Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

14 reviews

vireogirl's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Confinement, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Classism

abicaro17's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-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

5.0

If Alix E. Harrow has no fans I an dead. This women can't write a bad book. As I am finished reading all of Harrows full length books I will say this, her stories may start slow but they never disappoint. January is a bi racial girl living in her father's employers house while he travels the world to find treasures. When she discovers a door to another world at age 7, she opens up her own world to possibilities beyond comprehension and a tale of true love that spans decades and portals. I adored this book, no surprise there. The way this is written almost as a letter to a friend depicting a gruesome and enchanting tale of escape, found family, and adventure, is so beautiful and typical of Harrow. I can never recommend her books enough even if they ruin all other books for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

se_wigget's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious reflective 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

5.0

Exquisite fantasy novel!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Violence

asahome's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

3.5

A young woman learns the story of her life isn't what she thought it was. In the end, she goes through one of the ten thousand Doors to find her Home.

There is a book within a book. It felt a little like two short stories brought together in one novel with large sections devoted to one story over the other.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Confinement, Racism, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

hilwithonel's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious 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? No

5.0

The vibes of "The Starless Sea" but I understood what was going on.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Racism, Kidnapping, and Abandonment

Minor: Violence

athryn's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This took a while to get to the actual adventure part, which was where it really took off for me. Before that, there's quite a bit of trauma to go through, and I will say that it made it so I had to put it down quite a bit. I thought the interspersing of the two narratives to be pretty interesting. I thought this was a good spin on a concept done by a few other people recently.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Grief, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and War

thequiltyreader's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad 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? No

4.0

I really enjoyed this story. There are a number of back stories, while slow in places they tie nicely together in the end.

I loved the occasional exploration of using particular words, capitalisations and the general importance of words.

There are fleeting references to various other lands / worlds through the Doors and I would have loved it if these had been explored in some way.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

directorpurry's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious 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? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Racism, Self harm, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Slavery

carleneb's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Really loved this story. Its an adventure buf its sl about human nature 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

bittennailbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

4.25

If you are a fan of RF Kuang's Babel, this is your next read.

A standalone, historical fantasy that casts a lens over the archaeologies contribution to colonization.  January Scaller is a curiosity, she is the ward of wealthy Mr. Locke, an artificer that is the head of a highly prestigious archaeological society. January's birth father provides Mr. Locke with artifacts from all over the world in exchange for raising January. After telling Mr. Locke of passing through a magical door to another world as a child, Mr. Locke decides it is time to put an end to his ward's childish imagination. Putting away her childish fantasies, January is offered a prestigious membership into the archaeological society that Mr. Locke runs on her 17th birthday, unheard of for a woman of a colour. Refusing to be another cog in the machine of colonialism, January refuses and upon finding out her father has gone missing on an excursion, January's life is turned upside down. Her only escape maybe the fabled doors in which she once passed through as a small child, it's existence hidden in her old leather bound book called "Ten Thousand Doors".

I thought this book was imaginative, tense, and absolutely threatening to the delicate veil that archeology holds over what its ruined. For those who are wondering about the dog: 

the dog does get hurt (mentioned not brutally described) but is totally fine

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Addiction and Animal death