Magical, mysterious, with pages bursting with utter brilliance, this book is everything and more.
This is hands down the best book I have read in a long time! Worthy of every five star review it gets plus added bonus stars 🌟
A world where magical books exist. Books that can do amazing things, good, bad and plain evil. Who wouldn’t want to own one or even better, all of these wondrous books?
Luckily for the world only a few people know of their existence because if some of these books were to fall into the wrong hands who knows the terrors they could unleash.
After a long time customer to the bookshop she works in leaves Cassie a book, she has no idea how much that strange book is going to change her life.
Unbeknown to her this peculiar book has now put her and her best friend, her flatmate Izzy in the path of danger as there are people out there that not only know about these magical books, but those that covert the book she now holds in her hands.
People who will go to any extremes to have The Book of Doors for their own.
This book is filled cover to cover with nonstop action that casts its own spell over you making it impossible to put down and stop reading. Even then, when sleep won I found myself dreaming about the book!
I am not a massive fan of fantasy books so please don’t let that fraction of the book dissuade you from picking this book up and reading it. Although it is about magical books with powers, it is a book that anyone who enjoys exceptional storytelling will not be able to put down.
It is as beautiful inside as is the cover.
This book has it all. Mystery, adventure, danger, thrills, friendship all tied up with a magical twist.
If you only read one book this year, make sure it is this one!

Booklovers rejoice! The Book of Doors is an ode to fantasy lovers, bookworms and the power that reading and books hold. I enjoyed this unique spin on the "bookstore clerk" character type, and really thought this book came together at the end. Following Cassie as she tries to escape bookhunters who wish to do her harm was exhilarating and just really fun. Really loved the potential for this to become a series as well.

This is a really good fantasy read, time travel is included. Cassie works in a library and her favorite customer, Mr. Webber, dies and leaves her a book. This book is called the Book of Doors, it is very magical. Along with her best friend Izzy, they begin to explore what this book can do.

Hold it in your hand, and any door is every door. This book is for you Cassie. a gift of thanks for your kindness. May you enjoy the places it takes you to and the friends you find there. With the Book of Doors, Cassie felt free. She was able to go wherever she wanted whenever she wanted, like she had her own fairy tale magic carpet. Nobody else had a life like this.

Told in 7 Parts:
Doorways
Memories
Echoes in the Past
A Dance in a Forgotten Place
The Nothing and Nowhere
A Plan in the Five Parts
Beginnings and Endings

Magical, Good vs. Evil, and a Creative Story! 3.5 stars!

Many thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy! This book will be released 2/15/24.

The Book of Doors primarily follows a girl named Cassie who is gifted a magical book called the "Book of Doors" that allows any door to become "every door". With this book Cassie is able to go to Italy through her bedroom closet, it's the thing of miracles. The only catch is that the Book of Doors isn't the only magic book and Cassie isn't the only person who knows about them. There are people good and bad trying to hunt down the books and Cassie has to decide who to trust and ultimately what should be done with these powerful books.

This book was such a refreshing read - every time I felt like I knew where things were going, I was wrong. It's not easy to find unique ways to tell a story about traveling through space and time and yet that's what Gareth Brown did. His writing really took me through a whole emotional roller coaster in an authentic and touching way.

My only criticism is that the pacing can be a little slow from time to time but honestly I didn't even care because of how well the story was crafted!

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for this e-ARC!

4.5 ⭐️ Synopsis: Cassie is an introvert works at a bookstore in NYC. When one of her favorite customers, Mr. Webber, unexpectedly dies at the store, Cassie learns that he left her a book called the Book of Doors. At first all she sees are mysterious drawings, and she is unsure what to make of it. However, once she discovers that the book is magic and can open up any door in the world, her quiet life quickly begins to change, especially because book hunters have been searching for the book she holds.

Thoughts: The concept of this book was clever and as a non fantasy reader, I enjoyed all of the world building, time travel and magic. While the story primarily focuses on Cassie, there were chapters from various perspectives, including the villain, making the story complex and layered.

Read if you like:
-Books
-NYC setting
-Time travel and magic
-Good vs. evil theme
-Midnight Library/ Addie LaRue

Thank you William Morrow for the ARC. Pub 5/13

I’m giving this book 4.5 stars for two reasons. First, it’s a great concept. A world of magical books that all have unique, special powers? Yes, please. For this reason, I think The Book of Doors will become a favorite for many people, due to the concept and storytelling alone.

Secondly, the author surprised me several times. I can often pick up on foreshadowing and other plot devices / details that I have a feeling will come into play later. But Gareth Brown weaved a truly masterful plot together and it was so satisfying as a reader to see it all come together.

This book isn’t perfect. It did take a while to pick up and I found that I didn’t always connect with the characters the way that the story wanted me to (Cassie and Drummond in particular). The scenes with The Woman also felt a little flat for me. That said, I can overlook all that because it was such a delightful and thrilling read. Now I’ll just wait until it’s turned into the next hit HBO TV series. Thank you to NetGalley for providing the arc!

The Book of Doors was widely unexpected! It was a very complex novel, and, if I'm being honest, I think that it was too complex. As I was reading, I reached a point that I thought was the end. It would have made for a very good ending, but there was still 15%+ left in the book. I'm not mad at the ending that was written, but I do feel it would have been more powerful ending earlier.

This is definitely general fiction/fantasy. I think it's a stretch to put it as mystery/thriller, but I would say that ties in well with it being overly complex.

I mean, who doesn't want to read a book about magic books?

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an ARC to this book for an unbiased review.

I have rated this book a 2/5 only for the fact that no matter how many times I have picked it up I have not been able to get into it. The concept of the story is super interesting but maybe it’s just not for me or maybe since I’m a mood reader it’s just not the right book at the right time for me.

WOW! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC for my unbiased review. This, book, was, wild! Magical realism at its finest. I was drawn in almost immediately by Cassie, the book loving heroine. Having to put this down to work and sleep was painful. So many twists and turns! The way it all comes together surprised me in so many ways and I’ll be thinking about this one for a while. I will say if you’re squeamish this might not be for you (there are some very vivid descriptions of horrible deaths). First 5 star review of the year and let me tell you, I do not give those lightly! This one releases soon so get it on your lists now!

Thank you NetGalley and Mr.Brown for the opportunity to review "The Book of Doors." Brown takes the reader on a magical journey, through a world where magic books exist. Fans of magical realism will enjoy this novel which plays upon the idea of what would people do if they possessed magic? His writing style is reminiscent of Neil Gaiman. An endearing tale of adventure, highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley, Gareth Brown (author), and William Morrow (publisher) for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:
3.5 stars (rounding up)

My review:
This book has such a cool concept - as someone who loves magic AND books, magical books are right up my alley! I had a hard time getting through this book though, I almost DNFed at around 40%, but I am glad that I stuck with it and got through it. There is a whole lot of "not much" that happens during the book. But then the action will hit all at once before it mellows out again. And some points just were confusing to me. The book is very... descriptive, and it didn't engage me the whole time.

While I liked the premise of the book, I didn't really connect with any of the characters. In fact, I found them all downright unlikable at some points. They made some decisions that I just wanted to smack them over.

I was glad that the ending seemed to answer a lot of questions and wrapped things up. I'm glad that the characters got the ending that they deserved - whether it be good or bad. This book will stay on my mind for a while.

The Book of Doors has such an interesting premise in a unique world. The story kept me interested, though I did struggle to get through some parts. The first section was slightly difficult to understand at times, and there were a few instances that were a bit uncomfortable (a female character bemoaning certain foods because they'll make her fat -- very 90s unhealthy diet culture; and a certain character's racism -- yes she's a villain but still)


I stuck with it despite these flaws and the twists and wrap up were good and I enjoyed the overall story. But I'm not sure I'll recommend this to everyone as these issues are insta-no's for many. Some audiences will love this, others won't, I could see this being a fairly divisive book

So I’m super picky when it comes to fantasy novels, but I have to say that this one was right up my alley. A nice little magical realism book taking place in New York City that made me feel similarly to how I felt when I first read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, one of my favorite modern novels.

I thought this would be a light read, but it was actually super dark in some parts, with very vivid descriptions of violence. It didn’t feel out of place necessarily, but it did take me by surprise in those moments. I found myself really rooting for the characters, as they were all bookish people- my favorite kind of characters.

Overall it was a wild ride, very unpredictable, and a fun break from what I normally read.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5

Cassie works at a bookstore in NYC. One day, her favorite customer silently passes away and gifts her a book -- the Book of Doors. She soon learns that this book has special properties, allowing her to travel anywhere just by opening a door.

--

The Book of Doors made for a very refreshing read. At first, the plot seemed a little convoluted, but everything did come together beautifully in the end. The story itself was captivating, with surprise twists and turns that I never saw coming.

However, while the story and narration was great, there were some parts of the dialogue that nearly made me DNF the book. For example, one of the female characters makes some very unnecessary comments about food and how it impacts her body ("I am disgusting. It’s midnight and I am doing this to my body." -- all because she ate pancakes AND bacon). In another instance, one of the villains uses a term that some now consider a racial slur to the Japanese community.

Overall, I am quite glad that I still gave the book a chance. It was a great book to start off the year, with such an interesting premise and unique story.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When Cassie is left a mysterious book, she and roommate Izzy soon find that its special powers turn doorways into portals, allowing them to travel instantaneously all over the world. Such power does not come without danger as they realize that their Book of Doors is just one in a collection of magical books. Good vs. Evil, time travel, and adventure are packed into this fast-paced, suspenseful story.

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown has been on my 2024 list for a while, so I was very excited to get an advanced copy from Netgalley and the publisher. I saw it pop up on a few lists and I am a full sucker for every genre this falls into… time (space?) travel, books about books, books about bookstores, etc., ad infinitum.
Cassie Andrews lives in New York City with her best friend Izzy, and has my dream job in a bookstore. One evening while she’s closing the store, her favorite customer dies in the bookstore holding a book. When she opens the book, she sees that it is called the Book of Doors, and that he’s written her a note that he’s leaving the book to her.
The Book of Doors, she soon finds out, is a magical book that can open any book on earth and can take you there instantly. Even more, the book can take you back into the past if you ask it to. Cassie and Izzy experiment with the book and start to figure out what amazing things it can do, but soon realize that it isn’t the only magical book out there. And of course, there are some Very Bad People hunting all of the magical books. This begins our adventure in time and space.
It’s definitely a fun and poignant read, especially if you like magic, time travel, and adventure. The characters are well written and believable and the scenes are so visual.
I really enjoyed it, and now this author is definitely on my radar now and I am eager to see what he comes up with next. Thank you to Netgalley for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

This was a captivating time travel read with well-crafted storytelling and character growth. This story offers escapism with intrigue, mystery, and time travel elements. Criticized for unbelievable aspects and unnecessary horrific violence. Warning to skip graphic violence at the end of Part One. Regardless, this was an interesting read and I definitely recommend it!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC!

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. Some parts dragged on for much longer than I'd have liked, but then others I was absolutely glued to the page.

Its a FANTASTIC (in every sense of the word) storyline, that's dripping with details. Would absolutely recommend to others to give it a try.

Thank you to NetGalley & Author Gareth Brown for the eARC of The Book of Doors.

I have had my eyes on this one for a while so I was excited to get a copy of it on my kindle! I really loved it!! The author developed such a unique and mystifying atmosphere! Will be reading more by them!

It was an okay read....interesting enough to keep me reading and finish the book, but not something that I would tell everyone to go out and read. It had a very interesting concept, but there were a lot of things that I kept questioning and it seemed like the author was trying to wrap things up too neatly at the end. Also, I don't think that some of the books made sense....the book of mists?