Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

94 reviews

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

elizabethbest's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious tense medium-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Abandonment

Moderate: Animal cruelty

alanahcw's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

5.0

This book is perfect. 

My heart is full and hungry for more Doors. Thank you so much for opening this one, Alix Harrow. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Self harm, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Racism, Blood, and Abandonment

cherry_lake's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense 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

4.5

Really enjoyed this book. Slow paced movement from historical fiction into fantasy. Felt like an homage to older YA novels and also did I detect direct inspiration from Broken Earth Trilogy? Definitely difficult themes!

Seems like those who didn’t enjoy it were mainly disappointed by false advertising or assumptions, but I had no idea what it was about or that it existed until a friend recommended! Glad I tried it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, and Abandonment

bookishmagpie's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.0

I need to think on this one for a while.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Self harm, and Abandonment

merbears's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Death, Xenophobia, Blood, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Classism

Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, Murder, and Pregnancy

cardlikecredit's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective 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

This book was really really beautiful. The concept was kind of mystifying at first but it really keeps you in suspense and wraps up pretty nicely at the end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Abandonment

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Racism and Colonisation

sareidle's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Blood, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Racism, and Forced institutionalization

norspider's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

You can visit other worlds if you're very, very brave.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January mostly follows January Scaller, a young girl growing up as the ward of a wealthy and eccentric collector. Her days are spent in hazy boredom, missing her father while he works. Until one day, January stumbles upon a door that opens to another world. From then her life is a series of searches, upheavals, chases, and escapes. 

The first time I read Ten Thousand Doors I stopped after the first chapter. It was good, just not the story I was looking for at the time. Almost a year later I picked it up again and devoured it. The writing is beautifully imaginative and vivid (too much, at times). Each world you visit feels real and lived-in. The characters described with such depth you can almost touch them. The story could have been told in fewer words, but it is such a rich experience the way it is. 

I would have followed January and Bad through another 10,000 Doors. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, and Classism

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Racism, Blood, and Death of parent

Minor: Violence

perifairy's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious tense 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Racism, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Blood, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Classism