The Ten Thousand Doors of January

By: Alix E. Harrow

Narrated by: January LaVoy

"A gorgeous, aching love letter to stories, storytellers and the doors they lead us through...absolutely enchanting." (Christina Henry, best-selling author of Alice and Lost Boys)

Los Angeles Times best seller!

In the early 1900s, a young woman embarks on a fantastical journey of self-discovery after finding a mysterious book in this captivating and lyrical debut.

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.

Lush and richly imagined, a tale of impossible journeys, unforgettable love, and the enduring power of stories awaits in Alix E. Harrow's spellbinding debut—step inside and discover its magic.

©2019 Alix E. Harrow (P)2019 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"LaVoy's theatrical skills delight as she narrates January's thrilling story of fantastical characters and new worlds-and the tale hidden within the pages of her book."—AudioFile

"LaVoy's assured, mellifluous narration pairs well with the vivid lyricism of Harrow's spellbinding fantasy, and her dexterity with characters fleshes out the wondrous and strange beings on each page."—Seattle Times

"One for the favorites shelf... Here is a book to make you happy when you gently close it. Here you will find wonder and questions and an unceasingly gorgeous love of words which compasses even the shape a letter makes against a page."—NPR Book

good characters, except for the lead

The premise is not that unique. I did not enjoy the main character. It took her a while to get it. There were times that she felt a bit entitled -- she could only see her own victimisation as a half-Black woman, but not of the bigger struggles of other people of colour. Because she did grow up in privilege. That was a bit hard to get through. Especially in the context of what her parents went through.
I loved the other characters though. Tough Adelaide. Persevering Julian. Kick-ass Jane. Kind Samuel. I think I would have been more happy with a story from their perspective, rather than January's.

Disappointing

The author's prose is smooth & often extremely beautiful. So imagine my surprise when the storylines never quite delivered. She didn't create characters that I cared anything about. In fact, the mother & daughter who were supposed to be strong & independent, "fell in love" with the first boy each one ever sees. The plot was more weird than magical, so not satisfying at all. The narrator did a nice job with all characters but Yul & Samuel...Somehow, she equated "foreign" voices with old-sounding voices. This made the love relationships less believable. All in all, I'd not recommend this book.

Such words!

The words - such a gorgeous tale, a story of words that transports you through the doors and into the minds and hearts of the characters. Few books have reached out and grabbed me like this one. The performance by January LaVoy was perfect.

Talented narrator

I reviewed this book on Goodreads so I will not repeat the review here.
I want to use this space to thank the narrator for a wonderful job. I knew which character was talking from the tone of your voice and the personality that you impersonated for each one. I enjoyed your company through out my long drives ☺️ thank you.

Very enjoyable, captivating and entertaining

The Ten Thousand Doors of January might be slow to start and a little confusing in the beginning, but after you get a little further in everything starts to really make sense and the story develops beautifully.

I really enjoyed the romance with the story because it was subtle and not overly blow out. The real story is of a young girl saving herself, and learning to rely on who she is instead of what society tries to make her into.

I knew the ending, long before it came and yet I still enjoyed every single word.
Loved the narration !

I just wanted it to be over.

This is not a book I would have chosen, but it was my book club pick for the month so I was determined to get through it. I thought the book was beautifully written and the narration was excellent, but the plot was all over the place. It was a quest story, a time travel story, a good vs. evil story, a live story. It reminded me of different children’s books I have read to my students over the years. A Wrinkle in Time came to mind several times. And it took FOREVER for anything to happen.

Beautifully told story however..

Such a beautiful story, very enjoyable however I wanted more. lol. I wanted more about the world's, what happens next. This should be a series I want to just gobble it up and keep going!!!
The author did an amazing job leaving me wanting more but.... absolutely satisfied with the end, don't get me wrong!!!
The narrator was exceptional, you knew who was who with the voices. Very impressive when you think on how MANY different voices she had to tackle, she's right up there with some of my favorites now.
Well worth my credit/money 💜

Good story.

Really enjoyed this book. It's a good one, and kept me quite entertained. Good narration, complete with good accents.

Amazing!

The story has so many twists and turns, the author really kept the reader engaged! The language was a bit over descriptive at times but lent to drawing amazing visuals!
Fabulous story!

Great fantasy story

I loved how different the story was! There were a few moments where it seemed to drag a bit, but overall a really spellbinding story. I really enjoyed it.