The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow Published by Redhook (9.10.2019)
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Format: Audiobook, 374 pages
Length: 12 hours, 20 minutes
Narrator: January LaVoy
Source: Library
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.
My thoughts
Holy. Wow.
This book. I did NOT expect to love it as much as I did! I’d heard people raving about it, and I wanted to know what the fuss was about. The audiobook came highly recommended, so on a total whim, I downloaded it from the library.
The audio blew me away! The hype is 100% deserved. This book was positively stunning and atmospheric in the vein of Laini Taylor! It actually felt a LOT like Strange the Dreamer. Completely different premise, mind you, but the overall aching beauty and ethereal, enchanting quality of it is the same. Absolutely gorgeous world! And it made me realize that I need more portal fantasy in my life RIGHT NOW please.
I absolutely adored the magic of this book! I wanted to crawl into the pages and live there! Plus, THE ENDING. IT’S SO. BEAUTIFUL. Ugh. View Spoiler » I don’t know why that got to me so much, but seriously brilliantly. done. So brilliant.
Oh and also, this book has such an enchanting first page that it hooks you right away! From the very first line of the audio I knew I’d found something special. And you know that feeling you get, when you finish a book with such a perfect ending that your heart aches to leave it behind, and you just can’t help but hug the book to your chest after you close the cover and smile to yourself? (Okay, metaphorically hug, because I was listening on audio, but YOU GET THE POINT.) Yeah, this book gave me that glorious feeling. If you haven’t read this book yet, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!
The audio
January LaVoy brought this book to life beautifully! I actually listened to a copy I’d borrowed from the library, but I loved it so much that I went and used an Audible credit on it so I could keep it. I already want to re-listen to it. Like seriously I cannot say enough wonderful things about the narration. If you pick this up, I strongly urge you to listen to the audiobook!
Favorite quotes
Sometimes I feel there are doors lurking in the creases of every sentence, with periods for knobs and verbs for hinges.
It’s a profoundly strange feeling, to stumble across someone whose desires are shaped so closely to your own, like reaching toward your reflection in a mirror and finding warm flesh under your fingertips. If you should ever be lucky enough to find that magical, fearful symmetry, I hope you’re brave enough to grab it with both hands and not let go.
Overall Assessment
Plot: 5/5
Premise: 5/5
Writing style: 5/5
Originality: 5/5
Characters: 4/5
World-building: 5/5
Pace: 4.5/5
Feels: 4.5/5
Narration: 5/5
Cover: 3/5
Overall rating: 4.5/5
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