The Ten Thousand Doors of January, by Alix E. Harrow
Redhook Books - September 10, 2019
Fantasye-book
385 Pages
* I received this digital ARC courtesy of Redhook Books, via NetGalley in exchange of an honest review. This does not influence the following opinions which are my own.
My Rating (out of 5)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Ten Thousand Doors Of January is a fresh and brilliantly captivating portal fantasy
Can we talk about the cover? Gorgeous!! If the value of a book was in the beauty of its cover, we could put our five stars on it and call it a day. But there is a story contained behind this beautiful art, and it is just as stunning.
In the early 1900's, January Scaller lives with her rich foster-father Mr. Locke - her real father often nothing more than a fleeting presence before disappearing again, travelling the globe and finding treasures for Locke's collection. Though she lives a life of luxury and privilege, at best she feels more like a person "in-between" at worst she feels more like a part of Locke's curated collection of odd and unique items.
When she was seven she found a Door. As an adventurous young girl with a great imagination she writes a story, and explores what is on the other side of the Door. But in the early 1900's adventurous is not what a proper young lady should aspire to. Her adventures after that come from the pages of books.
As an avid reader, January is often lost in the books she reads. One day a very special book comes into her possession. There is something different about this book that carries layers of scents beyond the usual smell of books. It smelled of cinnamon and coal smoke, of many other things. It smelled of adventure! Soon she is losing herself in the pages, she reads of distant places, of love, of danger, of the power of words, and so much more. In reading it she finds her own story somehow bound in those pages too, and she knows she must seek the real adventure herself.
I was absolutely captivated by this charming story. The plot was a fresh spin on portal fantasy, and January was an enchanting character - bold and brave and adventurous. The story was written with such beautiful prose, I could hardly believe that this was a debut novel for Harrow. Harrow has a love for the written word that shines through her writing.
This enchanting fantasy had me staying up late eagerly turning pages until the last. It was pure pleasure to read.
Can we talk about the cover? Gorgeous!! If the value of a book was in the beauty of its cover, we could put our five stars on it and call it a day. But there is a story contained behind this beautiful art, and it is just as stunning.
In the early 1900's, January Scaller lives with her rich foster-father Mr. Locke - her real father often nothing more than a fleeting presence before disappearing again, travelling the globe and finding treasures for Locke's collection. Though she lives a life of luxury and privilege, at best she feels more like a person "in-between" at worst she feels more like a part of Locke's curated collection of odd and unique items.
When she was seven she found a Door. As an adventurous young girl with a great imagination she writes a story, and explores what is on the other side of the Door. But in the early 1900's adventurous is not what a proper young lady should aspire to. Her adventures after that come from the pages of books.
As an avid reader, January is often lost in the books she reads. One day a very special book comes into her possession. There is something different about this book that carries layers of scents beyond the usual smell of books. It smelled of cinnamon and coal smoke, of many other things. It smelled of adventure! Soon she is losing herself in the pages, she reads of distant places, of love, of danger, of the power of words, and so much more. In reading it she finds her own story somehow bound in those pages too, and she knows she must seek the real adventure herself.
I was absolutely captivated by this charming story. The plot was a fresh spin on portal fantasy, and January was an enchanting character - bold and brave and adventurous. The story was written with such beautiful prose, I could hardly believe that this was a debut novel for Harrow. Harrow has a love for the written word that shines through her writing.
This enchanting fantasy had me staying up late eagerly turning pages until the last. It was pure pleasure to read.
Happy Reading,
Christine
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