
Member Reviews

"The best place to enjoy a stormy night is in a warm room with a book in your lap."
Cassie's life has been confined to working in the bookstore and then going home to her apartment and maybe sometimes seeing her roommate, Izzy. Or has it?
And then, Mr. Webber dies at her bookstore and leaves her two books, The Count of Monte Cristo, and an unusual magical book, The Book of Doors.
What does this book have in store for her and Izzy?
What will this book open for Cassie? And what will she discover about herself and her past? And possibly her future?
Also, what dangers does this book bring into her life?
Although this appears to be a fantasy tale adventure about magical books, the story does much more.
With quirky characters and magic and whimsy, and time travel, the story has it all.
It addresses loss and grief and the cyclical nature of trauma.
It also is about families, those that are made and those that are found. And that usually is the best part of a story.

LOVED this book - went out and purchased it in hard cover! I'm going to watch for all that Gareth Brown puts out again. What a gift to us readers!

Book of Doors is an excellent, unique read. I almost always like a book about the power of books, and this was no exception. I enjoyed this particular spin on magical books with a variety of powers including time travel. Disclaimer: It’s probably more of a 4.5-4.75 read only due to the introduction of many characters when I was 3/4 through the book. The plot just became a bit confusing and hard to follow with several of the characters and their connections feeling underdeveloped. The story managed to come back together toward the end. My feelings might be influenced by the fact that I just finished The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, an incredible book. If you liked that, then I think you’ll enjoy this too. Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for my ARC!

I'm not a big fantasy reader, but I enjoy magical realism and time travel, so I decided to give this one a go because I've been trying to expand my book repertoire.
The story focuses on Cassie, a young woman on her own in NYC who works in a bookstore. One of the older patrons of the store dies and leaves her a book. Cassie soon learns that this "Book of Doors" has the power to transport her anywhere in the the world she desires, including alternate timelines. Of course, possessing a book with such great power comes at a cost, as Cassie learns that there are dangerous book hunters out to steal her gift.
The first quarter of the book was a bit slow for me so it was difficult to stay engaged, but overall I'm glad I persisted. Once the pace picked up I raced through the remainder of the novel. This is a good book if you like books about books and found family/friendship.
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest feedback!

Thank you for the eARC! I really love the premise of this book! Magical books, friendship, and perseverance.
Unfortunately a lot of this book fell flat for me. The pacing was odd; it somehow felt rushed and to simultaneously drag on. I didn’t really feel attached to any of the characters except for Lund and Azaki. I just didn’t like Cassie or Izzy at all and I didn’t FEEL their deep connection. This should have been more “show”, less “tell”.
I did enjoy the full circle moment near the end of the book! The whole cause and effect circle was interesting and tied everything up nicely!
Overall, this book had so much potential. It wasn’t for me, but maybe it’s for you!

I enjoyed reading this story. There were several things I truly loved about this book. The mystery of the book Cassie is given at the beginning and the intrigue surrounding it was an immediate hook for me. There were some elements that left me a bit confused and a little underwhelmed, but overall it was an enjoyable read. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC I received, my review is completely voluntary and honest.

This was a very good read that had fast paced chapters and a great story to keep you entertained to the end.

Thank you William Morrow and NetGalley for the eARC of The Book of Doors! All opinions in this review are my own.
I had a hard time writing this review because while I loved this book, life got in the way and it took me forever to actually read and finish it. I'm glad I was able to finish the last 100ish pages in one chunk thought because you need to pay attention when reading the end! Brown does an excellent job of weaving all the storylines together and writing a satisfying ending to this complex book. Overall, The Book of Doors is filled with adventure and magic to create a complex story that will delight any reader who has dreamed of magical books. I can't believe this was the author's debut and I look forward to reading more from him!

I really wanted to like this book more because the premise is so interesting. However I failed to connect to the characters and the pacing was off for much of the book. It took me quite a long time to read this book because I was never fully invested. The main villain was so one-note and boring for the vast majority of the story. However, the ending did wrap up nicely and the time travel element was fairly well done.

I really wanted to like this one because it sounded like fun, but I couldn't get into the story. I picked it up and put it down quite a few times but it just wasn't for me.

The synopsis of this book and early reviews had me eager to read it. But it wasn't up my alley in the end. I am not a fan of time travel at all, so that part of the book was not for me. The pacing felt off, as did the world building. I found the antagonist absolutely awful, to the point of unnecessary comments.
I want to thank Netgalley & William Morrow for an ARC of this book.

I feel like I should have known better than to request this book from NetGalley. It's for fans of The Midnight Library (which I didn't enjoy) and The Invisible Life of Addie Larue (which I only mildly enjoyed). I feel like the synopsis of this book had me really excited and I was expecting to be taken on an adventure. I mean technically I was, but not the one I had in mind.
I was hoping this book would be fun and whimsical. In reality, it quickly became a book of violence and anxiety. I didn't enjoy the way the author wrote female characters. Also, for some reason the swearing felt excessive. I get the character is evil and a bad guy but is bitch the only word he knows?
Clearly my feelings toward this book is not what the majority of readers feel based on reviews. If you think you would like the book, then I would still encourage you to read it.

Thanks to William Morrow for the copy of this book!
The Book of Doors is a captivating & magical story with adventure, mystery, and a hint of romance.
Cassie works at a book store in NYC and one day, her favorite customer and sweet old man, Mr. Webber, dies suddently and leaves her a mysterious book. This book is called the Book of Doors and promises that "any door is every door."
The Book of Doors was so much more than I thought it was going to be. It was a very clever story with twists and turns that I didn't see coming, a cast of wonderful & terrible characters, and lots of magical adventure. I went in blind, and really enjoyed reading that way. This is one I'll be recommending to a lot of people!

I had high hopes for this book, but found it to be somewhat disappointing. I felt like the story wasn't fully thought out and the plot wasn't as strong as it could've been.

3.5 stars rounded down
I love the concept of this book. The protagonist, Cassie, comes into contact with the Book of Doors, a book that can open a door to anywhere. Cassie soon finds out that there are other books out there with their own magical powers that a can be wielded for good or evil. Along with her best friend, Izzy and a few friends they meet along the way, they set out to stop the villain of the book, The Woman, from using the books to generally do evil.
I thought the book had a strong plot, but it sure took a long time to set things up. It wasn't until the halfway point that things really got going and I started to enjoy the read. Some of the relationships really shine and I wish that the author would have spent more time on the relationships and the backstory of the main characters. The ending did a good job wrapping everything up and connecting all the loose ends.
Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

THE BOOK OF DOORS is a superb combination of magic, suspense, and the love for books. Brown effortlessly weaves together a tale that is entertaining and heartfelt. Cassie, Drummond, and the full cast of characters come to life as their story unfolds.
From the minute I heard about this book, I wanted to read it. And luckily for me, the author delivered a spectacular narrative. The pace was just right as we moved through time and space with Cassie. It allowed such beautiful moments to be depicted between Cassie and her grandfather, Izzy, Drummond, and Mr. Webber. But with all that said, you will still get a healthy dose of action and thrills. The way the books interlace with the characters and the villains is entertaining and downright spellbinding.
THE BOOK OF DOORS is simply a phenomenal read. It gives the reader all the elements of a grand epic fairytale. Yet, it manages to make it real and perfect for an audience who loves to believe in the magic that lies within books. I loved every minute I spent within these pages.

In New York City, Cassie, a bookseller,is having fun with the magical book of doors left to her by a favorite customer. Unfortunately, along with the book comes a huge target on her back because there are all kinds of people who want to collect ALL the books because, with the books comes great power. This is a thrilling one of a kind saga and it being a debut book just blows my mind! Highly recommend! I thank Netgalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I wanted to love this book, but perhaps my expectations were set too high. The beginning held the promising note of whimsy and magic that seemed to fizzle for me at around 15%. With a storyline that had so much potential, the execution just fell flat with the characters and style for me. I normally finish my reads, but this one is a DNF for me.
Thank you to Thank you NetGalley, William Morrow and to the author for a complimentary copy of this ebook. I am leaving a voluntary review. All thoughts and ideas expressed are my own.

This was such an interesting take on magic and time travel. There is still a bit of confusion for me on the nothingness and the overall creation, but I did love how the storyline and relationships came together

I really wanted to finish this one and I ran out of time on my subscription. This had a really interesting midnight library vibe and I really enjoyed what I didn’t get rid of it.