"Ten Thousand Doors of January" First Impressions *No Spoilers*

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Starting this a bit early so that folks who are trying to be thematically aligned with the month, or who had committed to a buddy read can start when they want. This will be the official thread, so please no spoiler tags and no spoilers (which is a post that contains any specifics of characters, plot, scenery, or large format changes that might occur beyond the first page or two of the book.)

Please see the "discuss everything" thread to talk specifics!

Some content warnings for those who want them: (view spoiler)[ racism, sexism, animal abuse, loss of loved one, self-harm, hinted at sexual assault, torture, body horror. (hide spoiler)]

[Sabrina]

Oh great, it is already up. I just started this today because - of course - January!

[Gabi]

I love the fact that the narrator of the audiobook also is named "January". I'd love to know if she was chosen because of that.

[Silvana]

50% in and I am liking it.

[Raucous]

I'm listening to this one and was also struck by the narrator's name. It's difficult to believe that was an accident. I'm not quite sure where this book is going yet but I'm enjoying both the writing and her narration anyway.

[Banshee]

I just started the book a few days ago and 70 pages in, I'm loving it. It's going to be a slow read for me, though, because of the complexity of the language. I want to be able to absorb every single sentence :)

[Trike]

Raucous wrote: "I'm listening to this one and was also struck by the narrator's name. It's difficult to believe that was an accident. I'm not quite sure where this book is going yet but I'm enjoying both the writi..."

She narrated most if not all of the current Star Wars books, which is where I first heard her, so she’s no stranger to SF.

[Melani]

I picked this up the day or two before it was announced as the February pick. I really, really liked it, and I liked it from the start. It reminded me how much I like portal fantasies. Looking forward to the discussion on this one.

[Jordan]

I've had this sitting on my Kindle for a while now. Read the first chapter last night and was really intrigued. I had to make myself put it down before I got too drawn in. I'm loving the writing so far.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

One of these doors must have led to February, because it's time for more people to join us for the book of the month!

[Corey]

I just finished this last night. (I must have subconsciously wanted to keep it in the titular month.) It had so many elements that should have been in my wheelhouse, yet there were times in the middle I wasn’t enjoying it as much as I had hoped. However, it ended strongly in a way that redeemed it. Still processing, and looking forward to the discussion.

[Meredith]

I just started reading last night and I like it so far, some very descriptive language and I like the main character's voice.

[Khaiden]

I "cheated" and started both reads yesterday (so I too, get to say I read this in January!). This is a pleasantly gripping novel, wanting you to turn the page to see where things go next. I made like 40% in. I can already see the answers to certain questions and have connected some dots, but whether I'm right or not, I'm looking forward to the rest of it.

Trike wrote: "Raucous wrote: "I'm listening to this one and was also struck by the narrator's name. It's difficult to believe that was an accident. I'm not quite sure where this book is going yet but I'm enjoyin..."
Ah, January LaVoy! I'm reading instead of listening to it but I love that they were able to have her as the narrator for the audio version. I listened to her before for Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi Into the Void, and I believe she was in From a Certain Point of View (also from Star Wars).

[Jan Mc]

Corey wrote: "I just finished this last night. (I must have subconsciously wanted to keep it in the titular month.) It had so many elements that should have been in my wheelhouse, yet there were times in the mid..."

Could not agree more with Corey's assessment. That's exactly the way I felt about it. Just finished it yesterday.

[Anna]

Those who've finished, did you notice that the spoiler thread is already up? You can move on over there :)

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Jacqueline]

I read it when it came out. Enjoy everyone 🙂

[Alicia]

I really struggle with getting into this book (50 pages in). The writing style isn't my favorite. Should I keep pushing through?

[Eva]

Anna wrote: "Those who've finished, did you notice that the spoiler thread is already up? You can move on over there :)

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/......"

Thanks, Anna! I think the first impressions thread should really be for those just starting it, so that they can exchange first impressions and discover the book together. Concluding impressions or reviews are better off in the other thread, where people who've already read it can exchange their views. :-)

@Alicia: I'm not a finisher of books that are not for me (too little time). Unless it's considered a timeless classic and great work of literature, I generally give up on a book that hasn't grabbed me within the first few chapters. I'd say 50 pages is enough to know if the book is for you or not. Or maybe you're just not in the mood and can come back to it some other time. :-)

That said, I've recently read a book that bored me a little for the first third and yet still ended up a 5 star read for me, so sometimes it's worth sticking it out. Only you can tell how full your current TBR is and how excited you are for other books on it.

[Sabrina]

Alicia wrote: "I really struggle with getting into this book (50 pages in). The writing style isn't my favorite. Should I keep pushing through?"

I think the writing style improved (I found it a bit strange at first too), but things really began to pick up for me after around 50%. I almost never DNF a book and I'm glad I didn't.

Hope that helps without spoilers ;-)

[Mel]

Alicia wrote: "I really struggle with getting into this book (50 pages in). The writing style isn't my favorite. Should I keep pushing through?"

I also thought the start of the book was a slog. The language put me off, and I kept putting it down. However, it did pick up for me, and I began to enjoy the story, and the language toned down some so it didn't get in the way as much. That pretty rarely happens for me, so I'd say try to stick it out a bit more. YMMV, of course.

[Hank, Hankenstein's Modster]

Ditto with the start of the book going really slow and it picking up after about 100 pages.

It might have been the book but the audio narrator gave it an extra YA vibe for the first 50 pages or so which didn't exactly spark my excitement.

[Marie]

I just started listening to this audiobook this morning, so I'm only one hour into it. I'm getting a Every Heart a Doorway and a The Starless Sea vibe. I'm intrigued!

[Alicia]

Thanks all, I'll give it another chance. I may have judged it too early!

[Anat]

I read the first paragraph and immensely disliked the writing style. I haven't continued since....

[Oleksandr]

I actually finished the book yesterday (it is a monthly read in another group as well), but when I started my first impression was "what a great narration style, with love to characters described". After snarky and YA-ish Gideon the Ninth it was exactly what I needed. As the story progressed I become a little less thrilled but nevertheless I liked it

More in spoilers thread

[Mel]

I read this one in another group last month.

It's interesting how some of us (myself included) started the book and immediately couldn't stand it, while others loved it. I wasn't even 10 pages in and already groaning and had zero patience for the self-aware prose, supposedly historical but written like a modern YA novel. Ugh.

It seems like those who started out hating it gradually warmed up to the book, while those who started out liking it had their enthusiasm dim.

[Gabi]

Version 3: started loving the prose and stayed with this feeling till the end. :D

[Mel]

@Gabi
Glad to hear it! :)

[Jordan]

Marie wrote: "I just started listening to this audiobook this morning, so I'm only one hour into it. I'm getting a Every Heart a Doorway and a The Starless Sea vibe. I'm intrigued!"

Agreed. This is one of those books that reminded me a lot of other books, and those two topped the list easily.

[J.W.]

I'm really, really not getting into this. It reminds me as well of "The Starless Sea," which I absolutely adored, but I'm definitely not in the mood for another super literary fantasy novel. I think I'll wait and try again when I'm in the mood to sit with some cocoa curled up in a chair reading a book about loving stories.

[Kristenelle]

I found this book really hard to get into. Nothing really grabbed me about immediately. I felt like I was waiting for the story to start for a really long time. Like, ok, here is a character, but she has a really boring life and I'm not sure why I care about her. I was really hoping for a story about hopping between worlds and discovering crazy things. I finally made it to a a third of the way through and it started to get a lot more interesting at that point. I'm about 60% finished and I'm finding it much more engaging and interesting.

[Lesley]

I started this today and I seem to be in the minority that really enjoyed it from the start. I love January's voice and the slow unraveling of the mystery of the Doors and her life. I'm trying to knit and read at the same time, and every so often I get so drawn into the story, I find that my hands have stopped knitting.

[Marie]

Allison wrote: "Starting this a bit early so that folks who are trying to be thematically aligned with the month, or who had committed to a buddy read can start when they want. This will be the official thread, so..."
Allison: I guess I am new to discussing one of the books of the month, but I have a question. I made a comment on this thread of my initial thoughts, but is there a proper place to make more comments, or do I have to wait to complete the book and make comments on the spoiler page?

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Hi Marie, you don't have to wait for the end if you don't mind being on a page with spoilers. Some post their thoughts as they go and just don't read the other comments until they're ready.

[Marie]

Allison wrote: "Hi Marie, you don't have to wait for the end if you don't mind being on a page with spoilers. Some post their thoughts as they go and just don't read the other comments until they're ready."

Thanks, Allison!

[Ryan, Your favourite moderators favourite moderator]

This isn't the escape that I hoped it would be.

[Leticia]

I am enjoying the book so far, I must confess that I often don't like when the main character is a child. I often get way too stressed/shocked because of what is happening to the child, but it is kind of still working in this story, so I'm not dropping it like I did with the The Left Hand of God due to too much children suffering. So far I'm enjoying it enough to finish the book, but yeah, lots of feels.

[Amanda]

I can see how the style might not be to everyone's taste, but I'm finding it really fun and relaxing.

[Ellen]

After 6 weeks on the waiting list I finally got it from the library. Here's hoping it's worth the wait.

[Anthony]

Necroposting! Just finished the first chapter and am happy that it’s the sort of enchanting, whimsical tale I was hoping it would be, at least so far.

[DivaDiane]

Oh I may have to pick this back up again finally when I’ve finished Lavinia, if you’ve just started it. Well, you’ll probably finish it before I get back to it, but I’ll try my hardest, so we can discuss, Anthony!

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

So glad to see this getting more attention! I think now, when we could all use a bit of adventure and whimsy would be a great time to read this book.

[Anthony]

It’s come to my attention about 20% in that Harrow *loves* similes. I’m counting as many as 3 or 4 on a page at this point. They’re mostly keenly observed, but they’re starting to feel a bit excessive. (I’m tempted to write a simile of how they feel but I’m restraining myself.)

[Jemppu]

Please collect the best/worst of them, though (while you're observing). Would be interesting to see a sampling :D

[Anthony]

They’re all pretty good, as similes go. There are just. So. Many.

[Jemppu]

Yeah. I know the feeling all too well: noticing any such patterns can get a tad distracting.

Hopefully not too distracting.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

She does love words, and no mistake.

[Anthony]

Another nitpick: I wish the book-within-a-book was written in a voice that feels much more distinct from that of the main story’s narrator. They’re much too similar.

[Jemppu]

Ach. That does sound like a missed opportunity, especially for such a specific motif.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Uh oh! When the nits come this quickly I start to worry! I hope you start to see why the story within the story is crafted as it is, and that it satisfies you rather than making it grumbly.