The Ten Thousand Doors of January

The cover blurb says “Unbearably beautiful,” which kind of scared me! But rest assured, it's emotionally engaging and (as advertised) beautiful, but not so poignant, sad, or tragic that it's “unbearable.”

I mean.

If you're like me, you might want to check Does the Dog Die before proceeding. Or check this spoiler: Bad is reported to be dead, but turns out to be beaten and possibly disabled, but recovers and is a faithful friend for the rest of the story!

Anyway, this is dynamite. It's SF/F with a literary spin. The prose is gorgeous enough to merit a mention without distracting from the story. The characters are my best friends. I got So Inspired, and So Angry, and So Anxious, and So Relieved, and So Joyful!

Read this.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January is a treasure???an enchanting, wondrous, magical, exquisitely written standalone portal/historical fantasy set during the early 1900s. It's an ode to words and stories, imagination, dreamers and outsiders, and being who you are when society does its best to shape you into someone you're not. It's an ode to the power of story???how it can take up residence in one's soul, showing them something true and meaningful. And it is itself that type of story.

In short: I loved The Ten Thousand Doors of January.

Full Review on My Website

“I hope you will find the cracks in the world and wedge then wider, so the light of the other suns shines through; I hope you will keep the world unruly, messy, full of strange magics; I hope you will run through every open Door and tell stories when you return.”

5 stars for such a beautiful and heart-aching story about family and love. This book made me smile and cry simultaneously at various points in the story. I loved it so much

I was so excited for this book. I really love a door fantasy but this really wasn't what I was looking for. The main character barely does anything but sulk and read for the first 3/4 of the book. I got so bored it took me ages the finish. 

It also acted like things that were obvious from the start were plot twists. The main character doesn't seem to realise anything untill its slowly explained to her or just never at all. It was very frustrating to read through. I had such high hopes but alas it wasn't a succes for me. 

I think that the fantasy genre (and portal fantasy in particular) is a really interesting one to use with metaphors of colonialism, and I was really happy to see themes I've been mulling over for a while appear in a Hugo nominated novel. When reading it, the prose reminded me a lot of “This is How You Lose the Time War,” and I wasn't surprised to see either Amal El-Mohtar's blurb or the acknowledgement to her in the back. At times, the tone veered a little too YA for my personal tastes (the good guys are really good and the bad guys are really bad), and I personally feel a bit pandered too by books with a magic system based on “writing is magic!” but the background narratives of Mr. Locke's collections and Julian's attempts (or lack of attempt) at being a parent make up for some of the more simplified element. Overall enjoyed and if you like teenagers more than I do, you might enjoy it a bit more.

“Books are Doors and I wanted out.”As I write this I've been pretty much trapped indoors for a seeming eternity while trying not to worry too much about an unfolding global disaster. This was exactly the book I needed.This is Ms Harrow's debut novel and I'm almost speechless. The quality of writing is excellent, beautiful in places, at times warm and funny and utterly chilling in others. I just really enjoyed it and I can't wait for Ms Harrow's next book.This is a great adventure centred on the exploits a girl named January, a young ward of a wealthy American in the early years of the 20th Century as she slowly discovers more about her mysterious parents, her Guardian's Society and the “Ten Thousand Doors” of the title. Suffice to say that the world holds many secrets.In recent years two of my favorite series have been The Athena Club and The Wayward Children. While Ms Harrow definitely has her own style (which I really enjoyed) this book felt like a near perfect bridge between the two, both thematically and chronologically. To anyone who enjoyed those books I heartily recommend this book. To anyone who enjoyed 10,000 Doors (and to be frank, I fail to see why you wouldn't) I suggest you immediately track down a copy of [b:The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter 34728925 The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter (The Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club, #1) Theodora Goss https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1490794116l/34728925.SY75.jpg 45924715] or [b:Every Heart a Doorway 25526296 Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children, #1) Seanan McGuire https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1431438555l/25526296.SX50.jpg 45313140].

3.5 out of 5 stars

The hype surrounding this book has been building for several months now – I was lucky enough to land an ARC and do believe the buzz is warranted. The writing is beautiful and lush. The story is sad and sweet in equal measure. The world is captivating and I truly felt transported back in time. January is a well-drawn character, full of life and verve and nuance. She was a wonderful window into this fantastical world. 

The way the first half of the novel is structured kept me from getting into the flow of the story until the second half, but the payoff of that structure is worthwhile. This, coupled with some uneven pacing and a few unearned twists, kept me from going above 4 stars. Nevertheless, if you enjoy Seanan McGuire's ongoing Wayward Children series (with the whimsy turned down a bit) or other portal fantasy stories then you'll have a marvelous time with January and her Ten Thousand Doors.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

See this review and others at The Speculative Shelf.

 

3.5 stars.

I enjoyed this for the most part. It was well written and engaging but took a while to get going, then struggled to stick the landing.

That's always tough, but the book faltered near the end. There were simply too many loose threads in play that needed to be tugged in and it detracted from any emotional payoff the ending had.

Very interesting story line and did not develop in ways that I expected or thought it would, which is always a plus in my book! However I could not get over the childish tone of the main character even in her adulthood that just made me feel the main characters development were overlooked in the attempt to make an interesting story line and stopped me from fully getting into the book or falling in love with the characters.

This was probably the only book in my book clubs' version of “March Madness” this year that peaked my interest and it didn't disappoint. Nothing too stressful, which I'm avoiding like alot of folks this year, and an interesting plot that I don't think I've come across, other than a family trying to get back together.

The end's storyline began to fray a bit as the narrator jumped back and forth in time from one sentence to the next, making following along while driving in some traffic, a bit tricky.

I liked this book and I'm glad I stayed with it. The premise appealed greatly to me and the author surprised me by taking a different approach than I expected. I was interested in January's story from the beginning. There are places where I found I got a bit lost and wasn't sure what was happening and how we got there. In the end, I saw the pieces come together and saw the whole picture. 

What I took away from this. I won't spill storyline, but will protect from those who don't want the message spoiled. I came away with the message that reading books open us to a multitude of worlds that are diverse in culture and thought. Some are afraid of how these different worlds will influence the world they live in and want to control their world by limiting thoughts and ideas they disagree with or don't understand. Some want to control their world to fit their particular worldview informed by religion or politics or that which threaten their power. That makes this book quite timely.

This book checks my box in making me think. It checks a box in delivering a character I wanted to follow. I did get a bit lost and ran into sections I needed to commit to keep going. The author uses colorful language in the writing that is well done. I recognize the craft while admitting it didn't spark emotions like some other authors do. I would recommend this to those who like a fantastic adventure with a message that is fairly easy to mine. 

This was exactly what I needed at this time: A gorgeous escapist tale full of imagination and adventure! This is something of a love story, where the love interest is Fantasy stories and books.
That said, it does not shirk from the realities of the real world. It has villains who believe they are the hero, the role of status, and its fluid nature. While the story is steeped in classic themes, the perspective is still unique.
Speaking of perspective, this is one of the best uses of first-person narration I have read. It's a fantastic story, beautifully told. Steeped in emotion and completely fulfilling, this is a must-read for fantasy lovers and book lovers in general!