I wonder about coincidences in books. How does it happen that three books published within months of each other all use Grand Central in NYC as an important location (The Masterpiece, Time After Time, and The Lost Girls of Paris)? How do two fantasy novels published within weeks of each other, The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow and The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, both deal with doors connecting worlds, the magical power of writing, and a protagonist who reads their own story in a mysterious book they find?
The Starless Sea is my favorite read in 2019, so The Ten Thousand Doors of January has some tough competition. Well the good news is that, they are very different books, and actually have very little in common. The Ten Thousand Doors is a traditional fantasy novel with villains, a likable heroine, a quest, a touch of romance, a touch of mystery, and a lot of adventure.
January is being raised by a rich man with whom her father left her as a child. Her father is travelling around the world collecting treasures for the rich man, while January feels left behind. She discovers a book, The Ten Thousand Doors, and as she starts reading it the mystery and puzzles begin.
The Ten Thousand Doors is a quick, fun read, which any fantasy lover will enjoy. As an aside, the library copy I first checked out, was damaged. It was printed without the last section of the book. This is the first time I have ever seen a book where the publisher made this kind of error.