ACCORDING TO JANUARY SCALLER, THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY TO RUN AWAY FROM YOUR OWN STORY, AND THAT'S TO SNEAK INTO SOMEONE ELSE'S . . .
In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr Locke, she feels little different from the artefacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored and utterly out of place.
But her quiet existence is shattered when she stumbles across a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. Each page reveals more impossible truths about the world, and January discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own.
Review -
I requested an ARC of this book in NetGalley to see what the fuzz was all about. And I got the answer as soon as I finished the first chapter. Because, I feel, that this book is one of the most unique releases of the year 2020. And of course, GOD, that cover is awesome!!
The story follows a teen girl named January Scaller, who is considered to be 'A perfectly unique specimen', that is, she is odd-colored but hardly colored. January's father is a dark skinned man from god-knows-where and January has never met here mother, nor does she remember her face and is presumably dead. January grows up as the ward of a wealthy collector and her father's employer, Mr.Locke, and so he is the nearest thing she has for family. She spends here childhood with the artifacts that decorated the halls of Locke House, Books, her friend Samuel and her loyal and loving pet dog, Sindbad. Her whole quiet existence is ignored until she finds a book in a crate, among the treasures that her father had sent for Mr.Locke.
Two stories run parallel to each other and merge towards the end, the first story is of January and the second story is of the intriguing book that she just discovered. As January reads the book, it unravels a tale of adventure, love, loss, quest and of course, other worlds. She discovers some power, truths and at last family.
The book takes you through an exhilarating adventure. I loved Alix E. Harrow's writing style which was soooo elegant. The 'book within a book' proved to be good. Also the theme that written words have power is unique and fitting. I just wanted to see more chemistry between Samuel and January. But the ending certainly brought tears to my eyes. Overall this is an amazing book that I recommend everybody to read.
I thank NetGalley and Little-Brown Publishing (Orbit books) for giving me this wonderful opportunity to read and review this book.
P.S.- I am praying seriously to get approved for Alix E. Harrow's next book, 'The Once and Future Witches' and that cover is awesome too!!!
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