[gmw]

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E Harrow. A historical (early 20th century) fantasy. The first third develops as a story within a story within a story, and it began to seem wandering and pointless (although this impression may have been influenced by external distractions), but the writing was expressive and the characters interesting so I pushed on ... and it was well worth it. It turned into an interesting story, told in an unusual manner (all the first third mattered). I enjoyed the use of language. I thought the themes and the romances were well handled, and I liked the way the conclusion didn't compromise the main character. A firm 4/5.