What may seem to be a privileged existence is marred by the strict rules imposed on the red-skinned girl, the meager living quarters assigned to her, and the fact that her father, Julian, who works for Locke, is almost never around.

Locke entertains his fellows from the New England Archeological Society, and these men treat January as a curiosity, sometimes making her feel vaguely threatened.

In her NPR review, Jessica P. Wick enthuses that you will "want to open every one of 'The Ten Thousand Doors of January'", calling the novel both bewitching and satisfying.

She lauds how Harrow "explores privilege and race, class and power, control, imperialism, the desire for order, the desire for hope, community, home, what it is to be an exile, what it is to be afraid," adding that "stories provide strength and escape in The Ten Thousand Doors of January, but Harrow doesn't neglect to show us how the stories we're told can trap us, too.

The review compliments the diverse cast of characters as well as the strong woman lead, noting that "this portal fantasy doesn't shy away from racism, classism, and sexism, which helps it succeed as an interesting story.