Anyone who has read Alix E. Harrow’s Hugo award-winning short story “A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies” knows the author has a thing for opening doors to other worlds. That story, about a studious librarian who nudges a troubled teenager toward the titular tome, knowing it would give him the tools he needs to magically extricate himself from his difficulties. Aside from tipping its hat to the good work librarians do, the metafictional tale offers one simple but powerful conceit: that fiction, specifically fantasy fiction, speaks truths to readers in more than just a figurative sense – it can have a direct impact on the choices they make. It can compel readers to change the circumstances of their lives if those circumstances are not to their liking.
January Scaller, the heroine of Harrow’s debut novel The Ten Thousand Doors of January, grew up in a life of privilege, a sort-of orphan cared for by the kindly, rich Mr. Locke. January’s mother died when January was a baby, and her father Julian spends most of his time traveling the world finding rare artifacts for Mr. Locke’s personal collection. One day, when January is a teenager, Julian goes missing on one of his trips for Locke and is presumed dead. Right after Julian disappears, January finds a strange, roughly bound book called “The Ten Thousand Doors” among her belongings, though she has no idea how it got there. The book tells the story of a young woman named Ade who finds a door to another world, and there she meets a young man she falls head-over-heels for. But the door disappears, so she goes on a quest to find another way into this magical realm. As January reads on, she discovers alarming connections to her own life and soon the book’s presence creates a scandal that turns her life upside down and forces her from the comfort of Mr. Locke’s patronage. But discovering the true meaning of book’s contents are also the only thing that inspires hope when her world falls apart.
The Ten Thousand Doors of January is entertainment of the highest order: twisty, roller coaster plotting, rich and colorful characters led by an impossible-not-to-root-for heroine, all propelled by meaty, electric prose that begs to be read out loud. This is a can’t miss fantasy adventure, destined to be a classic, that more than capitalizes on the promise of Harrow’s short fiction.

This was an enjoyable story with a unique concept. I enjoyed January's story a lot, and really liked her as a character. I didn't enjoy the book within the book at first, but I eventually understood it and realize why it was needed. Overall, I liked it but didn't love it, based on the hype.

The book The Ten Thousand Doors of January tells the story of a girl named January. She lives as the ward of a rich American man. She has an absentee father and knows nothing of her mother. One day as a child, she discovers a magical door. This encounter with the door will change her life. I greatly enjoyed this book. I thought that the world-building was well done. I also found the character of January to be a relatable teenager. I did think that how "meta" the book would be was distracting at times, but overall I highly recommend this book to teenagers and young adults who are interested in fantasy stories.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this review copy of The Ten Thousand Doors of January.
It has been a few months since I’ve read a book so beautifully written that I find myself highlighting sentence after sentence. This is one of the most unique and touching YA fantasy books to come along in a long time. It is romantic without being sappy and full of historical detail without feeling like a lesson. The characters are multi dimensional and you find yourself rooting for each of them to find their way “home”.
I highly recommend The Ten Thousand Doors of January to anyone that wants to go on a magical journey with a plucky teenager (and her dog).

Yes, my usual fare is mystery and suspense, but I like to step away and read something completely different every so often. The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow was my latest read - a foray into fantasy.



1900. January lives with her guardian in a sprawling mansion filled with treasures, oddities and more. Her father works for Mr. Locke, travelling the world looking for the unusual. Mr. Locke seems to view January as one of those unusual finds. January often explores forgotten rooms and comes across an unusual book one day. A book that speaks of other worlds, wonders, love and adventure. And all you have to do is find.....the doors that lead to those other worlds.

I loved this premise! Who hasn't wondered about unseen and unknown worlds just waiting to be found. Having to find a door was the perfect key. I couldn't wait to see what Harrow had imagined. And what January might find.

What I found was a magical tale that took me on a wondrous adventure with surprises around every corner - and through every door. The writing is beautiful and the pacing is measured. I quite enjoyed stepping out of my comfort zone.

There are few things that book enthusiasts love more than books about books. All readers know that there is a certain magic to starting a new book, flipping to that first page, and meeting the hero of the next few hours (or days, or weeks) of your life. As January Scaller, the protagonist of THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY, explains, “[T]here are ten thousand stories about ten thousand Doors, and we know them as well as we know our own names. They lead to Faerie, to Valhalla, Atlantis and Lemuria, Heaven and Hell, to all the directions a compass could never take you, to elsewhere.” So begins Alix E. Harrow’s spellbinding, lush and captivatingly imaginative debut --- not just a book, but a true experience, an ode to storytelling and every book lover’s dream.

When she was only seven years old, January found one of the doors mentioned in her opening quote: a “capital D” Door that hinted at a world of magic surrounding her. She has long heard of such Doors from her father --- a sort of treasure hunter who travels the world collecting oddities for his employer, Cornelius Locke, the wealthy, white Chairman of the Archaeological Society. Father and daughter live with Locke in his sprawling mansion, an estate filled with mysterious treasures, artifacts and other peculiar things.

January herself is a bit of an anomaly. A young woman of color living in the early 1900s, she stands out for all of the expected reasons, but on top of that, she is willful and imaginative --- dangerous qualities for young ladies who do not fit into the rigid world around them. Despite his fascination with the obscure, Locke is horrified when January claims to have found a Door. With her father away and unable to step in, he traps January in her room, pushing her to the brink of insanity and forcing her to become a perfect little lady. But January is no ordinary young woman.

With time, January soon starts to forget the Door, until she finds a book titled The Ten Thousand Doors just before her 17th birthday. Not only a guide to the passages and portals between our world and others, it tells the story of the life of a young woman named Adelaid Lee Larson, who discovered some Doors of her own. As January comes back to life, slowly breaking the mental shackles that kept her closed off from magical discoveries, she meets Jane, a stunning and imposing woman sent to the Locke mansion by her father to act as her companion and protector.

For a while, January is able to toe the line between Locke’s demands and her own desires, but when she receives news that her father has gone missing, her grief overtakes her and she makes a fatal mistake: she mentions Doors to Locke. With the more unsavory characteristics of the Archaeological Society exposed, and January’s own curiosity burning within her, she, Jane and one Bad dog set out to find the truth behind Doors --- and how they affect January’s past, present and future.

THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY is instantly gripping, with January’s wit, lyrical turns of phrase and sharply written observations about doorways and life immediately drawing you in. But even beyond that, it is a story within a story. Just as January’s adventure begins, the truth about Adelaid unfolds, with each plotline propelling the other forward, resulting in a breathless and compelling pace. While the story moves quickly, it is not action-packed with danger or fighting, but Harrow keeps the plot believably dark by focusing instead on real-world issues of race and privilege.

Combined with the more fantastical elements, these topics are thrown into harsh relief, infusing the book with some necessary darkness while pulling back from normal fantasy tropes of wars and swordplay. The premise is, of course, intriguing, but Harrow’s characters are so wholly realized that they barely need the setting or plot to feel real. From January’s inner battle to escape the rigid rules set upon her by Locke to Jane’s quiet fortitude and even Dog’s wild and wacky interludes, each one brings a new depth to this already limitless story.

As I’ve said, the plot and characters are likely enough to make any reader add this magical book to their TBR list, but even if fantasy isn’t your thing, Harrow’s gift for prose makes this a can’t-miss read. She infuses every word with magic and possibility, as well as a resounding love for storytelling, but what truly stands out is the overwhelming sense of longing --- for adventure, for hope and for acceptance. This is a gorgeous, richly imagined work that reads like one book lover talking to another, and Harrow’s observations about the power of stories is not only poignant, but also heartfelt and empowering. This jewel of a novel reads, at times, like a call to action, and paired with clever musings on doorways and new beginnings, this theme of encouragement leaps off the page.

Enchanting, colorful and powerful, THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY transcends genre and is sure to make a new fan out of anyone who encounters it. Harrow has left the door (pardon the pun) open for a second installment, but playing upon her own notions of doorways and possibilities, I hope that she’ll leave this one open for some time to come. I want as many readers as possible to fall in love with January as I have, and I cannot wait to see who Harrow introduces next.

Wow. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I'd say it's essentially historical fantasy meets fabulism, following two storylines that ultimately - and beautifully - weave into one.

The main storyline follows January Scaller, a girl who lives with a rich white man in his estate while her biological father travels the world for reasons mostly unknown to her. She's lonely, tries her best to please the man, but feels like an outsider in upper-class society because she's mixed-race (this is set mainly in the early 1900s). She longs for adventure, and never really finds it until she comes across The Book.

This book is called the Ten Thousand Doors, and its chapters start to be woven in amongst January's own POV. It's about a girl called Adelaide who one day stepped through a magic door into another world, where she met a boy and fell in love. When she tried to return to him 3 days later, the door had been destroyed, and thus began her life's journey to find a way back to him. She travels through countless doors and worlds, her wild adventure a stark contrast to January's repressed, boring life.

On January's 17th (I think?) birthday, she is offered a chance to join her stand-in father's secret society, right after being told her real father hasn't been heard from in months and most likely died during the course of his travels. She refuses, accidentally spouts her knowledge of these magical Doors, and from then on the safety she's accused to vanishes. She's sent to an asylum, and suffers there until one day her childhood friend Samuel shows up at her window with the Ten Thousand Doors. January continues to read it, learning that she may have a talent she wasn't aware of, then uses that talent to escape the asylum. But members of the society are on her heels, and she reunites with her friend and beloved maidservant as they navigate different worlds to escape. Meanwhile, the book teaches January the truth about her parents, a story that is tragic and lovely and had me absolutely enraptured.

I won't say much more about the actual story, because it's better to watch it unfold yourself. But the world(s) are intriguing, January is spunky and likeable (her voice is excellent!), and it's fun to see everything come together. The ending really tugged at my heartstrings, and my only minor complaint is that I wish we'd seen a couple of the side characters get their happy ending, instead of it just being alluded to.

I will also point out that there is a lot of social commentary in this book on the topic of race (given the time period), and although the author is white and I was a little hesitant at times, I think she navigated it quite well. I've seen some people complain that the plot devices were a little too *neat,* but I didn't find that. I had no idea whether the ending was going to be happy or not, and even when things fell almost too snugly into place, I thought it worked with the style of the story.

All of that is to say, I definitely recommend this book! The voice draws you into the story and I found it easy to move through. The magic is inserted so matter-of-factly into the world, you can almost believe it's real. And the way things fall into place is, in my opinion, one of its charms.

4.5 stars

This story is told from the point of view of January Scaller, who was raised in Vermont by the wealthy William Cornelius Locke. January’s father Julian traveled the world collecting curiosities for Locke. When she is 17 January finds a book, written by her father, which describes his life and the doors that allow people to travel between worlds.

I guess that I was expecting something more fantastical from this YA fantasy. There’s nothing new about the concept of doors to other worlds, so unless something really imaginative and wondrous occurs when you enter those worlds there doesn’t seem to be much point in reading about them. You go through a door and it’s like you went from Scranton to Hartford. Unfortunately, I didn’t find any charm or magic here. January was a conventional, plucky heroine. When Locke’s backstory was explained at the end of the book I found myself wishing that the entire book had been written about him. The plot is resolved at the end of the book, but the author leaves room for a sequel. I am unlikely to read it.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

First off, thank you to Netgalley for allowing me access to this when it was an Arc. Secondly, I wish I could say I liked this more than I did. Maybe its my reading slump but a lot of the books I have been excited to read have just disappointed me. I skimmed the little book excerpts that werent crucial to this story. The length of this was daunting to me because not a lot of stuff really happened. I truly almost dnf'd it because I was just not invested. Im seeing a lot of people disappointed with this one. I didnt like the main character, I couldnt really figure out what was actually happening. My mind was anywhere other than this book. Sad, I really need a book to get me out of this slump.

DNF @ 27%

I'm honestly astonished with how highly rated this book is, and bummed that my first read of the year was so boring and painfully unenjoyable.

To begin with, I had hoped the odd self-narrative would iron itself out as the book progressed, that perhaps it was a quirky opening; it's not. The voice this was told in just grated on me and came off as extremely pretentious and altogether odd, which was half the reason I didn't enjoy this read. There is quite a bit of flowery, almost poetic phrasings sprinkled throughout which was pleasant. I'm also not a fan of all the endless info-dumping, and it seems there's more info-dumping in this book than an actual story, so we hear all about these characters but never really care about them.

Speaking of, the pacing is absolutely horrid story-wise and with character growth and relationships. I had hoped for the story to liven up after the awful mishap with the first door; it didn't. In this way the premise is very misleading, as I was expecting a portal fantasy, but the plot doesn't really go anywhere and neither does January. She just sits in her 'obedient' self-loathing, and I found it all so tiresome.

Which brings me to...I was uncomfortable in which the way racism was regularly slapped into the story, and the general attitude of it all. January is, as far as I can perceive, bi-racial in colonial America and I did enjoy and connect with the elements of searching for your own place in the world when you don't quite belong. The way the story goes about addressing it though, leaves much to be desired.

January is groomed by her rich, white, father-figure of a benefactor to be a docile, obedient girl molded to his liking. He speaks to her of how special and unique she is, yet forcibly snuffs it right out of her countless times. She's so thankful for him being in her life where her father isn't, that she internalizes self-hatred for her "otherness" and seems intent on pleasing him to the detriment of her own individualism and happiness, all because she wants to be a "good girl" for him. Needless to say I just wasn't okay with this, and it was the other half of the reason I disliked this read so much.

I had to put this book down because I wasn't engaged with the story or the characters, or most of the writing style to be quite honest. Maybe it's just me, but, the tone seemed pretty problematic. This is not #OwnVoices, so...awkward. The Ten Thousand Doors of January missed the mark for me big time.

A really lovely and fun adventure! This wasn't quite what I expected but I love the world building and I love that it's a great fantasy with very light romance that I can rec to readers who prefer not to have a strong romantic subplot. I thought it was brilliantly done with a memorable voice!

A part of me was worried when I started reading The Ten Thousand Doors of January I would end up disappointed. It sounded too good to be true. January Scaller’s father works for a wealthy businessman, traipsing the globe in search of unique artifacts. Mr. Locke, his employer, has taken January in as his ward, and she spends much of her young life in his care. She’s always felt like a bit of an oddity, not quite fitting in. January loves to read and when she happens upon a strange book, she is instantly swept up in the story—one of secret doors into other worlds and of love and adventure. Only, the story in the book is not a piece of fiction, as January will soon find out.

I enjoy stories within stories as well as dual timeline novels quite a bit, the first being a tad more trickier for an author to pull of successfully—at least in my experience. Alix E. Harrow pulls it off in spades. I loved every aspect of this book and cannot sing its praises enough. I loved both January’s story as well as that of her parents. January is such a great character. She is resourceful and smart. She is extremely resilient. I loved her big protective and loyal dog, Bad. The world building is rich and with each door stepped through, I felt like I was right there alongside the characters. I also really appreciated the way the author ties in the history of the times into the story (early 1900’s), adding an even more nuanced layer. There was action and heartbreak, along with romance and adventure. This fantasy novel had me from the first page and would not let go. I can definitely see myself reading this book again and again. (And I am not much of a re-reader.)

I have so many thoughts on this book. First things first, this cover! It’s so pretty! The concept of this book had me so intrigued and it did not disappoint. I really enjoyed this book. I loved January's character. The premise of this book is awesome and it snagged my attention from the get-go. I know some people had mentioned that the author's description took away from the story, but I loved it. I thought that the writing was beautiful and it made the story more fantastical, in my opinion. I loved discovering all of the history with January. This was such a good book.

Really the only issues that I had with the book is that some parts were a little slow. But, on the other hand, I didn't want to rush through this book, I wanted to savor it. I also wished that there was a little more world-building. There are so many different doors and lands and I would have liked a little bit more from some of those. Aside from that, I really have no complaints. I enjoyed the ending and everything came full-circle.

There were parts that got me in my feels and I wrote down so many quotes. Also, the author is from Kentucky, so that was pretty cool to find out. I’ll definitely read more from her. I know this is a standalone, and I really like it as a standalone. But, a small part of me wishes that she'd make a sequel. I highly recommend this one though! It's definitely worth the read.

This was a solid YA fantasy read.

I have to confess it was a little more on the YA scale than the fantasy scale, which isn't quite what I was expecting. Still, the concept is treated in an interesting way and the writing is often quite lovely.

Some of the things I enjoyed less was the constant...abject peril of the heroine. There are a lot of places where this is used to make a point about either gender or race, and I think the book had a lot of important things to say on these topics. But I found that the tension was constantly being ratcheted up only to be instantly relieved until the next melodramatic, silent film moment of tension.

(To be fair, the narrative itself makes this comparison and several of the character's love of penny dreadful novels are lamp-posted several times. I can see this being super cute and building into the meta, inception-like reveal, but it just didn't work for me.)

Ultimately I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys fantasy or historical fiction that's on the tropier side of YA.

This was such a lovely book! The perfect read for book lovers and I'm hoping there might be a sequel (fingers crossed). If fantasy isn't really your cup of tea but you want to give it a try I think this book would be a fantastic place to start. It's fantasy-lite in that the world isn't too outlandish and there aren't a million things to learn/remember in the first few pages. Although the main character is a young adult this book reads as an adult novel. It has romance, adventure, as well as deeper themes about race and acceptance. I really enjoyed this one!

What a lovely, lovely story. The writing is gorgeous. Each sentence is quote-worthy. The story is creative and inspiring as well, in my opinion. January is such a great heroine – fighting against gender expectations and racism to save herself. The doors as instruments of change and progress may not be a new concept to fiction, but I think Harrow does it well because she never eliminates the possibility of magic. I found the entire novel a true pleasure to read from start to finish.

Lyrical mesmerizing story of a young girl's search for her family and finds magic, love and doors to other worlds, other truths. An oddly colored girl becomes the ward of Mr. Locke in Vermont at the turn of the twentieth century while her father searches for rare artifacts for Locke's collection. A hound, a mysterious woman sent by her father and a young boy become her protectors and collaborators when she escapes to find her father.

Definitely wasn't my favorite book but I did have a fun time reading it! Also, the cover is absolutely stunning.

Here, let me just wipe the tears from my eyes so I can write this review.

HERE’S THE SUMMARY:
It’s 1911 and January Scaller lives with her very rich benefactor who must work extremely hard to tame her wild-child instincts. While January’s father travels the world in search of hidden treasure, she learns the art of staying quiet and out of trouble. Until she finds a book that reveals a world of hidden...worlds, when she turns 17. Then all hell breaks loose.

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

HERE'S THE REVIEW:
This is a book about class and race and being who you are and never giving up. There is wild adventure and mysterious goings-on (and some unbelievable coincidences) and true love and terrible loss. Some great characters roam these pages, not least of which is Bad the dog. (Bad, come live with me!) It’s been a while since I was moved enough to cry at the end of a book - this one did it to me.

"I trailed after her, feeling like a cross between Alice and Gulliver and a stray cat."

This quote from the books, says it all. There are elements of fantasy, horror and literary fiction here. I think you should try it; you’ll probably like it.

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The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alex E. Harrow is a novel where secret doors lead to different worlds, and the girl that can open them. Ms. Harrow is a writing living in Kentucky, this is her debut novel.

January Scaller is the ward of Mr. Locke, a wealthy collector who employs her father to bring him artifacts from around the world. January finds a strange book with tales of secret doors, adventure, and love.

Reading the book, January discovers that it is not fiction, but somewhat of a manual to get to different worlds.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alex E. Harrow is a delightful novel, with great plot and characters. The first thing I noticed was the rich writing which sets the tone of the book, and the clever way the author weavers her tale.

I enjoyed the narrative and the descriptive language very much, while the pacing is a bit slow I do appreciate the author taking her time to tell a good story. The prose is whimsical, and while the story leaves several unanswered questions, sometimes they’re best unanswered or left to the reader’s imagination.

The author touches a lot of aspects of today’s society, racism, oppression, coming of age, and more. But I appreciated her not beating me over the head with her allegories, they’re there if you want to find them but they can be easily just be part of the story.

I could not put my finger down on who the books is meant towards, could be YA, but could just as easily be for adults who understand the underlying complex themes. I certainly hope Ms. Harrow will continue writing, she is talented and imaginative.