Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

Die zehntausend Türen by Alix E. Harrow

148 reviews

kieshab84's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

It's beautifully written; however, I needed more from it. 

Is it a fantasy? Yes. There are Doors to other worlds, many of which have been closed. Is there adventure? Yes. However, the main character doesn't really go on any until the very end. Is there a love story? Yes, it takes up a great deal of the book, and, to be honest, I care more about that part of the story than the main plot line. Does it have a satisfactory ending? Yes. Everything ties up neatly in the end. 

It was so slow in parts. This book could have been shorter if the main character was the one going on the adventures we were told about. I shouldn't care more about secondary characters than the primary one. January was insufferable. She made many stupid mistakes. Now look at Jane, bleeding out from the neck. In the end, she got some semblence of power. She became stronger, but it was too little too late. I was ACHING for the book to end. It took me a long time to finish it because it was...it's beautifully written.

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scrubsandbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

First things first, for people who want to know if the dog dies in this because that's important:
the dog does NOT DIE, however, you are led to believe he does and its painful, and in the end, the dog was actually attempted to be killed but was left with a life-long disability instead.


I may just have to call Alix E. Harrow the queen of portal fantasies because oh man, this drew me in so hard.  I was invested all the way through and sat at the edge of my seat through all of it. This is a book featuring gateways into other worlds and about a book talking all about those gateways and the reveal of who wrote the book was mindblowing.

I know January herself was a very young girl starting off as a pre-teen at the beginning of the book and her teenage self would, well, act like a teenager, but I lost track on how many times I had yelled "NO, DON'T DO THAT, OH, COME ON!" that I had to knock down a star for the time I felt that frustration but all in all, if you love magic realism, portal fantasies, non-stop tense action, and a story with a focus mostly on the main character's journey with just a small side plot of romance, this is for you.

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ceejayvee's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75


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sydemorr's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Super interesting plot but my god did it take me forever to read. Maybe it wasn’t the book but it felt like I had to keep pushing myself through it. It was a little confusing at first with the pov switches and the vagueness of the worlds. I loved how January got to work through her complicated relationships with her family/mr. Locke and simultaneously realize she has the option to be upset and not forgive. 

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amyellie721's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25


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so_soap's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

An epic and heart-wrenching journey. Often dark and violent. Exquisitely written, intelligent fiction and agile world-building within the framework of a world we think we know. Hope and love pull the plot line throughout.

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haleysversion's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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artemismoon057's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

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sarasreading's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

I'm so happy I finally got around to this one! I didn't know much going in, just that if I liked The Starless Sea I'd probably like this one, and that was bang on! It has a story within a story with lovely writing, lovable characters, the best dog, a lot of suspense and adventure, and found family. Basically everything I enjoy! I will definitely be picking up more from this author.

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vireogirl's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Labor Day Camping book #1. Fantasy books are weird. I think it was pretty good but not very experienced with them. I got lost when a second perspective was added but did find it again later. 

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