In the early 1900s, a young woman searches for her place in the world after finding a mysterious book in this captivating and lyrical debut.
by ALIX E. HARROW
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Orbit/Redhook
Publication date: September 10, 2019
Genre: YA fantasy, magical realism
SYNOPSIS
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.
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.
Praise for The Ten Thousand Doors of January:
"Many worlds, vanishing doors, mind-cracking magic: I clung to each page, searching for answers. This is one of the most unique works of fiction I've ever read!"—Tamora Pierce, New York Times bestselling author
"The Ten Thousand Doors of January begins as a simple adventure, but like its mysteriously transportive doors, leads deeper and deeper the further you read. Each page dazzles with things to be discovered: a mansion of priceless artefacts, a secret journal, a tantalizing quest through strange and beautiful places, and a love story that spans time, worlds, and magic. I couldn't put it down."—Peng Shepherd, critically acclaimed author of The Book of M
"A gorgeous, aching love letter to stories, storytellers and the doors they lead us through...absolutely enchanting."—Christina Henry, national bestselling author of Lost Boys and Alice
"Harrow has created a gorgeous world of magic that is at once familiar and startlingly new. With lush writing and a sense of wonder, The Ten Thousand Doors of January examines power, progress, and identity. It is an adventure in the best and grandest sense."—Erika Swyler, author of The Book of Speculation
"The Ten Thousand Doors of January is devastatingly good, a sharp, delicate nested tale of worlds within worlds, stories within stories, and the realm-cracking power of words."—Melissa Albert, New York Times bestselling author of The Hazel Wood
"The Ten Thousand Doors of January healed hurts I didn't even know I had. An unbearably beautiful story about growing up, and everything we fight to keep along the way."—Amal El-Mohtar, Hugo Award-winning author
"A love letter to imagination, adventure, the written word, and the power of many kinds of love."—Kirkus
"A gorgeously written story of love and longing, of what it means to lose your place in the world, and then have the courage to find it again. This book is a door I'm glad to have opened."—Kat Howard, author of An Unkindness of Magicians
"The Ten Thousand Doors of January is rich and poignant, angry and beautiful, by turns. Alix Harrow has written a stunning, unforgettable debut."—Gwenda Bond, New York Times bestselling author
"Every page of this smart, heartfelt expedition celebrates an abiding love of stories and slips between genres in wonderful ways. Readers are going to relish every sentence and surprise in this book--I know I did!"—Matthew Sullivan, author of Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore
"To open this book is to open a Door to a brand new world that you'll never want to leave. With the masterful prose of a true Wordworker, Harrow has created a richly imagined, multi-layered narrative full of wonder, sorrow, and strength."—Jordanna Max Brodsky, author of The Wolf in the Whale
'Beautifully written. . . a wonderful, insightful, and imaginative book. I highly recommend it."—Josiah Bancroft, author of Senlin Ascends
"All the magic you once knew but have almost forgotten waits in these pages for you to discover again. With a masterful voice and a spellbinding story, reading The Ten Thousand Doors of January feels like coming back to a beloved childhood classic to find it unexpectedly grew up with you. It's a deeply satisfying pleasure to read, and lingers in your heart afterward. I loved it!"—Melissa Caruso, author of The Tethered Mage
"Many worlds, vanishing doors, mind-cracking magic: I clung to each page, searching for answers. This is one of the most unique works of fiction I've ever read!"—Tamora Pierce, New York Times bestselling author
"The Ten Thousand Doors of January begins as a simple adventure, but like its mysteriously transportive doors, leads deeper and deeper the further you read. Each page dazzles with things to be discovered: a mansion of priceless artefacts, a secret journal, a tantalizing quest through strange and beautiful places, and a love story that spans time, worlds, and magic. I couldn't put it down."—Peng Shepherd, critically acclaimed author of The Book of M
"A gorgeous, aching love letter to stories, storytellers and the doors they lead us through...absolutely enchanting."—Christina Henry, national bestselling author of Lost Boys and Alice
"Harrow has created a gorgeous world of magic that is at once familiar and startlingly new. With lush writing and a sense of wonder, The Ten Thousand Doors of January examines power, progress, and identity. It is an adventure in the best and grandest sense."—Erika Swyler, author of The Book of Speculation
"The Ten Thousand Doors of January is devastatingly good, a sharp, delicate nested tale of worlds within worlds, stories within stories, and the realm-cracking power of words."—Melissa Albert, New York Times bestselling author of The Hazel Wood
"The Ten Thousand Doors of January healed hurts I didn't even know I had. An unbearably beautiful story about growing up, and everything we fight to keep along the way."—Amal El-Mohtar, Hugo Award-winning author
"A love letter to imagination, adventure, the written word, and the power of many kinds of love."—Kirkus
"A gorgeously written story of love and longing, of what it means to lose your place in the world, and then have the courage to find it again. This book is a door I'm glad to have opened."—Kat Howard, author of An Unkindness of Magicians
"The Ten Thousand Doors of January is rich and poignant, angry and beautiful, by turns. Alix Harrow has written a stunning, unforgettable debut."—Gwenda Bond, New York Times bestselling author
"Every page of this smart, heartfelt expedition celebrates an abiding love of stories and slips between genres in wonderful ways. Readers are going to relish every sentence and surprise in this book--I know I did!"—Matthew Sullivan, author of Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore
"To open this book is to open a Door to a brand new world that you'll never want to leave. With the masterful prose of a true Wordworker, Harrow has created a richly imagined, multi-layered narrative full of wonder, sorrow, and strength."—Jordanna Max Brodsky, author of The Wolf in the Whale
'Beautifully written. . . a wonderful, insightful, and imaginative book. I highly recommend it."—Josiah Bancroft, author of Senlin Ascends
"All the magic you once knew but have almost forgotten waits in these pages for you to discover again. With a masterful voice and a spellbinding story, reading The Ten Thousand Doors of January feels like coming back to a beloved childhood classic to find it unexpectedly grew up with you. It's a deeply satisfying pleasure to read, and lingers in your heart afterward. I loved it!"—Melissa Caruso, author of The Tethered Mage
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I've been a student and a teacher, a farm-worker and a cashier, an ice-cream-scooper and a 9-to-5 office-dweller. I've lived in tents and cars, cramped city apartments and lonely cabins, and spent a summer in a really sweet '79 VW Vanagon. I have library cards in at least five states.
Now I'm a full-time writer living in with my husband and two semi-feral kids in Berea, Kentucky. It is, I'm very sure, the best of all possible worlds.
Now I'm a full-time writer living in with my husband and two semi-feral kids in Berea, Kentucky. It is, I'm very sure, the best of all possible worlds.
Follow her here:
REVIEW
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. HarrowMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
True love is not stagnant; it is in fact a door, through which all kinds of miraculous and dangerous things may enter.
This is a portal fantasy about alternate worlds with fantastical people and creatures, limitless possibilities and ideas. Just as those worlds are constantly reshaping, they can leak into ours bringing knowledge and evolution. January Scaller found one of these very doors when she was a child, but it was ruthlessly slammed shut before she could start to believe.
Thresholds are dangerous places, neither here nor there, and walking across one is like stepping off the edge of a cliff in the naive faith that you’ll sprout wings halfway down. You can’t hesitate, or doubt. You can’t fear the in-between.
The book alternates between her first person narrative from January's perspective and chapters of her leather bound book The Ten Thousand Doors. Within this book is the story of Adelade (Ade) Lawson and Yule Ian Scholar, two separated soulmates who are trying to find their way back to each other. It isn't until around chapter three of this book that the reader is given the information that Yule has compiled as a scholar in his world pertaining to portal doors. You also learn about his world of The Written, word workers, and how this bleeds into January's story.
As January becomes a young woman she starts to question everything she's been told to believe after her father suddenly goes missing. With her faithful dog, Bad, and her friends Samuel and Jane on her side they take a journey to find answers. It becomes an adventure filled with harrowing escapes, dangerous secrets, and enemies hiding in plain sight. You really have to take your time with this one and examine it from every angle. The written, implied and everything in between. I can't go any further into detail about the plot because it needs to be revealed in the way it was intended for the reader. I wouldn't want to let any magic beyond the threshold escape before it was time to be found.
The author's attention to historical detail and her stunning lyrical style of writing is so skilled that I never would have guessed she was a debut author. She set the scene accurately and exquisitely, making you feel as if you're experiencing it rather than observing. I have nothing similar to compare this to, which is one of the biggest compliments a seasoned reader can give. There isn't a cliché to be found in The Ten Thousand Doors of January. It stirs your curiosity, imagination, and speaks to a book lover's heart. I couldn't have asked for more.
FOLLOW SMOKIN HOT BOOK BLOG ON:
0 komentarze:
Post a Comment