I’ve occasionally likened the reading of certain books to being on a roller coaster ride, replete with sharp twists and unexpected turns. Reading The Book of Doors, however, is more like being in a fun house full of trick mirrors that make you appear taller or fatter than you actually are or look distorted in any number of ways. The story has so many twists and turns it’s mind boggling and is so choc full of surprises I rarely could anticipate. I cannot imagine how author Gareth Brown managed to keep the myriad threads straight to form a coherent story.

The Book of Doors is a fantastical tale, yet its characters (or most of them, anyway,) are so genuine and down to earth that it often feels realistic. It’s hard to believe that this is Mr. Brown’s debut novel. His writing is so superb! I expect many great stories from him in the future, and I look forward to reading them. Thank you to NetGalley, Gareth Brown, and HarperCollins Publishers for providing me an advanced reader’s copy. My opinions are voluntary.

Firstly, how is everyone not screaming from the rooftops about this book? It was nominated for all kinds of awards last year — 2024 Goodreads Choice Award nominee for Readers Favorite Fantasy and Debut Novels; 2025 Audie Award for Science Fiction — but I’ve barely heard a word about it on online. Personally, I absolutely adored everything about this story!

There was a lot of heart and plenty of action. The villain of the story is … an intense individual … I’ll leave it at that. BUT make sure to look into trigger/content warnings, because there are quite a few of them, including by not limited to dementia, multiple sclerosis, cancer, violence.

Brown’s storytelling was full of possibilities that I didn’t even try to uncover. I simply went along for the ride. The twists at the end had me mind blown for a solid 30 minutes. Right up until I read the last page when everything finally comes together. When the story was over I had the thought of … I feel like I have questions, but I don’t even know what they are!

I’m still not entirely sure I fully comprehend exactly what happened, but I can tell you that I will be rereading this one again. I can’t wait to see what I uncover the second time around. If you like anything about books, magic, magical books, time travel, and good vs. evil, you'll enjoy this one too! It gave me “The Invisible Life for Addie LaRue vibes, which I adored!

I am looking forward to Brown’s next novel, “The Society of Unknowable Objects,” which is set to publish on Aug. 7, 2025.

This would make a good movie. I really love the concept of this book. At some points in the story I was really emotional over the characters and hoping they would make it out ok. Unfortunately sometimes though I did get a little lost towards the end of the story. I liked how it all wrapped up.

There was some language in the book.

Thank you to #NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book, all thoughts are my own.

I knew going in, that this book was going to require a lot of suspension of belief. It's a fantasy, after all! The premise was absolutely so cool! Who wouldn't want a magical book that can take you anywhere you want to go?! But this book fell a bit flat, for me. One thing I hate in books, is when a character is described too much. And then add in the negative descriptions, like "her hips were too narrow" "her chest was too flat". We get it. Women everywhere always feel like they're lacking in SOMETHING, but this is a FANTASY. We read books to ESCAPE life, not constantly be brought back to the things we feel inferior in. It just took away from the fantastical world I wanted to be put in.
I also REALLY hated the racist comments that were made. I know that specific character was meant for us to hate, but were those things being said REALLY necessary? Again, it took away from my reading experience.
This is, unfortunately, not a book I would buy or recommend, which is so disappointing, because it had such high potential!

This book is touching and poignant. Literally one of the best books of the year. I hope that Gareth Brown's pillow is always cold and his coffee is always the preferred temperature. This is truly a remarkable book about the time we have on this planet, but told in such a fun way.

To be honest, I forget I had this as an ARC. I waited and waited for it from the library, only to find out it had been in my NetGalley the whole time.

But, it was worth the wait.

This was a five star read for me and I really had no notes. Every time I thought there might be a plot hole, Gareth Brown masterfully closed the gap.

The premise of the magical books alone was enough to have me hooked. It was even more interesting to really play with good vs. evil and dive into some tough topics through the books.

I also like there there was no magical solution for the main characters. They had to live through some tough outcomes and figure out how to adapt.

The only flaw that really stuck out to me is that one of the villains is a bigot and the things he says are not PC. I'm not sure it had to be included but he was definitely a villain.

One more note: The audiobook is also lovely.

Time travel, mystery, female main character, magic, epic good vs evil, bookstore/ library at the center…. So many things I love in a book.

The story was slow to start and it took me a few tries to get far enough in. But then I didn’t want to put it down and flew through it in just a few days. I loved the time travel element- working through how you can travel to the past without messing up the future. That was a fun element of the book. The book had elements of making something that happened earlier- critical to the plot line and I loved that! My favorite authors do this and I appreciated seeing a new author sprinkle those tidbits along the way. There were a few places that I had to suspend some disbelief, but I enjoyed the book.

Thank you to Gareth Brown, William Morrow Publishing, and NetGalley for an eARC of The Book of Doors!

I absolutely DEVOURED this book! I was completely hooked from the start. While I thought the concept was fairly unique, this book also reminded me of the series Locke & Key. The tension and adventures of the main cast of characters kept me on my toes and waiting to hear what would happen next. I loved how each story was told individually to begin and then they all came together and the reader saw how everything became interwoven. The twists were interesting and while I put the clues together to guess some of them, the others were definitely shocking.

My only criticism is that the concept for how the books came to be was confusing. I found that portion of the book very hard to follow however, I enjoyed everything else so much that this didn't detract from the story for me.

Overall I would rate this 4.5 out of 5 stars - rounded up.

I see the vision the author had and applaud their creativity. However, I found the execution lacking. 

First, I’ll start with the positives. I liked the magic system of the books and found it very fun and unique. I also thought the author handled time travel very well, which is tough since it’s such a complicated subject. 

However, there was also a lot I didn’t like about the book. The main issues were that writing style was very basic and the characters fell flat. However, I also dislike when authors feel the need to tie up every single loose end and bring everything full circle. I also found the authors handling of women, minority, and LGBTQ+ characters to be…at best uncomfortable.

All that to say that I had high hopes for this book but unfortunately, for me, it fell flat.

This made me think about actions and consequences. The characters were well drawn and the storyline was interesting. There were some plot points that seemed VERY out of left field, but in the end everything seemed to come together.

The scariest and most vile villain of all time—that’s what I will always remember about this book. The writing was excellent and the story so propulsive that I couldn’t stop reading, but what a character. Bravo!

A Book of Doors by Gareth Brown is a perfect blend of fantasy and adventure, centered around a mysterious book that grants access to other places through magical doors. If you love stories about hidden magic and the power of knowledge, this is perfectttttt. I can't wait to read more from this author!!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6064227506

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown
A spellbinding blend of mystery and fantasy, The Book of Doors invites readers into a world where books hold unimaginable power. Gareth Brown crafts a captivating tale filled with intrigue, adventure, and richly drawn characters. With its intricate world-building and thought-provoking themes, this novel is perfect for fans of magical realism and literary mysteries. A must-read for those who believe in the magic of books!

This book had me stuck between loving it and hating it. I thought the magic system was new, innovative, and well flushed out. However, the FMC kept commenting on her body and food in a way that seemed very steriotypical for a woman written by a man. I think that this book was so close to living to it's full potential, but just ended up falling flat.

As a reader, we know that books can be magical, and the author really took this idea and created an engrossing fantasy novel that includes all of the right things: good trying to win against evil, time travel, characters you are rooting for! I love book-themed stories, and this did not disappoint!

If you like fantasies, this book is for you. It has everything I could want in a fantasy novel. Many thanks to the author and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

“This world is awful and mean and I hate it … but books have always been a place I can go”

Cassie works in a bookstore, and her life takes an unexpected turn when Mr. Webber, a regular at the shop, passes away and leaves her two books: The Count of Monte Cristo and an intriguing magical book, The Book of Doors. With these books, she embarks on a life-changing adventure.

What does this mysterious book hold for Cassie? What will it reveal about her past—and possibly her future? And what dangers will it bring into her life? I won’t spoil anything, but trust me, you’ll want to discover all this for yourself!

I can’t even begin to find the words to describe how beautiful this story is. It moved me in ways I didn’t expect, and the ending? Absolutely satisfying. This book is truly unlike anything I’ve read before. From the very first page, I was hooked! The concept of traveling anywhere with a magical book is pure magic, and at its core, the story is about family—both the ones we’re born into and the ones we create along the way. That’s always the best part.

I loved the characters! Cassie is kind, loyal, and determined, always ready to protect her friend Izzy, who is equally loyal, friendly, and talkative. Drummond, Lund, and Azaki each bring something unique to the table. The writing was immersive, the plot engaging, and the pacing was spot on. And those plot twists? They kept me on my toes!

If you’re a fan of magical books, time travel, amazing characters, and captivating writing, I highly recommend this one!

Magical books, a noble goal, a host of bad and good characters - to be honest, I'm stilling wondering why I didn't absolutely adore this book? It was dreamy but also predictable.

It has everything I could want in a fantasy novel, but I left with a faint feeling of, 'enjoyable but not memorable.' A well-written debut, and an interesting take on time-travel, but nothing that hooked me.

Thanks to NetGalley, Gareth Brown, and William Morrow with Harper Collins for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

What if any door could be opened to anywhere in the world? You imagine it and a door appears! Cassie is about to find out about a world of magical books and she’s got the one that everyone wants. A story that spans time and space, love and loss, and the power of books!

I absolutely LOVED this book. The parallels and tie-in’s were so well done and made me go “OMG! That’s what that was!” I have no negative feelings towards this one at all. I loved the story, characters, and the plot twists. The character development the plot structure, and pacing were perfect. This was such a lovely story that it even made me tear up a bit at certain moments. I tell everyone about this book since I’ve read it. This was my first five star read in a very long time! I can’t wait to see what else this author has in store for us readers!

I won't be reading this. I've tried multiple times and haven't gotten into it. Thank you though for the opportunity. If I read it in the future I will come back and change this review.