firstly, thank you to Netgalley & William Morrow for the eArc in exchange for a honest review.

The Book of Doors is a magical book involving different books that randomly appeared in the world & have different uses. (Pain, joy, illusions, etc.) Cassie is given the Book of Doors at the beginning of this novel which gives her the ability to walk through a door into any other door in any place in the world. But she doesn’t realize she is in danger and this book is going to set her on a path she never thought she would go on.

I’m giving this one 2 stars. I unfortunately stopped enjoying this book around the 50% mark. I didn’t connect to any of the characters (they were all bland with barely any backstory or development) the dialogue was very very clunky (too many “yep”, “okay”, and people nodding or just staring at each other!) and there was random offensive language that randomly started happening from the bad guys.

There was way too much emphasis on describing characters by their skin tone when it wasn’t even necessary- for example a character would call another character by their skin color to their face and it seemed very weird to emphasize over and over again. If it was for character development I would understand, but repeating it over and over was honestly really weird to me. There was also low-key racist things said by the bad character that I think could’ve been left out & he could’ve been shown as a bad person in a different way.

This book was also extremely gory which I don’t mind when I see it coming. I thought this was going to be a whimsical book about magical books but it turned dark and gory extremely quickly.

what I enjoyed: I think part of the magic system was interesting. Some things were written well and made sense later in the book and had little Easter eggs hidden without that I appreciated. But that’s about it. After the 70% mark I lost all enjoyment for this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read The Book of Doors as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was MAGICAL! I could not stop wondering what was to come while reading The Book of Doors, there were always layers that were being exposed all throughout the book up until the very last chapter! Every single character was well thought out and each had so much personality to give. There was never a dull moment when reading. The Book of Doors will be shelved as one of my favorite books I have read to date! Thank you Gareth Brown for creating such a magical and inviting world!

Any door is every door...

Wow. I was so enthralled with this magical world that I just walked into! Let me explain. Don't let the word "magical" deter you dear reader.

Cassie, is just your normal young adult living her best life in New York City. She lives with her best friend, Izzy and works the best job every (IMHO) at a local bookstore. There are a few regulars that visit that she has become close with over the years. One evening, Mr. Webber, her favorite patron arrives. They chat about his favorite book, The Count of Monte Cristo and other normal things. Then something happens. Mr. Webber leaves a special book for Cassie with a note saying it's for her. He gives her The Book of Doors.

It's a strange book. An abnormal book in the sense that when it's opened there are scribbles and odd pictures of doorways inside, It makes no sense. Cassie takes it home. She and Izzy begin trying to decipher what this book is meant to be, and then the magic begins. I will stop here because this is the best part of the book. The discovery.

This reminded me a bit of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, I would guess if you liked that one, this will work well for you. I had a really hard time putting this one down. The plot was very well worked out with few holes. Many of my questions were answered in a way that made a lot of sense. You don't have to be a fan of magic to appreciate this book.

There is one caveat I have to share about this book though. There are multiple times that weight and fat shaming towards women arose, which annoys me especially because it was written by a male. I thought we were past this. Also, a few slight racial slurs were thrown in there. I just had to put this out there. This said, it did not stop my enjoyment. I debated if I should change my rating, but really, I just loved this story so much!

Read this book for a complete escape and thorough enjoyment. This is why I read, to find books like this!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advance e-copy of this book.

Cassie is gifted an unusual book, which takes her on an unexpected journey. What I loved: Magic books of mysterious origins! A hidden library! Time travel! Murders! This book checked so many boxes for me, and I am so happy that it truly lived up to the description. I couldn’t put it down.

In addition to being a book about books, there was more gore than romance (nearly zero of that, thankfully) but also lots of sweet moments (I cried 3 or 4 separate times). Though the key storylines were resolved, there’s definitely room for a sequel and I’ll keep my fingers crossed for that. I would love to know more about the books and where they’ve been (and with who).

If you like any of these things, you might like The Book of Doors: American Gods, The Ten Thousand Doors of January, The Unmaking of June Farrow, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, the time travel aspect of the German series Dark, or Locke & Key (both on Netflix).

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

“The Book of Doors” begins with the death of an elderly gentleman in a bookstore. His last act is to bequeath his magical book to Cassie, the bookstore associate who is always kind to him. When Cassie brings it home and the book sends her and her roommate Izzy on a whirlwind trip through New York City, she wants to continue using its magical powers.
Truthfully, I found this book to be quite dry. Cassie and Izzy were both very one-dimensional, which is something I just don’t want to put up with from a narrator. Some of Izzy’s comments (“I don’t eat bread because it goes straight to my hips hahaha”) really grated on me. I don’t think this author really understands how women think and talk to one another.

3.5 stars. I was intrigued by the premise of this book, as it was definitely the kind of fantasy I am drawn to. Some of the dialogue was a bit clunky and awkward a times, and soem of the scenes were more gory than I expected. There are lot of charactrs to keep track of and a lot of things to wrapy your mind around (time travel, magic books, etc.) but overall it was an entertaining read., and the author wrapped it all up with a very satisfying ending. I hope to read more from this author in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for an advanced digital copy of the book!

Cassie works in a bookshop and one day is given a book that allows her to open any door in the world. She discovers that there are more 'special books' in the world along with a lot of danger from evil people wanting the books.

The premise of this book was fascinating, but the concept as a whole really fell flat. I've read all the books that this book is compared to (The Starless Sea, The Immortal Life of Addie LaRue, and The Midnight Library) and this book did not compare. It felt like this book was trying to do it all - fantasy, time travel, romance, mystery - without doing any of it well. The characters were underdeveloped and very one-note with no personality. The whole time travel feature was circular and had a weird element of mysticism that didn't make sense.

There were also several violent/gory scenes in the book that were hard to read with how descriptive they were and really turned my stomach.

After reading The Book of Doors, I can safely say that I am definitely in my fantasy era.

I enjoyed so much about this book - the time-traveling aspect, the parallel universe (??), the magical doors, the fight between good and inherently evil. There were times that I found myself comparing parts of the time-travel book to Doctor Who & Sally Sparrow in "Blink" - iykyk.

I really enjoyed the writing, the various POVs, and how time travel impacted the story in just the perfect ways - once you figured it out, it was like a lightbulb was going off above your head.

The Book of Doors is Gareth Brown's debut novel and it has me excited for future books - especially if there are as unusual and captivating as this was.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I think the plot of this book, concerning magic books, one of which allows you to turn a regular door into a door to anywhere is really excellent. There are some really good twists that kept me interested and made me think. The characters, though, felt really flat to me. The bad guys were ridiculously bad and I wasn’t very invested in the main characters. I feel as if this will be a book that gets really good reviews, however, and it will end up one of those books that just wasn’t for me. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

Name of Book: The Book of Doors
Author: Gareth Brown – Debut Author
Genre: Mystery/ Thriller, Fantasy/Romance
Publisher: William Morrow
Pub Date: February 13, 2024
My Rating: 3 Stars
Pages: 412

When I read the blurb on this, it reminded me of "The Midnight Library" where the books contain a chance
to life a try another life that one could have lived.
One must first start with the book of regrets. Then may choose any book about a life that could have been!
The book was great and I wrote down a quote I liked~:
~~You don’t have to understand life ~ you just have to live it ~ I am Alive! ~

Cassie Andrews is a bookseller at Kellner Books on the Upper East Side of NYC. On a typical evening Cassie’s favorite customer John Webber would be at his usual table reading; however this evening turned out not to be typical although they chatted for a bit as they often do as it was near closing she looked over and saw Mr. Webber was still sitting at the table. She approached him and touched his shoulder she realized he was dead! She was so sadden by this death.
As she was putting away the book he had been reading she noticed another book - this book was his and it had a personal note to her in it.
~Cassie, This book is for you as a gift in thanks of your kindness.
May you enjoy the places it takes you and the friends you find there. ~ John Webber. ~

Cassie soon discovers that the Book of Doors bestows extraordinary powers on whoever possesses it. So Cassie and her best friend Izzy are exploring what the book can do.

When Cassie meets Drummond Fox, a Scottish man in his 40s, who inherited the Fox Library from his grandfather, Edmund; he warns her of danger she faces. He explains that there are numerous books in the world, each bestowing unique powers on its possessor.

I know I am in the minority but I wasn’t wowed by this story and I so wanted to like even love it.
I hung in there as I have read many books that I was ready to give up on but hate to be a quitter and sure enough they completed turned me around to likening it.
I I did like the last chapter ‘The Quiet Death of Me. Webber”; but I am going to let you read it for yourself.

Want to thank NetGalley and William Morrow Books for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for February 13. 2024.

I have a serious love/hate relationship for this book! The amount of times that if I had the physical copy of this book, I would have ran it over with my car. However, I could not put it down! Does that make sense?

What I didn't like....
1. TOO MANY CHARACTERS (It was hard to keep track of who, and what)
2. In my opinion, this would have worked out better as a series. It felt like it was jammed together and rushed.
3. I was left with so many lingering questions at the end

There are a few more things that I didn't like but I will not post those because it involves specific things in the book and I don't want to ruin it for anyone!

Little rundown of the book:
Cassie works in a book store. She comes into possession of a book. However, it is just not an ordinary book. People will kill for this book. People are hunting for this book. Cassie now not only has to keep herself safe but the book as well.

The early chapters in this mesmerizing book kept me glued to the pages. I was fascinated by the concept of the books, especially the Book of Doors. However, I put the book down after the introduction of “the woman” and the subsequent chapters that described her sociopathic, cruel behavior. That introduction, particularly what she did with the Book of Despair, really turned me off and I needed a break.

When I came back, I waded through chapters that became increasingly challenging to keep straight. Make no mistake, this is a complex plot that requires close reading. The concept of the books was so intriguing that I was able to set aside several instances of irritating and insensitive dialog and description, which could be fixed with some editing.

There is some insight to the “why” of the cruelty and sociopathy at the end, but that part left me wondering if the final scene in NYC actually started the whole cycle all over again.

My prediction is that most readers will either love or hate this book. I’m in the middle - I am totally here for the Books, but less so for the humans.

I’ll start my review with the disclaimer that while I thought this book was just okay, others will probably love it! There are some things I didn’t like about the book that made me set it down a few times and take a while to get back to it, but I was ultimately invested enough in the plot to want to know how it ended.
First off, I felt like the book didn’t match the premise. The book sounded like the perfect book for me, about a bookseller who is given a magical book. It was likened to The Night Circus and The Invisible life of Addie LaRue but besides all three books containing magic, I didn’t see much similar between them. While Cassie uses the book at first to do some magical things, the plot quickly dives into the sinister world of evil people who will do whatever it takes to get their hands on the magical books. I wanted the plot to focus more on the books but instead we learn about a sociopath who does twisted things to get her hands on the books. The plot moves to revolve around her and another evil character. This book also makes many plot holes for itself that it doesn’t clear up due to the nature of the magic in the book.
The pacing of this book is also off. At one point years pass in a single chapter. At other points it takes multiple chapters to cover the same event. The beginning was slow while the ending felt very rushed.
One thing I did like was the “good” characters. I instantly liked Cassie and Izzy. It took me a bit to warm up to Drummond but that fit his character. I also really liked Lund. I hated the “evil” characters. I felt like they were over the top evil for no real reason besides to make the main characters not feel bad about their actions. I really hated reading their chapters. They also were racist which maybe was supposed to make them more evil but it felt weird to read. And because of the way the book is written, their motives aren’t entirely clear until the very end.
Overall, the plot and good characters were enticing enough to make me finish this book so I’ll give it 3 stars.

The story starts with a young girl, Cassie, being given a book that can magically take her anywhere by walking through a door. Sounds like fun until other people around the world are searching for this and other magic books which puts Cassie’s life in danger. I enjoyed the story, especially when the element of time travel was introduced, but I have to say at times the book got a little confusing to follow. There was also some pretty graphic violence which prevents me from recommending it to my middle grade students. I know it wouldn’t be new to them but I can’t have it coming from me. All in all it was a fun story that kept me well entertained!

The Book of Doors is not like any other book I have read before. Not only is it a novel full of adventure, romance, and magic, it is a mystical world for reading fans of books such as The Midnight Library, The Invisible Life of Addie Larue, The Night Circus,- books I have not liked as much as others have. However, this particular book changed my perspective of this fantasy/ adventure romance genre.

Cassie Andrews works in a New York City bookshop, shelving books, making coffee for customers, and living an unassuming, ordinary life. Until the day one of her favorite customers—a lonely yet charming old man—dies right in front of her. Cassie is devastated. She always loved his stories, and now she has nothing to remember him by. Nothing but the last book he was reading.
But this is no ordinary book…It is "the Book of Doors. "
There are many incidents that occur along the way that the main character learns and tries to understand. Ways that she needs to decipher in order to survive. What is being hidden through secrets of the dark unknown world around her? What can she do to make things right,? This book has many twists and turns, and unique mystical elements throughout the story.

This is the story about a book that can take you anywhere in the world - really! Anywhere, anytime, the possibilities are endless. This is what happens to Cassie, a young bookseller, who befriends an older gentleman who is a regular at the bookstore where she works. When this gentleman passes away at the store, he leaves a note gifting The Book of Doors to her. What follows is an amazing story of magic, time travel, special books, and the ruthless characters who "collect" them. 

Imagine that book in the wrong hands and you'll know why Cassie and her friends need to protect the book. But, the Book of Doors is not the only magical book. There are others and they are being used by "collectors" to obtain the Book of Doors by any means necessary, each more gruesome than the last.

A story of friendship, trust, betrayal, ruthlessness, and redemption. It was a rollercoaster read.

Fair warning: There are some very graphic and violent descriptions of what the bad guy/gal do to people who get in their way. Don't say I didn't warn you.

All in all, this was a good read and I have already recommended it to several people. Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

The book is set to release on February 13, 2024. You can pre-order on Amazon or from your local bookstore. 

Thanks for reading.

The Book of Doors by, Gareth Brown has a good story idea, and beautiful cover art. I wanted to love it, but the women shaming, and racist descriptions of people turned me off.

Bookseller Cassie Andrews receives a book from a favorite customer before his passing. A handwritten
message tells her that it is called the Book of Doors which allows the owner to use the book to use any
door to travel to another place. While Cassie is excited to think about all the places she can go, her
friend Izzy is concerned.
It is revealed that there are other magical books that can be used tio do dreadful things in the hands of
ruthless individuals. The Book of Doors is sought after by many. Cassie, along with the help of others, must
find a way to keep the book out of those who would use it to harm. An intriguing read.
#TheBookofDoors #NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the arc

This book is described as “A debut novel full of magic, adventure, and romance” and it just simply falls short on every single one of these fronts. The magic in this book is unimpressive. The adventure was nothing to call home about. And the romance felt forced and unnatural.

While reading this book the pacing was all over the place, it would speed up and slow down and so on and so forth.

The dialogue was at best mildly interesting, and at worst unbearable. Throughout the book the author would mention details that rubbed me the wrong way such as when one of the female MCs described themselves as being “ too tall, too thin, her hips too narrow, her chest too flat, her eyes were big and wide like deer’s” These details felt a little unneeded in my opinion, and this wasn’t just a one off thing.The author continuously wrote details in the story that came off a bit like body shaming. For example when the two FMCs where eating at a restaurant one of the characters remarked about how they felt disgusting for eating pancakes and bacon, and it felt absolutely unnecessary to add this detail into the story.

Overall, this book disappointed me as I feel it was poorly executed and thought out.

An interesting take on portals and traveling. I would not consider it my genre of choice, but the writing was well done and the characters were likable. I can see a lot of my followers loving this book, especially mu science, supernatural readers!