4 stars!

Beautiful, whimsical, magical writing for a beautiful, whimsical, magical story.

I highly recommend going into this book without knowing too much about it, and just enjoying the ride for what it is.

In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and
utterly out of place. Then she finds a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds, and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. Each page turn reveals impossible truths about the world and January
discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own.

There’s something incredibly nostalgic about the magic and the way it’s portrayed, and the prose is incredibly beautiful.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow is a fantasy novel that follows a young girl who discovers a mysterious book that leads her on a journey of self-discovery. The novel is well-written, with engaging characters and an imaginative world. However, the pacing may be slow for some readers, and the nonlinear narrative structure may be confusing. Overall, The Ten Thousand Doors of January is a decent read for fans of fantasy who enjoy character-driven stories.

I loved the idea of a story within a story, but unfortunately both stories lagged for me at times. I thought it would be a bit more of a thrilling adventure but it felt more like a family history.

3.5 stars! I found this book slow initially going in, but once I reached around the halfway mark and everything came together I started to really find myself hooked. I really liked the writing style and the concept of escaping into other worlds through doors. January was also a really interesting character, and I liked learning the backstory of Ade and Julian, although I think the book within a book execution initially threw me off somewhat and made it harder for me to get invested at first. The fact they made the main characters POC was a good choice, and the inclusion of racial prejudice was well thought out. I feel like this could be expanded into a second book perhaps, but it was nice as a standalone and I think the ending's ambiguity worked well.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
2.5/5 ⭐
I loved the idea of having countless doors and moving between worlds. The story of Ade and Yule was perfect. Though the writing was good, the very detailed writing kind of slowed the pace of the book to a great extent. January was not impressive enough to be loved or cared for. I expected some serious action at times and that never happened. In many places I felt like the portals, lives and actions in 'Wayward Children' series was far better. I would've been happy with 60% size of the book, a little action and a better January.

I've heard a lot of good things about the book, which is why I really wanted to read it myself. Since English is not my first language, I hesitated a little longer to finally read the book, but now I've done it. It was a little difficult for me to get into the book because I had to get used to the writing style first. At the beginning I did not understand immediately that the chapters are divided into the view of January and then into each chapter of the book “The ten thousand doors”. But after I understood this, I was able to follow the story very well and I was able to cheer for January. The book reminded me directly of “The Starless Sea”. It is a very extraordinary story, behind which there is more hiding than you might first think.

January is an extraordinary person. She begins a journey on which she not only gets to know herself, but also her parents and life better, and finds the meaning of life there. I was very happy to accompany January on this trip because I really enjoyed the change she made. She went from being a shy girl to a young self-confident woman who stands up for herself and her friends.
Through the action, you get to know more and more people who play a major role in the course of the action. They are all important to the book and to January's development. I really enjoyed the fact that nobody plays an unimportant role, but that everything is connected and ultimately forms a large overall concept.

I liked the book a lot. Due to the extraordinary writing style, it was often difficult to really understand the feelings and a little harder to follow the action at the beginning. “The ten thousand doors of January” gets ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars from me.

I've purposefully been holding onto this book so that I could read it in January because that is the level of geek I am bringing to the table. Protagonist January has a distinctive voice from the outset and there's a real Southern vibe. Alix E. Harrow is a first rate world builder and Ten Thousand Doors is ambitious and bursting with imagination and creativity. I nominate Samuel Zappia for Best Supporting Character. Shout out to Jane too, for being badass. "The Ten Thousand Doors Of January" is about lots of things but mostly it's about the power of words. I enjoyed the inclusion of the extraordinarily authentic-sounding Footnotes. I loved the Doors and worlds and patriarchal baddies. A magical adventure!

This book has some of the most mixed reviews I have ever come across, it seems to fall into two categories for most people.. it is either your favourite book or you hated it it’s rare to see someone have a middle of the road reaction to this book.

It took me a while to get into it until I discovered one of my favourite audio narrators narrates the audiobook for this and she is sublime, anything she narrates I am positive I will love, she brings each character to life and her talent blows my mind.

If your unsure about picking this one up, get the audio and you’ll be swept up into the world.

Absolutely phenomenal. The Ten Thousand Doors of January despite being a mouthful for a title ;) was such a captivating read that kept me glued to the plot. I had to put it down for a while just because mid-way through I was on a roller-coaster that swayed with the book's atmospheric presence.

January was such a commendable narrator- you really felt for her and the eccentric-ness of what she was experiencing, especially considering the underlying mellowness of the book. This would be perfect for those wanting to dip their feet into fantasy and magic realism but not entirely in the mood for intensity. The only thing I didn't like as much was the whole " mysterious book subplot" due to the at times bland execution, but it was minor compared to how lush the rest of the book was.
✨✨✨✨

The best way to describe this book is the great stories quote by Samwise Gamgee in LOTR.

This book is that incredible and beautiful that I hope it achieves the status of being one of the best books of our generation that it deserves.

Alix E Harrow has wrote a book that spans worlds and stretches your imagination as far as it can go...and yet it is all heart and emotion. What a wonderful combination...and how talented do you have to be to achieve that?!
I really felt this book. I felt it affect me personally...and I want to believe that these Doors are real and it almost seems impossible they are not.

January is such a wonderful character...I adored her. The adventure we go on with her is just so intense...that I truly believe she is an iconic literary character from now on. Up there with Elizabeth Bennett & Clare DeTamble.

There were a few points towards the end where I literally thought 'please don't end this now as it will ruin it' & then it would continue and I would be delighted...and yes, the ending is as good as the rest of the book. I loved the ending...which is so rare when I am as enthralled as I was with this story.

Also for the first half of the book...the word shush was so overused that it was irritating...but towards the end I realised it was deliberate and I really felt the Doors due to their descriptions...and somehow that sound had become important...through the progression of the story. Which again shows how well woven this story was.

I don't want to say much more...because this book just needs to be felt and experienced in your own way but I wouldn't be overstating it when I say that this book is a masterpiece.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review :)

I just finished this book and I am very emotional. The book follows January and her family during a journey of self-discovery through different magical worlds. This books felt like a tribute to Magical Doors and the importance of magic and myth into the world. The writing is incredibly beautiful and it reminded me of Erin Morgenstern's lyrical prose. I totally loved it.

Also, the characters are interesting, passionate and complex. January is a complex girl and her journey from a scared and lost child to an independent strong woman is fantastic. I could see how she evolved after every event, how everything changed her little by little. In addition, I enjoyed reading about the villain - complex interesting strong and intelligent character.

The story line is easy to follow and keeps you to the edge of the seat. The last 40% of the book I had to read it in one sitting.

I read The Ten Thousand Doors of January and The Starless Sea alongside each other, not realising how many similarities the two books would have. Now that I'm finished with both, my main though is that they would have worked well combined - I would have loved to have Zachary and Dorian jumping between different times and worlds, exploring the universe in pursuit of unravelling some greater mystery. Alas, the two books were separate, and this one, much like its counterpart, has its perks and shortcomings.

What kept me hooked was the overall mystery of the narrative. Who was closing the doors? Why? What was on the other side? It would have been awesome to see more of the different worlds, but I loved all the glimpses we did get, and the overarching idea that Doors bring change into each world and manifest themselves into stories and legends.

Read full review: https://pollyan8.wixsite.com/already-booked/post/the-ten-thousand-doors-of-january-and-the-power-of-an-engaging-narrative

ES:

In 'The Ten Thousand Doors of January' Alix E. Harrow bring as a portal fantasy type of story that, in my opinion, has claimed its place among 'The chronicles of Narnia' or 'Alice´s Adventures in Wonderland'.
In this book we meet January, a girl who, one day found a Door. Yes, a Door, with capital letters...and beyond it, it was a World.
This is a story of stories. A story about h0w that encounter with a Door led January, and the reader to start a quest to understand herself and her origins, as well as the importance of freedom and being oneself...all of that using fantasy as a tool and as a metaphor.
This is a slow-paced, character driven story of a girl who lives in the beginning of the 20th century as a protegeé of a wealthy patron while her father works for this man at the other end of the world. Everything is very neat and rigid until she finds the Door and other objects led her to her own past and her own reflections of herself.

This second part of the story is important because, although the main goal of the story is knowing January´s connection to this Doors, Harrow was able to show, very well-crafted and raw at the same time, how was the life of women in this time period and what happened to those who rebel against it....and it was heartbreaking.
Because of all these matters and the harsh scenes in which they happened it is important to highlight that this is an adult book.

Lastly I want to highlight the incredibly well crafted story and how flowery and metaphorical the style is. It adds that whimsical fairytale or old-fashioned horror book vibe to it, depending on the fragment. And I adore it!

Maybe the only issue I had with this book is that the pacing. The beginning it is slow and confusing (which it is important as we are meant to feel just like January...and the pieces of the puzzle never fit when you lay them down in the floor the beginning, don´t they?). Despite this, the story is worthy and gripping.

Honestly this book is reaaaaaally bad representation. As a white person I felt uncomfortable with the language used to describe the main character who is biracial. This book is written by a white woman and contains a few racial slurs. I don’t think I’ll be picking anything up by this author again.

DNF @ 36% - I tried, I really tried to keep going with this book but I was just so utterly bored of the plot and the characters. I expected an adventure filled book learning about new worlds and places, but instead we get bland characters who consider doing things but don’t actually do anything.

I was enjoying it to begin with, but then we get to the point where January starts reading the book, and rather than just getting an overview we end up reading a book within a book 🤦🏻‍♀️ and I just couldn’t get on with the insta love between two characters who spoke for about ten minutes and then spend decades looking for each other.

I skimmed another 10% of the book to see if it got more interesting and it just didn’t for me! Sad DNF on this one.

Unfortunately for me I'm having to dnf this, I can't see how this book is taking so long to get to a story. There was more explanation discussing another book within this book than there was about the plot.

The writing style in this is very flowery which some people love, I do not. I am very plot focused and I'm sure the plot was great as I enjoyed the concept HOWEVER I could not force myself through the writing any longer!

Honestly if I could - I would give it more stars because this is a book I never knew I needed in my life. It left me on the floor, in the puddle of my own tears, unable to tell exactly why I was crying.

Ten Thousand Doors of January is a story of January Scaller - an in-between girl, a wild child, a mixed race child who has never fit into the world of neat order and rules of the 1900’s. Brought up by an older rich man (while her father is way hunting treasures for him), she has only ever known a life of privilege and comfort. Yet she never ever felt like she belongs, she feels like a bird in a cage and when her father goes missing, January finds a journal explaining where she comes from and her world is turned upside-down.

January turns out to be a shining beacon to the in-between girls, strong, smart, loving and kind she takes her own life into her own hands; she does not need a knight to rescue her. Despite the odds being against her, she never gives up, never allows herself to be beaten. It is a book about finding family and love and about loss and most of all about the need of this world to have all of us here to make life richer.

Harrow has absolutely blown me away. The novel is written in such lyrical and captivating language that I honestly found it very hard to put down. It absolutely blows my mind that this is a debut. I will be on the lookout for her future books.

A whimsical YA story. Set in the early years of the 20th century, in the US and ten thousand fantastical worlds. A story about finding yourself, about family, heritage, and, of course, love.

Thanks for the opportunity to read the book I just personally couldn't get into it that's only my personal taste

What a wonderful and beautiful book. One for book worms everywhere. Took me back to my early teens when I would pretend I was a character in a book I was reading, just a delightful and nostalgic feeling story. Loved it!