January Scaller lives in Vermont with her ward, Mr Locke, a wealthy collector who finances her father’s travels to distant parts of the world in exchange for the strange and rare artefacts he finds and sends back. But while he is perpetually searching for the next addition to his employer’s collection, January is searching for something of her own. The books she consumes, the adventures and magic of other worlds, any worlds so long as they aren’t her own, provide much needed escape. She is surrounded by things her father finds and scavenges, rare curiosities in every room, strange and mystifying, everywhere her eyes land, evidence of his life without her. When he visits, their time is brief, and soon he departs, intent on the next thing and January is once more condemned to silence and loneliness.

Mr Locke is kind to her, fair, he lets her accompany him on business and social trips. She has seen something of the world, or a small part of it at least. But these glimpses, although exciting at first, confirm that niggle of worry, confirm that she is different from other people. Outside her small circle, people stare, snigger, treat her as if she is nothing because she is mixed-race, because she is different from them. But when January stumbles across a strange book, the story inside will open up the world – many worlds – all for her. She will finally shrug off the loneliness that has cloaked her for so many years and find the answers, the freedom, the sense of belonging she seeks.

This book highlights the intrinsic thirst for stories we all possess, in some shape or form. It’s also an ode to the power of words, a letter of love and appreciation to stories and all the discovery, mystery, magic and capacity to inspire that they encompass. The Ten Thousand Doors of January is a captivating and nuanced tale with vivid, tantalising imagery and such beautiful, poetic prose. It’s about stories, magic, possibility, freedom, sacrifice and love. January Scaller is brave and courageous. She’s fierce and loyal and one of the most wonderful characters I ever met. I loved following her journey. This book was a real dream from start to finish.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January had me looking at doors out and about and wishing, for a moment, that they did actually lead to other worlds. I’m an adventurer at heart and I’d happily step through. Having said that, this book, the way it snatched me up, felt as if it was a door of its own, an exquisite story, a fascinating world and this was one door, one world, I never would have left. A stunning book. Please read it!

“If one follows the stories, one will nearly always find a doorway buried at their roots.”

My thanks to Little Brown Book Group U.K./Orbit for an eARC via NetGalley of Alix E. Harrow’s historical fantasy, ‘The Ten Thousand Doors of January’, in exchange for an honest review.

This was a wonderful, deeply magical tale. I loved it so much and subsequently purchased both its hardback and audiobook editions. Its cover art is exquisite and provides a taste of what is to come when you open its pages.

It begins in 1901 and its narrator, seven-year old January Scaller, has grown up in Mr. Locke’s sprawling Kentucky mansion, which is filled with strange artefacts and treasures. January’s father, Julian, is travelling the world on behalf of Mr. Locke acquiring new treasures. When January turns seventeen she discovers a battered leather bound book inside a blue Egyptian chest located in Mr. Locke’s Pharaoh Room. Its cover is stamped in gold letters: ‘The Ten Thousand Doors’.

She describes its distinctive smell: “This one smelled unlike any book I’d ever held. Cinnamon and coal smoke, catacombs and loam. ..... It smelled like adventure itself had been harvested in the wild, distilled to a fine wine, and splashed across each page.”

This inspires January’s imagination and a number of times she references ‘Alice in Wonderland’ though reflects “People never got to stay in their Wonderlands, did they? Alice and Dorothy and the Darlings, all dragged back to the mundane world and tucked into bed by their handlers.” This certainly resonated with my own childhood feelings when enraptured by such stories.

Interspersed with January’s account are extracts from the book that tells tales of secret doors that link worlds and those gifted individuals who are able to open them becoming walkers between the worlds.

This is just a slight taste of the wonders within this superb coming of age story. It is an enchanting tale of folklore, magic, adventures, love, and myriad worlds. A literary fantasy that I fell completely in love with. Harrow writes beautifully and brings her characters and settings vividly to life.

I rather envy new readers who will have the adventure of discovering ‘The Ten Thousand Doors of January’ for the first time.

Very highly recommended.

This book was everything I hoped it would be, and more! It was sweet, it was heartbreaking and heart-mending at the same time. Rarely has a book exceeded my expectations, stimulated my imagination and filled me with wonder the way The Ten Thousand Doors of January has. Rarely has a book rekindled my love for reading, my hunger for a good story and beautiful words as this book has.

I abandoned this book 25% in. While I thought the premise was interesting, it was very slow going and after 25% in, I had no interest to keep going, I didn't connect with January nor her story, so I'd rather not continue reading in these cases. I normally love having points of view set in different eras, which was the case here with the story of a woman who knew about the door years before, but I find it a bit dry in this situation and I didn't want to read about her. Alix E. Harrow's writing style was engaging for sure, but I don't think this book was for me. I saw that other reviewers didn't finish this book for the exact same reasons, though readers who pushed all the way through said it was worth it.

for me this was a 3 star book for me. this book for me is a little hard for me to review as for me I loved the start of the book so much, it was so fascinating and captivating, a story about a girl who finds magical doors dn get transported to different worlds sounded so fascinating to me and for the first half it was so good and really loved the main character who has so many flaws in herself but can be so relatable in many situations throughout this book. but sadly for me as the book was continuing on I felt like I was getting distracted every time I was reading and then I wouldn't understand some parts of the book, I know that is of course my own fault but sadly I couldn't connect to the story fully.
sadly for me this book was too slow-paced for me and it seemed like it took ages in the story to really learn about the doors. what I did love though was the writing of the story, this book was written so beautifully and the author has such magical/whimsical writing abilities which was one of my most favourite things about this book.

overall such a great story, beautiful writing and really enjoyed some of the characters in this story, and this will definitely be for so many people and I would recommend it to anyone as I know a lot of people will enjoy their story but sadly for me this wasn't the book for me, which is a shame but thats the way it goes sometimes.

thank you so much to Netgalley for sending E-arc my way.

The writing in this novel is absolutely beautiful and I adored it, however, the story is not what I expected from the blurb and early promotion, therefore, the lack of action made this book difficult to read; I had no interest. It took me over a month to get through.

I would consider returning to this book in a physical format at some point in the future with more accurate expectations because the writing is truly lovely. Knowing now what the book actually consists of I know exactly what customers to recommend it to. I know there is an audience who will love this book, it just wasn’t for me.

THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY is such a magnificent read! There is a fantastic and likable heroine that I cheered on from the first to the last page. There is a captivating and magical plot that kept me glued to the page. And, lastly but not least, a beautiful writing style that made me say to myself “Just one more chapter” and suddenly I found myself at the end of the novel.

January Scaller is the protagonist of the novel. When we meet her she is seven years old. She is orphan of mother, her father travels a lot for work, and she is left in the care of Mr. Locke, her father’s employer. During a work trip with Mr. Locke, January finds her first door. But this is not a simple door and January finds herself in a different world. Years pass by, January forgets about the door and, to please Mr. Locke, she behaves like the good girl she is expected to be, but then she finds a book, a book that narrates of doors, new worlds, adventures, and a beautiful love story and her life changes forever.

January is a special character. Red-skinned and with no past, she is accepted by the outside world because of her relationship with Mr. Locke, a wealthy and important white man. January is also brave, smart, and resourceful, useful skills when she finds herself chased by the villains of the novel. Like every hero in the novels, January has her own helpers: Jane, a mysterious and courageous woman who appeared suddenly in January’s life; Samuel Zappia, January’s childhood friend, and, my absolute favourite, (Sin)Bad, her loyal dog.

The story is beautiful and enchanting. There is folklore, magic, friendship, and love that come to life thanks to the author unique prose. I loved the structure of the novel, especially the book within the book. Like January, I was fascinated and engrossed in the book and I couldn’t wait to read more.

The author masterfully mixes fantasy and literary fiction, so even if you don’t like fantasy novels, you are going to enjoy THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY, an unforgettable and original story that will stay with me for a long time.

I just fell in love with the beautiful cover for The Ten Thousand Doors of January although, of course, you should never judge etc. etc. Happily though this magical book from Alix Harrow more than fulfilled my early infatuation. There are so many facets to this magical book like racism, bullying, family dynamics, destiny, portals but, above all, love. January Scaller is a feisty, stubborn, headstrong child, living with a guardian, Mr Locke, while her father travels worlds seeking out artefacts for Mr Locke and his cronies. Alix Harrow writes beautifully, her characterisation is superb, her descriptions mesmerising and her dialogue absorbing. It’s a book that takes a while to fully appreciate but once you’ve drawn in you’re well and truly sucked in. It demands a sequel. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This is such a beautiful book. Stepping through the void to find adventure and love. I was hooked from the beginning, and have already preordered it i loved it that much

I was very excited to get a NetGalley of this book, after hearing about it for quite some time, and I must say, it didn't disappoint. It's not necessarily the sort of book I normally read, but that's part of the fun!

This is, first-off, a gorgeously-written book. It has an effortlessly beautiful narrative style, for not just the primary narrator, but the secondary as well. Yes, there's two, and the book-with-a-book style works very well, too, skilfully tied together and progressing hand-in-hand and revealing their twists at just the right time. The lush prose and strong voice gets you through a bit of a slow start, where the narrator promises much but is slow to deliver the actual surprises. Once it gets going, though, it becomes very hard to put down...

It has a very classic feel to it, albeit with 21st C sensibilities. Part of this is the turn-of-the-(20th)-century setting, which influences the voice, but seems to have also have influenced the style of the story itself. We have a young not-quite-orphan with a brave, absent parent; a stern, rich guardian; a loyal pet; and many secrets to uncover. All sorts of classic children's stories come to mind - and this isn't a bad thing - though this isn't quite a children's story, though it doesn't feel that far off a classic YA (the language may be a bit rich for a modern YA? I'm not an expert).

The characters and the fantasy elements are the icing on the cake, here, blending wonderfully with the classic setting and style, shaking it up and making it a truly modern fantasy. I'll leave it for you to explore, but it's clear why there was such buzz about this book, and I wouldn't be surprised if it makes a big splash.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book and it certainly lived up to what I expected. It started off a bit slow for me and I was certainly confused for the first half of the book but it was certainly setting it all up to be really intriguing.

There was a specific reveal that made me realise where the book was actually going and what was trying to be achieved. It was really clever how it was a book being read inside a book I was reading. This was a really interesting way of telling a story.

The language was beautiful and the description was fabulous. I really connected with the main character January and I really enjoyed following her story and I really felt for her at parts of the book.

Overall a very enjoyable, rounded book and beautifully written.

★★★✰✰ 3 stars

“Reason and rationality reigned supreme, and there was no room for magic or mystery. There was no room, it turned out, for little girls who wandered off the edge of the map and told the truth about the mad, impossible things they found there.”


Readers who have yet to dip their toes in the vast sea of YA fiction will probably enjoy The Ten Thousand Doors of January more than those who are well acquainted with this popular genre.

In spite of its first promising chapters, The Ten Thousand Doors of January never quite reaches its full potential.
The premise of the book called to mind Seanan McGuire's Wayward Children series—which also stars 'magical' doors—and the more adventure/travelling oriented YA such as Alexandra Bracken's Passenger. The start of The Ten Thousand Doors of January, with its focus on the relationship between a young child and her guardian, held echoes of Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass and Cornelia Funke's The Inkheart Trilogy: Inkheart, Inkspell, Inkdeath. What followed sadly lacked the magic of these two series and throughout my reading of The Ten Thousand Doors of January I had the impression that it's the kind of book that doesn't know wherever it's aimed towards middle-grade or young adult readers...it stars cartoonish characters that would be more suited to a MG while also trying to address more serious themes, all the while attempting to establish a complex 'magical' system.

The Good
Occasionally I do like to first address the good things—or to be more accurate, the things I personally liked—in a book. In the case of The Ten Thousand Doors of January that would be the writing style. Alix E. Harrow's writing style was the best aspect of her debut novel.

“Books can smell of cheap thrills or painstaking scholarship, of literary weight or unsolved mysteries.”


The first-person point of view allows for a compelling and engaging narrative, a narrative which our protagonist is aware of:

“I ought to introduce Mr. Locke properly; he'd hate to wander into the story in such a casual, slantwise way.”


This awareness creates many charming moments as she intersperses her narrative with many amusing asides, for example telling us what she thinks of certain words or sayings: “After that, our fates were more or less sealed (a phrase that always makes me picture a weary old Fate tucking our futures into an envelope and pressing her wax seal over us).”
The openness of January's storytelling is incredibly effective as it holds the reader's attention and makes us sympathise with her.

“But, as Mr. Locke so often complained, I could sometimes be quite improper, wilful, and temerarious (a word I assumed was unflattering from the company it kept).”


That she often refers to existing stories/tales of children wandering into magical realms or such places acknowledges the intertextuality of her own story.

“People never got to stay in their Wonderlands, did they? Alice and Dorothy and the Darlings, all dragged back to the mundane world and tucked into bed by their handlers.”


And it is the very way that January recounts her own story that kept me interested...it was also nice to follow her character growth. Due to her father and her own appearance (she is described as having coppery-red skin) she is pegged as 'no good'. Because of this, January does try to meet expectations of respectable femininity, an attitude which—as she herself notes later in her narrative—will hinder her future independence. We could see the way her circumstances affected and shaped her.

The Not so Good
Although I loved the portions recounted by January herself, incorporated in her narrative are sections from a book that she is reading...called The Ten Thousand Doors. These sections were boring and led to a very predictable reveal.
The magical doors that we are promised in the summary of....do not really make a 'proper' appearance as we are told of the adventures of other characters in a very rushed and indirect manner. I was hoping that the story would follow January's adventures but that wasn't the case. She reads of other people's adventures, and it is only it last 20% or so that she actually gets to do something more enterprising.
The book she reads is supposedly written by a scholar but it just seemed pale when compared to January's own narrative. While her voice is engaging and genuine, the book she's reading never really convinced me. It seemed to be trying for a similar effect as January's sections but the 'author's' voice failed to come across as believable or even as belonging to an actual individual.
The magic system, in other words the Doors, was poorly explained and explored. Parts that should have been more detailed and fleshed out are rushed over so that we never get a clear picture of how a Door works, we know they introduce “change”, which is a very generic way of defining them.
There is little to no action and, with the exception of January, the characters we are introduced to never seemed very fleshed out. Some had very inconsistent personalities while others, such as the love interest, were painfully dull additions. And it isn't great when as soon as we are introduced to a character we know the role they will play. Take for example this love interest. As soon as the words “childhood friend” and “boy” appeared on the page it was quite obvious that he would form a romantic attachment to January. His main two qualities are: he is Italian and he likes January. That's about it (his name/appearance/personality are pretty much irrelevant).
I think that having more characters would have filled up the backdrop of January's non-adventures a bit more. Maybe it could have detracted from the overall one-sidedness of two or three people in her life. Other than January there are mainly two other female characters, and they seem to share the same I-am-sort-of-empowered personality. With the exception of January's father and her love interest all men sort of suck, seeming closer to caricatures of evil men rather than actual evil men.
The story had very little to it. While I loved January's narrative voice, I disliked the way the writing would sometimes use metaphors or description that seemed to exist merely to meet certain YA aesthetics (we have the typical overabundance of colours: “I dreamed in gold and indigo”; as well as descriptions alluding to 'glitter/shards': “The thought was dizzying, intoxicating—I'd already broken so many rules tonight, left them smashed and glittering in my wake—what was one more?”).

Overall
The summary and first few chapters lead to disappointment. The simplified vision of evil, the boring and wafer-thin side characters, and the poorly developed 'Doors' all left me with a not so great impression of this book.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January is a coming of age tale set within a fantasy world where there are Doors which lead to other worlds, often mystical and mesmerising but sometimes frightening places (*not a spoiler – we know from the outset about the Doors).

We are introduced to January Scaller as a mixed race child, essentially being brought up by millionaire Cornelius Locke in a home filled with mysterious artifacts and collectibles. It is her black father, Julian Scaller, who travels widely collecting treasures for Cornelius’ collection. One day, she stumbles across one of these Doors and steps through it. Her curiosity is piqued and she never looks back.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January is impressively written with something for everyone: a touch of the love story, a twinkle of magic and mystery, presentation of issues such as classism and racism and there’s even the obligatory (cute and loyal) dog – Sinbad – to cheer for! I also found it incredibly “quotable”. When I was deciding which few lines to share, I was spoiled for choice. There are plenty of passages that will reach out to you on some personal level and seem utterly relevant, just for you. This was mine.

“I was raised in a world where words have power, where curves and spirals of ink adorn sails and skin, where a sufficiently talented word-worker might reach out and remake her world.”

Ultimately, The Ten Thousand Doors of January is a fantasy which waxes philosophical about the meaning of life and the lost opportunities we all face down in making our everyday choices. When you close one Door, does it stay shut forever?

My rating is a (strong) 4 / 5. I think you might agree.

Many thanks to @netgalley and @orbitbooks at @littlebrownbookgroup_uk for the advance copy in exchange for honest review. Congratulations to Alex E. Harrow – I’m sure this will be a runaway success and open lots of Doors for you!

Release date 12th September 2019

I fell in love with the cover and then I slowly fell in love with the book. It took three times to get hooked because I started then stopped and restarted because I couldn't stop thinking about this book.
The style of writing is amazing and hypnotic, I was fascinated by how the writer crafted the phrases and fleshed the characters.
The main issue was the pace: it's slow and this is not a book you can read fast because it takes quite a huge number of pages before something happen and it's not only a a telling of January growing up.
The style of writing made come back and after a while I got the prize, the book started to be more engrossing and then I was hooked.
Take your time, savour the words and you're in for a wonderful travel in an amazing world.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

After growing up under the watchful eye of her wealthy benefactor, Cornelius Locke, who employs her father to travel the world in search of unique oddities and treasures to add to his growing collection, January Scaller can’t help but feel part of the furniture: well kept but mostly ignored. However, when her father disappears, she discovers a book that sends her into the new worlds which lay behind secret doors. With an unlikely crew including the grocer’s son and a mysterious woman hired by her father, January begins her search which will ultimately question what she knows and the world around her.

It’s been a few days between finishing the book and writing the review you read now, and I’m kept thinking about it. So I’m not even sure how to explain what worked so well with this book. I didn’t even have any expectations for this book, and its cover mainly enticed me. However, when I finished reading, I was utterly enthralled. The open concept of the story seems so simple, but Harrow does such a great job at making it so unique, spinning a tale of love and loss and finding yourself after a long time. The characters stood so well on their own, but when they come together, they are a team to adore. This book is what I’d call a quiet read: nothing loud nor brutal. Harrow creates such an atmospheric tone that shone through this book entirely. As a child, a common daydream of mine was finding doors to new worlds, so January’s journey truly felt like a love letter to my own childhood dream.

January is a young girl who feels lost until she accidentally discovers a book that opens her world beyond the Locke estate. Set in the early 1900s, January is aware of her privilege and her ability to live a life of wealth that most mixed-race girls would never have been granted. I also appreciated that the book didn’t shy away from racism, classism and sexism, especially for the period its set in. She discovers the existence of Doors that open into new worlds and learns about the true circumstance of her family history. Reading this book felt quite dreamlike, the writing so lyrical and immersive, a calling to those who wish to wander to lands beyond our wildest dreams.

January as our protagonist is incredible, a fish out of water and must survive on her own for the first time in her life. I felt for her need to leave and discover life on her own terms. Jane, hired by January’s father, is equally compelling. Samuel, the grocer’s son, is lacking in characterisation but can’t really give it much fault as he isn’t as crucial to the story as the two leading ladies. The book also follows two others: Adelaide and Yule Ian, two people who cross many worlds to find each other, their story the most heartbreaking in my opinion. The villains are corrupted, faceless men who move in the shadows they have created, and are hellbent on making sure January doesn’t bring a flame to their power.

Overall, I adored the Ten Thousand Doors of January. A charming and magical adventure about a girl who persevers in the face of resistance. A story I didn’t know I needed, but I will appreciate for a long time.

Wow. That is the word this book left me with. Other than that, I’m not really sure where to begin with this review, because there are so many things to be said about this novel.

I can start here: this story is not just a story about a girl named January that steps through a Door. This is not just her story. It is a story about words and their power, a story about the importance of change, and a story of love.

The language is quirky and whimsically beautiful, where the narrator sometimes describes the words she writes, which makes it peculiar to read sometimes. It does convey a strong love for the written language, as well as for storytelling; both through the language itself, but also through the characters and worlds described.
The Ten Thousand Doors of January reminded me of the His Dark Materials-books by Philip Pullman, as well as of the Strange the Dreamer-duology by Laini Taylor – despite the fact that Harrow has firmly stated that it is not a young adult novel at all, but aimed at adults. I think it works for both – it is a tale that could be read to children, and read by wrinkled old ladies on the porch.

It is a multi-faceted novel, and it brings up a lot of important topics, like gender roles/feminism, racism and a world segregating between people based on skin colour, economical status, or anything else. It does not shy away from facing these problematic themes, but embraces them by pointing out the wrongs, and showing by example that girls can be heroes, women adventurous and men scholarly, without losing a bit of their identity. Even if the setting is historical, the themes, like equality and racism, are still as important today.

My one concern with the book was the story arc itself. It was such a magical setting and such strong characters that it felt as if the actual story had to take a step back. The events in themselves were not surprising, and it stagnated a little in the middle; while it happened quite a lot in one story line, it still felt like the story was threading water and not making any progress. I still enjoyed reading it, but the focus is not actually on the events of the book, but on the characters, their story, and the importance of stories everywhere (which, in a way, is slightly contradictory, I guess).

I can talk for ages more about this novel, but I’ll leave it to you to discover its magic on your own now, if you so choose. I will definitely buy a beautiful hardback copy of it myself, to reread whenever I’m in need of some magic, or when I need to be reminded of the power of stories.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January is a strangely magically weird book, that I recommend to everyone – but especially to those that love the magic of reading. 4.5 stars, rounded up to five magical stars!

The blurb for The Ten thousand doors of January is one of those that do not quite do justice to the true magic that within the pages. Most would read it and think they are going to depart on a rich portal fantasy. This is both utterly true and completely false all at the same time. The Ten thousand doors of January is like no other portal fantasy I have read before. It is a complex and beautifully woven tapestry of tales of growning up, finding yourself, finding your souls home, tales of family and friendship and of course the magic of other worlds.

The writing in this book is everything. It is actually dual perspective but in the most fascinating of ways, we have January’s tale a recounting of her life, encountering Doors (with a capital) and how they changed everything she knew, but also we get the chapters of the mysterious book January encounters. It starts as an Academic Dissertation of the Theory of such Doors and dissolves into the personal journey of that books writer. These two perspectives and their stories become linked in such an intricate and balanced yet delicate manner, as you the reader move through both stories, that in itself is truly magical.

The glimpses we get bind some of the Doors is filled with rich descriptions and depth of emotion, that hint at so much more being contained behind them with all of their own stories, if only we could spend more time there. In fact my only criticism is I wish there was more worlds to explore and more time spent in them. Then again, that would make this a very different and probably slightly less magical book.

While the world building is delicious, I would say this is more of a character driven tale. It’s about the relationships January his built throughout her life, those she has lost and wishes to regain, those that are not what she originally thought. It’s about her growing up and finding herself. I enjoyed January as a character, she didn’t fall into the “chosen one” instead she learned and grew over time, established herself and her relationships. The questioning of what makes the villain and Villain (capital V) is also an interesting aspect. It questions a lot of these sorts of aspects and that’s what makes these characters interesting.

The pacing is slow but not in a detrimental way. Instead it allows you to savour moments, pick up on connections and see how everything intertwines in such a natural and conversational way. It has dashes of romance, of magic, of mystery all in the right places to keep the pages turning. Harrow manages to project a feeling of bittersweet melancholy with the golden lining of hope that is just gorgeous to read. The whole book just has that lovely comforting feeling of something magical and warming, sweet but not sickly. It is lyrical, imaginative and quite possibly my favourite read of the year!

Finally, The Ten Thousand Doors of January is a story about books, about stories and about words. It’s about the power all of these have to change a persons thoughts, feelings, circumstances. How they shape knowledge, how they can transport a person somewhere entirely and how they can have impact in people lives. There is a hidden love letter to tales, stories and books buried within the pages of this story. As a passionate reader myself this resonated with me, it sung a song I recognised so strongly. From the first page I knew I had encountered something special, by the end of that page I had pre-ordered the book, and by the last page I was glad I had. It’s just beautiful.

January Scaller, 7years old and lives with her father’s employer, Mr Locke. He is a wealthy man who is a collector of antiquities and items from around the world. January’s father, Julian is Mr Locke’s Agent, who searches for these items and in return January is cared for and even has a nursemaid.

January finds a diary and writes stories to keep herself amused, she is bored and lonely. One day she runs off and finds a Door, going through it, she finds another world…..She returns, Locke finds her, throws her diary away and locks her in her room for days until she learns to behave……so she does, for ten years. But she still has the silver coin she found in the other world…

I don’t want to say too much about the actual plot, other than it is utterly mesmerising.

A beautifully written piece of literary fiction, with magic, alternate worlds, and even a vampire. A tale of movement, of not standing still, of taking chances in a world where you don’t feel you fit in….what is behind the next Door?

“Those of you who are more than casually familiar with books—those of you who spend your free afternoons in fusty bookshops, who offer furtive, kindly strokes along the spines of familiar titles—understand that page riffling is an essential element in the process of introducing oneself to a new book. It isn’t about reading the words; it’s about reading the smell, which wafts from the pages in a cloud of dust and wood pulp. It might smell expensive and well bound, or it might smell of tissue-thin paper and blurred two-color prints, or of fifty years unread in the home of a tobacco-smoking old man. Books can smell of cheap thrills or painstaking scholarship, of literary weight or unsolved mysteries.”

I haven’t read a book like this before, it is a masterpiece of storytelling by Alix E Harrow. It will touch a nerve for anyone who loves books, as we know each one opens a door to another world. An absolute must read.

Thank you to The Author, the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this for free. This is my honest, unbiased review.

5 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2019/09/09/the-ten-thousand-doors-of-january-by-alix-e-harrow/
Oh my giddy aunt – this book just blew me away. It’s like a love letter to fantasy fiction readers. It left me thinking of so many things all at once and put me in mind of Narnia, Wonderland, Pan’s Labyrinth and Middle Earth whilst being nothing like any of those things. A book of infinite possibilities filled with doors, locks and keys and wonderful characters. This is a literary masterpiece that is just begging to become a classic and by the time I put this down I had goosebumps breaking out and tears threatening to spill. The only problem I now have is how to write a review that does this book justice.

Well, I’ll start off with my one issue or possible criticism – simply to get it out of the way early and to give you a hint of what you might expect. This is a book with a slow start. I would say it took me almost 30% of the story to become really invested – now that might sound a bit much but maybe take that with a pince of salt because I can be something of an eager beaver when I first start a new book and the early chapters, whilst beautifully written are primarily setting up the stall. We meet January and are introduced to her special circumstances. January and her father live under the care of an incredibly wealthy man named Locke. Locke has a huge estate and his mansion is packed to the rafters with antiquities. January’s father is employed by Locke to recover ancient artefacts and whilst he is away (for huge amounts of time) January remains under the custody of Locke. Locke also travels extensively and often takes January with him. During one of these excursions and whilst January is still only a little girl she stumbles upon a doorway to a different place. Of course her little adventure is deemed the nonsensical fancies of a young mind and as a result she finds herself under careful scrutiny from then onwards and until she can prove that she can behave like a rational young lady. The years move on and apart from January receiving a few mysterious gifts little of substance really takes place other than her discovery of a book that tells a strange adventure and a tale of love, she receives a puppy and then a mystery woman comes to stay with her to act as companion (at the request of her father). Then, out of the blue, January receives news that completely shatter her world.

I’m not going to go any further into the plot to be honest. This is such an unusual story, and quite unlike anything I can recall reading before, that I don’t want to give anything away. So, other than a slightly slow start during which I become more and more curious about where the story was going I can say without hesitation that this is a beautifully crafted story. Just take your time and be patient with it and all will become clear and as far as I’m concerned it’s absolutely, without doubt, worth the effort. To be honest, I wish that I’d taken this read slower to start with but I’m always in such a rush, so impatient to see what comes next and racing through the pages like some sort of raging maniac. Don’t be me. Take the time to enjoy the introduction – this is a book that I will definitely return to and next time around I will read it like a grown up and show it the respect it deserves.

In terms of world building. There’s so much going on here that I can’t really begin to outline it. We start the story around 1900/1901 – I can’t recall exactly the year but it was deemed to be a time of infinite possibilities. To all extents January lives an incredibly privileged life in a large house and grounds. She never completely fits in though and often experiences bouts of loneliness, longing to accompany her father on one of his adventures but of course being forbidden due to the potential danger. The author tells a story within a story and so we get to experience more than a few different places, all brought vividly to life on the page.

The writing style – well, it’s something that I loved. In fairness you might say it’s detailed but I think it’s necessary and really gives a feeling for the period.

The characters are very well done. January is great to read about, particularly watching her progression from a meek and mild young woman to somebody who will stand up for herself. She experiences a number of awful encounters that really shake her out of her naivety although she still grasps on to a certain amount of innocence and longing for people to be better than they are right up to the bitter end. As I mentioned, January has been sheltered for most her life, without the protective umbrella of a wealthy custodian she feels the true weight of prejudice and hate that are held at bay by money and position. I’m being a bit vague here, not wanting to unwittingly supply spoilers. There is a baddy to this story but the main focus revolves around a secret society, if you will, a gentleman’s club with very restricted access. I actually loved reading the story of January’s parents and the way that both the stories eventually come together in such a satisfying way.

So, what else can I tell you. In a nutshell, portals, coming of age, many different worlds and experiences, gothic goodness, asylums, different cultures, family ties, friends, love and a great dog called Bad.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

WOW. This book is every bit as wonderful, enchanting and charming as you’d hope for after such an intriguing synopsis. I can’t quite describe how much it touched me and took me back to the feeling of being younger and reading a fantastical story and desperately wishing it was real. This story is one for readers who love magic in the everyday, those who enjoy a beautifully crafted story and want to root for characters who feel achingly real.

The book is focused on January Scaller, a bi-racial young girl who has spent all her life under the care of Mr. Locke, a collector of strange and wonderful oddities. She spends most of her life alone and largely ignored, partly due to her position as ward and also because she is a woman of colour in an upper class, white dominated world. She longs for adventure and travel with her father, Julian who travels to exotic and far flung locations to add items to Mr Lockes collection. Her life is pretty much hum drum until one day when seven year old January finds a Door. This is not just any door however, this door allows her to enter a whole other world and begins a quest for knowledge, magic and adventure beyond her wildest dreams…

“It is at the moments when the doors open, when things flow between the worlds, that stories happen.”

After this discovery, January is told to forget all about it and focus on being a refined and well behaved young lady and for a time, she adheres to Lockes rules…that is until she finds a mysterious book entitled ‘The Ten Thousand Doors’ and it changes everything. Within the book, January reads about a bold young woman named Adelaide who meets a young man who came through a mysterious door, and their touching and beautiful love story, their untimely separation then long journey back to each other. I loved the ‘book within a book’ feature here, it works so well, while we’re reading Januarys story, we also get to follow the tale of ‘The Ten Thousand Doors’ and I was super invested in both threads. It was so enjoyable reading the way fact and fiction merged for January and how the book acts as a wondrous escape and source of power for a girl who loves stories. I think we can all relate to indulging in a good book, movie or tv series and it being a source of escapism, and ‘The Ten Thousand Doors of January‘ offers all that and more.

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

I really liked January and she was such an interesting and intelligent protagonist, with quirks and flaws which made her feel real. I think that her relationships with the other characters, also emphasised all the qualities I liked so much; her care, compassion and courage to name a few. She has a complicated relationship with her father, who is absent a lot of the time and towards her guardian, Mr Locke. This is something she struggles with, as she feels indebted to Locke for his perceived kindness but also recognises that he views her as an oddity, not a person in her own right and wishes to mould her into what he wants. I liked that Harrow explores the racial tension of the time period and doesn’t gloss over it, as exhibited when January is placed in an asylum due to her standing up to Locke and his cronies. It shows just how fragile her position is and how easy it is for the powers that be to subdue those who don’t fit into the tidy margins they put others into.

“This was the true violence Mr. Locke had done to me. 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.“

Unlike in some books in this genre, the secondary characters are just as well realised as January and I really liked how they fit in to the story and shaped the narrative. I loved Jane and Samuel and Jan’s beloved dog, Sindbad. Janes backstory in particular was amazing and I’d happily read a whole book based on her adventures prior to meeting January. Every heroine needs a loyal furry friend and Sindbad, or just Bad as he is called, is the most adorable little guy. Samuel is Januarys only friend growing up, they bond over reading and he offers her a view into the outside world, without any restrictions or barriers. They had such a sweet, budding love story and it’s nice to read a book where the characters are shy around each other and take it slow.

The writing is absolutely stunning and there were so many excellent passages and quotes, it’s descriptive in the best way, so utterly lush and immersive. I can’t believe that this is a debut novel, because Alix E. Harrow has such a mastery of wording and tone which is truly hard to find. After doing a little research, I’ve found that Harrow has written some short stories which I’m definitely interested in reading, I seriously adore her writing so I can’t wait to dive in to those.

Overall, The Ten Thousand Doors of January was a joy to read and I can’t sing its praises highly enough. It had everything which I love in a story; magic, adventure, emotion and a courageous and flawed heroine, making it the complete package. This novel definitely deserves all the success and hype it will undoubtedly receive and I know that others will love it just as much as I did. It’s a love letter to reading and the wonder of a really good book.