The truth is that the powerful come for the weak, wherever and whenever they like. Monsters only come for bad children, for loose women for impious men. ‘“You people are always trying to invent reasons for things. The way she is treated here certainly evoked a lot of emotion in me. For instance, we often see January treated like an exhibition, as her carer, Mr Locke, parades her around at his social gatherings as though she is merely another rare collectible item he has acquired. Harrow poignantly reflects through January what it must have been like to grow up in an environment where you are made to feel so alienated and belittled. January is fully aware that she is an ‘in-between creature’, as she often calls herself, because of her mixed race and skin complexion she quickly realises that anything less than her utmost obedience would be dangerous. For our young female protagonist it is a dangerous time indeed. The book is set in the 1900s a time where wealthy men prevailed a time where any person with dark skin was deemed as savage, lesser this was a time where oppression reigned.
However, one day January finds a mysterious door, one that leads to an unknown place and when she subsequently finds a cryptic book, her longing for adventure and freedom takes her to extraordinary heights, ones that just sweep the reader away.
It is this man who cares for January in her father’s absence, and tries to civilise her wild whimsical ways. We learn that although her father is alive, he is mostly absent as he was regularly sent on rare artefact-finding missions by his benefactor, Mr Locke. I’ll move on now to what the book is about, but as always I’ll try to keep this brief, because who doesn’t love just discovering the plot for themselves? The story begins with the introduction of a young biracial girl called January. This copy was as magical as the story itself. I really loved discovering all the surprises that were included at the beginning of various chapters, such as fabric leaves, pressed flowers, and our very own key. I have to start off by saying a huge thank you to the publisher Orbit, especially to Maddy Hall, Nazia, and Emily Byron, for designing and sending me (and many other reviewers) such an awesome proof copy. Harrow, and let me tell you right now, folks, it’s an absolutely stunning one! I devoured every single page and revelled in this immersive tale. The Ten Thousand Doors of January is the debut novel by Alix E. Worlds were supposed to be great rambling houses with all the windows thrown open and the wind and summer rain rushing through them, with magic passages in their closets and secret treasure chests in their attics.’ ‘Worlds were never meant to be prisons, locked and suffocating and safe.
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