“This book destroyed my emotions and then repaired them as easily as one opens a door.”

Review by Rayleigh Setser

In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and utterly out of place.

Then she finds a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds, and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. Each page turn reveals impossible truths about the world and January discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own.

This book destroyed my emotions and then repaired them as easily as one opens a door.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January is a deeply emotional coming-of-age novel with a splash of fantasy. While I can't say that it's an "enjoyable" read, it is definitely one that can play your emotions effortlessly and I have no choice but to give it five stars. The writing style is absolutely breathtaking, January is a unique and lovable main character who will always have you rooting for her, and the double time-line makes the plot very engaging.

I never grew tired of the story or lost interest, but there were a few scenes where I had to step away and take a breath just because of the emotional intensity. It's been a while since a book made me cry, and this one had my eyes burning. I will recommend it to anyone looking for a low fantasy, historical novel with a healthy dose of heartbreak and healing.

Content Ratings:

5. Few mildly detailed self-harm scenes as well as deaths.

2. Mild content (holding hands and mild kissing).

4. Frequent mild cursing.

Other Trigger/Content Notices:

Content warnings: Mild cursing. No on-page spice (only a couple of kisses). There are heavy themes of racism and classism (true to historical records) and some mildly detailed self-harm scenes. The forced institutionalization scenes span through a couple chapters and can be difficult to read at times.

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