The Ten Thousand Doors of January
Ratings348
Average rating4.1
Stopped reading at 40%. Wasn't enjoying the slow pacing, verbose writing style, and the internal-monologue of the protagonist.
In the first 23% of this book, there are a lot of words but only one beautiful, memorable sentence. It's like Harrow thinks she's getting paid by the word; so little has happened to this point. The plot is slow and obscure. I know nothing about these characters. Moving on.
Very interesting story line and did not develop in ways that I expected or thought it would, which is always a plus in my book! However I could not get over the childish tone of the main character even in her adulthood that just made me feel the main characters development were overlooked in the attempt to make an interesting story line and stopped me from fully getting into the book or falling in love with the characters.
''Maybe you've even seen one for yourself, standing half-ajar and rotted in an old church, or oiled and shining in a brick wall. Maybe, if you're one of those fanciful persons who find their feet running toward unexpected places, you've even walked through one and found yourself in a very unexpected place indeed.''
January is a young girl torn between two worlds. Her parentage makes her special, yet people see what they want to see, dictated by the (twisted) preconceived notions of the early 20th-century society. Motherless and with an absent father, January tries to find an escape and a purpose to satisfy her ever-searching mind and soul. And then, doors start appearing. Doors leading to different worlds, doors hiding adventure and danger. And, perhaps, the key that leads to her past and her family.
''Those of you who are more than casually familiar with books-those of you who spend your free afternoons in frusty bookshops, who offer furtive, kindly strokes along the spines of familiar titles- understand that page raffling 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 through the pages in a cloud of dust and wool pulp. It might smell expensive and well bound, or it might smell of tissue-thin paper and blurred two -colour print, 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.''
If nothing else, this novel is rich in beautiful bookish references. I found some of the most powerful descriptions of the impact of books in our lives, the way they shape our souls, the difference we unwittingly form in relation to people who don't touch a book, remaining prisoners of the telly and their mundane microcosm. Books make us soar, imagination runs wild and doors open, leading to new worlds and new characters that become our company. Some momentary, others become friends and loves for life. January discovers a new life through a book of Ten Thousand Doors, aided by a brave young woman.
The same adjectives can be used to characterize January and Jane, two memorable characters that become the perfect companions for such a story. They are faithful to their course, fearless and realistic. But for me, the crown jewel is Ade. Ade and Jul's relationship is beautiful and moving and it touched me so much that once Ade was kept out of the picture, I began to lose interest... At times the narration drags and the dialogue becomes too contemporary, arguably unfaithful to the era depicted. Certain incidents and twists were repetitive and predictable. Once January discovers her past, the writing and the story slow down. In addition, certain parts of the plot seem too neatly wrapped and others were left loose.
I am certain that Fantasy lovers will adore this novel. It was definitely a satisfying and unusual read but it didn't particularly stick with me. Which is fine, not all books can enter the Favourites squad. The writing was beautiful and the themes powerful but I lost focus and grew tired towards the final chapters. Therefore, four stars from me.
'‘[...] my long years of research have taught me that all stories, even the meanest folktales, matter. They are artifacts and palimpsests, riddles and histories. They are the read threads that we may follow out of the labyrinth. It is my hope that this story is your thread, and at the end of it you will find a door.''
Many thanks to Orbit and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/
Loved, loved, loved this. Gave away my whole day to it. Reminded me of P. by Susannah Clarke, but better. Felt the storyline was better developed. I am not often a reader of fantasy, but will keep my eye out for more from this author!
DNF @138. Occasionally ok. Some interesting scenes here and there but it's too slow for me. I'm not feeling the urge to pick it up once I put it down. It didn't have any compelling factors that would pull me to read it. The plot jumps around without any jumps having strong story elements or strong characters. Prose is I guess ok, but feels like it's not consistent throughout the paragraphs, which also makes it feel muddled for me. Overall feels like magical realism is quite a hit or miss for me.
some absolutely gorgeous prose and a stellar cast of side characters (Yule, you are my ANGEL!!!!!!!!!) but I found myself SO frustrated with January for so much of the book
Really 3.5 or so. Not sure why this isn't listed as YA. A nice fantasy story. Really love Harrow's writing. Definitely will work my way through her published works. But it does not compare to Starling House.
I was so excited for this book. I really love a door fantasy but this really wasn't what I was looking for. The main character barely does anything but sulk and read for the first 3/4 of the book. I got so bored it took me ages the finish.
It also acted like things that were obvious from the start were plot twists. The main character doesn't seem to realise anything untill its slowly explained to her or just never at all. It was very frustrating to read through. I had such high hopes but alas it wasn't a succes for me.
Not going to lie, there were parts of this book that really got on my nerves. Some of the story within a story elements slowed the pace down too much, January was way too naïve and trusting of Mr. Lock and the society even after she learns about what their doing, she basically causes herself to be put in danger MULTIPLE TIMES simply because she can't keep her damn mouth shut about her plans! But even after all that I would still give this 4.75 stars.
I love that it's a book about outcasts and people who prefer fanciful stories to real life. I love that we get a POC cast and race/ class commentary. I love that we get a sweeping love story that literally spans decades plus a bonus mini love story with January and Samuel. I even got a little teary eyed at the ending.
I liked this book and I'm glad I stayed with it. The premise appealed greatly to me and the author surprised me by taking a different approach than I expected. I was interested in January's story from the beginning. There are places where I found I got a bit lost and wasn't sure what was happening and how we got there. In the end, I saw the pieces come together and saw the whole picture.
What I took away from this. I won't spill storyline, but will protect from those who don't want the message spoiled. I came away with the message that reading books open us to a multitude of worlds that are diverse in culture and thought. Some are afraid of how these different worlds will influence the world they live in and want to control their world by limiting thoughts and ideas they disagree with or don't understand. Some want to control their world to fit their particular worldview informed by religion or politics or that which threaten their power. That makes this book quite timely.
This book checks my box in making me think. It checks a box in delivering a character I wanted to follow. I did get a bit lost and ran into sections I needed to commit to keep going. The author uses colorful language in the writing that is well done. I recognize the craft while admitting it didn't spark emotions like some other authors do. I would recommend this to those who like a fantastic adventure with a message that is fairly easy to mine.
“Words and their meanings have weight in the world of matter, shaping and reshaping realities through a most ancient alchemy.”
A very solid fantasy read about January Scaller who is on a journey inspired by a strange book (accompanied by an awesome dog) . We get to see the story from the perspective of January as it is written in first person which lets us see her development as her journey unfolds. The villains were capital V, Villains; and our hero is very determined and won't let anything get in the way of reuniting true love.
I do wish the fantasy aspects of this book went into more depth and we could see more of what there is to offer. I also feel the “why” of how it worked could have been explained too. The story was also a bit linear, which is fine, but I would have liked to see some more twists and turns. However, this did not stop me from diving into this book for a very fun, exciting read.
This was an interesting story. It was slow at first but once it finally got moving I was hooked. I really enjoyed the way the book she found helped her unravel her own story and helped her finally discover herself.
I would call this a work of literary fantasy. I am not a huge fan of literary fiction.
I adored this.
Just beautiful. I saw, I felt, I cried.
An exquisitely written journey, and a perfectly executed ending. Even the epilogue was gorgeous and perfect.
Bittersweet and gorgeous.
January Scaller is the ward of affluent Mr. Locke while her father travels the world in search of new items for his collection. And then she happens upon a book, The Ten Thousand Doors of January...
Magic. Travel. Mysterious doors. The power of words. The Ten Thousand Doors of January takes on all of these themes. It's a delight.
This was fun! There were some moments where the speaker said “I'm not going to tell you about it, because [xyz reason]” and then proceeded to expound on it for a long while, which annoyed me. Otherwise, though, this was a ton of fun and really beautiful.
I liked the premise of the doors and the way they connect to the art of stories. Also, the main character was one formwhom I rooted all the way through. The pace was too slow for me and the peril wasn't suspenseful enough for my tastes.??
I think this book is a bit over-hyped. I enjoyed the premise (doors that are portals) and the writing, but I never really connected with the characters. It does lean toward Young Adult literature, which is not a favorite genre of mine, which may be why I didn't love it as much as some other readers. I would definitely read another book by this author.
Very slow to start, but by the end, I wanted it to continue.
Very interesting plot and well developed main character.