January Scaller was seven years old when she found a door, a blue door, but it was to take her time to realize that when doors open, things flow between the worlds and stories happen (my spin on the author’s words).

It is the earliest part of the twentieth century. January is a “willful, temerarious” young girl. She is also an oddity, an item in her guardian’s collection . Something is off about the whole arrangement between January and her guardian and her surroundings, Locke House, Vermont. Clues are parceled out but it takes a long time for things to jell. There is a strong undercurrent of maintaining the status quo by whatever means are necessary. There is an equal force of discovery and allowing whatever may come next. There is profound intolerance and racism.

Open the door, step through, don’t get caught in the Threshold, they are dangerous places, “you can’t hesitate or doubt. You can’t fear the in-between” because it can lead you to a white city by the sea where all the questions are answered or no answers are to be found. But “There was no room .... for little girls who wandered off the edge of the map and told the truth about the mad, impossible things they found there.”

This is a breathtaking book about the strength to look through the cracks in the world, and the ability to embrace the magic

Thank you NetGalley and Redhook books for a copy.

Upon reading the first few pages of The Ten Thousand Doors of January, it is pretty clear that Alix E. Harrow has a way to write most eloquently and organic, a whimsical tale reminiscent of childhoods' past imaginary wonders, curiosities, and secrets. The most beautiful, exquisite passages of words strung together so naturally, they elude to the calm and quiet brilliance within, ever so gently evoking the reader's attention wrapped around in every line, page by page.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January is the coming of age tale of one girl's quest to find her past, present, and future behind doors that act as gateways to find her answers.

"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."

January Scaller is seven years old around the turn of the last century when her story begins in Vermont, New England. Growing up on a large estate in the trust of Mr. Locke, a member of the Archeological Society. While her father is in his employ to gather interesting objects to add to Mr. Locke's collection of trinkets and artifacts, January longs to see her father more often and dreams of the affections of her mother.

Raised by a German housemaid to give her needed structure in the day, she grows up with her studies and a love for reading and scribbling stories. Around the time the fog of adolescence lifts, she is confronted with her differences in social status and skin color, albeit being subjected to lectures in good manners all her years.

"Power, my dear, has a language. It has a geography, a currency, and - I'm sorry - a color. This is not something you may take personally or object to; it is simply a fact of the world, and the sooner you accustom yourself to it, the better."

January hadn't thought of her future much until she finds a leather-bound book written by her father. She discovers a story written in segments about someone's life that will most impact her self worth, her curiosity, and her longing to see her father even more.

When January and an unlikely friend decide to pursue what they have learned of in the leatherbound book, the ranks of the Archeological Society will show it's true colors and a sinister truth will come forth.

"Do you want to leave?" I swallowed, tucking my fear away for some future time when I would be strong enough to look directly at it. "Yes," I answered and in answering realized it was true. I wanted wide-open horizons and worn shoes and strange constellations spinning above like midnight riddles. I wanted danger and mystery and adventure. Like my father before me? "Oh, yes."

While January is told that her father has died, she has nothing left but to follow her heart and instinct. And when a sign from her father gives her a strong warning not to trust anyone, she has to make it across worlds through doors to find safety.

A story in a story, beautifully imagined. An adventure of a different kind, most uniquely crafted and precious in details.

***


To read this novel was a breath of fresh air. I fell for the writing style and prose immediately. It's the kind of book I haven't read in a long time but that brought me back to happy times and places, where long summer days, running in fields, reading outside and childhood play was the most important thing in my life.

While one travels in the book within a book, Harrow makes use of events in time and societal differences as reference points to imbue further a feel for its present and change, or the lack thereof. Exploring different worlds and ethnic backgrounds behind the doors and lives of others, it adds different views with an emphasis on family ties, strength, and love.

Towards the latter middle of the book, the novel loses its tranquil tone, trading it for the action and deception that follows and crescents in turmoil to solve the mystery of the leatherbound book and January's race against time. Preferably, I could have continued reading more whimsical passages, but the scope and ideas were intriguing and became decisively textured more sharply.

A special book you cannot go wrong with reading or gifting. So, add some lovely magic to your book diet and enjoy the world of Ten Thousand Doors...


I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you and thank you to the publisher.

This book was amazing! It incorporated magic and wonder in the most realistic way ever! The writing was beautiful and the story just sucked me in. So good. Definitely will recommend!!

I almost DNFed this one with how it started. I was getting to the point that I never wanted to hear the word door again. Or excuse me Door. After the few first chapters this one started pulling me in so fast I was sucked in and I didn't want to leave. The cover is just so gorgeous it's what made me want to read this one. And although I had issues with the opening it started picking up just fine after that.

The writing style was very well done after that first chapter and the pacing worked well. The characters were fully fleshed out and complete and I loved January! That was such an interesting name and how it tied into the title was genius.

This is definitely one of those titles that you kind of go into not knowing what your going to get and not having a lot of expectations only to come out on the other side amazed that you ever thought that this story was going to be bad.

Must Read!

Stars: 3.5 rounded up.

January is an in-between kind of girl. Born to a black father and a probably white mother in the early 1900s, raised by a wealthy patron in huge house full of treasures and wonders pilfered from around the world by her father. Her status is in-between also – not quite a pupil, not quite a servant, maybe a rare find too alive to go into a display case? Until she finds a leather-bound book and opens a door that leads into a different world…

This book is about discovering your own worth and coming into your own strength. It’s about realizing that if you spend your life cutting vital parts of yourself just to fit in to a rigid mold that somebody else created for you, you might look like a perfect little girl on the outside, but you will feel empty and miserable inside.

January tried very hard to be what Mr. Locke expected her to be – silent, almost invisible, perfectly well behaved. A breathing, living doll. What else was she supposed to do when her father was never there to tell her otherwise and when her whole world depended on the good graces of that distant and almighty man who took her and her father in when she was just an infant? But all this time she had felt lonely, empty, miserable, like half of her has been cut off and shut in one of the glass cabinets filling the Locke House.

So when she picks up the silver knife and writes letters into her own flesh, she doesn’t only open a door to a different reality – she also throws open the door to her own cell, the one Mr. Locke had been building around her since her childhood. By stepping through the threshold between worlds, she sets herself free to be what she wants to be – wild and free, and fearless, a wanderer of worlds.



This book is also about our perception of ourselves and the world around us, and about how often things are not what they seem to be. Monsters can hide behind perfectly benign masks. A meek half-blooded girl can turn into a fierce untamed spirit that will blow open all kinds of doors.

I liked this story a lot, but I felt like the beginning dragged. I understand that we needed to immerse ourselves in the oppressive structure of January’s early existence in Locke House, but I feel that this part could have been condensed without loosing much of the effect. She could have found that book earlier. She could have read it over a longer period of time. That way we wouldn’t have had chapter after chapter of seemingly unrelated story wedged into the part of January’s narrative that had just started picking up speed, suspense and tension. It really kills the flow of the book and was a source of frustration for me.

Once the issue of the book is finally over and we don’t get the endless interruptions in the narrative flow, the story picks up speed and becomes much more interesting. There is suspense, there are high stakes and satisfying conclusions. The ending was maybe too neatly wrapped up in a little pink bow for my taste, but I am a cynic at heart, so don’t mind me.

My other complaint about this book is that the only really fleshed-out characters are January, her parents, and her dog Bad (short for Sinbad), and the parents aren’t even present for 90% of the story. All other characters are walking labels put there to advance the story. The mysterious, maybe good, maybe bad Mr. Locke, who serves as a father figure for January in her real father’s continued absence. There is the inevitable love interest, and the mysterious lady protector/friend that was sent by her real father… They never develop personalities outside of those stereotypes. That’s probably why I was more upset when the bad people hurt Bad then when they threatened to hurt January’s love interest (heck, after finishing the book, I can’t even remember his name).

But despite those two gripes, this was a rather enjoyable book. I liked the world, I loved the fact that unlike a lot of urban fantasies now, it’s set in the past century, not in our modern times. I liked the story of one in-between girl deciding to forge her own path and create her own destiny instead of conforming to the image everyone else had of her.

PS. I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Locke House was "an immense red stone castle" in Vermont. William Cornelius Locke, Chairman of the Archaeological Society, had amassed an impressive collection of objects "of particular unique value". These magnificent treasures were pilfered from around the world by employees like Julian Scaller. Globetrotting for Mr. Locke, arguably a less than desirable occupation, afforded 'motherless' January the privilege of learning proper etiquette and mixing with high society. Julian was seldom able to come home to Locke House and bond with his disappointed daughter. According to January, "Sometimes I felt like an item in Mr. Locke's collection labeled January Scaller...purpose unknown".

Locke informed January that she is now an orphan. Her father had not sent any expeditionary reports to Locke House for months. Julian is missing, presumed dead. As Locke's ward, January is being groomed for success. She travels with him to Kentucky for the annual Archaeological Society meeting. "Odd-colored young orphans didn't fare well out in the wide world, with no money or prospects...Mr. Locke was my other shelter and anchor now that my father was gone." Frustrated and angry, January bolted, running from the society gathering. She discovered a lonely overgrown field and a "...raggedy blue door standing so lonesome in the field...The following day, the blue door wasn't there." "I bet there are more Doors just like it. I bet I could find them and write about them and they'd all open." "I wanted wide-open horizons...danger...mystery...adventure. Like my father..." January discovers a leather-bound journal written by her father. "Books can smell of cheap thrills or painstaking scholarship, of literary weight or unsolved mysteries. This one smelled unlike any book I'd ever held." January discovers a different life by reading this journal entitled "The Ten Thousand Doors". "...doors are portals between one world and another existing only in places of 'weak coupling' between two universes." Ade was raised in poverty but was "radiant, wild and fierce". Julian was "...a scientist studying his own soul". Two people, chance meeting...one from our world, one from the City of Nin. Doors will introduce change, but in what ways? Is there any connection between January, Ade and Julian?

"The Ten Thousand Doors" by Alix E. Harrow is a work of portal fiction. "Portals generate a certain amount of 'leakage' and this "leakage and resultant storytelling" allow author Harrow to address issues such as race, adventure, love and the power of the written word. I enjoyed the addition of Samuel, Jane and most especially January's faithful canine companion, Bad. The descriptive writing style had this reader enchanted, however, lack of familiarity with the portal fantasy genre created some challenges for this reader. A solid 4 star read.

Thank you Redhook Books and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "The Ten Thousand Doors of January".

Captivating debut novel of a young girl, who is the ward of a wealthy, mysterious man that her father works for. He travels the world searching for various treasures to sell to his employer. One day she finds a secret book that tells tales other worlds and the mysterious doors that open them. There is absolutely nothing that I can say to do this book justice. It is enchanting, magical, sometimes scary and very emotional. I really felt like I was on the journey with January and her dog named bad! I was swept away. I look forward to reading more by this author. I would like to thank the publisher and Net Galley for the fabulous ARC.
5*

“…the Door seemed to be murmuring in a soft, clattering language made of wood rot and peeling paint. I reached toward it again, hesitated, and then-

I opened the Door, and stepped through.”

January Scaller has been under the care of Mr. Locke, a wealthy and highly prominent figure, for as long as she can remember. With her father under his employment and traveling all over the world in order to track down hidden and rare artifacts, January is left in the mansion where is expected to be a good girl. But with only strict nursemaids and colleagues of Mr. Locke to keep January company, she finds solace in her books and her vivid imagination. As January grows, confined to the walls of her wealthy yet lonely lifestyle, she searchs anyhwere she can for something or someone to fill her empty void. It isn’t until she stumbles upon a strange book about magical doors and a lost love that January finally begins to find new meaning in her life, while also learning how far from mundane her history truly is.

“Sometimes I was so lonely I thought I might wither into ash and drift away on the next errant breeze.

Sometimes I felt like an item in Mr. Locke’s collection labeled January Scaller, 57 inches, bronze; purpose unknown.”

The Ten Thousand Doors of January is a YA Historical Fantasy about a girl searching for a way out of the life that has been forced upon her. At a young age she is put into the care of Mr. Locke, a man with insurmountable wealth and a love for rare artifacts. He employs her father to travel around the world in search of these items for him, while he houses and cares for January from child to teenager. Set in the early 1900s, January is expected to act like a proper lady. To have proper etiquette, learn the necessary studies and skills that make up an accomplished woman, and to remain silent. To be a good girl.

“Be a good girl.

To hell with being good.”

While we watch January grow from a young girl to a young woman, the loneliness and isolation that she feels is deafening. She is mostly ignored by the men and women that come and go from Mr. Locke’s house for parties, her nursemaid is strict and unrelenting, and the only semi-friend she has is a delivery boy by the name of Samuel. Though January has a deep love for books and and vivid imagination, she is taught from a young age to not waste her time and energy on such silly ideas. It was so tragic to watch her spirit be broken by these people who seem to care for her, but you’re never really sure if they actually do. But maybe the most tragic aspects of this story, is January’s relationship with her father.

“…there was just something about the shape of him in the doorway that made me dizzy with anger. Maybe because he smelled like jungles and steamships and adventures, like shadowed caves and unseen wonders, and my world was so ferociously mundane. Or maybe just because I’d been locked away and he hadn’t been there to open the door.”

For a good portion of the book, I was unsure of the relationship they had and when her father had the time to spend with his only daughter. It turns out, he didn’t spend much time with her at all. He completely left her in the care of Mr. Locke while he flounced around the world, forgetting birthdays and barely writing to her. Naturally, Mr Locke becomes her stand-in father figure, and at first he seems to be a stern and cold man, but someone who cares for January and who has a witty yet dry sense of humor.

That is until he locks her in her room for weeks on end, in order to rid her of her imagination.

“You don’t really know how fragile and fleeting your own voice is until you watch a rich man take it away as easily as signing a bank loan.”

So this story took a little while to get going, because there is a TON of buildup and backstory that needs to take place before the actual fantasy can begin. I was having some trouble staying focused during the first 20% of this read, but once January starts to figure things out and begins…unlocking things, it really gets going. And when I say it gets going, it REALLY gets going! The amount of creativity and imagination it took to write this book is on full display, and the author does a fantastic job of making you feel as if anything is possible. The writing is elegant and descriptive, the characters well-developed and alluring, and the plot is…breathtaking!

“I dreamed in gold and indigo.”

For a time in this story, the reader is taken back and forth between the present with January, and the past that is written in her mysterious book that she finds in the bottom of a chest. It is the beautiful and tragic story of a man and a woman, from two different worlds, who search for years trying to find a way back to one another. They travel around the world searching for thousands of doors that lead to various places of beauty and treachery, all to find a door of sea that will bring them back together. It is romantic and bleak, hopeful and gentle. This author has a way of opening little doors in your heart, while simultaneously setting them all on fire and burning them to the ground.

But another wonderful aspect of this intricate story, are the lovable and brave characters that are littered throughout its pages. Samuel, a young man who is a constant in January’s life who is always there when she needs someone the most. Bad, a scrappy and devilish dog who is fiercely loyal to January, and only January. And Jane, her new nursemaid that begins as stoic and reserved, but turns out to be a TRULY fierce and badass woman. These characters bring out the best in January, and show her another side to humans that she didn’t see a lot of growing up. They fight to protect her and keep her safe, and volunteer without question to follow her into danger.

“I closed my eyes against the weight of guilt settling on my shoulders, heard the clock of claws and the scuff of worn shoes as Samuel and Bad approached. They settled on either side of me, warm and constant as a pair of suns.”

As a whole, I really liked this story and thought it was unique and a book I could truly get lost in. It felt exciting and sparked the notion in me that seems to be so easily forgotten – that anything is possible. Though I struggled a little at the beginning to stay focused, once I got about 20-30% in, I was hooked and loving every aspect of it. I cannot wait to see what else this author writes, and if it’s as good as this, I will be a lifelong fan!

It's hard to describe this book without ruining the magic. January was raised by her guardian, Mr Locke in a mansion filled with treasure. Her father travels the world to bring these treasures back. But when she finds a door that turns into a portal to another world, everything she knows about her world changes.
I absolutely loved this book! It was full of wonder and adventure, magical worlds, and plenty of suspense. I plan on recommending this to everyone!

Absolutely adored this book. Took me on a fantastic journey that I could not put down. Read at every moment I got and I haven't had a book like that in awhile. So much wish that this was a series, as I love the characters and would love to see what else January gets up to. Alas, I always love a succinct and complete novel and this was one for sure. Up and downs and good and bad. You'll love it, just pick it up!

Still thinking about this one weeks later too!

I find it hard to describe this book. So first of all, let’s take a minute to look at that cover. Just absolutely gorgeous right?

This book was a slow burn for me. It seems like the more I think about it, the more I realize how much I really like it. I think this is going to be one I re-read often. Truth is, I’ve actually read it twice since I got the ARC. The second time through, I started out thinking I’d just skim it as a refresher before I wrote this review. Within a few pages I felt like I sank into it like a stone dropped into a still pond. It’s a wonderful feeling, being able to immerse yourself in a story like that.

The book is beautifully written. It is a love letter to books, to writing, to language and to love itself. It features the kind of love story that is of the Ages. A love that transcends the limits of our known universe.

It’s also about doors. Physical doors … supernatural doors … emotional doors. Doors that can either open us up to new possibilites, or keep us from moving forward and living life to the fullest.

I love the main character of January. She is a realistic portrayal of an orphaned, deeply lonely young woman who finds herself in a fantastical setting. The language of the book is evocative and sensitive and she is someone I wish I could be friends with. I really enjoyed her, and this book. I would recommend it to anyone.

Song for this book: Manchester – Kishi Bashi

(omg this song is just *chef’s kiss* for this book!)

I was surprised by how much I loved this one!

January Scaller is the ward of Mr Locke. She lives with him while her father travels around the world searching for unique treasures for Mr. Locke's collection.

Sometimes, Mr Locke leaves gifts for January inside one of these treasures. This time it is a book. A book about Doors to impossible worlds.

This is such a wonderful story. It sucked me in right from the start. I also love this cover. It is stunning!

I think that at its heart, The Ten Thousand Doors of January has a great message. It is based on some really clever and interesting ideas, especially the ones surrounding the role of doors, of magic and portal fantasy. I also thought that the writing was beautiful without needing to draw that much attention to itself, every word chosen carefully. It had a harmony to it, as if it were made to be read out loud; I think it would sound amazing as an audiobook.

I was also going to say that this book had a solid portrayal of the psychological consequences of childhood abuse, but something that happened in the second half made me change my mind. One didn't need that to make January's struggle to talk back and disobey realistic. It kind of undermined the whole thing.
Anyway, abuse does have a relevant role in this story, as the biracial main character is raised by a racist white man and abused both by him and by her white maid; at one point the main character also experiences forced institutionalization and abuse at the hand of psychiatrists, which I wish I had known before reading.

The rest of the book is... fine. I don't have much to say about it, because one of my problems with it was exactly how unremarkable it was. All the characters but January didn't have any dimension to them. All the portal worlds but one are barely described.
Also, it took me more than two weeks only to get through the first 30%. It was partly my fault, but everything I have to say on the pacing isn't good.

While I said that the author clearly put effort in choosing the right words, the same didn't happen when it came to including Italian ones. This led to jarring sentences and weird moments.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January might just end up being my favorite book of 2019. I got about 40% into the ARC for this one (Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!) and I just could not put it down. I stayed up entirely too late last night finishing this one.
The main character, January, is sheltered enough to have nice things and travel in style, but not so privileged that she doesn’t know that she is different. She is half black and half white. She thinks of herself as an in-between girl, which is more accurate than she realizes. I really liked January’s character. I sympathized with her when she was struggling and admired her when she was at her fiercest. She really made this story what it was. This book is told in a way that January is telling us a story after it has all happened. I really enjoyed the story being told this way because it felt like we were right alongside her on her adventures. She’s brave without being totally reckless. She’s smart without being annoying about it. She’s loving and loyal, while sometimes having doubts.
There was a handful of supporting characters. I really just loved them all. Samuel was sweet and determined to be a part of January’s life. I loved his perseverance and dedication to her. Then there’s Jane, who I adored also. Her story was a tough one and I just loved the way things were wrapped up for her. I loved that she’s kickass and tough, even though everyone seems to doubt her. Mr. Locke was someone I was unsure about for most of the book. I wanted to love him because he took January in and cared for her like she was his own daughter. But something just didn’t sit right with me about him. His backstory was fascinating. Finally, her father, Julian. I really wanted to love him despite his constantly leaving January for work. I’m a sucker for a good father/daughter relationship. Though this one wasn’t the best, the end result was so wholesome and heartwarming.
Overall, I adored everything about this book. I loved that we got two different stories within one. We get the backstory that January learned as we did. I thought this was a really interesting way to tell the story. The Ten Thousand Doors of January was everything I wanted and more. It was detailed, full of strong characters and adventure, and I just could not get enough. I will be raving about this book for the foreseeable future. Go get it, read it, and love it, so we can rave about it together.

“Doors, he told her, are change, and change is a dangerous necessity. Doors are revolutions and upheavals, uncertainties and mysteries, axis points around which entire worlds can be turned.”

This is a fantastical story involving secret doors that serve as portals into different worlds. Where do these doors come from and how does one find them? Harrow’s concept is creative, his writing brilliant, pulling me in early on.

January is a strong character, a lonely, resilient orphan who becomes a shining star and keeper of a magical book. A parallel story follows lovers Ade and Yule Ian. I loved Ade’s spunk and Yule Ian’s devotion. Mesmerized with their story. There is a section in this book written by Yule that made me weep; it was so beautiful.

A full bodied, multi-layered story that ticks off all the boxes of what I want most in a book; an engaging imaginative story, great characters, adventure, twists, and a satisfying resolution.
* will be posting in additional online venues. Great story!

5 Magical Stars!

I don’t usually ready YA Fantasy book, but I could not resist the synopsis of this book (all those doors that open to other worlds...I mean who can resist that?!) and that cover - BEAUTIFUL!!! This was truly an amazing, spellbound, and magical journey. Beautifully written story of love, courage, and strong family ties, it left me emotional and surprisingly satisfied. I loved the ending so much; when I turned the last page, I was smiling which is the best part of finishing a book, that feeling of awe and contentment. This novel is one of my favorite books of all time, and I will be re-reading it very soon, for sure.

Thank you NetGalley, Redhook Books, and the author, talented Alix E. Harrow, for providing me with an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Harrow's grasp of language is thorough and use of it skilled, but the author's linguistic abilities is insufficient to compensate for the glacially slow development of the plot and lack of interesting character development for the supposed main character, whose doings were markedly less interesting than those of her parents, or even her governess.

I loved the concept of this book: a girl who can conjure up doors to other places -- what a fascinating idea! Alix E. Harrow then delivered on this idea with skilled writing that was interesting and witty and perfectly fitting for the thoughts of the young(ish) independent, strong-willed January. This book was unlike any others I have read and would make a good selection for those who might like a Narnia meets Jane Austen sort of story.

<i>“Doors are many things: fissures and cracks, ways between, mysteries and borders. But more than anything else, doors are change."</i>

<b>Reading this book is like walking through a capital-D Door, out of this world and into an adjacent one filled with so much heart, magic, and mystery.</b> <i>The Ten Thousand Doors of January</i> is the sort of book that you finish and say, “I can’t believe this is the author’s first novel.” It’s a lyrical, lovely fusion of historical fiction and portal fantasy—a combination that, frankly, has no right to work as well as it does.

<b>So, what is it about?</b> Our story focuses on seventeen-year-old January Scaller, a biracial girl growing up in the early twentieth century. She lives with the imposing Mr. Locke, a collector of rarities who loves order but is not unkind. Her father Julian is largely absent from her life, traversing the globe to find treasures to bring back for Mr. Locke, and January spends her time split between reading fantastical stories and performing the duties expected of a proper young lady. But she is not entirely alone; she finds company in her friend Samuel, her governess Jane, and her dog Bad (short for Sinbad; both of these names fit him astoundingly well).

<b>January’s childhood is sprinkled with small bits of magic</b>—stumbling upon a Door to another world, writing words that magically come true, objects mysteriously appearing in a chest in Mr. Locke’s house—but she largely ignores them to please Mr. Locke. But when her father goes missing, presumed dead, January is dissatisfied with the explanations she is given. Armed with only a silver coin and a book that tells her stories of Doors like the one she found as a child, she sets out to escape from Locke’s influence and find out what, exactly, happened to her father.

I know, this explanation sounds fairly simple, but believe me when I say this is a story full of layers. <b>It is an adventure</b>, a girl traveling not just the country but multiple worlds. <b>It is a coming-of-age story</b>, a young woman discovering herself, realizing she isn’t a child anymore, but also that magic doesn’t have to go away just because you’ve grown up. <b>It is a family story</b>, a father and a daughter seeking each other across the globe and other universes. <b>It is a love story</b>, not just from its hint of romance, but from the fierce loyalties that its characters hold to each other, no matter how hard external forces may try to separate them.

<i>“I happen to believe every story is a love story if you catch it at the right moment, slantwise in the light of dusk.”</i>

These characters are so full of life and distinct personalities, <b>I kind of want to hug all of them.</b> The innocent but unflinching love Samuel holds for January, as a friend (and, later, more…) is so pure, it actually made me smile. He is the sort of boy who would go to the ends of the earth for someone he cares about, even if he didn’t have a plan or a penny to his name—he would try to swim the oceans, if that’s what he thought it would take. Jane, the governess sent by January’s father to take care of her, has a secret fierceness that emerges over the course of the book that is pretty damn amazing. January convinces her to start reading penny dreadfuls and other sensational pieces of fiction, and the two form a sort of friendship over their love of books. And as one of the only other people of color in January’s life, Jane also serves as something of a role model for her. Even Bad, though he is just a dog (definitely a Good Boi™) and therefore can’t speak, shows his love in his own way. A stellar judge of character, and armed with a bite that is just as strong as his bark, he is January’s constant companion and sometimes confidant.

<i>“One does not fall in love; one discovers it.”</i>

Of course, <b>January herself, as the beating heart of the story, is a true force to be reckoned with.</b> She grapples a lot with the idea of who she is—with being not-white-enough in a world where race is considered a big deal, with being a polite and demure foster child when she really wants to explore the world, with the conflict between loyalty to her family and loyalty to the man who raised her—and the resulting emotional dissonance feels incredibly real. Watching her grow from a barely-contained spark to a wildfire of a person, alive with her own dreams and goals, is a fantastic process to watch, and her narration is quirky-yet-elegant, perfectly bringing the story to life.

Oh, the writing! I don’t even fully know where to begin with it, except to say that <b>it is gorgeous and vibrant, sometimes hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking, reading like something you would expect to find in an old fairytale or some classic work of literature.</b> The images Harrow paints and the comparisons she draws are wholly original and wholly engrossing. From capturing the pain of grief (<i>“It isn’t pain or suffering that unmakes a person; it’s only time. Time, sitting on your breastbone like a black-scaled dragon, minutes clicking like claws across the floor, hours gliding past on sulfurous wings.”</i>) to comically representing a bland butler’s personality (<i>“It was Mr. Sterling, sounding as usually like a typewriter that had somehow learned to walk and talk.”</i>), she makes words spring to life from the page. I had to restrain myself from digitally highlighting something on almost every-other page.

People often talk about feeling like a book transported them somewhere else, but in the case of <i>The Ten Thousand Doors of January</i>, it actually happens. <b>I sometimes found it hard to believe that these words were just ink on paper, come from the mind of some other person, and not threads tapped from the fibers of the universe.</b> That sounds cheesy, I know, but in the book, there is a city where written words carry actual power, and this book could have come straight from that world. I’m absolutely in love with Harrow’s use of language, and I think that is what made this book really stand out for me. She could write the ingredients list for bran flakes and I would read it eagerly, hanging onto every word.

<b>There is so much to love about this book, more than I can convey in this review.</b> Suffice to say that this is one of my favorite reads of this year, and I cannot recommend it enough—for lovers of fairytales, character development, beautiful writing, and above all, for those looking for an escape from this chaotic, often-disheartening world, into one with a little more magic—a little more hope.

A parting quote, embodying this sentiment—and this book—in more ways than one:

<i>“How fitting, that the most terrifying time in my life should require me to do what I do best: escape into a book.”</i>

<b><i>Trigger/content warnings: involuntary hospitalization, self-injury (for purposes of magic)</i></b>

<i>Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. As this review is from an advance copy, all quotations are subject to change in the final version.</i>

It's beautiful, it's unexpected and layered with vivid images of world after world that will stay with you long after the book is finished. It's the story of a family ripped apart, and a daughter determined to find out the truth about her parents. I am still thinking about this book nearly a month after I read it. Alix E. Harrow has a huge new fan in me--I can't wait to see what she'll write next.