This is one of the coolest and most unique portal fantasy stories I've read. Gave me so many feelings!! Started my ongoing love of Alix Harrow's work.

Alix is absolutely astounding. I can’t believe this book is SO GOOD. CANT wait to recommend it to my customers

A fantasy novel that could probably have been a bit shorter - the plot was meandering quite a bit and in the end I just wanted it to wrap up a bit quicker. It suffers from too much "telling" and not enough "showing". The main characters was a bit frustrating in her behaviors. The relationships did not feel earned. I would recommend this to fantasy / fairytale fans, but perhaps not to a general audience.

Absolutely loved this book. It was unique and creative and I couldn't put it down! Looking forward to reading more from Harrow!

Ahhh, the book is beautifully written and I adore Alix Harrow how she written January Scaller.

“Doors at many things: fissures and cracks, ways between, mysteries and borders. But more than anything else, doors are change.”

The writing is really beautiful and I'm definitely interested in reading more from this author in the future. But the actual story didn't grab me much, it was very slow and the characters weren't very interesting. I think it would be a good reread though, when I'm in the mood for this type of vibe.

Thank you netgalley for a copy of the ten thousand doors of January for The Gloss Bookclub host copy.

It was a great book which we all enjoyed discussing. The book is set in the 20tn century, January Seller is a young ward to a rich benefactor. Her father travels the world working for him. As January approaches the end of her youth, she thinks about her early care free days and wonders I'd she'll ever reclaim that feeling of freedom. Then a book comes into her life that might change everything.

January's adventures through the portals and into the different worlds made for a great discussion.
3stars

I had picked this up the year it came out and then set it down. Don’t let this stop you - I am a big believer in stories call you to read them when it’s time and I heard the call for Ten Thousand Doors and am so glad I did. Alex E. Barrow is brilliant. If you have loved the idea of “a door” since you first read the Narnia books, you will love this story. Beginning when she is a young girl and then as an adult confirms the fact of many doors, we observe the character understand her the fate of her family and realize her own powers and strength. Highly recommend.

Gorgeous book with a very interesting plot in premise, I’m curious to see the rest of the series and what happened to the characters and how the storyline develops as we move out. This would be a great book for both adults and young readers because of the characters and how easy it is to read.

I hate when I'm in the minority, but I did NOT love this book as much as everyone else. I read so many positive reviews and was excited to dig into this fantasy, but I just couldn't connect to the story at all. I'm actually not going to recount what the plot is about (which probably makes this a not very effective review) but I feel like I won't even be able to explain the premise very well. The fantastical elements were great and Harrow has a lovely writing style, but it got to the point where I felt like there were way too many details on almost every page. That's not something I commonly complain about in a book, but there were times when I wanted less exposition. It was way too long, and I often wanted to skim just to get to the next important part. There were plenty of interesting characters and settings, but I just couldn't get past all the reasons this didn't work for me. And I didn't love the ending either. Not sure exactly why I missed what everyone loved about this one - maybe it's just me!

Trigger warning: cruelty to animals - I read a lot about crime and murder, but for some reason, I absolutely couldn't tolerate the scenes with abuse or anticipatory violence towards the dog in the story. Made me almost sick to my stomach!

January Scaller is living with her father at Mr. Cornelius Locke’s home. Her father works for Mr. Locke retrieving  rare and unique items from around the world. Most of the time her father is away and leaves her under the guardianship of Mr. Locke’s.  January’s mother isn't with them and she doesn’t know many details. As January grows up she finds the restrictions of living in Locke mansion overwhelming and frustrating. One day January finds a book about doors and starts reading it where she begins to understand how opening  different doors can help bring about change.

I did enjoy this book but it took me a long time to feel committed to reading the story  I was 40% through the book before I really became interested and involved in the storyline. I had committed to reading this for my book club so I wasn’t going to DNF this one.  The book is a fantasy read which is not my favourite genre. I did become curious and wanted to find out more about January’s journey and how things were going to end.  If you like fantasy books, like books that leave you pondering and thinking this is a good one.

I liked the writing style and adventurous concept - it's fun to think about all the different worlds that you can escape to, especially ones that are more accepting of POC compared to our world. I foudn the weaving of the books, within a book very poignant. I appreciate the decision to make the protagonists point of view and have a feeling of "not belonging" to add another layer of wanting to escape to other worlds. I couldn't find myself attached to the characters though, and the changes of the chapters was extremely confusing at times. I also found the antagonist to end up being power-hungry, making their motivations flimsy for the sake of having conflict.

I received this book from The Gloss Book Club as our August pick. I was intrigued by this book as I had heard really good things about it. I was very curious about all of the doors. I liked January as a character but there were definitely a lot of unlikeable characters (which is likely the point). Overall I would give this book a 3.5/5

January discovers worlds of unopened doors through book she reads as a ward of the mysterious Mr. Locke.

I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. I loved The Ten Thousand Doors of January. Fantasy books with portals/doors are popular, but Harrow gives us a fresh take with this story. I couldn't put it down. And, what a beautiful cover!

I’m not always a fantasy or sci fi reader, but by loving books and reading, the beautiful analogies of doors drew me right in to this story. I love how January doesn’t need anyone to save her, and how she grows from trying to be perfect, to taking huge risks and standing up for herself.

More than anything, this book is a huge adventure - across time, worlds and countries to find what matters most.

A love story in a magical setting, described lushly. Period setting but feels timeless. An open ending that at once felt frustrating but also full of opportunities

I am not normally a fan of sci-fi but this one is done really well. It really draws you in and makes you want to live among the characters and find your way alongside them.

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 the first book I have read from this author and was quite pleased.
It kept me entertained until the very end.

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

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