Today is my stop on the blog tour for "The Ten Thousand Doors of January" by Alix E Harrow, how fabulous is that cover!
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Time taken to read - 2 days
Pages - 384
Publisher - Orbit
Source - Review book
Blurb from Goodreads
In the early 1900s, a young woman embarks on a fantastical journey of self-discovery after finding a mysterious book in this captivating and lyrical debut.
In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller 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.
Lush and richly imagined, a tale of impossible journeys, unforgettable love, and the enduring power of stories awaits in Alix E. Harrow’s spellbinding debut–step inside and discover its magic.
My Review
You know how many times we have all wanted to find a magical world or door way to another place, welcome to "The Ten Thousand Doors of January" a debut that takes you on that journey. All January wants is to go travelling with her dad instead she is stuck behind in the big house with the beautiful artefacts and her guardian, Mr Locke. As the chapters go on we discover what January's dad does for Mr Locke, the society Mr Locke is part of and some of the items dottered around the house.
The book has different timelines, different worlds and characters and it took me a wee bit to get into the flow when we weren't following January. I love the idea of doors to other times/worlds and there is a lot of emotion as well as magic and creativity in this story. It absolutely does not read like a debut, beautifully created and themes that cross over, like an onion there are many layers.
The book covers race, grief, societal classes, family, loss, love, secrets, history, magic, evil and that is just the surface. I love mystical, magic with sentiment but adventure, action and a story that keeps you from knowing where it is going or what is coming next, Harrow gives all of that. I will be keeping an active eye out for her next offerings and whilst there isn't a follow up in the plans I like in hope, 4/5 for me!
Thanks for this intro to a magical-sounding book. Lovely review, Lainy!
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