I wanted to love this novel a lot more, but a lot of what was in here didn't click with me until further along. Not that I didn't try, because believe me I did. There was so much I was hoping and wishing for, but somehow it took pages, upon pages, to make me feel more for the main character (or her dad, which I came to like more as the ending neared).

January's story wasn't lacking interesting elements. I just felt that much of what was supposed to be the center of this book, didn't come in until my mind was already dragging for far too long. The doors that brought me to this book weren't seen for much of this novel. And, when they did show up, they were mostly introduced in another book within the book. Before I saw an actual door, and drama, it was almost the end of the book.

Those last few chapters were for me the best of them all. They had everything I had been wanting to transpire between the characters. I know that the way it was set up, was also a way to tell their stories, building up these people that were supposed to be so much more, this secret society that were the nemesis to the infinite worlds out in the multiverse. But, I was just hopeful that it had all started happening so much sooner.

If any part of this story really grasped my attention, it would have to be that of Yule and of Adelaide, of the City of Nin, of the magical worlds that awaited behind those closed doors, the people that filled them, the darkness that could take over. This is why I could still find love in here because yes, it was beautifully written, but sadly it continued to take way too long before we got there.

Maybe for others, this was the icing on the cake, to be brought to that point the way it had, but somehow for me that didn't work out quite that way. I can't say that I don't see the vision behind it, because there was so much detail and story building going on there. It's just that at times, I really struggled to get through those extended pages and didn't see the necessity for it all. Again, I could be one in a few hundred, but it doesn't go without saying that I really loved that second half.

***I received this copy from Redhook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***

4.5 stars.

'"The trouble with you people," I observed, "is that you believe in permanence. An orderly world will remain so; a closed door will remain closed." I shook my head, reaching for the door. "It's very ... limiting."'

If you like to get lost in stories that take you to other worlds and have adventures and wonderful characters, this book will be worth every delicious minute you spend with it. Just the fact that it has a kid and doors, made me think about The Wayward Children series but about halfway through the book, I realized I loved it for the same reason I love Laini Taylor's books. Even though the imagery in her books is unparalleled, this book was the closest I have ever come to that type of feeling. This is one of the highest pieces of compliments I can give a book. It's rare for me to come upon a book that's unusual and this one managed to surprise me, keep me engaged, make me mad, sad and happy all at once.

"I spent years after the blue Door doing what most willful, temerarious girls must do: becoming less so."

This book started slow for me. It was interesting from the very beginning but not super-engaging, for me. Just as I was getting sucked into January's story, the book started alternating chapters between the two books and that didn't work for me. I was invested in January now and did not want to be distracted by the other story. Even though it all came together, of course, and by midpoint I was fully engaged and fully invested, it took me a while to get there.

"Once we have agreed that true love exists, we may consider its nature. It is not, as many misguided poets would have you believe, 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."

At its core this book is about love, identity, belonging, and family. It's such a fantastical and beautiful story and it's a joy to get lost in its pages. Each of the characters is memorable in its own way and you get enough of each of the backstories to see their perspective of the story, to understand their motivations, even if you don't agree with them.

"Because the place you are born isn't necessarily the place you belong."

The love that binds this whole story together was wholly believable to me. I could feel the joy, the sorrow, the longing coming off the pages. That coupled with the visual and magical nature of the story makes this a pure pleasure to read.

"It depends which weighs more: a life, or a soul."

There's so much in this gem of a book and I highly recommend it.

Thank you to netgalley and redhook books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to get approved for The Ten Thousand Doors of January because it sounded so good and needless to say, it did not disappoint whatsoever.

At age 7, January Scaller is sent to live as a ward to the mysterious but wealthy Mr. Locke while her father travels around the world, acquiring unusual artifacts and trinkets for Locke's odd and vast collection. Although surrounded by oddities and wealth, January has never fit in due to her red skin color and headstrong personality- both traits of which were not widely accepted during the early 1900s. But most importantly, January has a big imagination and independent spirit despite efforts by Mr. Locke and her nursemaids to tame her into submission. A strange book leads January into the discovery of doorways to other realms and possibilities as well as the answer to her unknown origins and grave danger, hunted by a shadowy society that wants to obtain the knowledge she possesses.

I was immediately hooked from the first page. The Ten Thousand Doors of January was the perfect combination of fantasy and historical fiction with a bit of contemporary thrown in the mix. While there was plenty of magic and adventure, there was also commentary on 1900s society particularly the grim realities of racism and challenging traditional gender roles for that time period. The writing was absolutely phenomenal with lyrical storytelling reminiscent of Traci Chee's The Sea of Ink and Gold trilogy. The characters were well-written and even the romance, which I typically have little interest in, was nicely developed.

This was easily one of the best books I've read this year. Highly recommended.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books publishers for providing a free ARC

4.5. I will never look at a door the same way after finishing this stunning book of secret societies, portals to other worlds, magic and a plucky young girl living with a mysterious guardian on the shores of Lake Champlain. It's an amazing debut effort for Alex Harrow. Beautiful writing, immersive storyline, and gorgeous cover art make The Ten Thousand Doors of January time well spent. Readers who enjoy Erin Morgenstern will want to add this book to their reading list.

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Imagine a world where Doors in random locations can transport you to another place, another time. Imagine being a seventeen year old girl whose father has disappeared and left behind only a notebook with a story that seems fantastical but turns out to be true. Imagine being that girl, being Black in the early 1900s, under the care of a wealthy white guardian with ties to a shady global organization that smuggles priceless artifacts around the world. And imagine searching the world for your father while being on the run from this organization. It's a fascinating, exciting premise, and at first glance, The Ten Thousand Doors of January is exactly the kind of fantasy novel I'd eat up.

Unfortunately, I was bored for most of the book, and kept going only because I'd requested it for review. I should preface that by saying that the writing is good; Harrow has a languid, lyrical narration style that reminds me of classic children's stories. She also has beautiful, vivid descriptions. I can imagine other readers falling under the spell of her writing and being completely captivated by this story.

I found it too slow, and too much in love with far too many details. The story begins with a meditation on the nature of Doors, and linked to that, the beauty of words and the letters that make up words. It's a love letter of sorts to language, and it ends up fitting with what we later learn of how Doors work, but it went on far too long for me. And while I can imagine some readers being charmed by the passage that goes into detail on the aesthetics of a single letter, I just wanted to get on with the plot. 

The nature of Doors opening up to other worlds and other times offers many wonderful opportunities to explore beyond the more mundane world January grew up in, but I think there were just too many diversions, and too little of a connecting thread for me. There was a section about a place where the birds release only one feather a day and it's such a valued item that residents chase the birds for the privilege of receiving that single feather for the day. It's a lovely passage, and fits in beautifully with the fantastical nature of the setting, but it just didn't move me. I think it's partly because the settings aren't quite fantastical enough to fully take me out of reality (like Narnia might have), yet not quite grounded enough to make me care on a rational level. 

I do like the way January has to figure out how to navigate the world as a Black girl within a primarily white, wealthy community. I like how the author shows the pity and condescension her guardian and his friends subject her to, all within a veneer of politeness and affection. 

I also really like the story written in the book January's father left her. I love the romance between the Black scholar and the wealthy white adventuress, and I especially love how their relationship developed over time. I found myself hooked by that story far more than by January's, and I wish it could have gone on a bit longer than it did.

The subplot about January's father travelling the world had promise, especially with how it linked up to the shady group of wealthy men who want to steal valuable artifacts from around the world for their own collections. We see a bit of this group with how they chase after January, but honestly, I wanted to read a lot more about their operations, and any of the various external forces who are surely trying to take them down.

Overall, Ten Thousand Doors has an intriguing premise, and will likely charm many readers, but it just wasn't for me. I think I would have preferred a swashbuckling romance adventure from Yule the scholar's perspective, or an international crime-busting thriller on the smuggling organization, or perhaps a more fully fantastical, magical narrative. 

TW: animal cruelty (I almost DNF'd the book after that scene)

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Thank you to Redhook Books for an e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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This review will go live on my blog Aug 26, 8 am ET.
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This book was beautifully written. It was a huge world hopping adventure with a little magic, a little romance, and a little intrigue. The romance had a bit of an Outlander by Diana Galbadon feel, the world hopping was reminiscent of The Archived by VE Schwab. A young female protagonist is the beautifully brown skinned ward of a white man, Mr. Locke, in the early 1900s. She hates being cooped up like one of the exotic pieces in his collections. When Locke asks her to become a part of his Archaeological Society, she starts to question which direction her life should lead and where her life began. This is a book that truly takes you on an exciting journey through ten thousand doors.

Pre-reading bookstagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/B08kpBrgmZn/

3.5 Stars

So I did like this! It’s a remarkable debut with gorgeous prose and thought-provoking ideas. My main quibble is that I figured out the plot/big reveal fairly early on and nothing really surprised me. Every time a Shocking Revelation was made, I nodded and was glad that it confirmed my suspicions from half a book ago. So while I think good foreshadowing should allow readers to predict the truth, I was frustrated that /nothing/ came as a surprise.

I also found the first half to be far stronger than the second half even though the beginning was slowly-paced; the message about colonization and closing doors also became a bit muddled toward the end. And for a portal fantasy book, I was a little disappointed that we don’t actually spend that much time in the fantasy worlds. The book is primarily about the pathway between worlds, not actually visiting other worlds. So that was a slight letdown for me because I was anticipating a portal fantasy.

Basically: I liked reading it and will definitely read the author’s future books, even if I was semi-frustrated by the predictability.

5 Stars

*A exquisite and poignant standalone debut novel with magic, adventure, and the joy of reading*

I knew as soon as I heard about The Ten Thousand Doors of January that I absolutely had to read it. The title, that gorgeous cover, the awed whispers about the story all combined into a rhythm that pulsed out, “read me, read me, read me,” in a hypnotizing tattoo. Although hyped-up books frequently disappoint me (almost always, in fact), I had a good feeling about this book. I was lucky enough to get an ARC from Netgalley for which I am so grateful! And I’m ever more pleased to report that this book completely lived up to my expectations!

The story is a combination of Historical Fiction and Fantasy. In the early 1900’s America, young January Scaller finds a door to another world. After a too-brief glimpse of the great beyond, January is yanked back to the normal world and told to be a proper, good little girl and not talk about fanciful nonsense anymore.

But January never quite forgot that there was more out there than her cloistered, little world. As she puts it, she is something in-between. Raised in a wealthy household but the daughter of an employee. Biracial in a world of white privilege. Never quite fitting in anywhere, she longs for something different even if she doesn’t know exactly what.

The author stated that this is not a Young Adult story. I would probably classify it as New Adult. The writing certainly has more depth and intelligence than most YA stories. But the main character is a teenager, and this is a coming of age story. There is some violence (both towards people and animals) and discussion of tougher subjects (including racism, classism, sexism, and mental health), but this story will be fine for older teens. The story itself should appeal to adults as well. Although it does deal with many of the typical themes of coming of age stories, this book is definitely not limited in its relevance to a broader and/or more mature audience. Especially to anyone who loves books.

This is the story of a young woman being hammered into the mold of society. This is also the story of finding the strength to break free, to seek joy and fulfillment and uniqueness. This is a story of empowerment. This is a story that will haunt me… not with ghosts and sadness; rather, it will haunt me with that siren call for adventure and self-discovery.

This is a story with depth. I love when stories have layers, and The Ten Thousand Doors of January fits the bill! There is the beautiful writing covering the surface of the story with gossamer threads. Then there is the story itself, full of emotion and adventure and tantalizing dreams. And winding throughout all of that is insight into human nature. But it is all handled in a beautiful and seemingly effortless way. This story is philosophical without being pretentious. It is profound without being verbose. It is complex without being convoluted. There is also a story within the story, mimicking the way that book lovers live: we live the lives we were born to while simultaneously living the lives of every book into which we escape.

Harrow understands how delicate language is. How something as simple as capitalizing certain words can draw the right attention. It is so amazing that this is her first novel. The writing style is gorgeous! This story is vivid and compelling. I experienced that wonderful joy that reading brings. This story felt excitingly new and comfortingly familiar at the same time.

Doors and keys are common symbology in literature. They are certainly things that I strongly associate with potential for adventure. Harrow uses them both symbolically and literally. There are doors into other worlds. There are portals in the books we read. Doors take us places. They can divide. Or they can open. They can foster imagination and change and any number of wondrous things.

If there is one thing someone might complain about this book, it might be the pacing. Don’t go into this book expecting epic magical fights from page one. The story does take a while to build up and focuses on character building – particularly in the beginning of the story. But I was totally engrossed by the world and the characters, so I was never bored. And Harrow’s writing is truly stunning! I marked so many quotes in this book that it is extremely hard to pick which ones to feature in my review. The writing is lyrical and evocative. This is the type of story that reminds me why I love reading so much! The only tiny critique I have is that the foreshadowing was a bit heavy at times. But that was inconsequential compared to how much I enjoyed this book!

Alix E. Harrow, you may not know it yet, but you are going to be a roaring success. And I hope you will continue to bring such powerful and beautiful words into the world. This is one of the best debuts I have read. I can’t wait to see what you do next.

Magic and romance laces through The Ten Thousand Doors of January like the very adventurers written on the pages weave through worlds and lands, following their hearts. Author Alix E. Harrow provides a rich and lurid fable that is sweet as honey and filled with hope. It floats like memories of long forgotten summers, painting across the mind and searing into the folds as if these wondrous journeys of January, Adelaide and Julian are ones the reader themselves experienced.

Vividly painting the scenes, the Doors, the magic of what can be found, what should be left undiscovered, and the ability to find magic in all things, Harrow crafts a story like no other. Absolutely, brilliantly wonderful, it is a book that calls to mind the dark fantasy of worlds and guttural emotions felt as my mother read stories to me, while tucked safely under covers. Both adult and childish, both a warning and an incentive, The Ten Thousand Doors of January is a masterpiece and a classic. It should be devoured eagerly, and slowly digested in equal measure.

Being the type of book that comes to an end, only demanding one start all over back at the beginning, it is so engrossing that when one tumbles out of the pages, it’s like coming to from a vivid and wildly evocative dream. The prose is perfectly poetic, endearing in it’s telling, dreadfully honest and brutal when need be, but sweet as summer rain in turn. Harrow has written a cast of characters that tread the lines of grey, neither black nor white, with no clear villain (as she explains within her book, ‘villain with a capital V’.) Following both January as she steals wildly and unprepared into the story of her beginnings, we are left in the grasp of what did happen? What will happen? While we following along too, with the scholarly book on Doors, learning of a past, of love found in the blink of the prairie sun, that ties directly back to our eloquently written January Scaller.

A novel to be adored and cherished, to have worn pages, broken spines, taped edges, plenty of stains and probably the sort of book that will require reoccurring purchases over time, The Ten Thousand Doors of January is a most heartfelt novel by a splendidly unique writer.

A young girl whose father works for a wealthy white man who collects artifacts of interest is left with this man as his ward. She is used when it benefits the man to show off his benevolence just like he shows off his artifacts. One day she wanders off and finds a door abandoned in a field . Through the door she encounters a young man and through him discovers another world on the other side of the door. She spends her time trying to find her way to that world again. Each door leads to another world and another experience. Truly wonderful escapist literature. This is a leisurely read, to be enjoyed and explored.

It's the start of the 20th century and January Scaller is a lonely, half-orphaned girl who doesn't feel as if she belongs anywhere. She chafes at the restrictions placed on her life and longs for the freedom to explore and express herself. Two discoveries change her world: that there are doors to other worlds and that she has the power to transform reality around her.

The story follows two timelines, one being January's story, and the other being a scholar's narrative account of two people's experiences in finding magic doors. Don't think the latter is some dry, clinical account, though--the scholar's tale is a love story about two people trying to find their way to each other from across different worlds. January's tale, on the other hand, is a coming of age story as she wrestles with others' expectations for her and her own dreams and learns to stand up for herself.

Reading this novel is a richly sensory experience, evoking scent and memory alongside all the other wonderful imagery that tends to appear in fantasy novels. It's the perfect novel to read while curled up in a warm blanket with a mug of tea on a rainy day. It's an immersive and moving light read and I highly recommend it.

5 STARS

CW: racism, colonialism, loss of a loved one, smoking, underage drinking, implied animal death, self-harm, gore, gun violence

Back in April, I handed in my senior thesis, and it centered on the relationship between portal fantasy and utopian thought, stretching back to classical antiquity.

And this means that The Ten Thousand Doors of January hit me like a ton of bricks, but in the best of ways. Split into a frame narrative, one following January Scaller in the wake of her father's disappearance, the other centered on a woman named Adelaide Lee Larson who traveled the world in search of Doors, this book is portal fantasy at its finest. It combines the desire for escape with the possibility of a better life just beyond the next door, and all of it is told in stunning prose. The metaphors in The Ten Thousand Doors of January are a particular strong point, each one working with perfect clarity, sometimes in unusually effective ways.

Taking all this into account, I almost forgot to take notes while I was reading, so forgive me if this review becomes scattered. In my eyes, though, that's what a good book should do; I want to get so lost in it that it doesn't occur to me that I have other things to pay attention to. Even when this book got somewhat predictable, I was still completely absorbed in it, because the how of the plot twists were more important than what they were, and the path to a conclusion can still be suspenseful even when the conclusion is obvious.

I will say, though, that it's possible this won't be a story for everyone. It has something of literary fiction about it, and as I see it, it's not YA, even with a young protagonist. The pacing is deliberate and patient, which some folks may not enjoy, even if the payoff is worth it.

But if you like stories about escape and family (especially family that isn't perfect, family that makes entirely human mistakes), about making sense of your place in the world and discovering things you'd never known existed, then I highly encourage you to give The Ten Thousand Doors of January a try. It struck a chord with me not only because of the research I closed my college career with, but for its themes and for the way its characters seem poised on the edge of some great adventure that we may never get to see (an odd but pleasing conclusion in itself). I hope that once this book releases, it gets the attention it deserves.

If you think The Ten Thousand Doors of January might be for you, then you still have time to place a pre-order or submit a library request. It releases on September 10th, a little over two weeks from now, and it's well worth that short wait. 💛

[This review is scheduled to go live on The Words Gremlin on 8/23/19 at approx. 10 am EST.]

"The Ten Thousand Doors of January" is a stunning, lushly written debut.

This charming, insightful book will resonate with avid readers, as it fills its pages with first rate escapism. The character development is superb, the author infusing even secondary and tertiary characters with heaps of personality.

At the center of the story is January Scaller, a wild, deeply imaginative and headstrong protagonist with a distinctive voice, and a seriously loyal dog. Her mother is dead, her father mostly absent, and she is taken in as a ward by a wealthy patron with a vast library. Her days are spent devouring books, until one day she stumbles upon a Door, and shortly after upon a very special story. Before long, a second voice is taking us on an altogether different journey, one that teaches January and the reader about undying love, importance of change, of learning, shaking of the restraints of society and propriety, and going after ones dreams.

The novel is more than just a coming of age story, however. It's a mystery, filled with villains, secrets, and hidden worlds. Additionally, even though it is set in Victorian era, it highlights privilege, poverty, gender bias and inequality, racism, and multi-racial identity. All the elements weave together in such compelling way, that the book, from the very first page, transports the reader into its world and doesn't let go, not even weeks after.

I love the cover of this book! When I opened it and began reading the story, I was pleased to see the story was every bit as amazing as the cover. Alix E. Harrow presents readers with an imaginative story that is jam-packed with adventure.

The story centers around young January Scaller, who lost her mother at an early age. Her father found work for a wealthy antiques collector, who was also willing to let January live with him as his ward while her father travels on business. It’s a situation that almost seems too good to be true.

As January grows older, she finds a strange book that was left in an old trunk. Between the pages of the book and the events that begin to take place in January’s life, she makes some interesting discoveries about herself and her family.

The cast of characters in the book is wonderful and diverse. Jane, a woman employed by January’s father to look after her, turns out to be much more than a companion. She has a unique background that ends up being crucial to January as she gets older.

Then, there is Sinbad, January’s faithful and fiercely protective dog. He is one of those special dogs with the extraordinary ability to sense danger and dangerous people. Sinbad was a gift from January’s longtime friend, Samuel, who takes on a larger role as the story progresses.

This was a wonderful mix of magic, villains, adventure and relationships. Reading it brought back old memories of fairy tales I loved as a child. This is a coming-of-age novel, but one that readers of any age will enjoy. I’m hoping for a sequel. I highly recommend this to readers with a sense of adventure and a love for fantasy.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Redhook Books for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

This was definitely a fun book to read, especially to break up from my normal thriller genre. The worlds created were a great escape from reality! A must read for those who love those fantasy with some other genres mixed in!! The author did an amazing job of building the characters, plot, and setting!!
Will make sure to buzz it up!

A lovely adventure through different wonderfully imagined worlds (including the early 1900s home base), which also explores the wondrous bravery but sometimes dark and destructive aspects of the explorers and collectors venturing through them and wanderers searching for home.

This book was every bit as good as I expected it to be, but it's really better than that, since it went in a completely different direction than I'd anticipated.

The book doesn't depend on constant action, like most fantasy reads do. And at first, that bored me, and I set the book aside in favor of others. But I'm so glad I picked it up again and finished it all in one sitting. The Thousand Doors is immersive. It's a fully developed character journey from wild child, tame young lady, to a powerful self realized individual. I loved how multi faceted the characters were, and their deceptive original impressions.

There's so much fantasy in here, so many fantastic worlds that we get a glimpse of. The writing is slow and poetic. Once it absorbs you, it's hard to leave it. I usually prefer faster reads, but this book requires and deserves patience.

It's late 19th century setting added a lot of flavor. The mistreatment of colored people was presented in a way that strongly pointed out all white man's wrongs, but was coated in such beautiful writing that you felt the injustice of it all without it coming across as a history or ethical lecture.

It was a very original and absorbing read. Again, this book focuses on character over the usual rushing fantasy action, but it does deliver heaping spoonfuls of both. I really enjoyed this journey.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Like many other young girls in fiction, January Scaller has been kept under wraps for most of her life. She’s been taught to be a good, obedient girl by her guardian, Mr. Locke. But unlike many of those young girls, January discovers that she has the power to rescue herself. In The Ten Thousand Doors of January, by Alex E. Harrow, January (and us) are taken on a wild, dangerous ride through not just the United States but also through worlds that are on the other side of the doors January finds here and there.

January has struggled to be a good girl all her life. She would rather be wandering in the woods of Vermont or reading—or just not having to tame her hair, dress up in frills, and attend Mr. Locke’s society balls. Her only friends are Samuel, the grocer’s boy; her dog, Bad (Sindbad); and Jane, a woman sent by her father to protect her. In spite of these friends, by the time she reaches her mid-teens, January has managed to at least pretend to be a good, little girl in public but she feels increasingly constricted by all of Mr. Locke’s rules. It’s then that Jane realizes two things. First, she finds a book called The Ten Thousand Doors that has some very interesting things to say about her lost mother, father, and what Mr. Locke is really up to. Second, she decides to put into practice her untested ability to change things by writing them down. January is not going to be like so many other girls in stories. After a harrowing scene, she bolts at last.

I love the idea of there being doors, waiting to be stumbled upon, that can whisk us away to different worlds with magic and strange creatures. This is why I love Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series. In January’s universe, however, she doesn’t have to wait for the right door. She can be an explorer. She just has to figure out how to get away from Mr. Locke and his creatures first, and stop their attempt to close every door they can find. If January can’t stop them, no only will she be killed, our world might lose something irreplaceable: a large part of its folklore in the form of yetis, boo hags, oceans at the top of mountains, and more.

I don’t know if Harrow is planning more adventures for January, Bad, Samuel, and Jane. Like January, I want to know more about the other worlds that are out there. The Ten Thousand Doors of January was such a lush, imaginative story that I inhaled it all in one day. I want more travel and magic and adventure with these characters, who take no crap from anyone and who have a knack for rescuing themselves.

A beautiful book, more of a fable than a modern novel. The prose is rich, dense, and frequently extremely beautiful. Much of it reminds me of Alice in Wonderland or Peter Pan, but it does some work towards confronting the racism of the time period and trying to write a narrative around it.

The pacing did, at times, feel somewhat uneven, and there were characters whose personalities I wish we had seen more of, to gauge how/if they developed through the course of the novel.

Still, a promising start to a series, and it makes sense that the prequel story is now a Hugo award winner.

I really tried to love this book, and I can understand why so many do, but it wasn't for me. Books like the Wayward Children series captivated me, so seeing another book about hidden doors and magical places felt like a slam dunk. Not to mention the shining recommendation from Josiah Bancroft, whose Tower of Babel books I adore. But the author's writing style felt like it was trying to be poetic and flowery to an extreme, focusing on tiny minutiae and asides that don't matter. I also wasn't into the time when this historical book takes place (again, personal preference), the heavy handed nature of how "other" the MC is due to her skin tone, and the one-dimensional nature of some of the characters around her, like her benefactor.

I hoped for more whimsy or magic, and a book that clicked better for me. It didn't, but I can see why others would enjoy this.