If you recognize that socially-conscious fiction is a necessary addition to the canon of The Hero's Journey, and you also loved Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus, this is the perfect book for you. Combining the exploration of other worlds and peoples that makes the writing of Octavia Butler and Ursula LeGuin so compelling with a kick-ass and self-consciously modern WOC hero, The Ten Thousand Doors of January is a whirlwind adventure story that openly discusses the tropes of its genre. It's a beautiful conversation between burgeoning adulthood, representation, magic, time travel, and spirit.

The plot is highly recognizable, and I would guess that most readers will see many of its twists coming long before our dear protagonist. It was an aspect that I found comforting and engaging and then immediately interesting as Harrow made pointedly alternative decisions at key points, often illucidating tired Victorian "truisms" with pithy footnotes.

Harrow's prose is direct and fresh. If it is occasionally homogeneous in its approach to the various characters, this tendency is overshadowed by it's beautiful nods to the adventure story genre, including many hilariously over-dramatic moments. (I especially enjoyed the discussion of Adelaide becoming pregnant and Harrow's quip about personal choice. Three cheers for extra feminism.) This artful treatment made the book fly by, and I've already suggested it to readers of all types as a prime example of modern fiction's ability to address some of our internal and interpersonal narrative concerns by providing a variety of experience in our fictional worlds. Orbit totally nailed it with this one. I cannot wait to see the finished product.

I LOVED this one!! I am a huge fan of the world-within-the-world concept, and this book offered that to the nth degree. Add to it a fabulous and wholly engaging storytelling style, marvelous characters you can't help but love and connect with, and a plot that carries you along a winding, twisting river of machinations, secrets, and misdirection, and you wind up with a perfectly marvelous story that I couldn't put down!

The concept of doors - excuse me, Doors - is not a new one, but in Harrow's skillful hands the construct plays out brilliantly. There is a mystery underpinning the mystery, and the author teases out the parallel plot lines masterfully. January is a wonderful protagonist, offering just the right blend of sass and smarts, and her escapades are, for good and ill, full of wonderment and magic and devastating consequences.

January is a wonderful protagonist, offering just the right blend of sass and smarts. The concept of doors - excuse me, Doors - is not a new one, but in Harrow's skillful hands the construct plays out brilliantly. There are fantastic opportunities for future related stories and I for one hope like crazy that the author decides to go in that direction. If not, I will DEFINITELY be on the lookout for whatever she serves up next. Her writing is as refreshing as a cool drink from a mountain spring, and I just as satisfying!

I don’t know if it was my mood, the complexity of the story, or something else, but the first 15% of this story didn’t catch me.

So imagine my surprise when somewhere along the way, The Ten Thousand Doors of January leapt onto the list of my favorite books ever! I’m completely in awe - everything about this story is perfect. The characters, the little observations about society, the rich world-building, the two storylines crashing together, the mysteries, and above all, the absolutely stunning prose.

This story is vastly unlike any other I’ve read. Yes, it’s a portal fantasy. But it’s so, so much more than that. There’s a kind of depth, a magical fairytale quality, and an unexpectedness to it that completely blew me away. Every paragraph, every word, is as exquisite as the stunning book cover. The ultimate escapist fantasy book — one that will capture your heart and never let it go!

Highly recommended for anyone who:
- has a heart full of wanderlust,
- has read all of Laini Taylor and Madeline Miller’s books and craves another story written in beautiful prose,
- falls for characters whose will and love cannot be contained,
- has watched The Princess Bride and Breakfast at Tiffany’s countless times,
- believes in magic and true love,
- seeks diverse YA historical fantasy reads
- prefers nuanced stories containing imperfect characters,
- and connects with unapologetic misfits - the ones who are and always will be themselves, no matter the time or place.

READ. THIS. BOOK!!!

Advanced copy provided by Redhook/Orbit Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


Review posted to Goodreads and Instagram. Will also post to Amazon on release day!

January Scaller is growing up in Locke house as the ward to Mr. Locke. Her father is an employee of Mr. Locke's who travels the world collecting items for Locke's collection. When her father disappears several things come to a head and January must peel away the lies and discover the truth; the truth of her father's disappearance, what really happened to her mother and the mysterious Society the Mr. Locke and others belong to. And other truths. Who is January herself? Is she a 'good girl' or an obstreperous girl? Is she an heir or a pet of Mr. Locke? Who is she becoming underneath her perfect persona?

This book was terrific! In one novel it discussed the turn of the century (19th to 20th), race relations, gender relations and also was an homage to dime novels! You'd think that the 'messages' would overcome the story but in no way does it! January is firmly in control of her narrative and as she figures everything out you are along for the ride!

January is an engaging heroine. She's stuck in between; in between colored and white, in between youth and young womanhood, in between her father and Mr. Locke. January is also coming of age in a difficult time when women's options are much narrower than they are now and she is finding it difficult to find her own place. When she begins uncovering the truth of the Doors, from that first Door she found as a child to the Doors she begins discovering with the help of a found book, she finds how they relate to her own family and her family's history.

This is a book that once you pick up you don't want to put down! It's magical and the language is beautiful. January, her friends and their love of genre fiction shine through every page! As they begin traveling to find other Doors and pass through them the book picks up tension and doesn't let go! This is a book full of adventure but not non-stop action, this is a character driven book told firmly from January's point of view but doesn't skimp on the other characters. Her journey in many ways reflects her father's journeys around the world but even though she only travels through the eastern part of the US as she finds the magical Doors, the magic of this world and others shines through.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for an honest review. This book is five stars all the way! I already pre-ordered it and I'm chatting it up to all my friends and family! Can't wait to see what the author comes up with next!

A stunning debut, The Ten Thousand Doors of January is exactly the sort of book that my Narnia-loving teenage heart would have been obsessed with and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This is not to say that it is a YA book, but it is a lushly written coming-of-age story and portal fantasy set in early 1900's America with a lyrical writing style that is reminiscent of Victorian literature, yet with thoroughly modern sensibilities. Thematically, this is a book about love, about the importance of change, and also about privilege, gender bias, wealth inequality, racism, and multi-racial identity. All wrapped up in a magical tale that, at times, feels a bit like a fairy tale.

January Scaller has grown up as the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke while her father travels the world seeking out oddities and valuables for Locke's collection. But January discovers a Door to other worlds, and happens upon a book titled The Ten Thousand Doors that recounts tales of these other worlds and research into their existence and qualities. As she reads the book, this becomes a sort of story within a story with alternating chapters and I loved the progression of both stories leading to a conclusion that was very satisfying, even if it wasn't one that I found surprising. (note that the plot went the way I suspected it would quite early on, but I wasn't bothered by that because I wasn't reading this as a mystery.)

Layered into this story we get a nuanced handling of substantive issues including class, wealth, racial, and gender inequality. January is of mixed heritage, described as having copper skin, and her father is much darker. We see the inconsistencies of how she, her father, and other characters of color are treated and the ways that geography and appearance of wealth or lack thereof impact that treatment. January spends the book grappling with her "in-betweenness" and this is represented in a variety of ways, but ultimately serves to demonstrate the ways that the world places people in categories and get uncomfortable when they can't, and how this can affect your own sense of self. We also see the dramatic power inequalities between the poor and wealthy and between women and men. At one point January is committed to a mental institution where women were sent when they didn't conform to societal expectations, or to hide the product of an affair. This is only one example of gendered inequalities and I appreciate how the existence of other worlds serves to demonstrate how many different ways things can be done.

I could go on because this book is so rich, but suffice to say I think it is brilliantly written and also very enjoyable, particularly if you get along with the writing style. (Victorian with modern sensibilities and a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor and lyrical descriptions). This is one that will be going on my shelves. I received an advance copy for review from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Approved on Netgalley for an unbiased review.

I really enjoyed this - I think it took me a little bit to get into it but once I had I couldn't put it down. This is definitely different than anything I've read before. The story bounces around from past to present. You wonder what's real and what isn't for a while. Then you realize that this story and January are magical. This story isn't a happy one for most of the tale. Racism, sexism, the cruelties of a society that doesn't accept what's different. Unfortunately, something that still is prevalent today.

January begins to unlock her past and realizes that she doesn't have to be the locked up "good girl" any longer. She begins to blossom and she is punished for it. It's sad and it's harsh. But, you want her to become a fighter - you see her grow. Her magic is of course interesting and knowing there are other worlds is fascinating. But deep down this story is about people who look different struggling to find a place in a world that doesn't want them. The only way they are accepted is by escaping. I enjoyed it wholeheartedly. It was a beautiful story however very sad. I recommend it as it's eye opening and magical at the same time.

4 stars
The authors writing is beautiful. I feel that this book was very detailed and had a lot of fantastical elements to it. However, it was a slower read for me so I took my time and read a little at a time, which ended up working out for me.

Thank you to Netgalley for my review copy

This was one of my favorite reads this year! I knew immediately from the description that I would love it, and it did not let me down. I've posted a vlog about it on my channel and included it in my most recent wrap up.

I will be pre-ordering this book and will probably do a deeper dive video once it gets closer to the review date. THANK YOU FOR PUBLISHING THIS BOOK. It came at exactly the right time. It's the right amount of escapism mixed with real commentary on our world, and I have to admit, I came away from it feeling a bit more hopeful and willing to take action.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January is about a girl named January that as a child finds a door to other worlds. Years later when she becomes a ward to the wealthy Mr Locke because her father has gone missing that when secrets start to get revealed when she finds a book that tells a story of secret doors, love and adventure.

There was some beautiful quotes in this book.

"Let that be a lesson to you: if you are too good and too quiet for too long, it will cost you. It will cost you, in the end."

"I cried as if I'd been assigned to cry the unshed tears of three people instead of one: my mother, lost in the abyss; my father, lost without her; and me, lost without either of them.

This book was heavily plot driven and very descriptive which it has to be because of its fantastical element. Some parts of the story I devoured and some parts i had a hard time getting through it. I still enjoyed reading this book it definitely brought something different to my reading experience.

“Books are doors” and have the ability to transport a reader into other realms, and this book is very exceptional. Something magical definitely happened when I read The Ten Thousand Doors of January. This is a fantastical story full of adventure, love, discovery, mystery, and a special child who doesn’t quite fit in and eventually finds herself. Readers have seen this type of story done successfully involving a young orphan with a lightening bolt scar in Harry Potter, with the curious and courageous siblings in The Chronicles of Narnia, with a bookish outcast with powers beyond his imagination in Strange the Dreamer...and many other tales of out of place children possessing special qualities. However, The Ten Thousand Doors of January is completely original and feels like a fairy tale; the writing is poetic and the words blossomed off the page in my mind. It took awhile for the story to fully take off, but once it did, I was smitten. If fantasy is your thing, you will want to read this book. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to have indulged in this. I hope it gets picked up for a movie!

Thank you to Net Galley, the publisher and Alix Harrow for providing me with an ARC of this book. When I saw both the cover and synopsis of this book, I could not wait to read it. I did not realize it was an historical fantasy and that made it a bit harder for me to get into as it is not a genre I am usually interested in. However, the writing was beautiful, the book within a book theme was outstanding and there were plenty of characters to both love and hate. This book is such an adventure and I really don't want to give too much away; but if you are interested in sumptuous stories that bring you to other places, lands, and times, with a lot of excellent backstory, this is for you!

It's always something special when you read a novel that instantly makes you want to write. Not every book does this for me. It's typically a rare, unusual sort of story that sinks its teeth in and doesn't let go. That is, by definition, what The Ten Thousand Doors of January was for me.

Alix E. Harrow has a gift for prose, in a way that made me not mind when nothing was happening because I just so enjoyed reading her writing. There are sections of this novel that are a book within a book and I found those passages some of the most incredible instances of prose I've ever read. There is an air to The Ten Thousand Doors of January that makes it feel like a story you've heard before, like a classic retold, but also something entirely new and genre-bending.

Historical fantasy and portal fantasy are easily my favorite sorts of fantasy out there and this blended that so well. It's strength is certainly in atmosphere and writing style, which I would somewhat compare to a Laini Taylor, though not as flowery. So I doubt that will work for everyone.

Four stars instead of five because I was hungry to see more of the worlds that were only hinted at and I sometimes struggled with January as a character. I can deal with one poor decision here and there but multiple instances of sheer naivete (even stupidity) is something I just have a hard time getting on with. There are ways to cause drama without making your characters seem completely unaware of what's going on around them.

Still, this was a spellbinding book and I already feel the inclination to reread it.

My thanks to NetGalley and Redhook for providing me with an ARC for review.

This is a tale about Doors you saw that the capital D that means something magical in this tale. If your a fan of books like Chronicles of Narnia, Between the Lines, and various other books about opening doors or stepping into books. Ten Thousand Doors of January will be the perfect book for you. As i started reading i was drawn in very quickly to this tale. At times i wanted to grab pen and paper and write my own Door escaping story, other times i wanted to research about stories that contain Doors, and it really did allow me to escape for a time.

It did take a bit of getting used to going between the tale that was told in the book that January finds and the author telling of the main story. Once you understand how the story flows it picks up and carries you along. Their a mystery to be found in this tale of Doors, their a lost family, and most importantly at the heart is the survival of January herself. If you want something different pick this tale up your sure to be delighted.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January is a magical, soul-enriching book. I haven't felt this attached to a book in a long time, and I am excited for the world to embrace it as I have. January is a main character to root for, to hope for, and to feel for. This book hits all the right notes, and leaves a such a sharp, good ache in the heart. I can't wait to read more work by Alix E. Harrow in the future.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January is quite possibly the most achingly beautiful novel I’ve ever read, and I find it mind-boggling that anything this lovely could possibly be a debut novel. There are a scant handful of novels I’ve experienced in my life (The Name of the Wind, The Resurrection of Joan Ashby, and The Night Circus come to mind) that were breathtaking debuts of this caliber, and they remain my very favorite books I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. I’m so incredibly happy to add Alix E. Harrow’s novel to that list.

As soon as the synopsis and cover art (isn’t that cover almost painfully pretty?) for this book became public, Ten Thousand Doors immediately catapulted to my most anticipated book of 2019. I preordered it for my birthday in February, even though it’s not scheduled to be released until September. Imagine my delight when, less than a week ago, I returned home from church to find an envelope featuring this book’s stunning artwork waiting for me on my doorstep. I’ve never received a more beautiful ARC, and this is the first time I have ever seen a galley delivered in special packaging such as I saw on my stoop. My husband laughed when I darted out of the car before it was even fully in park, leaving my phone and house key and everything else in the vehicle because I was so insanely excited. I tried desperately to pace myself, trying not to read more than 50 pages or so per day so that the book would last as long as possible. Alas, I was hopelessly incapable of sticking to that pace and found the story drawing to a close far too quickly.

When you have such a high level of excitement going into a book, it’s very hard to temper your expectations and not be disappointed. And yet, I never once felt disappointed in Ten Thousand Doors. From page one, I fell in love with January Scaller. When we first meet January, she is seven years old and, though her father is living, finds herself being raised by Mr. Locke, his benefactor, as her father travels the world, searching for exotic treasures to bring back to his employer. January is wild and sullen and headstrong and oddly colored, an unfortunate circumstance considering the time and place in which she lives. Worst of all, she’s imaginative. Throughout her childhood years, she is herded and tamed into submission by Mr. Locke and militant nursemaids, and sees less and less of her father. But though she has been bent by her benefactor, she has managed to remain unbroken, and finds many opportunities to test and marvel at the strength of her own character.

What I loved the most about January was how alive she seemed. From the very beginning, she had an incredibly strong, distinctive voice, and an open honesty to her character that made her wonderfully believable. She’s far from perfect, and that’s what makes her so engaging. The amount of character development packed into less than 400 pages is astounding. I loved watching this fiery little girl grow into a woman and recapture that spark that had been smothered within her. January has also been blessed with a trio of amazing friends who will do anything in their power to aid her on her quest. I don’t want to describe them and inadvertently take anything away from the reading experiences of others, so I’ll just say that they’re all three brave and loyal and steadfast, but in radically different ways. I’m so impressed that Harrow was able to imbue even her side characters with such heaping amounts of personality and believability.

Something else that I loved about this book was its duality. Though January is our protagonist, we also trek right along with her as she reads through a magical book that she found in an antique trunk. The chapters of said magical book are very different in tone and voice than January’s chapters, and I thoroughly enjoyed this added variance. January’s insatiable need to see how that story ended increased my own desire to continue reading. I felt that the author and purpose of the little book were both a bit obvious, but that they were meant to be so, which ensured that the predictability of that particular information couldn’t be in any way disappointing.

Between the magical book and the otherworldly Doors mentioned in the title, I was strongly reminded of two books that I adore: Inkheart and Every Heart a Doorway. However, as much as I dearly love the two aforementioned titles, The Ten Thousand Doors of January surpassed them both in my eyes by intermingling the things I love so much about both. As with Inkheart, Ten Thousand Doors makes much of not only books but the words with which they’re crafted. And, as with Every Heart a Doorway, there are magical portals to a multitude of realms, hidden behind and beneath the mundane, and the search for these Doors is an all-consuming quest for certain characters involved. I won’t talk more about January’s Doors, as they are the backbone of her story and readers should learn about these portals as they read, but I love the entire idea of them and desperately wish I could find one of my own, and found them even more enticing than those in McGuire’s Every Heart a Doorway.

Though I loved January and her friends, and I rooted for them as they faced down their foes, that was not my favorite element of this novel. And though the plot was everything I could hope for and more, keeping me enthralled and remaining at the forefront of my mind far after I had closed its pages, that was not my favorite aspect, either. The thing I loved most about this book was the absolutely exquisite prose. Harrow is more than an author; she is a Wordsmith, a sorceress wielding a pen in place of a wand. Her writing is effortlessly stunning and unconsciously literary. I’ve read a lot of literary fiction, and fantasy, and literary fiction trying to also be fantasy. I have found very few novels that managed to bridge the gap from literary fiction to fantasy in a compelling and convincing way, though I have found many fantasy authors who, in my opinion, can hold their own with any literary author. The Ten Thousand Doors of January is one of a mere handful of books that I’ve come across that could sit comfortably in either the literary or fantasy genre, and I think it beautifully combines both.

Not only does Harrow have a gorgeous way with words, but she appreciates the building blocks of language in a way that I’ve rarely if ever seen in fiction. Something she did that I felt was incredibly unique was drawing attention to letters themselves. When a word is important, you capitalize it. And when you capitalize a word, that first letter suddenly becomes a representation of that word. At least, that is what Harrow points out through the eyes and mind of January. For example, when you capitalize the first letter of Villain, doesn’t that V speak of daggers and fangs? That’s what January thinks. When you read this book, which I desperately hope you will, watch for explanations of words like Door and Threshold, Companion and Home. They were such beautiful ideas that my heart kept them, and I know they will come back to me every time I come across these words.

This is among the longest reviews I’ve ever written, and I still feel that I haven’t said enough. Or perhaps I’ve said too much. In either case, I hope I was able to convey how much I adore this book, and how deeply it touched me. For the first time in my adult life, I’m honestly contemplating rereading a book immediately, or at least within the same year. Maybe I’ll hold out until release day, and experience it again when I receive my preordered copy. I haven’t read a book twice in one year since I was in middle school. I can already tell that January is going to be one of my dearest friends, and that I’ll be revisiting her often. The Ten Thousand Doors of January is a marvel, and I can’t wait for the world to read it.

I had a hard time following this book in the beginning. It felt a little disjointed for the first 30% however I did get used to the flow. It really is a lovely story and I’m very glad I didn’t give up on reading this book.

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In the opening pages, just as the seven year old January Scaller finds a place of solace in an open warm meadow, this reader felt enveloped by a feeling of, "oh, this is going to be good." I am not usually drawn to the fantasy genre, but something about this book was enticing. This tale of love and loss, of adventure and homecoming, of promises and disappointment is spooled out in articulate prose reminiscent of Neil Gaiman, Madeline L'Engle, and Phillip Pullman.

In her debut novel Ms. Harrow has crafted characters (including Sindbad the dog) with great care. The lovable along with the sinister, are well-balanced and detailed, and each new world is described with wonderment. The doors between these worlds invite the reader to explore in personal ways.

"You see, doors are many things: fissures and cracks, ways between, mysteries and borders. But more than anything else, doors are change. When things slip through them, no matter how small or brief, change trails them like porpoises following a ship’s wake."

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC. I was very excited to get approved for this! This was one of my most anticipated reads for 2019 and it didn't disappoint. The writing style, the fantastical elements, atmosphere. I loved it all!

This book is incredible. The prose and writing is just stunningly beautiful, the world-building and the magic in the story was well thought out. I loved the main character and I sympathized with her and her struggle to find her dad and understand what exactly was happening throughout the story. Such an emotional and satisfying read for me.

~~~~ 5 STARS~~~
Heck ~~~ ALL THE STARS IN ALL THE WORLDS~~~

Oh my word this was SUCH a good book!! I looked forward to picking it back up the very moment I was forced to put it down, begrudgingly returning to my own reality. It definitely had Seanan McGuire- Wayward Children vibes and I LOVE that series so you can tell which direction this review's going.

Want to know just how good this book was?? I read it during my trip to Vegas and the whole time I was in the City of Sin I thought about this book, its enthralling premise and most of all its exceptional characters .. weird huh? I could have been doing all sorts of nefarious activities or gone to various places of ill repute BUT I opted to bring my ereader anywhere & everywhere I could get away with. Unfortunately, and quite predictably, Cirque De Soleil does not approve of nor is willing to accommodate my obsession... and apparently it is a big affront to all (especially my hubby who sprung for the tickets) to hide in a bathroom stall and read while the family is out in the theater enjoying acrobatic feats of renown... SO I reluctantly put the ebook away until the curtain closed and we returned to our own hotel, and that is where this review begins.

There once was an awesome dog named Bad. A furry bestfriend that I would pay handsomely to have as my own. There were also conniving malcontents, a Secret Society populated by varying, otherworldly peeps, betrayal and outright Villainy. BUT there were also amazingly imaginative worlds and astounding characters all depicted with beautifully succinct writing. There were even elegant and highly attuned descriptions of actual letters that were clever and evocative. There were other motifs like Devotion of Family... both the kind one is born into and the ones we pick up along the way. It touched on what it feels like to be an "in-between" sort of person. How one copes with feeling like an outsider, a person who doesn't seem to fit in no matter how hard they try or what sort of world they try to call home. It showed the power of friendship and maybe even more importantly, the power to conquer ones fears and be your own cheerleader... to be brave and strong on your own two feet.... soooo... in that sense it was a coming of age story for an utterly OUTSTANDING in-between female main character named January. January was temerarious (an awesome word I got to add to my word bank courtesy of this gem of a book), strong willed, fierce, loyal, magical and capable of self rescue so don't you worry a bit about her. Her path intersected a slew of memorable secondary characters. Each and every one will stick to your heart as if it were doused in crazy glue beforehand. There were a couple of Love Stories that were done so sweetly that I couldn't help but fall in love with them myself. Then there were the Doors... passageways to all sorts of unique, highly imaginative, magnificent parallel worlds. I won't spoil anything there but to say that I was amazed by the imagination this book boasts. Know what else??? As if that's not enough...it also happens to have resolution and closure while still managing to remain open ended and full of possibilities. SOOOO, as I write this, in a city of possibilities, it seems fitting to have finished this amazing book about Possibility here.

Overall: This book just had it all. There was Fantasy, Magical Realism, a smattering of Historical Fiction, a dab of Love story here and there (sans floofy Romance), mysterious beings, an ending that is both satisfying and a tease, and of course...muuuuurder... dum dum dum.

I loved it!! I want to shout it out loud like an old time Newsie peddling penny newspapers on the corner...I ABSOLUTELY, F'ING LOVED THIS BOOK!! (I might have taken liberties with the Newsie's MO there but just go with it, okay?) It was fast paced and fast tracked to the old Favorites Folder where it presently resides alongside some of my most treasured reads and it deserves every last speck of adoration.

So here I am, in the wee hours of night, hiding my ereader's light, hoping not to wake the rest of my family and hear their cries of outrage, I find myself smiling from ear to ear picturing others enjoying this book as I have. I fear I can't find the right words to reccomend this highly enough... I can't! So trust me when I say that you need this book in your life...STAT!!

~ Enjoy

*** I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review***