4.5 Stars: “I don’t read fantasy.” Then this book is for YOU! It has no world building, no fairies, no trolls or angel wars.
What it DOES have is incredible characters searching for magical books, trying to outrun the monstrous woman who covets them all, time travel done so well (it’s not easy!), and if you love stories set in New York City, this one will satisfy every cell.

The plot twists are heart stopping; I can’t tell you how many times I slammed the book closed, figuring a favorite character was lost, or harmed, or out of the plot line. But nope, every time I was pulled back in, impossible to stop reading, turning pages waaaaay too late into the night.

Go ahead, I dare you - read a fantasy and have it be this one! If you love bookstores and libraries, adventure, tension, love, friendship, travel, and characters you want to hug, this one’s for you!

Time travel, suspense, and magic await readers of The Book of Doors. A young woman bookseller becomes a target of many strangers who desperately want the coveted magical book that transports her to past and future destinations.

Cassie Andrews lives an unassumed life with her roommate, Izzy, working for a bookstore in New York City. But that changed when her favorite customer, Mr. Webber, left her an unusual book called The Book of Doors. Cassie realizes that she can transport throughout time to any place. But others out there with good and bad intentions will kill for her book and other unique books. Cassie fights to save her best friend Izzy and right the world of evil and greed.

Author Gareth Brown weaves a fantasy of friendship, determination, and grit. I loved the main character, Cassie, who travels to the past to save the future of her new friends and preserve the Library of these special books. The Book of Doors should be made into a series or movie. #NetGalley # The Book of Doors #Fantasy

I wasn’t sure I was going to like this when I first started reading. It started off a bit slow and we’re introduced to multiple POVs in multiple timelines in a short period of time, which was a bit confusing and also made it harder to connect with the characters right away. I wasn’t sure where the story was going to go but I’m glad I stuck with it.

Once we got past the character introductions and initial world building the story took off and completely held my interest. The author does a good job of tying all of the characters and timelines together and bringing everything full circle. He makes you care about the characters and their futures.

The Book of Doors is full of unexpected twists and turns. Just when you think you know where the story is going everything gets flipped on its head and suddenly the story’s going in a totally different direction. It will also make you run the full gamut of emotions because you’re so invested in the characters and there are so many ups and downs and sudden unexpected twists.

Some parts of the book were hard to read. One of the antagonists is a violent bigot who is willing to do anything and hurt anyone to get what he wants. The main villain of the story, The Woman, is pure evil and a truly detestable character. She revels in causing chaos, pain, and despair. Some of her scenes were a bit more gruesome than anticipated based on the tone of the synopsis, so that is something to take into consideration when deciding to read this book.

This is a story for book lovers, but it’s also a story about the connections we make and about experiencing life and appreciating all of its moments.

Thanks NetGally and William Morrow for this advanced copy.

A new favorite! I love books about mysterious books and doors so this was perfect for me! It’s dark, emotional, awe-inspiring, heartbreaking, fantastical, and so realistic I felt like I was there through it all. I loved following the characters, especially Cassie. She’s all of us — just trying to live her life but wanting more — and then the more drops into her lap and it’s a bit more than she bargained for.

There were a few parts where the book felt like it was longer than it needed to be, but I loved it all the same. By the end, I actually wanted more — to stay with these characters, to find out more about where these books originated from, to see the power of the books. This is a book I’ll be recommending to friends!

Thank you NetGalley, William Morrow, and author Gareth Brown for an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I cannot remember how this novel ended up on my NetGalley shelf, but I am SO glad this did.

A Book of Doors is a trip- in all the best ways! It has time travel mixed into a fantasy, characters you’ll love, and characters you’ll hate. It’s adventurous, mysterious, slightly mind boggling, and a little gruesome at times, but I truly loved it.

“Because if you stop you admit the bad stuff has won, don’t you? All you can do is keep going. Refuse to be beaten, even when you are beaten. The bad stuff only wins if you let it.”

I think many of my book loving friends who enjoy a good adventure and/or fantasy will enjoy this one. I’m already planning to purchase a hard copy for myself, and I will be forcing my husband to read it

Thank you Net Galley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book is for the book lovers, the ones who enjoy the celebration of books, bookstores, and libraries, the ones who already believe books are magical. It just happens that some books in this story are actually magical. The main character is one such reader who doesn't ask anything more from her life than that until a magical book comes into her possession.

Other noteworthy characteristics:

The story is also told through other characters' perspectives, forward and backward in time. Helps fill in the backstory a lot, and the weaving together of storylines was satisfying.

At times, the story gets surprisingly violent. It does serve the story, sure, but that means this isn't a cozy sort of story although it seems like it at first. I wouldn't want anyone who hates graphic violence to get shocked. The book starts off in a much different way and you think it's going to be fun exploration with a magical book. Not the case.

I didn't enjoy the villain. There is eventually an explanation for why the villain is that way, but it's too little too late. I spent much of the book thinking that the villain was flat and almost cartoonish in its flatness so it was an annoyance until the end.

My favorite book so far this year!! Thanks William Morrow for the ARC. It seems some of my favorite books in the past have been about books and the wonder, freedom and magic they can bring to the most reluctant reader. This book was chock full of well developed, beloved and despised characters. I will be recommending to ANYONE and EVERYONE who needs a magical yet believable travel through time.
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Charming escapist tale - perfect for bedtime cozy reading. I love settling in and seeing where Cassie and Izzy are going and the adventures (dangerous?) they face. It's definitely a fun fantasy view of NYC. And if you've ever settled in the "perfect bookstore" to read and enjoy chatting - this one is for you.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, William Morrow, and Gareth Brown for allowing me to review this amazing debut novel. I can’t believe this is a debut novel! WOW! What a great debut! I can’t wait to read more from this author. I do think this book could become a series. It was well written and entertaining the whole way through! I loved the multiple POV’s and of course the romance and mystery throughout the book. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys magical realism books such as The Midnight Library. Thank you again for allowing me to review this book.

I only read a few chapters of this book, but I felt as thought it wouldn’t be a good fit for me. I couldn’t connect with the characters ; even though I loved the plot/idea. I was really looking forward to reading it.

I really did enjoy this, the concept was so unique that as soon as I saw the synopsis I had to request it. It was absolutely a wild ride, some of the time skipping had me re-reading sections to make sure I didn’t miss anything important but honestly I love books like that, I love being so ensnared that I hunt for clues. I did feel some of the smaller plots never got developed (unclear if this will be continued into a series but I would love if it was) and it left me feeling like it was a little unfinished. I loved the development of the characters, especially Cassie, her walk with grief truly touched me. I wish some of the romantic elements were a little more developed as well because the set up for them drew me in as a typically romance reader. I can see where some of the choices the author made as far as where our FMC spent time made sense on her own personal journey but some of that took me out of the fantasy element of the story, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, I just wasn’t expecting this to be quite as heavy as it was.

I’m actually shocked that this is Gareth Brown’s debut novel! This book was so well written! Everything was easy to visualize with all of Brown’s attention to detail and the characters were well thought out. I liked that there was no filler and the story seemed to take off right from the beginning. I’ll definitely be on the look out for anything else coming from Brown in the future!!

4.5/5

Beautiful, complex characters. Wonderfully written. It is compared to the Midnight Library and Night Circus and it does have the complex character development those books give but I feel there is a more pressing plot in this book. I love the multi pov perspective of the book. And driving force of the books. The magical realism is very well done and incorporated to make this secret society of books. I just wish there was more to the books. I enjoyed the read and learning about how everything comes together for these characters. If you love an emotional vibe book but want more mystery as well this is a wonderful book.

I wanted to thank NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of book. This is my honest opinion of it.

An interesting book centered around the thought that "power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely." It's a lot to read... a deep read at times... a never ending read at others... but through all that it keeps your attention. Having various powers how would we truly act/react? Enjoyed this exploration of man quite a bit.

This book is full of twists and turns, connections and interwoven lives. It is intriguing and harrowing and intense. It's a wild ride in a world of powerful, magical books and the story of the people who use them, seek them and study them. All the while they find true power and strength in their relationships. There is a lot of intense violence and cruelty, this is not for sensitive readers.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

I was very excited before starting this book, the description and connection people had made to Addie Larue had me sold on the book!!

Once starting, I realized the book was just not for me. This is a great book, for other people. My reading style seems to be set on mood and that effects the way I take in a book. I did not like the characters and didn't feel a pull towards anyone in particular. I was also found bored at times with the writing and the magnitude of descriptions.

Overall a well written book and surely a great read for someone, just not for me personally.

This is an original, fresh take on a tried and true story centered around themes of power and the people who chose such for good or evil. I was fascinated by the multitude of books and their gifts, allowing me to think broadly, understanding both sides of the coin. It was fun to play around with the idea, what book I would choose and what I would do with it. The cast of characters fell second fizzle to the power of the books. Overall, an entertaining story that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend.

What a beautiful journey this book was! This is everything I love in a fantasy novel. Marketed as a book for fans of The Midnight Library, The Invisible Life of Addie Larue, and The Midnight Circus, I was finding myself reminiscing of summer night staying up late into the wee hours of the morning reading the Inkspell series. For any book lover, what could be more beloved than a book about magical books?

This is the reality for Cassie Andrews. Just an average young woman working a bookshop in New York City. Until one day she is inexplicably gifted a book which she quickly discovers can open any door because, as it is inscribed inside the book "any door is every door." And with that, a world of possibilities open up for Cassie, Until she discovers that this gift is highly sought after and as the owner of this book, she and anyone she cares for is in grave danger. How many other magical books exist? Who can she trust? And how can she keep this book out of the hands of those who could destroy everything good and beautiful while keeping herself alive and safe? Cassie, a mysterious Librarian, and her roommate must find a solution as they are hunted for this powerful book.

The Book of Doors is stunningly written, adventurous, thrilling, suspenseful, and dark. But there is light and hope which shines through at all the right moments. The reader sees the beauty and magical wonder of what the Special Books can provide to people, but also how they can be so horribly dangerous to the world when they end up in the wrong hands.

This is a book which will stay with me a for a long time. I am looking forward to reading more by Gareth Brown. Many thanks to William Morrow (publisher), Gareth Brown, and NetGalley for this incredible opportunity to read and review this galley. My only regret is that I cannot read it again for the first time.

I only read the first few pages of this book, but I felt as thought it wouldn’t be a good fit for me. The dialogue and scene setting reminded me of a Colleen Hoover book, in a bad way. Maybe someone else would enjoy this book, a lot of people certainly enjoy Colleen Hoover, but this just wasn’t for me.

I think, for a certain type of reader, this book would be catnip, but I am clearly not that reader.

The main characters are traditional "50 Shades of Grey" heroines: clumsy, clueless and a serious lack of brainpower but aren't they (supposed to be) cute? Moreover, there is a pretty serious thread of ableism and body shaming running through the story-lots of characters moaning about how their food will make them fat. It's also slooooooooowwww with tons of description. Again, for a certain reader, this will make this book amazing, but I found myself skimming faster and faster as I went along. The story was intriguing enough that I wanted to know what happened, but the characters made that really hard. If you like magical realism or chick lit books, you may have a different experience.

(Also, and it's a small thing, I found myself super annoyed by the fact that the magical books have been in history forever. Which is fine, but codexes (a book) only came into use in 100-200 CE. Would the ancient Chinese have had them? Um, no. They would have had scrolls. Seriously, do your research.)