Scan barcode
jenfilipiak's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the book by the end. And the ending was so well done. It just took me a while to get into it!
afkaplan's review against another edition
4.0
Not entirely sure what I thought of this book, actually. But it was a concept unlike any I've read before, and the writing was truly beautiful.
snukes's review against another edition
4.0
So much to love about this book: Doors that open between worlds. Young girl growing up in a rambly old house full of crazy artifacts. Strangers from strange lands. Words that become true when written by the right hand. A boy next door. Shadowy villains. Thrilling chases. Narrow escapes. A very good dog. Things that aren't what they seem.
I expected this book to be about the adventures had by a girl who discovers that she can open doors into other worlds. It turned out to be about that, but not at all in the way I'd imagined. Rather than focusing on the adventures and the new worlds themselves, the story focuses on the idea of doors to new places, about what it means for those who pass between them, how it changes those people, and whether or not such doors should be allowed to exist. There are subtexts (and some not-so-sub) about immigration, race, privilege, power, love and family, and the importance of promises.
The language is beautiful, the characters are believable and multidimensional (literally and figuratively - see what I did there?!) You know who to root for (or DO you?), and the tale was engaging from beginning to end.
My only complaint is that Harrow is a frequent perpetrator of one of my literary pet peeves, being the "if only I had known..." trick. "If only I had known then that my happiness wasn't destined to last." "How could I have known in that moment the huge role that dog would come to play in my life?" "If I had known what the morning would bring, I would have tried harder to make him stay." Etc. SO many times this happens. You don't NEED to tell us the story is about to get more complicated! We can see how many pages are left! We know you need to foil the protagonists several more times! Just do it and don't be all retrospectively sad about the decisions YOU'RE ABOUT TO MAKE YOUR CHARACTERS MAKE.
Eh hem. Sorry.
Good story. Enjoyed the read. Would recommend.
I expected this book to be about the adventures had by a girl who discovers that she can open doors into other worlds. It turned out to be about that, but not at all in the way I'd imagined. Rather than focusing on the adventures and the new worlds themselves, the story focuses on the idea of doors to new places, about what it means for those who pass between them, how it changes those people, and whether or not such doors should be allowed to exist. There are subtexts (and some not-so-sub) about immigration, race, privilege, power, love and family, and the importance of promises.
The language is beautiful, the characters are believable and multidimensional (literally and figuratively - see what I did there?!) You know who to root for (or DO you?), and the tale was engaging from beginning to end.
My only complaint is that Harrow is a frequent perpetrator of one of my literary pet peeves, being the "if only I had known..." trick. "If only I had known then that my happiness wasn't destined to last." "How could I have known in that moment the huge role that dog would come to play in my life?" "If I had known what the morning would bring, I would have tried harder to make him stay." Etc. SO many times this happens. You don't NEED to tell us the story is about to get more complicated! We can see how many pages are left! We know you need to foil the protagonists several more times! Just do it and don't be all retrospectively sad about the decisions YOU'RE ABOUT TO MAKE YOUR CHARACTERS MAKE.
Eh hem. Sorry.
Good story. Enjoyed the read. Would recommend.
agathe_athena's review against another edition
3.0
January lives in Locke house amongst its sprawling collections of archaeological curiosities. Sometimes she feels like she is being kept there as if she was part of the collection. However, she desires more adventure and magic in her life, like the dime-store novels she enjoys reading. One day she finds a book about doorways to other worlds, and finds that there is more truth than fiction to the book as she starts an adventure of her own.
I really wanted to like this book: female protagonist, doorways to other worlds, archaeological collections of the early 20th Century, the "power of the word," that the world needs magic to stay interesting, etc. However, the book's stumbles added up to enough that I was more annoyed by it. It has excellent world-building, but it spends too much time explaining everything. There are no surprises or twists, as everything is over-explained and there are so many clues and hints laid out and pointed at. Most of the book, the main character doesn't do anything, things just happen to her while she timidly watches. Finally, at nearly 300 pages into the story, she amazingly grows a spine and decides to do something for herself. But with only around eighty pages left, it's a little too late. There are no real stakes. Yes, people are horribly injured or disappear, but no one who is a "good guy" dies. And this leads to no surprises in the ending, because none of the "good guys" die.
I can see where others would really enjoy this book, but to me it was a bit too predictable and over-explained to be enjoyable.
I really wanted to like this book: female protagonist, doorways to other worlds, archaeological collections of the early 20th Century, the "power of the word," that the world needs magic to stay interesting, etc. However, the book's stumbles added up to enough that I was more annoyed by it. It has excellent world-building, but it spends too much time explaining everything. There are no surprises or twists, as everything is over-explained and there are so many clues and hints laid out and pointed at. Most of the book, the main character doesn't do anything, things just happen to her while she timidly watches. Finally, at nearly 300 pages into the story, she amazingly grows a spine and decides to do something for herself. But with only around eighty pages left, it's a little too late. There are no real stakes. Yes, people are horribly injured or disappear, but no one who is a "good guy" dies. And this leads to no surprises in the ending, because none of the "good guys" die.
I can see where others would really enjoy this book, but to me it was a bit too predictable and over-explained to be enjoyable.
aadaenyaa's review against another edition
I thought this was phenomenal. A good plot, prose that is straight forward for the most part, but waxing poetic in some, it was just the right mixture. Definitely identified and was engaged with the characters. While the story was wrapped up, there is still room for more, and I certainly hope we get to see more of this world at some point.
kathleen_gillies's review against another edition
5.0
Delightful story of multiverses with a female protagonist.
veil92's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
ckron79's review against another edition
3.0
I’m having a hard time deciding what I think about this book - I wasn’t very thorough reading the synopsis and would call this a fantasy adventure - not quite up my alley. There was a lot crammed in this book, too. So much that some points felt rushed a bit or not explained enough.
At the end of the day, it was enjoyable enough.
At the end of the day, it was enjoyable enough.