I loved this mystical fantastic novel. I was lured in from the very beginning. If you like the magic circus or Peter and the starcatchers, you will love this beautiful novel.

THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY by Alix E. Harrow is a new book with an absolutely beautiful cover and an absolutely beautiful beginning. Harrow is a talented writer, describing a doorway as "a dividing point between here and there, us and them, mundane and magical" and commenting on the word Door: "There, look how tall and proud the word stands on the page now, the belly of the D like a black archway leading into white nothing." She tells two parallel stories – one about Ade, a young girl living in the late 1800s, who meets a ghost boy from another world and then spends years looking for him, and another story about January Scaller, a troubled mixed-race child with a dog named Bad who is betrayed by her guardian, Mr. Locke. Both stories are imaginative and pull in the reader; I just did not like flipping between them. In addition, I thought that the pace of this debut novel really slowed and therefore found it difficult to stay interested at times, despite the wonderful writing and unique blend of historical fiction and fantasy. Booklist recommends THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY for teens, saying "Young adult readers will relate to January as she grows into herself and discovers the world around her." I do think that teen – and adults – will enjoy these adventures and find much to consider in the commentary on social class. Readers just need to be patient as the novel unfolds, for "it is at the moment when the doors open, when things flow between the worlds, that stories happen."

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

4.5 stars. So creative and wonderful. Colorful and beautiful with so much room for more. This is a really good book. I enjoyed it a lot. It somehow felt to me like a combination of the magic in reading that came from The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins. It is weird, it is fantastical, and it is just what I've been looking for in terms of a concept.

I would have loved to give it 5 stars in all honesty, but there were two things that prevented that:

1...Hype. Dang it! I hate it when that happens. I was all worked up for something incredibly magical, blow me off my feet. And it WAS good. It was magical, but it didn't blow me away. I expected too much. I oversold it to myself and wrecked the beauty that is all wrapped up in this book. This means that I may have to put it on my bookshelf and bring it back out in a couple of years for a reread once the hype goes away. In all honesty, there's a good chance I could love it even more on the second go round.

2...Pacing. I STRUGGLED with pieces of this book. It wasn't one where I couldn't put it down. At least not until the last 1/2. The beginning moved slowly for me and I just wanted to get to the action. Again, this was probably a factor of the hype. I knew what this book was supposed to be about and I just wanted it ALL. RIGHT. NOW. Ya...that didn't happen. But I pushed on because I wanted to love it. And the second half moved great. It wrapped me up in the narrative and propelled me forward, itching for each new page.

I blame myself for the lack of 5 stars, really. But let's be honest... 4.5 is still pretty dang good. So I say read this one. But do yourself a favor if you can and wait out the hype. It'll be worth the wait.

This review is truly a hard one for me to write. I guess I should start by saying that going into this book, I knew it was different then what I find myself typically attracted to. Now, just because it isn’t my typical read, doesn’t mean I should step outside my “comfort zone” and read something different, right? Right.

This book is very highly-praised and I understand why. It is beautifully written and the descriptions the author uses really bring aspects of this book to life. The whole concept of the book is very unique and that I enjoyed.

I do have to admit, the book was rather slow for my taste. I found myself having a hard time getting immersed in the story. I believe I was at about 20% completed when I considered DNFing this book...but I keep trudging along.

The story goes back and forth between January’s physical day and a book she is reading called “The Ten Thousand Doors” which she found in an old trunk. January is looked down upon by most people due to her race and lives a secluded, structured life in a mansion that belongs to her caretaker/father’s employer, Mr. Locke. January’s father's job is to collect “treasures” aka artifacts for Mr. Locke who is a collector. Through reading “The Ten Thousand Doors” is when January’s adventure unfolds.

Like I mentioned above, the story is unique, colorful, and written well...it just wasn’t my cup of tea. The adventure wasn’t as “adventurous” as I would have liked and the time it took to get to the adventures seemed long and winding.

The prose is beautiful, the writing is really well done. The Ten Thousand Doors of January reads like the beginning of a fantasy story like Narnia, but it never went to the place I wanted it to. I think this book is gorgeous, but is more for people who philosophically like fantasy and want to approach it in a way like a literary fiction, versus actually being immersed into it. That's how the writing and story came across to me, but I know many people who have loved this book so I would still recommend it to people. Just wasn't for me this time which is unfortunate.

I've never read a book quite like this and I have to say that I was very pleasantly surprised. This debut novel by Author Alix E. Harrow is written beautifully and in such a unique style that I was immediately drawn into the book. I am a huge lover of fantasy and magic realism and this book did not let me down. The writing is subtle, the plot is driven by character and intrigue rather than action-packed suspense. It has a feel of historical fiction about it that lovers of this genre may love this book as well.
When January is seven years old, she stumbles upon a door that leads her to a different world. January is raised by her father's employer as her father travels around the world. When she is reprimanded for lying about the door, she eventually forgets about it until she finds a book "The Ten Thousand Doors of January" years later. January becomes intrigued and the real story begins. The story alternates between the story of January and the book. The concept is such a fun way to narrate the plot.
The characters are complex and likable despite their flaws. At times, the plot moved a little bit slowly as one storyline stopped and another began in the alternating chapters. While I did like the way this was done, at some points I felt that it slowed the story down a little too much because it took time to concentrate on the alternate plot. Overall, I really liked this book. Thank you so much to NetGalley for my copy of the book.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January is a beautiful, lyrical read that is filled with magic, mystery and love.

This book took me on a great journey and I knew I’d love it from the very first line. Alix Harrow wove a tale that feels classic and refreshing all at once. The idea of being able step through magical Doors leading to ten thousand different worlds sounds like a book lovers dream and makes me recall one of my favorite stories - The Lion, The Witch and the Wadrobe. I just wanted to spend the entire time exploring these amazing worlds that the author describes.

January Scaller finds a book that confirms her suspicion that these hidden Doors exist. However, the more January learns about these mysterious Doors the more danger she finds herself in. January seems an unlikely heroine at first but that’s part of the reason I loved her character so much. This story unfolds in ways I did not expect and I didn’t know what would happen next.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for review. All opinions are my own.

I am so grateful to Redhook and @netgalley for my eARC of The Ten Thousand Doors of January. Obviously I loved it so much that I bought a copy after work today!
The Ten Thousand Doors follows January Scallar throughout her life as a ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke while her father is an adventurer who travels the world looking for treasures for Locke’s Archaeological Society.
When she finds a book in one of Mr. Locke’s treasures, she starts to see the world differently.
This book was full of beauty and magic and wonder. If you love words and adventure and strong heroines with amazing friends then you should absolutely add this to your reading list!

One of my favorite reads of 2019. Alix E. Harrow has created a delightful and lovely story and I loved every page. Any fan of children's adventure and fantasy stories should be excited to grab this book.

The above synopsis is accurate but totally different than I would have described this novel. Yes, January Scaller is a curiosity. She’s of mixed race and is the ward of a wealthy white businessman. In his social world, she is a curiosity, but she is also biased against, treated pretty abominably by Mr. Locke, and has an absentee father who occasionally visits but has his own agenda that isn’t explained until the end of the book. January lives in a very black and white world. If not for the friendship of the grocer’s son, she’d be unbearably alone and her life would be pretty bleak.

One day she goes delving into a chest in Mr. Locke’s office and finds a book about these Ten Thousand Doors. When she reads this book she can escape from her dismal life through the story of another young girl. That story is about love at first sight and her journey to find a mysterious young man who had stepped through a door from another world. Doors that may or may not be real. This tale is certainly brighter than January’s own story, and for me more interesting. It’s not until the two stories intertwine that I really became invested in The Ten Thousand Doors of January and the character in her own world.

This novel mixed several genre’s creating a kind of hybrid, atmospheric historical fantasy. I would even say it bordered gothic and was very dark. The elegant prose with which it was written, while beautiful, created an emotional barrier that made it really hard for me to immerse myself in the story and care strongly for January. I did have feeling’s for Her and some of the other characters, but I didn’t feel involved or invested in what happened to them. Am I the only person who’s read this novel that feels this way? It feels like it! Other reviews have waxed lyrical about the writing, and it was certainly all that, but for me, there was a piece missing that kept it from being a great novel. Can I pinpoint what that may be? No. Not to say that I hated all of it, I didn’t! I loved how there were doors into other worlds and the possibility of journeys into those worlds. Unfortunately with a couple of exceptions that I can’t go into without spoiling the outcome, those weren’t avenues that were explored much in this novel.

I did like the alternate storyline. It was a wonderful journey of exploration and self discovery. January’s storyline was a bit more subversive, her story was about wanting something strong enough to change her circumstances and go after it. She did do that, I just wish I had cared more for that self exploration than I did. ❤️❤️❤️❣️

I received a free copy of this ARC for my honest review and it was honest.

I read a lot of books. Often, they’re in the same genre, since I have my preferences. Some are good, some are great, some are mediocre. They all start to blend together after a while, except the best ones, the 5-star ones, which I always remember.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January isn’t a five-star book. It isn’t a four-star or three-star or two-star or one-star read, either. I’m not sure it lives in the same category as the rest of the books I’ve read in my life. I’m not sure a human being from Earth could write this book. I’m not sure if I dreamed the entire thing.

This book has left a permanent mark on my soul, drawn in the flowing script of another world. The writing alone — even without the characters, the plot, the Doors — moved me to tears on multiple occasions. It is absurdly beautiful. Like liquid silver and tinkling bells and the rushing of the ocean and a breeze on a warm day.

I suppose I should attempt to describe this book. It’s a book technically set in the late 1800s and early 1900s in New England, but it’s also a book set in elsewheres and nowheres and stories. It follows an in-between girl who discovers a Door and finds that she wants to know where it leads, but it’s also the story of a scholar from another world and a square-jawed woman who fell in love with a reddish-brown-skinned ghost boy. It is not a love story, but it doesn’t ignore love when it comes, either. It is not a horror story, though it will leave you clutching at your chest more than once. It is not an adventure story, but it is an adventure. It is about freedom, and love, and loss, and hope, and grief, and family, and Doors.

I feel like this review should be longer, considering the waves of impact still leaving me reeling from finishing it. But all I can say is that it’s beautiful, it’s artful, it’s good, and you should read it.

If you like slow winding lyrical coming-of-age fantasy books this is the book to read. It’s definitely a slow burn, but a beautifully written book, as the plot takes awhile to come about because this is an extremely heavy worded character-based book and not truly plot driven. If you like fantasy books in the vein of Patrick Rothfuss then pick this one up.

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book seeps into your bones while you are still trying to decide what to make of it. One minute there is confusion and utter bewilderment on what the author's intentions are and then suddenly you are so wrapped up in the tale that you can't imagine a time when you haven't read the book. There are points in the book where the delivery seems unpolished but that is mostly in the opening chapters. The tale itself is a good one. It is part love story, part battle of good versus evil, part adventure tale, and part fantasy all wrapped up in one. Harrow delivers a remarkably original tale and presents it in a unique style.

The award for the prettiest cover of the September 2019 book releases certainly belongs to Alix E. Harrow’s debut young adult fantasy novel. Growing up in the early 1900s, January Scaller lives in a expansive mansion in Vermont, the home of her guardian Mr. Locke, who collects peculiar treasures from all over the world. January herself is one of those treasures, not quite white but also not quite black. Her father travels the world finding treasures for Mr. Locke, while January sits at home trying to be a good girl. When January discovers a book about doors – magical passageways between worlds – she begins a journey toward a fantastical future and an understanding of her past.

I must admit, Harrow’s novel certainly was original. I enjoyed the thought-out approach to the magical concept of doors between universes. At first, I was worried because the novel alternates between January’s story and chapter excerpts from the book she is reading – which did blend as harmoniously as I would have liked. Luckily the book within a book was short and applied directly into the story line.

Also, the first half of the novel was a bit slower, without much action. Then, in the second half the action comes much quicker, almost a bit too quick. I wish the author had been able to more even out the action.

All in all, it was an enjoyable novel for me to read. I wouldn’t recommend it unless you particularly like the young adult genre, for it is not nearly as developed as you would expect from an adult novel.

Did you ever go through the closet door into Narnia as a child? The Ten Thousand Doors of January reads as a more grown up whimsical tale, following January as she discovers the mysteries surrounding her life and her true abilities.
Harrow brings us such gorgeous imagery as she describes the journeys of January, Adelaide, and Yule Ian (Julian) and alongside it includes suspense, romance, and fantasy.
This book will tug at your heartstrings, make you cheer for the characters and their bravery, and make you wonder about the limitations of our world - what lengths they really reach. It is truly beautiful and worth a read.

What if there were doors to other worlds just waiting to be discovered? How would people use this opportunity? The settings, characters, and story created an experience that blew me away! I really enjoyed this book.

What I Liked:
Setting:

I enjoyed the early 20th century time period. This moment before the first world war is a heart-breaking mix of optimism and innocence. You can tell how different the world will soon be when the massive war machine of Europe awakens.

January is growing up in a world of privilege as the ward of Mr. Locke. But being a girl of color, she is never really accepted. People don't know how to treat her. Is she a servant, an exotic pet? She gets many different reactions from people. This realism was smart and refreshing.

Characters:

I loved January. She struggled to fit in anywhere, and was torn about her feelings about Mr. Locke. Mr. Locke treated her as though she should be eternally grateful for his support, that she should follow him without question. Did he love her like a father? Or was he manipulating her (and her father) to profit from her potential?

She tried so hard to fit in and behave like a proper Edwardian girl. But she also longed to escape and see the world like her father. I loved her determination to live life on her own terms.

Mr. Locke was a complicated character. You don't know for most of the book if he was trying to protect January or exploit her. Perhaps it was a little of both. What I can say about Mr. Locke is that he was a complicated man who was really full of his own importance.

There are several other characters who were complex and intriguing. I loved how surprised I was by all these people.

Story:

The story was a roller coaster ride of adventure as we learn of all the ways the doors can be used and of all the things that pass between the many worlds. I loved how January, despite her efforts to maintain a low profile, found adventure and held on to her dreams of finding her father. This was a story of overcoming other people's low expectations and persevering through adversity.

DNF @ 52%

ARC received from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All of my opinions are my own, and are in no way affected by the exchange.

This was... fine I guess. I made it 52% through the book and just could not go on. I was really excited because I saw a lot of Booktubers getting ARCs of this and the cover is gorgeous but I really could not connect with this at all. I only slightly cared about January's timeline but even that was only slightly. The timeline with Adaline or whatever her name was was not interesting in the slightest. There was a reveal that connected the two timelines and I guessed it pretty early on. Theres nothing WRONG with the book, I just dont think it was the book for me. Because of that I'm not rating it.

I enjoyed a portal fantasy that was in a historical setting. Adding in the unusual formatting, this was a recipe for enjoyment. It took some time to get into the format as the plot due to pacing, but it's a really solid addition to the portal fantasies that have been popping up lately.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January Alex E. Harrow is a book that I wanted to love but I found the two storylines to be confusing. The first story is about January who is basically an orphan and left in the care of her guardian while her father travels the world to acquire items for the guardian. The second story is in a book found by January. It is the story of Ade Larson who seems to have a lot in common with January. They have both found doors to other worlds and both do not seem to belong where they are living.

Thank you to Netgalley and Redhook Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Sci Fi & Fantasy
Release Date: Sept 10, 2019

Every time I open a book I find a door to a thousand different places so when I got approved for this book I was so excited. Step inside and enjoy your own magic!

My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"In the early 1900s, a young woman embarks on a fantastical journey of self-discovery after finding a mysterious book in this captivating and lyrical debut.

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.

Lush and richly imagined, a tale of impossible journeys, unforgettable love, and the enduring power of stories awaits in Alix E. Harrow’s spellbinding debut–step inside and discover its magic."