Thank you to William Morrow and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a magical story! I went in unprepared for how much I would enjoy stepping through these doors. When you are first introduced to Cassie, she leads a pretty normal life. She has befriended a sweet old man who frequents the bookstore where she works. She loves books and he gifts her one that changes the course of her entire life. Cassie meets a unique group of characters as she travels this new path and works to save the books. This story has a great amount of adventure, mystery, magic and friendship. What would you do with a book that could open a door to anywhere??

I would absolutely recommend this book - it is a great escape!

Thanks Netgalley for access to this ARC. This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024, and it paid off! The premise is so interesting and something I honestly think about a lot. The story hits all the checkboxes for avid fantasy readers, especially those of us who like to read about readers/books.

It started out very intresting. The first part of the book made me curious to know more, the plot seemed quite promisjng, but the writing seemed to not flow well, sentences seem choppy, I started loosing intrest after about 40 pages in, The rest of the book had spots where it read ok but mostly this book was a big struggle. I feel book could be improved with further editing and polishing. I hate that I didn't like it more.

Thank you to the author and publisher for a copy of this ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

Solid 2 stars. It wasn't the best and I didn't enjoy reading some of the dialogue and words used in this book. The idea of the book was interesting enough but the execution just wasn't satisfying for me.

I’m hovering back and forth between 4 and 5 star read but I thoroughly enjoyed it! A great debut novel. It’s a fantasy/sci-fi book that focuses more on magic than world-building and crazy schemes, so I can see this as a cozy re-read in the future. It has multiple POVs. Multiple timelines. Good working to triumph over evil. And a love of books! It’s an interesting premise I’ve never come across, too. I loved the pacing but I did struggle with what felt like an unfinished ending for two of the characters (spoilers at the bottom of this post). But all in all would recommend to friends!

Plot Summary: Cassie is a mid-20s woman working in a bookstore in NYC when a random turn of events presents her with a magical book capable of taking her around the world. But with great power comes greater enemies and a cohort of people who want it back.


Thank you NetGalley and publishers William Morrow for the ARC! The Book of Doors is out now!






*small spoiler* (are we supposed to understand the ending of Hugo Barbary? And isn’t it a bit unkind to end with the old man with shock and confusion after all he did?!)

Perfect, perfect, perfect! I went into this one pretty much blind, not really knowing what to expect, and I was completely floored.
Multiple heroes, several villains, and a whole cast of well-developed characters with whom you'll fall in love. This story is worth the read in every possible way.
Drummond Fox was by far my favorite character and watching the relationship between Cassie and Fox mature and grow was a great side-bar in the story. The perfect mix of romance and story-telling without the romance and relationship becoming overbearing.
I love fantasy, and magic, but my preference is a good middle-of-the-line combo between the two and Brown captures that balance perfectly. The foundation and general concept behind this novel is brilliant and it is so well-developed throughout the story. Every time I had a question about how the power of the magic books would work or how they affected the space/time continuum, the writing explained in a way that made perfect logical sense.
I will say, this one could use a trigger warning for violence and some gore. If you're grossed out easily, or bothered by a lot of death, I might steer you away from this one. However, even though some of the violence was intense, it added to the story and definitely kept me reading. The book wouldn't be the same without it, but I could be upsetting to some readers.

This novel is going to be one of the best books I read this year, I can already guarantee that. I loved it so much, I'm ordering a physical copy after reading an e-ARC on my kindle just because I want to have this one on my shelves.

Thank you for letting me read,
Please note: this review is now posted on GoodReads as of 2./14/24

Cassie is given a book by her favorite customer right before he passes away but later she realizes the magic of the book. This book of doors literally lets you travel anywhere including time travel. It sets off an epic adventure for her with elements of chase as there are people now hunting for her to get access to this book that appeared after a long time. Now Cassie and her friends are on a mission to stop the villains from obtaining all these powerful magical books. It was a fast paced and an enjoyable read. It has a fantasy theme but was not full of high fantasy so it would work for those who prefer it this way.

THE BOOK OF DOORS by Gareth Brown is a fantastical journey of magic, friends, and naturally a love of books!

I fell in love with this story pretty quickly. As it continued to unravel the different layers, I couldn't believe how much I kept loving each new revelation! This story contained all the things I love when I read: an MC who grows, incredible friendship, magic, gorgeous books, mysteries, wonder, danger, an insanely evil villain, intergenerational connections, massive libraries with secret passages, time travel, and there was even the seeds of romance.

All I want to say about the plot is that a young woman named Cassie receives a book from a regular patron at the bookstore where she works. She receives it when she discovers that this quiet old man has passed away in the store. What she discovers through this book takes her on an epic journey that I didn't want to end!

I just about lost it with Cassie's grandfather and Mr. Webber, the man in the bookshop. That sentence is for the author. When you read it, you will understand. I loved all of the connections and how they changed and grew. The adventures and the way things made more sense as the pieces fell in made this such a satisfying and pleasurable experience!

If you like Dr. Who a tiny bit, this will be a fantastic book for you, I think. I loved it. All of it. I really hope it keeps going, but I could understand if this is it, and we are all left to our imaginations. I have grown quite fond of these characters. I am sad to be done with this lovely and adventurous story that had me glued to each page.

Did I mention I really loved this one?

Thank you so much @netgalley & @williammorrowbooks for sharing this book with me and letting me gush about it! This magical adventure publishes on February 13th and I am absolutely going to order this book to have as a hard copy in my library. This will rank as a favorite for sure!

This fast paced fantasy, time travel novel was quite interesting. The plot was original and the protagonist, a witty female lead was fun and likable. There was magic, adventure, good and evil and everything in between to make a fantasy novel great

"Any door is every door."

We're book nerds, so we already know books have magical abilities to whisk us away into fantastical worlds, amazing love stories, or scare our socks off. But what if books really could physically do things? In this story, Cassie works at a book store and, after a customer suddenly passes in her small book store, she's left with a mysterious leatherbound book. That night she takes it home and, after looking through the pages, she gets a funny feeling and opens a door to Venice.

This is just the beginning of Cassie's story. This is a fun story, I loved all the ideas of the books and - even though the "bad guy" was so over-the-top cackling bad, I loved learning about the good and the bad books.

The start is a bit slow and has quite a few characters but, soon, you get to know everyone and the story gets moving. It gets easier to keep track of them all. I actually really loved the supporting characters - I loved Izzy's sass and Drummond's knowledge and protection.

There were a few info dump points that bogged down the story for me, but the overall uniqueness of the plot and story made it easy to get through and keep flipping the pages. A fun, unique story that reminded me the magic of books and stories.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

The books of doors by Gareth brown is a fun novel that pulls a little bit of magic, adventure, mystery, and fantasy into one fun read. Cassie is an ordinary employee in a coffee shop until one day her favorite customer drops dead in front of her and leaves her with the last book he was reading, a book that literally opens up doors to other worlds. Cassie is approached by another elderly man who is collects these rare books and Cassie finds that the book she has in her possession is the most valuable of all to the people who collect these volumes. Cassie realizes there are some dangerous people after this book and a game of cat and mouse across different worlds ensues. A fun, imaginative reading experience that many readers of multiple genres will enjoy, Cassie is easy to root for and the pacing is excellent!

A fun read and would love to read more and hope this is the beginning of a series.

Thanks to the publisher for providing the arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you @williammorrowbooks and @netgalley for the e-galley.

Y’all, this book came out yesterday and I wasn’t quite done with it so I waited to post about it. I absolutely loved it!

It’s a book about books. Magic books. It’s fantasy/magical realism, so not high fantasy. There’s time travel - I know but it’s good! A sprinkling of romance. It was both too long - I can’t read fast enough - and too short - I need more of this story and these characters. The characters! Very well written. A warm hug of a book. Highly recommend.

Cassie works at a bookstore and is given a gift by her favorite customer. It’s an unusual book full of strange scribble and drawings. It’s The Book of Doors. Any door is every door. And so she travels by doors and is having a great time until people start hunting her down. This isn’t the only magical book and dangerous and ruthless people will do anything to get their hands on every single book.

I would love more books about these magical books. I want more of these characters. This was such a good book and I know not will be with me for a long while.

Gripping!

My first time travel book and I loved it! So much going on and so much to keep track of but a fabulous story with unique characters.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy.

Fast-paced debut about a library of magical books and the people who want to possess them. Cassie Andrews works in a bookshop in New York City. When one of her regular customers passes away in the bookshop, he leaves her a book called the Book of Doors, inscribed with the words "Any door is every door." This starts Cassie on a journey unlike any she could have imagined. I liked the time-travel aspect of this book (the past is fixed), and I stayed up way too late turning the pages to see what would happen.

The Book of Doors has been compared to The Night Circus and The Invisible Life of Addie Larue. I would agree with the comparison to a certain extent. However, I felt that The Night Circus and The Invisible Life of Addie Larue were flawless. While I would definitely recommend The Book of Doors, there were some plot challenges that had me screaming. For instance, some major plot points could have been solved much easier than it is in the book. But, then we wouldn’t have some of the major story lines.

Regardless, I did really enjoy The Book of Doors and, at times, I had a hard time putting it down. I was rooted for the protagonists and I thought the story was clever. One thing to note . . . this book is dark. Very dark. So, if that isn’t your jam, The Book of Doors may not be for you.

In his debut novel “The Book of Doors,” Gareth Brown shows readers how magical books can be. Cassie Andrews was working at a bookshop until one day, her favorite customer died. He leaves her a book that leads her on a magical journey through time and space, the titular Book of Doors. In the process, she finds that this book is valuable and some are willing to do anything to obtain the Book of Doors.

I thought the characters were well-developed, especially Cassie and Izzy. I felt bad when dark things happened in the book. It was pretty fast-paced, so there was no drag in the story. The characters are always moving and the situations can be tense.

What was interesting about “The Book of Doors” was how Gareth tackled time travel. There are so many theories on what would happen if someone traveled to another time. What happens when a person has two selves in one time? Can a person change history? These questions and more are answered uniquely in this book.

This is a great debut novel and I would recommend it for people who are dipping their toes into fantasy. It feels like the real world with a fantastical element most people would not know about.

I so want to find The Book of Doors. For you see, the book allows you to open a door and travel anywhere you can imagine. No more crowded coach airplane seats for me!

When Cassie is given the book posthumously by a customer in the bookshop where she works, she has fun traveling with her friend Izzy around their hometown of New York City. But, as always, when there is something great, the evil rich want to grab it for themselves. It turns out the world is full of books with magical powers. The good librarians are trying to keep them from the evil rich. To do that they sometimes use time travel. But mostly they just use their wits.

The Book of Doors combines the wonder of Alice in Wonderland and the modern idea of time travel with a classic good versus evil plot line. It is magical realism with a fantasy/sci-fi setting. It is also a bit convoluted and increasingly unbelievable toward the end. Still, I enjoyed it so 4 stars!

Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

What an adventure! Magical books that could be used for good or evil and the best of them, honestly is the Book of Doors that can lead you anywhere and anytime. Imagine the possibilities and Cassie and her friends sure did make use of it. The main antagonist was a pure evil character, only known as The Woman, needless to say all the magical books in her possession were used for evil purposes. Cassie and her friends have to band together in order to stop The Woman from collecting all the books and leaving the world as we know it in despair. This was a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Thanks William Morrow via NetGalley for this ARC.

"The Book of Doors" is a competently written debut novel that tells a complex and engaging urban fantasy tale with well thought out time travel sequences. Unfortunately this novel barely misses its shot at greatness and most fans are likely to find it wanting in some key areas.

In its favor this novel features a strong and relatable female protagonist. Cassie is smart, bookish, a little bit insecure and a little bit damaged as the book opens. Throughout the book, she makes tough decisions, shows unwavering loyalty to her friends and allies and demonstrates remarkable tenacity and drive while resolving some of her deeper grief driven personal insecurities. Cassie also stands out as a consummate bookworm who does not shrink from the outside world as much as she uses her love for literature as a means to experience it.

In addition to Cassie as lead protagonist there are a number of compelling supporting characters. However, the development of these characters is spotty and only two of them really stand out as believable multi-dimensional figures within the greater adventure. The adventure itself is well plotted, intricately described and full of all the turns and twists that a good time travel story should have. However, the ongoing interactions of many of the characters within the structure of the adventure begin to bog down the story and it fails to move at comfortable pace and becomes downright clunky in places.

There are also a number of story threads that never lead anywhere. Thus Cassie seems to be on the verge of experiencing body dysmorphia at the beginning of the book when she castigates herself for her appearance. The reader would not be amiss is assuming this scene would lead to Cassie eventually confronting her self image issues and changing them, but it is never developed. Similarly another character's comment about her eating are never followed up which makes the scene seem like a pro-Anorexia PSA. Likewise, Cassie's romantic inclinations towards another character are never followed up. In some cases this lack of follow through on character development that permeates the book could be seen as an awkward attempt to lay the foundations for another book., but for the most part it just feels like a bunch of rookie mistakes that should have been caught by an editor.

However, the ultimate weakness of this book and the main limiting factor for its success is its set of villains. Neither villain is well developed and their motivations generally remain a mystery. The brash violence exhibited by both is jarring and the addition of gross body horror seems misplaced. To be fair there are a few cool gimmicks, including one brilliant wardrobe choice, but they are just not enough to make up for the general lackluster design and development of these characters.

Finally, placing all the above negative observations aside, this is actually a fairly good book with a compelling protagonist and a well constructed plot. Urban fantasy buffs who can deal with some rough edges and general clunkiness, could do far worse than to pick this one up. Additionally, Gareth Brown shows real promise and it will be interesting to see what he does next.


Four stars, just barely.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, William Morrow, for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Book of Doors is an intriguing read. While some may say books are already powerful and magical, this book takes that idea to a new level. Books really are magical. For example, the title book in question - the Book of Doors - turns any door into a way to travel. Think of where you want to go, grab the handle, open the door, and there you are! In the world with these magical books, the Book of Doors is not the only one out there. Some people want to protect them, some want to collect them, and some will kill for them.

This book was very fun for me. It felt realistic and grounded, but still magical enough to suspend reality to get lost in the book. The author could continue this path, either in a prequel or a sequel to understand some of the side characters. However, this book did wrap up fairly well, so I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything - there's just more that could be looked at, such as a book collector or two.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC!