🍀 Mini Book/ARC Review #21 🍀

Title: The Book of Doors
Author: Gareth Brown
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release: February 15th, 2024
Genre: Fantasy, Magical Realism
Format: Ebook | Audiobook
Length: 416 pages
Finished: March 3rd, 2024
Thoughts:

I love Magical Realism in books. It’s like someone peeping into your daydreams and putting them on paper. It romanticizes life. What if the impossible was actually possible? “The Book of Doors” is the daydream of your inner child. Where knowledge is power, the Librarian is one of the strongest heroes ever, and adventure literally lurks behind every door.

I really enjoyed this one! Cassie was a great FMC to follow this journey on. A quiet girl who enjoyed adventure but was stuck in one place. It’s relatable and the way Garth Brown writes her, you slowly start to imagine yourself in her shoes. Crazy things happen from the get go and you are thrown into your first door and the pacing really never stops.

There are multiple things I loved about this book. I loved how there are multiple books that did amazing things. I loved how time traveling works and the decisions the FMC had to make because of it (10 years! My goodness!). And most of all, I love how she included her best friend Izzy from the beginning instead of keeping the book of doors secret! I remember going “Wow! Now that’s a friend!”

I wasn’t too fond of the ending, though. Felt like there could have been more as there is a small little plot hole with the books and the Nothing. But I did appreciate the full circle moments and how those were completed.

A great debut by Gareth Brown and am looking forward to more of his books!

Rating 4.25/5 stars

Like most books I read, I went into this pretty blind. I skimmed the description and then promptly forgot what the book was about.

We follow Cassie, a young woman who works at a bookstore and ends up with a magical book in her possession called The Books of Doors. This book allows her to travel essentially anywhere as long as she can picture a door that exists in the place she wants to go. Of course, this isn't the only magical book in existence and we begin to meet more characters who have other books like the Book of Shadows or the Book of Joy or the Book of Pain. The books are powerful and as a result, draw people who want power to them.

This book was wild! Some time travel occurs, the magic system is so unusual and cool. I had such a good time reading this and I honestly couldn't have guessed any of the twists that occurred.

I will say it took a bit of time for me to get into it. I'd say around the 40% mark is where it picked up. While the pacing could have been better, the writing was incredible, the characters were interesting, and the story was unique.

If you like contemporary fantasy with twists and turns, I think you would absolutely love this debut by Gareth Brown!

Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for providing an ARC! All thoughts and opinions are wholly my own.

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown tells the story of Cassie while working at a bookstore in NYC has a favorite customer pass away and leaves her the book of doors. Cassie is able to figure out how to use the book by going to different places and eventually time travel. The storyline is extremely creative. It includes fantasy, time travel and an epic good vs evil. Thank you to NetGallery and Transworld publishing for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF 25%.

I was looking forward to reading this book due to the premise. A young girl finds a key to any world imaginable: a literal book of doors. What does she do with this power and how does she protect it from those with nefarious ideas? I was excited to find out! However, not too far in, I was turned off by the way Cassie and her roommate Izzy were written. I think this is a part of a larger issue I had with the way the book was written, but the larger issue is more a personal preference, whereas the issue with Cassie and Izzy was more an "ick" issue, but I think the two are connected.

I had a really difficult time telling when this book was supposed to take place, which seems like it might have been on purpose. There was no mention of modern technology and any descriptions of surroundings were vague, like the mention of cars, but no descriptions. Because of this, I had a really hard time with Cassie and Izzy. Cassie and Izzy, who by my logic were at least 21 years old (most likely older), were written like 12 year old girls were written back in the 70s. They were written with this child like wonder and all these girl-like mannerisms. Modern 21-year-olds do not talk about how bread goes straight to their thighs, or use no slang at all, or treat every day like it's a sleepover with their roommate. They were written with this child-like wonder that reminded me of The Little Princess, Chronicles of Narnia, and A Wrinkle in Time, and how those female characters were written; and they were children! Again. not being able to tell the time period added to my frustration here because if it took place say in the 20s or 40s, I kind of get that, but if this is supposed to be modern times it makes no sense.

I found myself avoiding reading this book until I realized I just wasn't going to pick it back up again. I can't read about child-like grown women, especially when they're written by men. It feels weird, and it makes the story feel juvenile.

I found this twisty tale less than my interest. I am sure it has its appeal to the right kind of readers. That just wasn't me.

Normally I’m not a fan of time-travel stories but I think The Book of Door time-travel concept was executed well and I like the portal magic/urban fantasy setting.

I personally like how the story was set up in the first half of the book, the ending sort of lost some steam for me and some things were sort of left unexplained. Overall I really did enjoy this book, almost a 5-star read for me. The villain in the story was truly horrifying but I’m here for it lol

4 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

I am in love with this book! It's twisty, full of mystery and at times downright creepy. The story is so intricate and so smart. I love the world created in the story and all of the magical elements. There is amazing character development with villains you love to hate and characters you want to root for. My attention was grabbed from the very first page and I couldn't wait to get back to it every time life got in the way. I will be recommending this book far and wide.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

As soon as I heard about this book, I knew I had to have it. The title, the cover, and the book description were all calling my name. A book about magic books? Sign me up!

Overall, I thought this was a fine debut novel. The premise of this book was incredible, but the execution was a little lacking. My two biggest complaints were that 1. the two protagonists (Cassie and Izzy) lacked depth and it was difficult to be emotionally invested in them and 2. the plot was a little convoluted/hard to follow at times. 3 stars because although entertaining, I was expecting more.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not sure where to even start with this book. It was a wild ride of magic and discovery. I liked the premise but I found the female characters to be boring. Even the villain was kind of blandly evil. I was waiting for a bigger twist that didn’t come and one part left me wondering why the two main characters didn’t try harder to keep their precious books safe from a villain. It wouldn’t have helped the plot, that’s why. It was still a good read but I hope it has a sequel otherwise we were kind of put through the emotional ringer for nothing.

Marvelous, moving, wondrously adventurous, and beautiful. I LOVED the journey this took me on. I cried for the first time in years during one moving scene. A book of doors led to so much more than what I first imagined thanks to the skillful guidance of Gareth Brown. This book is what I had hoped the Midnight Library could’ve been. I highly recommend this book for anyone fascinated by the idea of time travel, those that love a found family story, and readers who love to take immersive trips in their fiction.

I was really excited to read this book because the cover and the title intrigued me. I am not sure if I am in a slump or if it’s just not the vibe for me right now but unfortunately I did not finish this book. Great context and story line but at this time I don’t find it interesting.

Cassie Andrews is an ordinary young woman in New York City, working at a bookstore and sharing a tiny flat with a roommate. But Cassie and her roommate Izzy are tossed into a exciting adventure when Cassie receives a gift from one of her favorite bookstore customers. This book, the Book of Doors, will open any door in the world and transport the user there. But there are many other magical books in the world– dangerous books– and dangerous people who collect them.

It’s rare that I cry in the middle of a book, but I cried reading this one. The set-up is simple but beautifully executed. It’s a book about books, of course, but also deep connections between people and moments in time you think you can never get back to.

My main qualm is the necessary suspension of disbelief for how Cassie passes a period of time during the book (which I won’t reveal for spoilers), but I otherwise LOVED it.

I really loved the premise of this story. Was really intrigued and pulled in for most of it. I did have some trouble with the pacing near the end, things felt a little abrupt. I enjoyed it enough that I would be interested in picking up more stories about the Fox Library and the different books in the collection.

I made my way through 45% of this book and am unable to connect with the characters or remain interested enough to see where the plot will go. While I enjoy the premise, and maybe it is a right book wrong time issue, I do not see myself being interested enough in where this story was going to pick it back up due to my inability to connect with a single character.

That being said, I think those that enjoy magical realism and are ok with what felt like pace shifting to me, will truly enjoy this book.

Some parts of this were great while others were slowwwww. I liked the fantasy aspect of this and thought the different books were so intriguing. However I was shocked at some of the racist comments in this book, as well as some of the depictions of the villains. Overall not for me.

What if you had a book that you could open any door to enter a place you are thinking about? I'd head to Venice, Edinburgh, Cairo or Tokyo! What if you could travel to a different time? I'd go back and see my parents or grandparents!

Bookseller Cassie befriends a sweet older gentleman who shares her love of The Count of Monte Cristo. One day while chatting in the shop, he sits down to read and as she is closing up, she realizes he has passed away. She sees his two books - The Count of Monte Cristo and old leather book, "The Book of Doors" . He left her a note telling her he hopes she will enjoy it.

The beginning of an interesting story. as she discovers what this book can do....however there is intrigue with dangerous people who want this book. And there are more books - a lot more books like the Books of Luck, Shadows, Memories and many more. This is where I began to lose a bit of interest with so many books, the time travel and shady characters. I know there are those who will love this book but since I am not a big fan of fantasy, magical realism or time travel, this book went much deeper into these areas and I lost interest. I do think for those who love this genre, they will enjoy this book. It just wasn't for me.

My thanks to Net Galley and William Morrow books for an advanced copy of this e-book.

I happily requested an ARC of The Book of Doors after receiving a promotional email from NetGalley. I was intrigued by both the description and the fact that it was a debut novel. Overall, I was so impressed with Gareth Brown's writing. I loved the setting, loved the characters, and loved the plot. I truly could not put The Book of Doors down and am waiting anxiously for Brown's next book already!

Run, don't walk to pick up this book. This book easily earned a spot on my favorite books list. Amazing storytelling! I truly believed I was in this world created by Gareth Brown in The Book of Doors, complete with magical books that could do all sorts of crazy things.

In The Book of Doors we meet Cassie, a young woman who works in a bookshop in NYC who is gifted a magical book. A book that allows her to open any and every door. The only problem is that there are unsavory people looking for this book and she doesn't realize she's in danger simply by possessing this book.

I cannot speak highly enough of this book. It is not something I would typically pick up or decide to read, however it is easily one of my favorite books now. It is the perfect blend of science fiction, fantasy, and mystery. *Chefs kiss*

My first reaction is I loved this book.

A few things bugged me on a personal level. Sadly, some of those things I have come to expect to from male authors. I will address those first. If a woman having self-esteem issues or body issues does not actively influence the story, and get solved or addressed then leave it out. Some language even when from a villainous character is going to bother some people. Some of the descriptive writing is a bit graphic on the violence front. Be warned.

With that addressed, I will now talk about what I loved. A book about books always hits the spot for me. I thought this was another interesting way to incorporate magic into a world. That any door is every door was an interesting concept. Where it takes us is amazing. I found the beginning when they were testing it to be a little silly and like many friendships one is brave and the other hesitant.

I like when we start to have different timelines and the switch in POVs. The further in the more invested I got. I wasn't expecting some of the twists, but others were a bit predictable. The timeline when things were revealed seemed well paced for the most part.

I think the other reason I really identify with the main female character is the way her grief affected her. I have been through some very close and tough losses. This book did make me cry, but because I related to the feelings and how grief can change your personality. It was nice how this theme was included, and the main character had the chance to address her grief head on eventually.

This will be one some people dive into head first, and devour. Others will get stuck on the things that offend and not see the positives. I hope if you decide to read it you enjoy the experience like I did.

Thanks to netgalley for my ebook edition in exchange for my honest review.