Gorgeous writing and a superb story!

January Scaller is a young girl in search of her place in this world in the early 1900s. For as long as she can remember, January has never quite fit in this world and though she enjoys the freedoms of her unusual life with a wealthy benefactor while her father explores far off places, she has always felt a longing for something else; adventure, family, a sense of belonging somewhere. As a young child, she discovers an old rickety door in the ruins of a building which leads to another place; another world that smells of salty ocean and promise. When the door is destroyed, she spends the next ten or so years of her life looking for more doors, despite her benefactor not seeming to believe her 'wild stories'. Then she finds a curious book that tells the story of a pair of lovers from different worlds and stories about more doors to other worlds. When her father goes missing, she's not only determined to find him, but willing to go to any lengths and unravel the mystery of the doors.

Extremely satisfying read! I would love to read further adventures of January and see all of the places and things she discovers.

Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to review this ARC.

98 points, 5 STARS!

I knew from early on that The Ten Thousand Doors of January was going to be one of my favourites. From the very beginning, I knew this was going to have that special something that make good books great. And it did. It had so much of that special something. I will remember this book for a long, long time. It is special. It is amazing. It is mine (in the I will forever hold this close sort of way. I wish this was actually my book that I wrote.)

The Ten Thousand Doors of January borrows from a lot of subgenres and tropes. And they are all my favourite ones. It is a portal magical realism story, set in the early twentieth century. And it does everything perfectly. Plus the prose! Oh the prose is delightful. I don't typically bring up prose, because I don't typically feel like it is something I notice, but it matters this time. The prose is one of the most amazing parts of the book. It takes an already amazing book and makes it transcendent. It is reminiscent of the time period, and it is just so, so beautiful:

Quote: "In March 1908 I was thirteen, which is such an intensely awkward and self-absorbed age that I remember almost nothing about that year except that I grew four inches and Wilda made me start wearing a terrible wire contraption over my breasts. My father was on a steamer heading to the South Pole, and all his letters smelled of ice and bird shit; Mr. Locke was hosting a greasy group of Texas oilmen in the east wing of Locke House and had ordered me to stay out of their way; I was just about as lonely and wretched as any thirteen-year-old has ever been, which is very lonely and wretched indeed."

I love the main character, January Scaller. She is sure enough in herself in the face of a lot of outside pressures. She is spoiled, but she doesn't realise it until everything goes wrong. The Ten Thousand Books of January is her story. Her story of discovering who she is. Her discovery of what the world is really like. And it is her discovery how things aren't always as they appear.

The kind of person January is, that inescapable determination to be who she is, leads directly in the type of book The Ten Thousand Doors of January is. It has a light tone in the face of hardship. This broke my heart, because January is so good and kind, and she keeps close to her despite everything. I had a lot of fear while reading that I just couldn't shake. January is so young and she has so many things to learn. Midway through the book, I had a bolt of realisation run through me and I basically ran around my room flailing for a bit. That is how invested I was in this. There are many twists and turns this book takes the reader through, because you just don't know how it is going to end until you get there. 

Plus, there is a book January reads throughout this book. It has even more amazing characters in a fantastical setting. I love this book, despite how brief it feels. It is part scientific. Which means there are footnotes, which instantly makes this entire experience all the better. Yet it is also a story. An adorable, adorable story.
The Ten Thousand Doors of January is just so good. I want to reread it already, and I just finished it a first time. I feel absolutely privileged to have read this in my lifetime. Absolutely wonderful.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Alix E. Harrow, Redhook, and Netgalley for providing the opportunity to review this copy!

This is a book to drown in.

January Scaller is precocious, adventurous, and sheltered, qualities that serve her poorly in the mansion of her father's robber-baron employer Mr. Locke, in an early 20th century America that looks down on those who aren't the 'right' color. And January most definitely isn't white . . . though what ethnicity she and her father actually are isn't quite obvious to anyone, for reasons that are (but shouldn't be) a mystery. She's seven years old when she discovers her first Door, one of many mysterious and magical gateways scattered in the secret places of this world, and steps through it to another world---and she's much older when the mysteries of the Doors, and her own family's past, crash down upon her life.

How many ways can I say how much I adored this book? The prose is lush, inventive, addicting . . . I found myself reading it as slowly as I could, savoring each perfect sentence, each effortlessly stunning turn of phrase. I was literally angry at the idea that this book would eventually end.

This is the sort of book that I just want to hand out to strangers. Possibly throw at them. Alix E. Harrow is going straight to the top of my auto-buy list, and I can't wait to see what she comes out with next.

A superb debut, and highly, highly recommended.

A huge thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Absolutely stunning and a strong candidate for the best book of 2019 for me, Ten Thousand Doors of January combines gorgeous prose with equally compelling characters and story. It's a book about books, a story about stories that hooked me in the first paragraph. It couldn't be more my type if it tried.

January Scaller is a mixed-race girl growing up in 1900s America. Her father is often absent, so she lives with his employer, the wealthy and influential Mr. Locke, a member of a secretive archeological society. She's provided for beyond what her father could ever have managed, but horribly lonely and longing for freedom. Then one day her father fails to return...

The story of a young woman who struggles against the restrictions and prejudices of the society of her era and against people who want to chain her and mold her into someone more proper is a familiar one, but for me it works every single time. Though that's not all there is to it, either. There are Doors and adventure and revelations and friends found along the way. It somehow manages to evoke both comforting familiarity and feel fresh and new. If there's anything I could compare to, it would be Seanan McGuire's Wayward Children, but longer and less didactic.

The writing style is the main star of the book. It's achingly beautiful, gorgeous enough to make me highlight almost every paragraph in some sections, yet very easy to read. The atmosphere is so thick you could cut it with a knife - I don't think I've ever encountered a book that instills a sense of wistful nostalgia and yearning quite as well. I found that a lot of modern fantasy is missing the sense of wonder, but this has brought it back in full force.

If anything, I wish we got to spend more time exploring various other worlds. The conclusion is satisfying (it also made me tear up a bit but in a good way I swear) and the length felt just about right for the story, don't get me wrong, but the concept is so interesting I couldn't get enough. 

Enjoyment: 5/5
Execution: 5/5

Recommended to: fans of the Wayward Children novella series, suckers for prose, those who like story-within-a-story structure and books about stories, anyone looking for unique, character-focused books
Not recommended to: this is slower and more "literary" so if you prefer action and excitement or defined magic, you're gonna have a bad time

The whole idea behind this book honestly felt so magical that I knew I had to get my hands on it. Right off the back the reader gets pulled into this worlds filled with such lyrical writing. The writing itself is fantastic and the reader can't help but fall in love with January and see the world through her eyes.

The details that are put into this book makes it so easy to imagine it perfectly. Because the writing itself is so magical, there are moments where everything does feel like magic even when there isn't anything otherworldly happening. The only thing is with such a book that is very influenced by the way the writing is lyrical, it's a slow read. At least for me. It never felt slow when I was reading it, but then I would take a break and notice I really hadn't read all that much.

I think that in itself just shows how much work went into this book. It was interesting I wanted to know more about the characters the further in I got.

DNF'd at 37%

I just couldn't get into it! I found myself insanely bored, and that's so disappointing because I liked the premise! Can't get into the characters, and my god there's so many of them. I definitely feel in the minority when I say this, but I didn't like this at all. I just couldn't get myself to keep reading no matter how hard I tried. I seriously gave up on this. I'm definitely in the minority, so who knows what others may think about it. I just know that for me, this ain't it chief.

Agh! This was fantastic reading. Just magical enough to twinkle a bit and fully engrossing.

Sure some parts of the plot were obvious, no real twists here. But the fun is in the journey of reading this book. I personally love the story within a story style and it works very well here.

My only mild complaint is that I wish the reader had been treated to more descriptions of the worlds behind various doors. Maybe in a future novel? Would love to have a follow up to this. The ending was perfect but there are many ways this could go on as a series.

I stayed up until 2am on a weeknight reading this as I just couldn't put it down. No regrets.

Writing: 4/5 Plot: 4/5 Characters: 3.5/5

Great adventure story! Love, betrayal, and a panoply of creatures, cultures, and “magical” objects that leak through Doors: the thin boundaries between our world and innumerable others.

Our heroine is January Scaller, and the time is ~1900. January is a motherless child of indeterminate color who lives with her father’s employer, the kindly and wealthy Mr. Locke. By comparison, January is told she is “quite improper, willful and temerarious” — temerarious quickly becomes her favorite word :-). However, no thing or person is exactly what they seem in this deliciously complex story that weaves together intricate stories across time and multi-world space.

The Doors represent Change — as January’s father explains it: “Doors 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… Without doors the worlds would grow stagnant, calcified and storyless.” But not everyone is enamored of the “change” the Doors represent, and someone or something is working hard to close them all down, ostensibly to maintain order and bring Progress and Prosperity to our world (but mostly benefiting themselves).

A number of memorable characters step in to help or hinder including: Mr. Locke and his slightly unsettling Archeological Society; Samuel Zappia, January’s only “non-fictional friend;” Jane Irimu, sent from East Africa by way of a predatory Leopard people world by January’s father; and Adelaide Lee Larson “ born of poor luck and poverty and raised by ignorance and solitude,” whose epic love story begins when she meets a ghost boy in an empty field at 15.

Speculative fiction is often used a vehicle for discussing difficult topics through the guise of “other worlds,” and this book is a thinly veiled portrayal of the perception of Change as necessary (liberals) or as something to be feared (conservatives). While I personally favor liberal policies, I don’t appreciate the over simplified and highly stereotyped cabal of rich, white, men that are literally out to rape, pillage, and destroy the happiness and life potential of everyone else. Well-written fiction can feel so real that it is easy for stereotypes like this to be perpetuated without the reader’s conscious awareness. So … great writing and a tremendous girl-power adventure — but a little heavy handed on the definition of the “bad guys” for me.

3.75 stars. Beautifully written historical fantasy full of mystery, magical doorways, and wild, fierce women. Overall very solid, would recommend.

I'll just note that there are two things that stop me from going full on rave mode; one is that it's told as a story-within-a-story, which is a narrative device that I don't particular love. I find that in tends to slow things down, and in this case it felt a bit info dumpy at times, particularly towards the end. But, you know, the fact that I was engaged with it anyways is a real testament to the author's skill!

The other thing is that the end lacked something emotionally for me (part of this is down to the narrative style, as well). I don't want to get into spoiler territory, so I'll just say that I thought there were some missed opportunities when it came to the main character's closest relationships.

But again, overall totally worth a read if you're like me and love magical doorways and feminist tales

This is the book my soul has been waiting for. Harrow has fulfilled every dream I could possibly have for one book. I will be pre-ordering this title and gifting it to all my friends; Thank you, Alix Harrow, for writing the novel of a lifetime.

I really wanted to like this book because it sounded unique and quirky, however I could not finish it. I found it boring and there were too many characters. I didn't like the dual storylines because I couldn't follow each one.
I would have to go back and re-read sections to remind myself of what happened. I would have preferred if the story focused more on the mystery of the doors as opposed to the world behind them. I know many people loved this book and I really wanted to love it as much as they did but unfortunately, it just wasn't my cup of tea.

An absolutely brilliant work - I was hooked from the moment I read the first paragraph and found myself attached to my Kindle almost constantly until I could finish it. The story was gripping, the characters engaging, and I loved the ties to my home state of Kentucky. Before I was even half-way through this book, I immediately got my hands on the author's two previous books.

I think this would be enjoyed most by readers who loved The Bear and The Nightingale, Once Upon A River, or The Rules of Magic.

This story transported me back to the magic of childhood, when abandoned buildings carried wild and magical secrets and it was entirely possible that you had latent supernatural talents that hadn't yet manifested. I was spellbound for hundreds of pages.

I already know I'm going to read this again and again and again.

I hope Alix E. Harrow writes forever! The Ten Thousand Doors of January was one of the most astonishing, refreshing books I have ever read. Hard to believe it's a debut novel.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow (5/5 stars) – ARC Review

“She writes a door of blood and silver. The door opens just for her.”

———————————————-

**THIS ARC WAS PROVIDED COURTESY OF Redhook Books via NetGalley IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW**

Future Publication Date: September 10th, 2019

Execution: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Enjoyment: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Key Descriptors: portal fantasy, prose, oral storytelling, urban fantasy, historical fantasy

Applicable /r/Fantasy Bingo Squares: Vampires, Published in 2019, Title of Four or More Words

Premise: January Scaller is a young girl growing up in the early 1900s. She’s leashed and tamed by a man who thinks of her as just another curio in his collection – but when her father goes missing, she’s forced to confront both her abilities and her past. This is a coming of age novel, a novel about exploring both this world and others, and a novel about lost souls seeking one another out through the ten thousand Doors between worlds.

Review: This book ripped me apart and wrote me back together again. Alix E. Harrow’s debut novel is truly a work of art. I laughed, I cried, and I sat on the edge of my seat in suspense. January’s voice comes through each and every word – first like a gentle rain when her life is filled with upper class stability, and later like a typhoon when she must break away from the chains and preconceived notions holding her back. She wants so badly to be free, but can’t quite tear away without a push.

While the time period is certainly reflected in the prose, do not make the mistake of assuming this book will feel dense or dated. The era floats alongside each passage, gently flavouring the book as a whole. The fourth wall is frequently peeked behind, as January comments on the shapes of letters and what they might be used to communicate. The opening page is one of the best I’ve read –

“When I was seven, I found a door. I suspect I should capitalize that word, so you understand I’m not talking about your garden- or common-variety door that leads reliably white-tiled kitchen or a bedroom closet.

When I was seven, I found a Door. There – look how tall and proud the word stands on the page now, the belly of that D like a black archway leading into white nothing. When you see that word, I imagine a little prickle of familiarity makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.”

I’d continue on with the quote, but I think I’d end up retyping out the whole book if I let myself get carried away. The whole thing is lovely with a beautiful oral storytelling vibe to it. The short of it is: this prose would carry you away even if there weren’t an even deeper current of plot gradually building up speed beneath it.

The first third of this novel had me fooled into thinking this would turn out to be a slice of life novel, right up until January’s father failed to come home one day. Julian has been hired as an archeological explorer by a wealthy patron, Mr. Locke, and thus rarely is home to see his daughter. Possessed of an odd red skin tone and covered in black tattoos, he’s quite a notable figure to pass on the street. Although she sees him seldom and views Locke as more of a father figure in her day-to-day life, this doesn’t stop January’s world from crumbling around her when she’s told her father hasn’t sent back a letter in a three months and is presumed to be dead.

Fortunately, however, her father managed to provide her with one last gift before he disappeared: a small book, titled “The Ten Thousand Doors.” And suddenly, with this, the Door January discovered at seven… is no longer just something that was out of a myth, a perhaps misremembered and foggy memory. It is real. And her father is out there somewhere, trapped in another world – and with the help of three companions, her childhood friend, her dog (affectionately named “Bad”), and a protector sent by her father from another world, she is going to find him – no matter how many Doors she must pass through or how many stories she must track down. Unfortunately, she soon realizes that she herself is pursued by the same group who had been following her father – a group dedicated to shutting the Doors and eliminating anyone with knowledge of them.

“Worlds were supposed to be great rambling houses with all the windows thrown open and the wind and summer rain rushing through them, with magic passages in their closets and treasure chests in their attics. . .”

This is certainly a book about journeys as much as it is about destinations, for on her way, January discovers both a first and a true love (though she is perhaps a bit late in recognizing it), the challenges of fending for herself, and what it’s like not to be alone. The romance is a beautiful one – it is slow, it is delicate, and has that brush of the ephemeral that only a young love can have. January has lived a life where everyone she loves is ripped away from her, and the reader, too, must fear a little that this one will not last.

“Maybe,” he said slowly, “maybe I did not make myself clear before, when i said I was on your side. I meant also that would like to be at your side, to go with you into every door and danger, to run with you into your tangled-up future. For” – and a distant part of me was gratified to note that his voice had gone wobbly and strained – “for always, if you like.”

Time – an unreliable, fractious creature since the asylum – now absented itself entirely from the proceedings. It left the two of us floating, weightless, like a pair of dust motes suspended in an afternoon sunlight.”

Ah, darn, I’ve become carried away and included a long quote again – yet can you possibly blame me? In this case, I can only feel that letting the book speak for itself is the best possible review I can give. Seeing the love and the sheer hope melted my heart. At every turn, this book was plucking at my heartstrings. What is the nature of love, you might ask, and what is required of you when you love someone? That, too, is questioned – and is perhaps something that can only be answered when a test to that love arises.

In all the Doors that hides vampires, were-leopards, or frozen wastelands… there is one that will lead to home. Sometimes, even a closed door can be opened once more.


The Ten Thousand Doors of January can be found on Amazon and Goodreads.

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Los Nefilim by T. Frohock
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wrecker
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison