THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY

It was an absolute pleasure to read the book. I have not come across a book that puts across human emotions so subtly.

I've read lots of magical fiction, and this stands out for it's freshness. Just when I thought I'd covered most genre's this covers new ground. I definitely recommend this for feel-good reading.

Have I thought about stumbling upon a door to a different world more times than once? YES! That is what this book will do to you. It will make you dream of fictional worlds and not just Hogwarts, but every kind of world you have ever wanted to be a part of. I have felt involved and lost (in a good way), and my kinship with January Scaller runs deeper than any other character I have stumbled upon (at least in the recent past). This bundle of gorgeousness and magic lives up to the hype.January Scallar, an odd colored girl is being raised by her benefactor Mr. Locke, a collector of antique objects and member of an Archeological society with hidden agendas and powerful secrets. Her father is employed by Mr. Locke in exchange for money and lodgings, his job is to travel to far off lands and collect expensive and one-of-a-kind objects for his boss. As a child, January found a door that opened to the land of seas but the door was promptly burnt down by her benefactor. Years later, she finds a book titled ‘The Ten Thousand Doors’, a journal of sorts that talks about these mysterious doors that connect different and diverse worlds, an escape of sorts but each door with a story to tell.As January finds out more about these doors and their location, one outburst at the wrong place sends her to a mental asylum. The goal is to keep her away from all the information she isn’t supposed to know. But January soon learns that she is the child of two people inhabiting different worlds. Their story is beautiful and painful at the same time.It takes a while to understand the concept of the book, even with an elaborate blurb. But as it starts making sense, it feels like a giant puzzle being solved inside your head. The author writes two stories, one within the other and each of them is full of adventure and dangers of its own. There are very few characters in this story and that is why I felt more involved. The protagonist and the antagonist emerge through their own story and it all converges at the end.‘The Ten Thousand Doors of January’ is not an action-packed story. There are no battle scenes or strange magic being crafted, neither is the protagonist ‘the chosen one’. She is an ordinary girl, a reader like you and me who stumbles upon a secret and decides to reunite with her family by setting things right and facing the demons (not literally) she has been kept safe from. There are a lot of ‘reader’ references that filled my heart with joy. As readers we consider books to be an escape of sorts and the author combines this idea with the presence of actual doors waiting to be opened and newer worlds waiting to be explored.Definitely recommended!

There comes along a book once in a while that you just cannot love enough. The constant urge to caress it, your pining to devour the delicious story one more time again and again and the undeniable feeling of belonging to the story etched in it. And for me “THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY” checks all the boxes.“The Ten Thousand Doors of January” follows the story of January Scaller as she sets about on a journey to find her real identity. Being bought up on Mr.Locke’s mansion with everything in abundance, January feels an unknown sense of hollowness in her heart. She craves for freedom, an escapade and more than that the love of her distant father who always seems to be on one or the other mission assigned by Mr.Locke.As January’s impatience in the remote mansion grows, her inquisitiveness elevates when she finds a book tucked in a hidden chest. A smallish, leather bound book with scuffed corners and dented imprints where the gold stamped title had been partially scraped off – THE TEN THOU OORS. And thus the story commences. I accompanied January on every adventure she embarked upon and found my home beyond every door that January unlocked.January oh my darling. January. She is hands down the most bravest,endearing, intrigued and big-eyed character I’ve ever come across. Don’t even get me started on how witty she is. It’s difficult to find protagonist to look up to these days considering how most of them feel eerily similar and disconnected. But with January it is like rekindling your old friendship with a dearest buddy.Sam. SAMUEL ZAPPIA is a fluff ball and is to be cherised at all expense. His loyalty and unrequited affection for January is irrefutable. Also, who can even hate someone who gifts a pup to their best friend. RIGHTTTTTTT????? Yep that’s what I thought too.SINDBAD IS PRECIOUS. BAD is easily the most adorable and devoted pet that ever was. No donot at the rate me.TEN THOUSAND DOORS sets a mild and steady pace from the start and sticks to it throughout. The characters and the story unfolds layer after layer giving you the time to relish each twist and every turn. My friend over at bookstersisters calls the story organic and that is the exact word I’d use if asked to describe the book in one word. ORGANIC. RAW. IMAGINATIVE. Throughout the reading of the book the wholly immersive feeling clung on to me. I never once felt that the characters, the story was fictional. I was with January, Samuel, Jane and Sindbad fighting the demons, swimming through the vast oceans, opening the portals of in-between and realizing the power of words.ALIX E. HARROW showcases the value of knowledge, of stories and all the wondrous things you can accomplish with a curious mind. She also presents us a rather clear picture of how racism flourished in twentieth century America.I am pretty positive everyone who picks this enchanting book up will end up loving it. But mostly, people like me who have found their sanctuary in books, readers with a thousands lives : THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY is written just for you.

As a child I always loved books and TV shows with lots of doors or portals, each leading to a different land, a different adventure. This book took me back to those days of childlike excitement, for as the title says, it’s full of doors – doors to many worlds, many mysteries, and many dangers.I liked that the protagonist could have been anyone and wasn’t “destined for greatness”. The plot kicks off with a complete coincidence – and leads to a thrilling adventure.Overall, I don’t have much to say in terms of assessing the book, other than it was a quick, entertaining read. If you’re looking for a book that isn’t too mentally or emotionally taxing, I’d recommend this one. For me, it served as a fun break between more “serious” reads.

This book was not what I expected, but I still loved it. To be clear, this is not a whirling trip through ten thousand fantastic and alien worlds. You will visit perhaps three or four, and hear of a few more, but the book is more concerned with it's characters and theming. To be clear, it works. The themes are strong and wonderfully sweet, and the characters are the same. The book shares a strength with the best Disney films - it makes you want desperately for our main characters to be happy, and cheer for them to reach their far-off goal. Watching January grow into a force to be reckoned with is a true pleasure, and both the supporting cast and villains are excellent. The writing style is, to my mind, perhaps the best part of the book. First person and self-aware, mixing elegantly between different viewpoints through the two in-universe texts that the final novel is composed of. Unraveling the narrators, and their intended audience, is a delight (if not terribly difficult). Anyway, this book is charming and clever and well worth your time.

Las hojas no vienen bien cortadas y es mucho más notorio desde la parte de abajo.Aún no lo leo, pero esta edición me dejó decepcionada.

Well, what an unusual book... I very much like the decorative cover (always a bonus for a book lover!) and what a surprise to find a small card inside with the author's autograph too! Nice little touch, I thought. So, to the story... Is it fantastical and whimsical? Indeed it is but written in such a way as to absorb you entirely in January's feelings. Feelings do of course transcend time and place and are therefore very relevant nomatter which world or century you come from.She could be any one of us, trapped in a world where she feels she doesn't necessarily belong but doing her best to be dutiful and diligent. She finds love and strength in friendships, she suffers cruelty and betrayal at the hands of those whom she called family and having lived a sheltered life, she later becomes bitterly aware that the world does not tolerate unusual people unless they have money.She doubts herself more times than she has faith in herself, as so many of us do but ultimately and very humanly, I might add, she comes to the realisation that she has to follow her own path no matter what the world thinks or how the world looks upon her.The gentle shifting between her world and the storytelling of other worlds is very clever indeed and not at all disruptive or confusing. Quite the opposite. I found myself travelling with her, running away with her, breathing in the salty winds on the sea. My hairs pricked with dread and fear, I laughed out loud and teared up with her... This book is so beautifully written I didn't want to turn the last few pages and read 'The End'.An absolutely definite 'must-read'.💕

This is one of the most delightful, engaging and unique books that I have read in years. If Ms. Harrow reminds me of any other author it would be Ray Bradbury --and that is high praise indeed. Harrow has a superb command of the English language. This book is as good for the way the tale is told as the tale itself.

I'm 69 and a physical scientist and normally go for Jason Bourne / Jack Reacher class thrillers, but mainly Science Fiction. I also love Lord of the Rings! The BookBub blurb for '1000 Doors' caught my eye so I looked at the 3* reviews. These were intriguing enough to read the Kindle sample ... and I was hooked.Its a fantasy, but not the traditional elves/dwarves/GoT/LotR/Pern type. There is no magic per se - but the Doors (not doors) and the way they are manipulated to travel between worlds is definitely not Science but also not Magic.January's story is slowly but fully developed starting when she is 7 years old and discovers her ability to use 'Doors', jumping several years until she is old enough to break free and begin to control her own destiny.The development of the world(s) she lives in and explores is handled well with enough revealed to keep you hooked but neither overwhelmed nor bewildered nor feeling that the author is stuffing info down your throat.Character development is handles at an appropriate rate so that the characters' behaviours work for the worlds and stage of their journeys they find themselves in. The rate of the story development, similarly, makes sense - giving good hints about where we are being lead without spoiling the 'reveals' and twists and turns.The characters are accessible and though in no way perfect are worthy of your interest and support, Rarely seen in modern books, but welcome, is that the baddies are really bad, but believable within their own view of what they are doing. Though I couldn't empathise, nor agree, with their ethos and behaviour, I could see where they were coming from; a sign of a good Baddy is that you can see why they think that they are a Goody!The authors writing and craft skills are excellent, and somewhat to my surprise I quickly got caught up in January's and Samuel's and Adelaide's quests. Another nice thing nowadays is that the story is complete, and not the start of an interminable sequence of 'adventures'This is a story that is worth riskingMuch to my surprise