The Ten Thousand Doors of January

‘Such a treat for all booklovers’

Summary

This story is all about January Scaller, a young woman growing up at the turn of the 20th century who is sucked into an adventure that takes her between worlds and reveals that all stories are actually true. January’s father is an employee of the fabulously wealthy Mr Locke. He travels the world searching for lost treasures and valuable artifacts to add to his employer’s immense collection. While her father’s away, January keeps boredom away by losing herself in pulp adventure novels. One day, she discovers a mysterious book called The Ten Thousand Doors, and inside its pages, she meets Miss Adelaide Lee Larson—a remarkable woman who lived a few decades earlier and left an account of her years spent exploring, and her discovery that some doors don’t lead to where you’d expect.

Review

As some of you might know, I’ve never told you guys what my favourite book was. That was simply because there was no book that absolutely ticked all the boxes for me. But let me tell you, I might have found it. Allow me to introduce to you: The Ten Thousand Doors of January, and why I love this book with a passion.

First up: the story itself. We meet January for the first time when she’s about to discover her first Door. We get to know her a little better throughout the years, as she’s showing us only the most important or most remarkable fragments of her youth. Then another story gets woven into January’s, giving the plot a whole new depth. But what I loved best, was the fact that this was a fantasy story so unlike any other, unique in its magic and intriguing in every aspect. Its magic was also explained in such a manner that I genuinely believed it could be real, which I do not come across that often.

As for the writing itself, Alix E. Harrow has done a fabulous job. She seized all the opportunities of using her writing in such a manner that it becomes a part of the story. I applaud her for that, but also for the fact that her writing never seemed to tire me, with its rich descriptions of worlds and characters. She really did everything right, haha!

Conclusion

So, to conclude all these enthousiastic words of mine: The Ten Thousand Doors of January is a wonderful, compelling story that fought its way into my heart with the intention to stay. As a booklover, this story and its characters resonated with me on a whole new level and I often found myself thinking: ‘Wow, this is such a wonderful way to look at books, stories and the power of words.’ Can I please stay in this book forever? I simply do not know what else to say, except the usual: please do read the book!


Product information:
Written by: Alix E. Harrow
Pages: 385
Publisher: Orbit Books
ISBN: 0316421995
Interested? Buy it here