I really, really wanted to love The Ten Thousand Doors of January. I was super excited when I first saw the book. And let’s be honest, the cover is what first drew me to it. But then I got intrigued by the mixture of historical fiction and fantasy. I usually really enjoy fantasy that is only just adjacent to the real world.

But guys, this one was a struggle for me. I’ve been thinking a lot about why it didn’t work and I think it was the story within the story. You start out by meeting January, whose father has left her in the care of his wealthy employer, Mr. Locke, while he goes off to find treasures for Locke’s antiquities society. When January finds a strange book in Mr. Locke’s house, she discovers a series of worlds adjacent to her own and a story that magically entwines with her reality. A fascinating premise, but I found myself not caring at all about the story that January reads. It was dry and I think I would have been more invested if I had known from the beginning why we were reading the story.

That said, I flew through the chapters told from January’s POV and ultimately kept going with this one because I really wanted to know what was going to happen to her. I’m glad I eventually finished the book (it was smooth sailing when we go past the story within the story).

I know a lot of bookstagrammers REALLY enjoyed this book, so I might be in the minority with this opinion. But that’s what this community is all about, right? Talking about books and sharing different opinions?