread or three will probably reveal even more details that I completely missed my first go round!

Then there are the characters. Most of which I liked, but they don't sit comfortably either. Oh no. These characters have depth and a fierceness about them that doesn't soften much. Even January herself has a few unexpected sharp corners. There were times I understood her and times I didn't. All the others pretty much had guaranteed sharpish places and so much that they weren't saying, either to January or to me. I'm not complaining about this, however! It meant I was always endeavoring to figure them out further. These aren't your typical warm and fuzzy type of people. They've seen things, they've experienced things, and those things have changed them forever.

For all the fantastical bits that enthralled me, there were other things that I didn't enjoy, sadly. The romance parts didn't really sit well with me. There are two central romances (both mostly subtle in the background) and while I never felt a connection to either couple, the one caused me to dislike the ending just a tad. I almost think I would have enjoyed it more had that romance not happened at all. I simply never saw enough true emotion going on to help me understand some of the choices made. But that's just my own personal qualm and one which may not bother someone else...

Overall, I was so thoroughly involved within this story that when I finally finished a few hours later, it felt like I hit real life with a jolt! :) There are so many wondrously written sentences that I kept finding another and another I had to stop and reread. Her lyrical way of writing means that Ms. Harrow is certainly an author I will keep an eye out for in the future. Her attention to detail and ability to withhold information while seeming not to withhold it at all is a skill that not many writers have. I was suitably impressed and look forward to rereading this one again!

**I received a complimentary copy via Netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

January Scaller grew up as the ward of Mr. Locke, a collector of rare and unique artifacts. Instead of feeling the wealth and privilege of the world in which she resides, she always felt like one of her guardian’s curiosities. Part of his collection. January knows nothing of her mother and only sees her father on the rare occasion that he’s back from whatever adventure Mr. Locke sent him on in his need to acquire more.

January’s world is changed on the day she discovers a Door—not to be confused with a door mind you. Upon opening the Door, the world literally opens for her, but she quickly learns there are those who would close all the Doors forever. When she later discovers a book that unravels the mysteries of the Doors, January will set out on a quest to find what she’s lost and maybe something she’s yet to find.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January is a sprawling book. Simultaneously traversing land and countries, worlds and mythologies. It has an almost circular pattern of storytelling to it, as January discovers a book that seemingly describes the various possibilities of Doors, yet it also manages to tie into January’s own sense of self-discovery, then uses that same discovery to continue the momentum of the story moving forward.

I loved the idea of Doors as not just a threshold that one walks through, but something that can also be an event or a person. An object or place or whatever that can change and alter you, for better or worse, in an undeniable way. Alix Harrow does a great job of making this concept very easily accessible to the reader.

There’s a back and forth narrative going on throughout most of Ten Thousand Doors. First, is January’s own story, and second, once the book is discovered we get alternating chapters verbatim as though we were reading along with January. It’s an interesting writing technique and overall I liked it, but there were times that I’d get going in one narrative and the switch would pull me out too easily. Even further, I’d sometimes confuse what was happening with January with what she was reading in the book. Looking back, and based on events that occur, I think this was strategic planning on Alix Harrow’s part, but at the time, again, it was something that pulled me out of my reading trance.

But seriously, what a book to get yourself lost in. I’m writing this review almost right after finishing the book, and all I can think about is going back in, discovering new worlds. I mean isn’t that why we read in the first place, to be transported? If you’re looking for a story that knows the power of words and the transcendence of love, you’ve certainly found it with The Ten Thousand Doors of January.

I was a little apprehensive about this title because it’s been getting a lot of hype, but also since it is a portal fantasy I assumed that it would require a lot of world building for all of the different worlds. While the story didn’t travel to the many worlds that I expected it to and wanted it to, I still wound up absolutely loving this story. Right away I liked the way it was written. The story is told in first person from January’s point of view as she recounted events to the reader. While sometimes I feel like acknowledging the reader isn’t a great choice, in this story it was the perfect one.

The thing that I loved the most about The Ten Thousand Doors of January was that it felt entirely real to me. This story truly came to life for me and I could almost believe that it was true. In the story January finds a book titled The Ten Thousand Doors, which is partially a scholarly investigation into Doors that are portals to other worlds, and partially a story of two lovers traveling through Doors in attempts to find one another. The inclusion of The Ten Thousand Doors within this book added immensely to the world building, but also made the possibility of Doors feel incredibly real. I haven’t read a ton of magical realism titles, but after this one I really want to read more books in that genre because the fact that Doors felt so real made me love this book even more.

While I did hope for the plot to take me to many different worlds like Valhalla and Atlantis, and I was worried that there wouldn’t be good enough world building this book had me completely absorbed. While the story didn’t travel to lots of different worlds, the world building was still fantastic. Even though I had different hopes for the plot I absolutely loved where this book wound up going. While none of the plot twists really caught me off guard, I also couldn’t predict where the story was going to take me next. It was a magical journey that really pulled at my heart strings, but also showed me what it was like for darker skinned people in America in the early 1900’s.

Each one of the characters in this story was written well. In the beginning of the story when January got a dog who became her best friend I knew I was going to cherish this book. January wound up with friends who were fiercely loyal to her and couldn’t believe that people would want to be her friend and that they wouldn’t abandon her. She was easy to relate to even though I am quite different from her because the first person point of view conveyed her personality and thoughts very well. Even the villain of the story was multi-layered and interesting. I would love a spin off story about Jane though, because I really wanted to know so much more about her life. I would honestly love a spin off story about any one of the worlds that the Doors lead to.

I tried to reign in my expectations for this book, but there was really no need because it was beautiful and magical. This fierce story of hope, friendship and family was so well written and is one that I absolutely cherished. I am so grateful that I received an ARC and highly recommend that everyone gives this book the chance it deserves. I was surprised to find out that The Ten Thousand Doors of January was Alix E Harrow’s debut novel and am excited to check out her next book which has been pitched as “suffragists, but witches” and is set in an 1890’s alternate America where they fight to restore women’s magic. The idea sounds amazing and I can’t wait to read more books by Alix E Harrow.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this title, but all in all it was a really satisfying novel. reminded me of Seanan McGuire's Wayward children series which is probably the highest praise I can pass to a series.

Thank you for the chance to read this title!

January Scaller has grown up in a mansion filled with peculiar treasurers, being raised by Mr. Locke while her father is off collecting these treasures for him. January feels just like the curious artifacts, just as out of place as they are.

One day while rifling through the artifacts she finds a book that holds tales of other worlds, secret doors that connect them, love, and adventure. She has always had to behave and be a “good girl” living in Locke’s home. But one day her father never returns, and Locke has told her of his passing.

Locke has always raised her as his own daughter. Trying to deal with the grief, January finds her escape in the pages of the book she found and discovers the story is increasingly entwined with her own.

Such a whimsical story! I loved the concept of doors opening to other worlds, however, the first half of this novel was a struggle. It focuses primarily on the story January is reading which seems long and dragged out. I would have enjoyed it so much more if there was a little more excitement in the first half! At the fifty percent mark is exactly where it started to get exciting and moved almost double speed! The second half really made me like the novel a lot better. . I just wish there had been more attention grabbing moments to keep me as a reader invested the whole way through.

Thanks so much to @redhookbooks / @netgalleyfor the advanced copy for an honest review! This published yesterday, or as I’m sure you have seen as an early release for YA BOTM!

I recieved this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
In The Ten Thousand Doors of January, the eponymous heroine (who is biracial, something I'm not sure I've seen mentioned) lives as the ward of a rich white man as her father wanders the world in his employ. As January grows up she consiers the choice between a safe status quo and the infinite possiilities of explortion.
It may feel obvious to say that The Ten Thousand Doors of January is for fans of Seanan McGuire's Every Heart a Doorway, but it is true. However, the link is more than just the similarity of doors; the writen voice also speaks to those who may suspect that there is a world where they Should be, rather than where they are.
An extended version of this review was posted at Word of the Nerd.