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A review by apworden
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
4.0
I loved this book overall, but the nagging irritation at how Ade seems to naively or intentionally ignore how her actions affect people of color, first with the men who helped her carry the boat up the mountain and, even worse, her risking her young family with a caste-based society seemingly without much preparation.It feels like Ade never has any true self realization around this. Ade seems to be presented as the one who needs to forgive Yule and not as someone who also owes a reconciliatory apology. For this reason, I can’t bump it to 5 stars, but it was sooooo close. This is one of those stories that could have best realized with a sensitivity reader or co-authorship with a POC writer.
Graphic: Racism, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, and Colonisation
Moderate: Gore