This was different than what I was expecting from the blurb, but not in a bad way. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for this ARC. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise~

The Book of Doors is an incredible fantasy story. Anyone who is avoid reader would love this to be reality. To be able to have a strange give you a gift like Cassie gets is a dream come true. Such an exciting read!

Thank you to NetGalley & William Morrow for the opportunity to read The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown in exchange for my honest review.

I had high hopes for this one, as I thought the plot sounded super interesting and fun. Unfortunately, The Book of Doors wasn’t for me. I struggled to finish it for many reasons. I’m not going to go into a ton of details because I feel like most of my concerns have been mentioned by many others. I felt the pacing was slow and rushed at the same time. The decision on what to focus on was confusing to me. Are the books important or what the MC eats? The Mc and her roommate are interchangeable at times and that became another source of confusion.

I really did want to love this one, but I couldn't connect with anyone to want to know more. This was a read because I needed to read, not because I wanted to read. I do hope many others take a chance and enjoy the heck out of The Book of Doors.

I am going to attempt to write a spoiler-free review, so I’m sorry if I leave things a little vague. You’ll want to go into this one blind!

This book was rich in detail, grabbing my imagination from the very beginning. The various settings are lushly described and I felt immersed in the story. I loved all the main characters and felt like I knew them well.

And then there was the plot. I was expecting magical realism, with a book that lets go anywhere. But this book was far beyond a cozy magical book. The story is extremely complex, so much so that it made my brain hurt at times. And the plot gets very intense and violent towards the end.

I really liked this book. It made me feel all the feels. Happy, sad, shocked, afraid. Some of the twists completely shocked me. And the ending was so intense it made my heart pound.

This is an excellent debut novel and I very much enjoyed it.

Thank you to @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for giving me this ARC to review.

This book was so fun to read and totally different from what i have been reading lately. Thank you again Net Galley for the copy! Lets first off by saying the cover is beautiful. The characters were fun to read about and all the magic involved. There were definitely some twists and turns thrown into the book as well which was great.. The Book of Doors has the power to transport the main character which is Cassie pretty much anywhere in the world she has the power to visualize which is totally awesome in my opinion if that could really happen.
I def will read more by this author in the near future!

Cassie Andrews is just a bookseller with a normal New York City life when her favorite customer gifts her the “Book of Doors.” When she soon discovers what the book can do for its user, her life changes drastically forever.

The twists and turns in the plot of this book left me incredibly hooked. In the last 40 percent of the book, I had a hard time putting it down. Some of the characters I had a hard time loving and some of the plot twists at the end took me a while to trace in my head, but I loved most characters and I loved this book. I would most definitely recommend the wonderful ride that is “The Book of Doors.”

“Hold it in your hand, and any door is every door.”

This debut novel was an absolute joy to read. Reminiscent of The Midnight Library, I was thrilled and excited to jump right into the book.

When a man passes away in Cassie’s workplace, a bookshop of all places, she discovers a book with such power that could be devastating if dropped into the wrong hands. To the point people seek these very special, powerful books out simply for what they hold. Brown’s vivid storytelling leaves your imagination running rampant with the perfect blend of fantasy and suspenseful adventure. The pristine and stunningly rich world building had me swooning.

I love the idea of time travel, and how such a lofty, large library could be found within the pages of one very special book. The plot line was stunning and well paced, and while the ending could have been polished up a little bit more and some ends tied up, this magical story was a joy to read.

I loved this book, and honestly look forward to more from this author.


Thank you to Gareth Brown and William Morrow for the eARC!

Cassie is an unassuming and ordinary bookshop clerk in NYC whose life is all about books. One day a regular and charming old man suddenly passes away inside the store and leaves behind a mysterious book of doors. Her lofty dreams of living in a grand library and traveling may come to fruition when she quickly discovers the powers of this peculiar book. But with magic possibly falling into the wrong hands, trouble is bound to ensue. Will Cassie make the right choices that could affect her past, present, and future?

Incoming glowing review. All the stars! Talk about extreme escapism involving time travel. I absolutely positively adore the genius that is this book. The FMC is admittedly relatable and who doesn’t like a setting and story about books? I don’t want to give away too much but there is a hidden magical library and other books with interesting names. It’s filled with colorful characters you’ll soon come to love and despise. There is a couple frightful scenes involving torture but overall it plays well into the emotional pull of this book. I love it so much I’m adding it to my collection on release day in less than 2 weeks away!

Thank you William Morrow and Netgalley for the opportunity to read The Book of Doors as an e-arc. This one was a home run!

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown is a captivating journey through imaginative realms, seamlessly blending fantasy and adventure. Brown's vivid storytelling and rich world-building create a mesmerizing tapestry of characters and settings. Each door holds a new surprise, making this book a delightful exploration of the extraordinary. The narrative unfolds with a perfect balance of suspense and wonder, leaving readers eagerly turning pages. An absolute joy for fans of fantasy literature!

2.75⭐️! First off I want to say thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I REALLY wanted to love this book. Throughout the whole book I was debating what I was going to give. It started at a 1, there were a few lines about body image that made me almost DNF, but I had a hard time doing that since I was gifted this book. The first 150 pages could have been edited a bit more and seemed to drag on. The last 100ish pages were pretty good and kept my attention which is why my rating went up. I also feel like there wasn’t enough information given on the villains of the story. They were just kind of there. One chapter did give a slight back story to the villains but it seemed like it was just put in somewhere because they told him there had to be a backstory.

I feel like overall the book could have just given more.

This was a really interesting, unique spin on the fantasy genre. Really lovely, would gladly recommend and can't wait to start a reread!

A story with a fantastic premise, “A Book of Doors” is a story that has a lot of promise but may bite off more than it can chew. While it’s still an entertaining read, there were a lot of shortfalls that took away from the story.

This book revolves around Cassie, who is gifted an otherwise unremarkable book with a scribbling that says “Hold it in your hand, and any door is every door”. Given the opportunity to travel anywhere she wants is more than Cassie has dreamed of, but as she learns more about her book and the existence of other books with similar powers, she also learns that these books come with risk as well. There are others out there who hunt down these books and will do anything possible to own these books and the power than comes with them.

The plot of this book is fascinating and has so much potential, but for me, the execution of the storytelling was sloppy. The book starts as a slow burn as we meet Cassie and her friend Izzy and we learn more about the power behind the book of doors. Things pick up when we start learning more about other books and their owners, but this is when things also start going off the rails. We get a lot of characters introduced and a lot of time jumps that don’t always makes sense and were hard to follow at times. There are times books are introduced to plug in holes in the plot, but then other times books aren’t used where they could make sense. I found myself often having to pull myself out of the story just to figure out what was happening.

The ending was also somewhat sloppy. Some characters have their stories buttoned up but others don’t (whatever happened to the book seller or Hugo?) I can’t tell if the author left these things open for a sequel, but it made the book feel incomplete for me.

With that said, seeing some of the beautiful things these books could do was the highlight of this story and was something I thought about when not reading this book. I could see this being a book a young adult would love, someone who would be mystified by the magic in the book and not as caught up on the details. For me, while I still think it’s a great idea, my imagination will need to fill in some of the shortfalls I was left with.

**Thank you so much to William Morrow and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my review. I appreciate the opportunity!**

I loved this debut novel from Gareth Brown. It had so many great elements - some fantasy, mystery, time travel. All of the characters were so interesting, and I loved the friendships among them. It definitely requires the reader to have an open mind. The book was well written and I look forward to reading more from Gareth Brown in the future. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

This book was EXCELLENT! I loved every chapter! I love the idea of magic realism and that there are multiple books in existence that grant you various things, such as luck, the ability to teleport, and the ability to build illusions, and more!

I love the introduction of each character on a separate timeline in pursuit of the books! I loved the innocence of Cassie and her best friend Izzy, and all the mysteries that unfold!

This book was like Inception meets Harry Potter meets Push! I enjoyed the characters, the dialogue and the plot! I love the element of mystery & suspense weaved throughout the book and thought it was an absolute MUST read!

There are also characters that you root for, and characters that terrify you! It was everything you want in a books! I was invested in the characters and on the edge of my seat. Drummond was a fav character!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!
I really enjoyed this book, however it was very difficult to get into it. It took me many chapters to be excited to read this, but I eventually became obsessed with the time travel book and the characters!
I did feel like some parts of the book was rushed and could have been better developed. Otherwise, I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes time travel. There was a few unexpected events that I didn't see coming and throughly loved!

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for providing a review copy!

What a fun book! I feel like I've been reading a lot of book inspired magic systems lately, but this has definitely been my favorite. Our main character (who has the same name as my sourdough starter, and I love that!) is mysteriously given a book that allows her to use any door is every door. So if you need to go to the grocery store, you can open your closet, and step through to the store! In addition to that, she quickly learns that she can also travel to any door in time, and that there are other books!

This book tells a swirly story, embracing time travel AND magic in the best ways, while also embracing a fairly low magic system. I think that part of the story was expertly done.

The only reason this isn't a five star read for me is how often I felt like the characters were dumb, but maybe I should give it that final star just considering how many times I yelled "OMG THAT IS SO COOL!"

We'll go 4.5 rounded up.

Cassie Andrews' life as a New York City bookseller has always been rather ordinary. Until just a moment ago, in fact, when an elderly patron of the bookshop leaves Cassie an unassuming book with the inscription "Any door is every door."

And suddenly, Cassie Andrews' life is anything but ordinary.

In possession of the mysterious Book of Doors, Cassie and her roommate Izzy encounter magic they can scarcely comprehend: the ability to step through any door and end up anywhere they wish, so long as they have the book in hand. Before long, the girls--by fate or coincidence, who's to say--meet Drummond Fox, a librarian who tells them that the Book of Doors is just one of a vast collection of books so rare and so powerful that some people may kill to get their hands on them.

And so, dear readers, begins the marvelous, spellbinding journey that is "The Book of Doors." Reading this, from the very first chapter, felt like discovering Neil Gaiman or even Harry Potter for the first time. And by the last chapter, I can assure you that this book is something so very, very special.

Gareth Brown has, in just 400 pages, crafted a world of mystery and magic strewn with complex, unforgettable characters. The beauty of "The Book of Doors" lies in that its not a fantasy epic; you don't have to endure 100s of pages of world-building or stage-setting, you're immediately plunged into a fast-paced story that--like the very best fantasy does--pits good against evil in a never-been-done-before way.

For the readers whose childhood friends were books and daydreams, this book is for you. Let it sweep you away to new worlds and into the midst of Cassie, Drummond, Hugo Barbery, and the woman. This is the sort of story that's made to get lost in, and it may just be one of the best of the year.

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown is a debut magic realism novel exploring the power of magic books and evil. It is highly recommended.

Cassie Andrews works at Kellner Books in Manhattan when long-time elderly customer Mr. John Webber passes away in the store. With him is the copy of The Count of Monte Cristo, which he was reading, and a small leather-bound book which says inside the cover: "This is the Book of Doors. Hold it in your hand, and any door is every door." After that is an inscription to Cassie from Mr. Webber: "This book is for you, a gift in thanks for your kindness."

It's a strange little book. Inside are indecipherable marks and illustrations of doors. When Cassie shows it to Izzy, her best friend and roommate, Izzy is leery about it, especially when Cassie is holding it and the door opens up to a scene from her trip to Venice, but then the two experiment with the book visiting some local haunts and deem it safe. Cassie and Izzy soon meet Drummond Fox, the librarian, a Scottish man who has a collection of magical books he protects. There are several copies of various magic books that are highly sought after by collectors and The Book of Doors is the most sought after powerful book. He warns them that malevolent people are seeking the book and will stop at nothing to get it.

The time travel drew me into reading The Book of Doors, but in reality the novel is much more focused on magic and dark forces wanting to use the books for evil. In some ways at the beginning it felt like a YA novel until the descriptions of the actions of very violent, evil people entered the narrative. I honestly hoped the novel would go in a different direction, one of wonderment, then the direction it went, but I gamely stayed with it. Admittedly, I often struggle with magic realism in novels.

This was an entertaining novel for me, like a super hero action movie, rather than a great read. There were a few things in the narrative that were a definite negative. The characters of Cassie and Izzy felt really young to me and I never felt any affinity toward them until later in the novel. Expect lots of magic, superpowers, and evil. Thanks to William Morrow for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
The review will be published on Edelweiss, X, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

This cozy, magical realism book set in NYC follows a cast of mismatched characters who fall into a morally gray area while reflecting on grief and how it can change a person for better or worse.

There is a point in one's life where everything begins to change, and suddenly, everything starts to make sense. For Cassie Andrews, this is after a frequent customer of the NYC bookstore where she worked passed away one night while she was closing everything down. He left her a book with unbelievable powers to take her anywhere or whenever she wanted.

Cassie and her roommate/best friend, Izzy, are brought into the dazzling world of "special books." Drummond Fox, a special book librarian without a library, stumbles upon the pair of women and thankfully wants to help them.

Cassie quickly learns that while her book of doors is a wonderful tool, there are people in the world who would like to use it for horrible purposes, like The Woman. She has terrorized and killed members of the special book community for a decade when Cassie receives her book of doors.

Cassie, Izzy, and Drummond all have one goal with very different ways of achieving it: survival. Sometimes, that is easier said than done.

Everything Gareth Brown wrote in The Book of Doors was magical and cozy. Time travel to her past, connections being made, and ultimately trying to do what is best for all the book lovers. As their journey continues, Drummond and Cassie begin to have romantic feelings towards one another. While this aspect somewhat struggles, they could have had a more romantic feel beyond those unspoken feelings of camaraderie.

All of the characters present were unique and fully rounded, but Brown's writing style throughout The Book of Doors made all of the scenes and characters feel somewhat flat. Surprisingly, this worked well and added to the magical and unknown quality of the novel.

With the book being in multiple points of view with third person narration, the chapters jumped from character to character without much warning. This could be sometimes unclear, but overall, this formatting was enjoyable.

The story's pacing was well done and kept hold of my attention at moments when I would have otherwise not wanted to continue reading. There are a lot of ins and outs of The Book of Doors, but the way it was written caused little to no confusion and was easy to follow overall. As Cassie jumps from her 2022 timeline to 2012, then other characters to later dates, references to pop culture and cell phones were made and helped with that transition. Very creative!

The Woman is an incredibly disturbed character that the reader gets to know on an inside level. What made her character so well-rounded was that, as a reader, you got to see what she was doing and a little bit of the why, even though that is still a question mark at the end of the book. It reflected that something might be deeper affecting a person than they are willing to share or that others can outwardly see.

The Book of Doors is a cozy, magical realism book with everything someone could want in it. While being a somewhat heavy read since one of the main topics focused on was grief, it was delightful and would be a great winter read.

Thank you, William Morrow, for allowing me to be an early reader of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown is scheduled to be released on February 13, 2024.

This is a book about books, magical books that bring the owner certain powers. Like, as the title of this book suggests a book that lets you use any door to go anywhere, and boy would I love a door like that. However, there are other not-so-nice doors as you'll discover during the course of this story. Ones that cause pain and other horrifying things that you wouldn't want to fall into the wrong hands. When our main character Cassie comes across the Book of Doors she has no idea the kind of people who will try and get their hands on it or the lengths they will go to, to get what they want.
This was a pretty unique story, it was a slow burn, but had some great action moments. There were plenty of dark and disturbing moments, with some moments that were heartwarming as well. I really enjoyed following Cassie and Drummond as they try and not only survive who is coming for her book but also try and stop them from hurting anyone else or getting any more books. I loved Cassie's friendship with Izzy and all of the crazy and unpredictable things that happened throughout the story. I never had any idea what was going to happen next.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and look forward to reading whatever Gareth Brown comes out with next