Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for this ARC.

Mr. Webber, a frequent customer at a bookstore, gifts a book Cassie before he passed away.

Why did Mr. Webber gift it to her and what is so special about it?

Cassie is gifted the time of her life! New experiences, adventure, and a secret behind the book. A life of travel in new countries is every thing she dreamed of.

Cassie’s story of being raised by her grandfather who passed away from cancer was very touching and gave her inspiration to travel through the book. However, her meeting with Drummond proved that there are more books that can be dangerous if not used correctly. Cassie will not only put her life at risk, but also those involved with her as she continues using and keeping the Book of Doors. There is someone who will go to any extent to get the book.

I enjoyed the mystery and thrill of Cassie’s story and thought it was a unique story. I loved all the details like I was watching a movie. Illusions and twists all around! In a way, I was reminded of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.

"The Book of Doors" by Gareth Brown is a captivating journey that marries a fast-paced narrative with deep intellectual themes and a richly imagined world. Brown's adept use of time travel adds both intellectual and emotional depth to the story, while his vibrant characters and witty dialogue create a dynamic reading experience. This novel challenges traditional fantasy norms and offers a fresh, thought-provoking perspective. For those seeking an absorbing and enchanting read, "The Book of Doors" is a must-read that leaves a lasting impression in contemporary fantasy literature.

4.5 🌟

What if you could travel anywhere and to anytime with the magic of a book?

The Book of Doors was such a unique book of magic, mystery and time travel. The characters were well developed in this book and I absolutely fell in love with some of the friendships. This book did time travel well, which I think is hard to do.

Thanks, Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

Cassie lives in New York City and works in a bookstore. One of her regular customers passes away in the store and leaves her a small book that changes everything. I loved this book! The story felt fresh and was a great mix of fantasy and contemporary thriller. It includes time travel, teleportation, heartbreak, and the classic good vs. evil battle. There were times when it felt a bit rushed, but that didn't bother me overall I would definitely suggest this book and will be interested to read future books by Gareth Brown.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrrow for the chance to read this advanced copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The concept of this book was intriguing- it spoke to the worlds hidden in the back of wardrobes- one of magic and possibility. Unfortunately the first half of the book was difficult for me to get through, and I felt at times the plot was getting there, but never quite landed for me.

I did appreciate the elements introduced that helped to bring various pieces together and I appreciated the ending, however it did feel somewhat out of place/forced for me.

I can see where this would be appealing to many readers, but for me, it was not a great fit.

Overall, I was disappointed in this book. I recognize that I used the word "unnecessary" probably too many times in this review, but I truly could not think of another word that better describes how I feel after reading this. I will be giving this title a 1-star for Netgalley and Goodreads' sake.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

I’m not typically a fantasy reader, but every so often, a book in the genre piques my curiosity. In The Book of Doors, main character Cassie acquires a book that can transport her to different places via doors. She enters a world where time travel is possible, books are magic, and danger is real. With an assortment of people she meets along the way, Cassie fights to preserve the safety of the book while also unraveling the mystery of its origin.

Being such an avid lover of books, I appreciated how they were the central focus of this story. I also loved how symbolically they were revered - because, YES, books do possess the most amazing kind of magic. I loved how this ended and some of the revelations revealed later on. For fans of fantasy/magical realism, or those who are open to experimenting with the genre, this is an engaging and enjoyable book that I think you may appreciate.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow books for providing an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Book of Doors has such a great premise— a magic book that allows you to open one door and walk out of another door anywhere in the world? Um, yes, please!! The first few chapters reeled me in, and the writing felt reminiscent of “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” (which is heavily advertised/mentioned in other reviews.)

Around 10% in, this story became more and more difficult to immerse myself in. The chapters were filled with excessive descriptions, multiple points of view, and awkward dialogue. There was a lot of “telling, not showing,” and every time I started to settle back into the story, I would find myself distracted by long-winded descriptions or redundant information from previous chapters.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF The Book of Doors at 41%.

Writing a book isn’t an easy task, and while this story might not have resonated with me, I can appreciate the effort and creativity that went into creating it.

First I would like to thank the publishers, net galley, and the author for a chance to review the arc. I would give this book 3 stars. I think it's an excellent debut novel. One thing I wish is that the plots timeline ran smoother. The plot did make sense it's just at some points I felt like there was a gap or a huge jump in the timeline of the plot or events occurring that needed to be more put together. There is a good amount of characters in this book which I really enjoyed and thought they all had a reason. But just the overall timing that stuff was done or the layout of the text, I feel could have been a little more connected between chapters, I overall really liked the book and the idea and premise was great and fun to read about. The magic was also very fun to read. Overall, I would recommend this book to others to pick up. I will have a review posted in the next couple days on my tik tok.

"The Book of Doors" by Gareth Brown is an enchanting literary journey that is a pure magic read. It leaves readers spellbound with its fast-paced narrative, intellectual depth, and fantastical world that brims with limitless possibilities. In a genre often saturated with predictable dichotomies of good versus evil, Brown emerges as a master storyteller, skillfully navigating beyond the conventional tropes. His astute recognition of the multifaceted nature of human experiences elevates the narrative, as a myriad of emotions, challenges, and triumphs intricately shape characters.

What sets "The Book of Doors" apart is Brown's ingenious use of time travel—a narrative device often tricky to handle. However, Brown handles it with finesse and transforms it into a central element that adds complexity to the story. The result is a tale that is intellectually stimulating and emotionally resonant. The time travel elements seamlessly integrate, providing heartwarming moments and intellectual intrigue.

Beyond the captivating plot, Brown's storytelling combines a delightful blend of heart, humor, and intellect. The characters come alive with a vibrancy that makes them feel like old friends, each carrying a unique narrative arc that contributes to the overarching tapestry of the story. The witty dialogue and moments of levity provide a welcome balance to the overarching narrative tension, creating an immersive and enjoyable reading experience.

"The Book of Doors" is a testament to Gareth Brown's exceptional narrative craftsmanship. Through innovative storytelling, he invites readers to explore a world where imagination knows no bounds. It's a novel that entertains and challenges conventional fantasy norms, offering a fresh and thought-provoking perspective on the genre. For those seeking a captivating, intelligent, and thoroughly enchanting reading experience, "The Book of Doors" is an absolute must-read. Brown's novel is a triumph that leaves an indelible mark on the landscape of contemporary fantasy literature.

Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book!! I really liked the Midnight Library and the Starless Sea and I feel like this book was a cool combination of the two.

The beginning was a little hard to get into but once I got to the middle I was hooked. I really liked the characters and thought they had great developments. There were a good deal of plot twists which I never saw coming so finding those out was a lot of fun!

This book also somehow totally changed what I thought time travel is so that was really interesting. Overall, I really liked this book and would definitely recommend it!

This book was exhausting. Most of the premise really worked, but the characters were, to a woman, nearly insufferable. It isn't that they're flawed in, like, a human way - it's more that they're ridiculous caricatures of...decent(ish) people?

thank you to netgalley and william morrow books for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

full review to come.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read an ARC.

"The Book of Doors" has an interesting premise, but a weird execution. And, for a book that starts with someone dying, it was incredibly boring.

My main issue here is that everything feels flat: The dialogue felt off, the plot was predictable and the pacing was jerky. I think maybe some extra edition was needed to make it feel more real.

Considering this is a male author, I found uncomfortable some of the remarks about women and the talk surrounding food. So, overall, not a nice experience.

I can see what the author was trying to do, but unfortunately, it didn't work for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publishers, and Gareth Brown for an ARC of The Book of Doors. Well this kind of a bit awkward, but I think I’ve already found my favorite book of 2024. It will take a lot to compete with this book. There has only been one other book I’ve thought about almost everyday since reading and this one sits right next to it. This book had me in tears, laughing, almost calling out of work to finish it (I didn’t, but it sure was close!), and also rereading pages so the book would not end. It’s about Cassie who works at a New York bookshop and it seems like an ordinary day in her ordinary life. Her favorite customer comes in like almost every evening, but then unexpectedly dies. She finds a book that seems like any other normal book, but realizes it’s no ordinary book. She is approached by an odd man and tells her she’s in danger because of this book and she needs to give it to him to protect it from bad people. But what a cool book this is - she just got it and wants to use it! She can go through any doors and explore the world, if and when she learns how to use it. The man tells her about a secret library that can protect the rare books - but can she trust this man? She finds out there is a very sadistic woman that will do anything to get this book. Cassie does not know what she got herself into when she received this book!

The Book of Doors was more than I anticipated. I found it fitting that the setting of the book started in a small book store. The main character, "Cassie", receives the Book of Doors and the action begins. Additional characters are brought in. The story developed a little slower than I like, but I felt was necessary for the direction it ended up going. I expected to, and met the "good guys" and the "bad guys" as the story went on. The thing I didn't expect was the twist in the plot as to the creation of the Book of Doors. As it turns out, the Book of Doors is not the only magical book. Where would you go if you could chose to open a door that goes anywhere?
This book is one that I've thought about more than once after reading it. I will go back and read this one again.

The Book of Doors

4.5 ⭐

I immensely enjoyed this book so much! It was such an interesting premise -- imagine you have a book that allows you to open any door and let you be anywhere else in the world you imagine.

Cassie is thrown into a magical world with all sorts of powerful books when one of her favorite customers leaves it for her. She and her roommate find themselves caught in a war over the book, along with many other books!

This book is definitely a sweet spot for those who love books, magic, and time travel. While I'm not usually in that time travel crew, I thought this was really well done and I could easily follow it. I was so surprised when I realized this was a debut book. It has strong writing, good pacing, and a full cast of interesting characters. Definitely glad I got a copy of this one thanks to @netgalley !

I loved this fantastical, magical, bookish adventure so much! It wasn’t on my radar at all but I’m so glad I decided to give it a try. If time travel is your thing then this is NOT to be missed. It took me about 50 pages to settle in and then I was hooked!! Told in 3rd person narrative, some may not love that but it added to the mystery and intrigue of the story. It felt like I was being told a story of long long ago.

I loved that the author was able to tie up so many threads of this intricate tale. Well done!

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown is an adventurous story full of magic, wonder, mystery, and darkness. Cassie Andrews finds herself in possession of The Book of Doors, a magical book that can make any door into every door. Cassie’s discovery leads to a world of special books that she didn’t know existed, along with some altruistic people trying to protect the books and evil ones who want to use them in nefarious ways.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. There were some parts when it got a bit trippy with the time travel but that is something that I personally have a hard time tracking sometimes. It was a very creative story and I really liked the characters. As far as content warnings go there are some graphic death scenes. There’s some critique about how some of the female characters are written, and I do agree with this. Also, some of the villains were just more annoying than clever.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for granting me an e-ARC in return for an honest review. This book is expected to be published on 2/13/24.

I am always looking for a different take on books of magic and this clever novel fulfilled my search! The storyline and characters are engaging and the creative vehicle of magic, namely, books, kept me reading and anticipating the next chapter. Having time travel thrown into the mix was just an added bonus. A fun read for sure!