Dec. 6th, 2019

alobear: (Default)
All my reading seems to be about doors at the moment! The Ten Thousand Doors Of January by Alix E Harrow is a book I spotted on display in the library. The title and the cover really appealed to me, but there were holds on it so I got the audio version instead. It's ostensibly about a teenage girl who finds the key to opening magical doors between lots of different worlds, but that summary led me to expect a very different book to the one I got. January doesn't actually do that much travelling between worlds (apart from a five minute trip at the age of seven, and a couple more journeys towards the end of the book). Her story is much more one about being trapped, marginalised and restricted, which makes for a tense and painful existence when she knows there is so much more out there to explore, and especially once she discovers more about the origins and adventures of her parents. The chapters alternate between January'a first person perspective and the chapters of a mysterious book she finds, which is written by a door traveller. For a fantasy adventure book, I have to admit I found the first half pretty slow and more reflective than action-packed. Once the connection between the two narratives became clear (and I think I worked it out a while before I was supposed to), things got a lot more interesting and I enjoyed the second half of the book a lot more. The emotional intensity certainly ramps up along with the action, and I did find the end satisfying. Plus, it's got an awesome dog.

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