Review: First of all, you will be seeing so many quotes I favored below in the other part of my review. Sorry about all of that, but this book has so many beautiful quotes in it-they could make me cry. Anyway, our main character January Scaller who is out of place, not just because of her skin and the time she lives in. But as a girl who can find doors. A girl who can create doors. But, before I get ahead of myself. Lets start with our two point of views, January in the present and Adelaide who's story is telling that of her journey finding the thousand doors hidden throughout the many worlds. Adelaide also happens to be a story from the past, one that will catch up till all we have is the present-January.

This idea that any door- hidden doors, or doors themselves just in the corner of your eye could take you to different times and wolds/places/time periods is absolutely stunning. Harrow's writing will have you wanting to open every door you find, hoping to come across something new, something strange and something different. By the end of the first chapter I was to start writing about opening doors and what one might find.

The two romance's in The Ten Thousand Doors of January were very soft, and did not pull focus of the bigger picture of the plot and characters. First being that of January's parents, I don't want to spoil anything for anyone because the surprise is nice and well worth it. But, January herself has a bit of romance and no I'm not talking about with BAD, her dog. But, he is very much a part of the story and you will love him almost as much as January does-and she loves that dog. It's honestly one of the best parts of this book, my heart just went out to the two of them. Anyway, the boy, the romance. Well, that's just something that you will have to find out when you go pick up the book. It's so worth it, and ends on a fantastic and open possibilities note. You might even shed a few tears as you're swooning hard, as I was.

Now, there's no plot without some villains chasing after a young girl and her dog who can open doors.  Doors aren't the only magically things in this book, there are very awful monstrous men set to stop January at whatever the cost. There's also a few people along for the ride on January's journey, BAD, William and Jane. Jane is an interesting story to learn, and I would hate to get on her bad side. Who would have thought that some misfit door that keeps appearing in the strangest of places to January and Adelaide would lead them through the journey that this book is, ourselves included. Please do your self a favor and read this book, I have not looked at a door or the world the same way I did before reading this book. I have a strange hope and wild say dreams about where a door could lead me. 

Favorite quote(s):

Because there are ten thousand stories about ten thousand Doors, and we know them as well as we know our names. They lead to Faerie, to Valhalla, Atlantis and Lemuria, Heave and Hell, to all the direction a compass could never take you, to elsewhere.

If we address stories as archaeological sites, and dust through their layers with meticulous care, we find at some level there is always a doorway. A dividing point between here and there, us and them, mundane and magical. It is at the moments when the doors open, when things flow between the worlds, that stories happen.

But Doors, like murder suspects in cheap mysteries, are often where you least expect them.

Sometimes I feel there are doors lurking in the creases of every sentence, with periods for knobs and verbs for hinges.

It smelled of salt and age and adventure

 I discovered the very deepest fear that swam through my heart like eels in undersea caves: to be locked away, trapped and alone.

Those of you who are more than casually familiar with books-those of you who spend your free afternoons in fusty bookshops, who offer furtive, kindly strokes along the spines of familiar titles-understand that page- riffling is an essential element in the process of introducing oneself to a new book. It isn't about reading the words; it's about reading the smell, which wafts from the pages in a cloud of dust and wood pulp.

I happen to believe every story is a love story if you catch it at the right moment, slantwise in the light of dusk-but it wasn't then.

It is my hope that this story is your thread, and  at the end of it you find a door.

Let this ignoble origin story stand as an invaluable lesson to you that a person's beginnings do not often herald their endings,  for Adelaide Lee did not grow into another pale Larson woman. She became something else entirely, something so radiant and wild and fierce that a single world could not contain her, and she was obliged to find others.

The name Adelaide-a lovely

There's only one way to run away from your own story, and that's to sneak into someone else's

Listen, not every story is made for telling. Sometimes just by telling a story you're stealing it, stealing a little of the mystery away from it. let those witch women be, I say

If this seems an odd name for a world, understand that in the Written, words themselves have power.

I mean that words in that world can sometimes rise from their ink-and-cotton cradles and reshape the nature of reality. Sentences may alter the weather, and poems might tear down the walls. Stories may change the world.

 Yule Ian Scholar and Adelaide Lee Larson found one another in the noonday tides surrounding the City of Plumm. They were never willingly parted again.

An event in and of itself; it is not something that happens, but something that simply is and always has been. One does not fall in love; one discovers it. It was  this archaeological process...

Where a sufficiently talented word-worker might reach out and remake her world. perhaps I cannot believe words are entirely powerless, even here.

"They always end up alone in the stories-witches, I mean- living in the woods or mountains or locked in towers. I suppose it would take a brave man to love a witch, and men are mostly cowards". He  looked directly at me as he finished, with kind of raised-chin boldness that said: I am not a coward.

Maybe, he said slowly, maybe I did not make myself clear before, when I said I was on your side. I meant also that I would like to be at your side, to go with you into every door and danger, to run with you into your tangled-up future. For-and a distant part of me was gratified to note that his voice had gone wobbly and strained- "for always. If you like."

She writes a door of blood and silver. the door opens just for her.

January Wordworker, daughter of Adelaide Lee Larson and Yule Ian Scholar, born in the city of Nin and bound for the In-Between. may she wander but always return home, may all her words be written true, may every door lie open before her.

I wrote it for you. So you might read it and remember the things you were told to forget. you remember me now, don't you? And you remember the offer the offer you made me? Well. Now at least you can look clear- eyed into your own future, and choose: stay safe ad sane at home, as any rational man would-I swear I'll understand- Or run away with me toward the glimmering, mad horizon. Dance through this eternal green orchard, where ten thousand worlds hang ripe and red for the plucking; wander with me between the trees, tending them, clearing away the weeds, letting in the air. Opening the Doors.

Since then he has felt the ache in his chest like an open window in winter.

I love books. Whether they’re old and much loved, with paper softened from hands turning the pages. Or new and crisp, waiting to be opened and share their secrets and adventures for the first time. The Ten Thousand Doors of January is a love story to books, to stories themselves.

There’s a certain type of prose, a certain type of story, that lends itself so well to fantasy. I loved the flowing, visceral writing. It felt like poetry and a little bit like magic. It swept me into the story so completely. I wanted to keep reading because I loved the words and the sentences that unfurled, the paragraphs that bloomed. It felt like I was being invited into the story, reading a diary so well written I immediately wanted to pick up my own pen and paper. It reminded me of Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor in this way.

The book is layered and interesting, with a story that’s steady but full of hardship, love, family, loss, and journeys. I appreciated this story and the way it made me feel, like I was listening to the most beautiful song.

I saw one of the big reveals near the end coming from miles away, so it didn’t have an impact like I think the author intended. I’m still conflicted about it because it could be either a weakness in the writing or the character’s own limited perspective since the book is told in first person. But the character being shocked by this reveal means she made some decisions that were therefore faulty. It was hinted at for the reader, and yet she didn’t pick up on it. Like I said, I’m conflicted.

Mostly, though, I enjoyed this story like so many readers seem to. It wasn’t what I expected it to be, and yet the big reveal was predictable. But the characters were fascinating, loss was handled well, and the writing is so lush and gorgeous and lyrical.

Portal fantasy that I wanted to be charmed by but was not. This should have emphasized it was a coming of age story which is not my cup of tea. The two children featured seemed wild and disobedient, what were the adults in their lives supposed to do? These were not their own offspring yet they fed, clothed and taught them- isn't that already going above and beyond? Again, I get the feeling I'm supposed to sympathize and side with these feral brats but clearly I don't. Also I think January is an irresponsible dog owner to allow him to attack and bite whoever offends her. Oh, the author gives us plenty of justifications but I didn't buy it.

Reviewers have raved about this being a book about racism, xenophobia but I felt the urge to switch to reading Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower instead. As a contrast, Octavia Butler's Kindred acts as an example of that squirmy uncomfortable feeling the reader feels when given a glimpse of how racism and slavery serve to dehumanize. As best as I can tell, January is biracial but her skin color & race is kept vague and 'other'ered. At a later point she said she's used to being asked if she's from Siam or Singapore but others she's just written like an exotic olive skinned mongrel. At no time is her dad described as Asian so no idea why two Asian countries were named other than to provide exoticism. By the way, there is liberal casual use of racial slurs like Negro and Chinamen, presumably with the intention of showing how historically racist pre-civil war America was. There are attempts to write about colonialism and plundering of treasures, the power of rich white men etc. but honestly I could tell this was written by a white person without looking at the author picture.

It's coming of age because every emotion is spelled out neatly for us. We know how January feels because the author tells us every step of the way.

This portal fantasy also incorporates solemn life truths. It's similar to Seanan McGuire's Wayward Children series from that respect but the life truths in Wayward Children resounded more with me. The other similarity is they both feature diversity LGTB, non-white characters. Another portal fantasy book that was released at a similar time was The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, which I liked a lot more.

The doors themselves are neat. Portals are always fun and imaginative with their liminal spaces.

I am always more interested in the adult characters like Jane. If these worlds beyond doors were so different, then why do we still have universities and marriage? Only in Jane's world do we get polygamous marriages with women doing the hunter gathering and men doing childcare. Exotic worlds are hinted at but the imagination is shackled. Why can't there be different life forms, different atmospheres, different customs?

Never cleaved to January. When asked to open a door to Jane's world, she says she can't without trying despite knowing the closing of Jane's door is her father's fault and how much it means to her. Yet when she has to open doors for herself across worlds lo & behold she is able to do so.

Abrupt switch from 3rd to 1st person narration. Parents make bad decisions. Why doesn't January's dad just talk to her?! In an interesting appendix, it's noted that in Julian's world there were ways of abortion with the power of words. Now THAT would have been interesting but of course the author didn't dare to go there in her story. Instead January merely has unfit wanderer parents who make questionable decisions. Locke is arguably a good guardian providing tutors, stability and guidance.

Villain is very bad and superpowered, not nuanced at all but easily defeated. Essentially, this is a teen fulfillment coming of age novel. January is able to defeat the big bad guys who've been at the game for ages because re: Chosen One trope.

Thanks to Redhook and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review. It took me ages to write and eventually post this review because I hate posting negative reviews. However this book had many problematic areas which made it a chore to read.

I’m a huge fan of fantasy books, but not a large fan of magical realism. This book was able to bring together fantasy and magical realism in a wonderful way.

This book was initially a struggle for me to get into, but about 30% of the way through the book it just sucked me in and kept me engaged the whole time. Who doesn’t want to read about u inverses hidden behind doors?

If you’re able to listen to this book on audio I highly suggest it.

This book started off captivating albeit the writing style being confusing. I was excited to read some fantasy, but this was portal fantasy AND a book within a book! What?! I had to read it! However, as the book went on, things got worse. This is written in a VERY lyrical way, and unfortunately, too lyrical for my liking. Now, I love poetic writing, but extravagant writing with massive use of adverbs and adjectives and sentences that go on and on and on, does not mean it is good writing. I found that the overcomplicating sentences were frankly nonsensical and it made the reading quite tedious.

At first I felt a sparkle of magic, maybe if I put the writing aside, this could be a gem, but it got shutdown real fast like the imagination of the main character as she grew up. The story is boring and the characters are barely explored. Also, she barely gets to experience the portal part of the story, instead you are told about all those other worlds in a few sentences through the book written within.

I thought the villain was obvious, however the second part (the discovery of what really is going on) of the book felt really rushed. Also, what was the point of the vampire plot twist exactly? That was ridiculous.

The ideas throughout were somewhat lacking in intensity, but the writing style combined with unsurprising plot points and lack of characters’ depth were disappointing and overall dull.

I tried reading this and I tried listening to it. It was not very good in either format no matter what I tried.

It's hard to review a book that has so many beautiful images and so many interesting worlds, but also has almost no plot. There's not really a story arc, more of a world wander. I enjoyed discovering the endless worlds, and the connections between them, at least.

Okay, I really liked this book. The writing is the kind you'll probably either love or loathe. For me I found it fun and charming, but I can see how some people might find it twee and overly flowery in places. My biggest complaint was how dense January was at times, especially concerning Mr Locke, but at the end the reveal that Locke can mess with people's minds helped explain some of that away for me. Also, not a complaint per se, but I'd have loved to have seen more of the worlds. For being the "ten thousand" doors, we get only a few visited worlds and some tantalizing bits of descriptions for others and not much else. For a debut book though, this is pretty fantastic.

So beautiful! I loved this story! I'm not one that usually picks up historical fiction but I really enjoyed this. It gave me A little Princess meets every heart a doorway vibes and the book was so atmospheric. Very impressive for a debut novel!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. A full review will be posted on Amazon and Goodreads

An absolutely excellent read. I would recommend this to anyone who loved portal fantasy novels as a child, and is looking for an adult take on the concept.

I really enjoyed this book! I thought there were a lot of clever twists. The writing was beautiful and unique. The magic was wel imagined. I fought to enjoy the characters in the beginning but I felt that grew on me. I would definitely read more by this author.

I loved a short story by this author and hadn’t to check out her first full length book. This is an amazing tribute to readers
And such a fun, enjoyable read.

This is a gorgeous book -- starting with the enticing cover and finishing with beautiful, luxurious writing and an engaging, imaginative story. I love it when publishers put a lot of thought into a cover and this one is stunning!

I was captured by the story, the mystique of January and her life with Mr Locke, the way the doors open into different worlds, her notebook, and the sinister overtones and mystery to what is going on.

The different story lines and points of view really drew me in and kept me wanting more, eager to find out how they all came together. I was so invested in January and her desire for self discovery, her courage, and her plight. However, one of the most memorable things for me is her dog! I keep thinking about him.

This is a wonderful portal fantasy that weaves together past, present, and even different worlds in a beautiful way. It was a book I luxuriated in and was sad when it was over.



Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a review copy of this book.

When I read this book, my initial review was "Perfection". I am editing it now to expand on that one word - that does perfectly describe this book. January is a young girl, who is misunderstood by those around her, and she hides her strangest abilities from all - even herself. This book follows her journey as she learns about what doors are, how to open them, and how to fight for herself in all types of situations. It's time to stop being lonely, and she's hunting down her father once and for all, but she has to get through some dangerous situations on this journey. Hearing about these other worlds was MAGICAL, January's strength was encouraging, and I cannot wait to give this book to so many people. I loved it, and it will be in my top 10 books of 2020.

DNFing at 25%.

Can we judge this book by the cover first? 10/10. Absolutely stunning.

But as far as what's inside...it's just not my style. I didn't find anything particularly problematic with the book itself. But, it's just not for me. I'm not a huge fantasy reader and I definitely think this is geared more towards fantasy lovers than anything else.

It kind of reminds me of Narnia - so I think if you enjoyed that series, you'd enjoy this one. I loved Narnia as a kid. I'm rereading the Narnia series currently as an adult and I'm enjoying it. But, I think I'm enjoying it more for the nostalgia than anything else.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC copy.

Among so many mediocre YA books, there is this beauty and I'm not just talking about the cover.

I always found the concept of doors opening to new worlds interesting in theory, but in practice I never managed to fall in love with a book like that. Every heart a doorway is the one I'm thinking about. I didn't like it and so before I started this book I had low expectations while still hoping I would love it.

Turns out, The Ten Thousand Doors of January is pretty amazing. It made me feel so much. Once I was hooked, I loved everything about it. The writing was beautiful and not too flowery so that was great. The characters were relatable and real. Sometimes the main character annoyed me but I still rooted for her. The plot twists were really good and engaging. I saw most of them coming, but they left me at the edge of my seat. Also, that love story was EPIC.

Anyway, all of that to say that I'm giving it five stars. Easily. And I hope you'll read it. This book was everything and I kinda want it on my shelves now...

Ps: just throwing it out there but I wish Jane had her own epilogue, her story written in a novella perhaps. ;)

(Thank you so much for letting me read and review an e-ARC via Netgalley)

Throughout literature and movies, there was a kind of fascination with the idea of grand adventures who sought treasure. Going into this book, I knew that it was a coming of age tale about a girl with the power to cross into other worlds and having been raised by one such adventurer. I didn’t expect the thorough admonishment of the whole practice through the points of view of magic and family.

This book is whimsy from start to finish, despite the heavier moments and times I wish that January’s ability to word craft and jump into other tales would solve her problems, aside from create new ones. I loved how this ability also gave us insight into January’s father and how he got roped into the society. There’s a heavy focus on roles and the things certain folk are around to do, but it’s folded so nicely into the plot, it doesn’t come off as pedantic at all. It truly condemns the entire notion of treasure hunting and who the real monsters are (sometimes disguised as actual monsters).

There’s also a very good dog named Sinbad who doesn’t die in the book. Some parts romp, some parts found and given family feelings, The Ten Thousand Doors of January is an adventure perfect for fans of Wayward Children.

Wow! I loved this book. The premise is unique, the story engaging and the characters complex. So imaginative and well written. It did not seem trite and I enjoyed how it hit on so many deep and important topics. This is a love story, a fantasy story and a story to escape with. A new favourite here!

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2020 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2020/01/2020-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">