“Books are doors” and have the ability to transport a reader into other realms, and this book is very exceptional. Something magical definitely happened when I read The Ten Thousand Doors of January. This is a fantastical story full of adventure, love, discovery, mystery, and a special child who doesn’t quite fit in and eventually finds herself. Readers have seen this type of story done successfully involving a young orphan with a lightening bolt scar in Harry Potter, with the curious and courageous siblings in The Chronicles of Narnia, with a bookish outcast with powers beyond his imagination in Strange the Dreamer...and many other tales of out of place children possessing special qualities. However, The Ten Thousand Doors of January is completely original and feels like a fairy tale; the writing is poetic and the words blossomed off the page in my mind. It took awhile for the story to fully take off, but once it did, I was smitten. If fantasy is your thing, you will want to read this book. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to have indulged in this. I hope it gets picked up for a movie!

Thank you to Net Galley, the publisher and Alix Harrow for providing me with an ARC of this book. When I saw both the cover and synopsis of this book, I could not wait to read it. I did not realize it was an historical fantasy and that made it a bit harder for me to get into as it is not a genre I am usually interested in. However, the writing was beautiful, the book within a book theme was outstanding and there were plenty of characters to both love and hate. This book is such an adventure and I really don't want to give too much away; but if you are interested in sumptuous stories that bring you to other places, lands, and times, with a lot of excellent backstory, this is for you!

It's always something special when you read a novel that instantly makes you want to write. Not every book does this for me. It's typically a rare, unusual sort of story that sinks its teeth in and doesn't let go. That is, by definition, what The Ten Thousand Doors of January was for me.

Alix E. Harrow has a gift for prose, in a way that made me not mind when nothing was happening because I just so enjoyed reading her writing. There are sections of this novel that are a book within a book and I found those passages some of the most incredible instances of prose I've ever read. There is an air to The Ten Thousand Doors of January that makes it feel like a story you've heard before, like a classic retold, but also something entirely new and genre-bending.

Historical fantasy and portal fantasy are easily my favorite sorts of fantasy out there and this blended that so well. It's strength is certainly in atmosphere and writing style, which I would somewhat compare to a Laini Taylor, though not as flowery. So I doubt that will work for everyone.

Four stars instead of five because I was hungry to see more of the worlds that were only hinted at and I sometimes struggled with January as a character. I can deal with one poor decision here and there but multiple instances of sheer naivete (even stupidity) is something I just have a hard time getting on with. There are ways to cause drama without making your characters seem completely unaware of what's going on around them.

Still, this was a spellbinding book and I already feel the inclination to reread it.

My thanks to NetGalley and Redhook for providing me with an ARC for review.

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 a magical, soul-enriching book. I haven't felt this attached to a book in a long time, and I am excited for the world to embrace it as I have. January is a main character to root for, to hope for, and to feel for. This book hits all the right notes, and leaves a such a sharp, good ache in the heart. I can't wait to read more work by Alix E. Harrow in the future.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January is quite possibly the most achingly beautiful novel I’ve ever read, and I find it mind-boggling that anything this lovely could possibly be a debut novel. There are a scant handful of novels I’ve experienced in my life (The Name of the Wind, The Resurrection of Joan Ashby, and The Night Circus come to mind) that were breathtaking debuts of this caliber, and they remain my very favorite books I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. I’m so incredibly happy to add Alix E. Harrow’s novel to that list.

As soon as the synopsis and cover art (isn’t that cover almost painfully pretty?) for this book became public, Ten Thousand Doors immediately catapulted to my most anticipated book of 2019. I preordered it for my birthday in February, even though it’s not scheduled to be released until September. Imagine my delight when, less than a week ago, I returned home from church to find an envelope featuring this book’s stunning artwork waiting for me on my doorstep. I’ve never received a more beautiful ARC, and this is the first time I have ever seen a galley delivered in special packaging such as I saw on my stoop. My husband laughed when I darted out of the car before it was even fully in park, leaving my phone and house key and everything else in the vehicle because I was so insanely excited. I tried desperately to pace myself, trying not to read more than 50 pages or so per day so that the book would last as long as possible. Alas, I was hopelessly incapable of sticking to that pace and found the story drawing to a close far too quickly.

When you have such a high level of excitement going into a book, it’s very hard to temper your expectations and not be disappointed. And yet, I never once felt disappointed in Ten Thousand Doors. From page one, I fell in love with January Scaller. When we first meet January, she is seven years old and, though her father is living, finds herself being raised by Mr. Locke, his benefactor, as her father travels the world, searching for exotic treasures to bring back to his employer. January is wild and sullen and headstrong and oddly colored, an unfortunate circumstance considering the time and place in which she lives. Worst of all, she’s imaginative. Throughout her childhood years, she is herded and tamed into submission by Mr. Locke and militant nursemaids, and sees less and less of her father. But though she has been bent by her benefactor, she has managed to remain unbroken, and finds many opportunities to test and marvel at the strength of her own character.

What I loved the most about January was how alive she seemed. From the very beginning, she had an incredibly strong, distinctive voice, and an open honesty to her character that made her wonderfully believable. She’s far from perfect, and that’s what makes her so engaging. The amount of character development packed into less than 400 pages is astounding. I loved watching this fiery little girl grow into a woman and recapture that spark that had been smothered within her. January has also been blessed with a trio of amazing friends who will do anything in their power to aid her on her quest. I don’t want to describe them and inadvertently take anything away from the reading experiences of others, so I’ll just say that they’re all three brave and loyal and steadfast, but in radically different ways. I’m so impressed that Harrow was able to imbue even her side characters with such heaping amounts of personality and believability.

Something else that I loved about this book was its duality. Though January is our protagonist, we also trek right along with her as she reads through a magical book that she found in an antique trunk. The chapters of said magical book are very different in tone and voice than January’s chapters, and I thoroughly enjoyed this added variance. January’s insatiable need to see how that story ended increased my own desire to continue reading. I felt that the author and purpose of the little book were both a bit obvious, but that they were meant to be so, which ensured that the predictability of that particular information couldn’t be in any way disappointing.

Between the magical book and the otherworldly Doors mentioned in the title, I was strongly reminded of two books that I adore: Inkheart and Every Heart a Doorway. However, as much as I dearly love the two aforementioned titles, The Ten Thousand Doors of January surpassed them both in my eyes by intermingling the things I love so much about both. As with Inkheart, Ten Thousand Doors makes much of not only books but the words with which they’re crafted. And, as with Every Heart a Doorway, there are magical portals to a multitude of realms, hidden behind and beneath the mundane, and the search for these Doors is an all-consuming quest for certain characters involved. I won’t talk more about January’s Doors, as they are the backbone of her story and readers should learn about these portals as they read, but I love the entire idea of them and desperately wish I could find one of my own, and found them even more enticing than those in McGuire’s Every Heart a Doorway.

Though I loved January and her friends, and I rooted for them as they faced down their foes, that was not my favorite element of this novel. And though the plot was everything I could hope for and more, keeping me enthralled and remaining at the forefront of my mind far after I had closed its pages, that was not my favorite aspect, either. The thing I loved most about this book was the absolutely exquisite prose. Harrow is more than an author; she is a Wordsmith, a sorceress wielding a pen in place of a wand. Her writing is effortlessly stunning and unconsciously literary. I’ve read a lot of literary fiction, and fantasy, and literary fiction trying to also be fantasy. I have found very few novels that managed to bridge the gap from literary fiction to fantasy in a compelling and convincing way, though I have found many fantasy authors who, in my opinion, can hold their own with any literary author. The Ten Thousand Doors of January is one of a mere handful of books that I’ve come across that could sit comfortably in either the literary or fantasy genre, and I think it beautifully combines both.

Not only does Harrow have a gorgeous way with words, but she appreciates the building blocks of language in a way that I’ve rarely if ever seen in fiction. Something she did that I felt was incredibly unique was drawing attention to letters themselves. When a word is important, you capitalize it. And when you capitalize a word, that first letter suddenly becomes a representation of that word. At least, that is what Harrow points out through the eyes and mind of January. For example, when you capitalize the first letter of Villain, doesn’t that V speak of daggers and fangs? That’s what January thinks. When you read this book, which I desperately hope you will, watch for explanations of words like Door and Threshold, Companion and Home. They were such beautiful ideas that my heart kept them, and I know they will come back to me every time I come across these words.

This is among the longest reviews I’ve ever written, and I still feel that I haven’t said enough. Or perhaps I’ve said too much. In either case, I hope I was able to convey how much I adore this book, and how deeply it touched me. For the first time in my adult life, I’m honestly contemplating rereading a book immediately, or at least within the same year. Maybe I’ll hold out until release day, and experience it again when I receive my preordered copy. I haven’t read a book twice in one year since I was in middle school. I can already tell that January is going to be one of my dearest friends, and that I’ll be revisiting her often. The Ten Thousand Doors of January is a marvel, and I can’t wait for the world to read it.

I had a hard time following this book in the beginning. It felt a little disjointed for the first 30% however I did get used to the flow. It really is a lovely story and I’m very glad I didn’t give up on reading this book.

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In the opening pages, just as the seven year old January Scaller finds a place of solace in an open warm meadow, this reader felt enveloped by a feeling of, "oh, this is going to be good." I am not usually drawn to the fantasy genre, but something about this book was enticing. This tale of love and loss, of adventure and homecoming, of promises and disappointment is spooled out in articulate prose reminiscent of Neil Gaiman, Madeline L'Engle, and Phillip Pullman.

In her debut novel Ms. Harrow has crafted characters (including Sindbad the dog) with great care. The lovable along with the sinister, are well-balanced and detailed, and each new world is described with wonderment. The doors between these worlds invite the reader to explore in personal ways.

"You see, doors are many things: fissures and cracks, ways between, mysteries and borders. But more than anything else, doors are change. When things slip through them, no matter how small or brief, change trails them like porpoises following a ship’s wake."

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC. I was very excited to get approved for this! This was one of my most anticipated reads for 2019 and it didn't disappoint. The writing style, the fantastical elements, atmosphere. I loved it all!

This book is incredible. The prose and writing is just stunningly beautiful, the world-building and the magic in the story was well thought out. I loved the main character and I sympathized with her and her struggle to find her dad and understand what exactly was happening throughout the story. Such an emotional and satisfying read for me.

~~~~ 5 STARS~~~
Heck ~~~ ALL THE STARS IN ALL THE WORLDS~~~

Oh my word this was SUCH a good book!! I looked forward to picking it back up the very moment I was forced to put it down, begrudgingly returning to my own reality. It definitely had Seanan McGuire- Wayward Children vibes and I LOVE that series so you can tell which direction this review's going.

Want to know just how good this book was?? I read it during my trip to Vegas and the whole time I was in the City of Sin I thought about this book, its enthralling premise and most of all its exceptional characters .. weird huh? I could have been doing all sorts of nefarious activities or gone to various places of ill repute BUT I opted to bring my ereader anywhere & everywhere I could get away with. Unfortunately, and quite predictably, Cirque De Soleil does not approve of nor is willing to accommodate my obsession... and apparently it is a big affront to all (especially my hubby who sprung for the tickets) to hide in a bathroom stall and read while the family is out in the theater enjoying acrobatic feats of renown... SO I reluctantly put the ebook away until the curtain closed and we returned to our own hotel, and that is where this review begins.

There once was an awesome dog named Bad. A furry bestfriend that I would pay handsomely to have as my own. There were also conniving malcontents, a Secret Society populated by varying, otherworldly peeps, betrayal and outright Villainy. BUT there were also amazingly imaginative worlds and astounding characters all depicted with beautifully succinct writing. There were even elegant and highly attuned descriptions of actual letters that were clever and evocative. There were other motifs like Devotion of Family... both the kind one is born into and the ones we pick up along the way. It touched on what it feels like to be an "in-between" sort of person. How one copes with feeling like an outsider, a person who doesn't seem to fit in no matter how hard they try or what sort of world they try to call home. It showed the power of friendship and maybe even more importantly, the power to conquer ones fears and be your own cheerleader... to be brave and strong on your own two feet.... soooo... in that sense it was a coming of age story for an utterly OUTSTANDING in-between female main character named January. January was temerarious (an awesome word I got to add to my word bank courtesy of this gem of a book), strong willed, fierce, loyal, magical and capable of self rescue so don't you worry a bit about her. Her path intersected a slew of memorable secondary characters. Each and every one will stick to your heart as if it were doused in crazy glue beforehand. There were a couple of Love Stories that were done so sweetly that I couldn't help but fall in love with them myself. Then there were the Doors... passageways to all sorts of unique, highly imaginative, magnificent parallel worlds. I won't spoil anything there but to say that I was amazed by the imagination this book boasts. Know what else??? As if that's not enough...it also happens to have resolution and closure while still managing to remain open ended and full of possibilities. SOOOO, as I write this, in a city of possibilities, it seems fitting to have finished this amazing book about Possibility here.

Overall: This book just had it all. There was Fantasy, Magical Realism, a smattering of Historical Fiction, a dab of Love story here and there (sans floofy Romance), mysterious beings, an ending that is both satisfying and a tease, and of course...muuuuurder... dum dum dum.

I loved it!! I want to shout it out loud like an old time Newsie peddling penny newspapers on the corner...I ABSOLUTELY, F'ING LOVED THIS BOOK!! (I might have taken liberties with the Newsie's MO there but just go with it, okay?) It was fast paced and fast tracked to the old Favorites Folder where it presently resides alongside some of my most treasured reads and it deserves every last speck of adoration.

So here I am, in the wee hours of night, hiding my ereader's light, hoping not to wake the rest of my family and hear their cries of outrage, I find myself smiling from ear to ear picturing others enjoying this book as I have. I fear I can't find the right words to reccomend this highly enough... I can't! So trust me when I say that you need this book in your life...STAT!!

~ Enjoy

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

This is a fantasy book with a historic setting and literary writing. The writing is beautiful, just not what I'm in the mood to read right now so I'm setting it down and will revisit it later.

I received an ARC from NetGalley. It will be released on September 10, 2019.

I received a copy through NetGalley for review.

This is a strange thing to review, because I've never encountered anything quite like it.
Still now I'm sort of stunned into silence on how to proceed with this review because it was so unbelievably good, and rich, vibrant and so very real and raw.
It's written as a sort of biography, told by our narrator and star of the wild, strange, winding adventure of her life.
Of a girl who never quite fit in anywhere, always in-between, always feeling she was from another place, turns out to be very true. It's a journey of where she is, and where she came from.

Every part of this book is vital and important to this journey, there's not a single word wasted.

I'm completely blown away by this.
Please, please, please PICK THIS UP.

[4.5 stars]
This is a great read from debut author Alix Harrow. I knocked it half a star for times when it seemed to drag just a little but altogether features lyrical prose, characters to root for, and a faithful dog sidekick (yay!). Full of magic, mysticism, and a fantasy world you wish you belonged to.

"In the summer of 1901, at the age of seven, January Scaller found a Door. You know the kind of door–they lead to Faerie, to Valhalla, to Atlantis, to all the places never found on a map."

Absolutely magical, fabulous twists, surprise villains, and fantastical adventure. I need more January in my life!

A lovely fantasy novel. January has grown up the ward of a rich many who supports archaeology and is always seeking the rarest things for his collection. He employs January's father, who goes to remote locations hunting such things, or so January thinks until the day her father manages to send her his autobiography. In it, he explains that the world is full of doors that open into other worlds, and that many of them are inhabited; he himself is from such a world, and his travels hide his true purpose: to find January's mother, lost in a different world. Not only does January believe in this, she realizes that she has a special gift: she can create such doors and move through them. As such, she's very valuable to her guardian and his friends, who are unpleasant and supernatural, and there's a long chase right out of one of January's beloved pulp novels in which she must get away, find her father, and protect her friends--one of whom is also from another world, and does quite a lot of protecting of January herself--before the bad guys get hold of her. I loved the descriptions of the other worlds, and the characters, while not as deep as I'd have liked, were engaging enough.

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.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the ARC.
Wooooooow. I just finished this book a minute ago and it is a new favorite that I will highly recommend to anyone who will listen.
January’s story, her mother’s, her father’s, even characters like Jane and Mr Locke, are all incredible and so diverse and unique. The way they all came together, for good or for bad, despite belonging in entirely different worlds was amazing and well done.
This book is like an epic, spanning so much time and distance and difficult journeys, that a few of the characters could easily be compared to Odysseus.
The premise of the portals (doors) to different worlds..... they were written is such a way that makes you wish/hope the world was really like that. (Perhaps it is, and I’ve never stumbled upon any Doors) and how I wish I was like January and could see all of them.
4 out of 5 stars and the only negatives, in my opinion, were the fact that it was fairly slow to start (the premise and trying to figure out what was going on kept me reading) and the fact that I wish we got to see more of the different worlds. Some are mentioned off-handedly by other characters like Jane, Mr Locke, Julian, or towards the end by January, and they sound fantastical and magical. But that could easily be amended by novellas or fan fiction.
So all in all, loved it. Loved the look of the cover, too.

Review:
Okay, so it took me WAY too long to actually get this book read, but I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading this one. 

This book was not what I was expecting from the synopsis. There were some aspects we did get, but this book takes on a life of its own and it was such a fun ride. 

—>characters<—

January - January was such a compelling main character. The narrative style of this book takes a minute to get used to, it's revealed why this is later on in the book, but having January recount her early years helps add so much depth to her character. 

Mr. Lockhart - I actually really enjoyed Lockhart's character. You could tell he always had an agenda and that every action was a move on a chessboard, with him planning 10 steps ahead. But that made his character work so so well. Every time I questioned him or his motives, I still found myself giving him benefit of the doubt, but still suspicious and wow I did not piece where they were going with his character together right away, but once it clicked, it CLICKED. 

Samuel - TALK ABOUT LOYALTY TO A FAULT. Samuel was so sweet and a character that reminded us what a true friend looks like. Samuel always seemed to do his best when January needed some extra love and he was such a sweet character to read about.

Bad - Dog best friends are the best. Sorry Samuel, but you've been outdone by this sweet good boy. I can't talk too much about this character without spoilers, but let me tell you, dogs in not swell situations gets me too into my feels.  

Jane - We stan a badass who can hold her own. I loved how independent and sassy she was. I loved her backstory and motives. I loved what she brought to the climax. I just loved Jane a whole heckin' ton. 

–>plot<–

This plot is actually a bit deceiving compared to the synopsis and frankly, I don't want to give too much away. But we do have a unique take on portal fantasy and I loved it so much. I will say, some of the parts that didn't surround the portal fantasy bits were a bit dry, but I was compelled for a majority of the story. 

I did want to see more portal worlds, but I'm hoping they're coming in a potential sequel. 

I really enjoyed the second half of this book. There were some things that got turned on their heads, plot points I thought I had nailed that completely surprised me, and final reveal that opens the door for a continuation of this story that I can't wait to read. 

Final Thoughts:
The Ten Thousand Doors of January take the classic portal fantasy and does something so new with it. Fans of the Wayward Children Series will probably enjoy this one as many themes are similar, though of course there are noticeable differences in execution. 

I genuinely think this story will take YA Fantasy lovers by storm and will be a must-read of the fall!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book, in exchange for my honest opinion. This book will be available on September tenth.

This book was both magical and beautiful. Diving into its pages, I immediately forgot everything but the gorgeous storytelling. I felt January’s desperation and discontent, as well as her insatiable curiosity. I wanted to escape into the pages of her book with her–only a reader can understand how this is completely possible.

I love the themes present throughout this book. There is a subtle yet present focus on relationships and how they can shape us- both positively and negatively. It got me thinking a lot about the power we give to others without even realizing it. How what happens in our lives can affect us but doesn’t have to define us. January had both some lousy examples of “love” and experiences with loss, as well as the kind of love that is selfless and pure.

The writing was astounding. This story is so vast, yet I never felt like it got away from the author. It’s so wonderful that I’m having a hard time articulating my thoughts. A book like this is so hard to review because at some point it stops being characters, plots, and turns of phrase, and becomes something more. It’s magic.

Read this book.