This book was a whirlwind of suspense, intrigue and excitement! I was hooked from page 1. I’ve never read a book quite like this. So many twists and turns and I felt like I actually knew the characters. They felt so real, the writing so engaging. I simply could not put the book down. Definitely recommend for fans of time travel, mystery and wonder. I’m sad I’m done, but so super cool. . .

What a magical concept and book! I was hooked from the first page and enthralled with the portal concept that the book provides. I also loved how easily digestible the material was for a vast range of audiences. Will be recommending

A suspenseful, heartwarming adventure for everyone who loves books! The characters were well developed and the plot moved quickly and had enough twists to keep the reader guessing.

I stopped at 4%. Within the first two pages, I was asking myself if this with a debut. Yes, yes it is. The prose is rather clunky and unrefined.

When work is compared to Matt Haig’s, for me, it must (1) deliver high-quality prose and (2) portray a high level of empathy and understanding of humanity. That’s my immediate expectation, which failed to be met.

My bad on this one, as it’s compared specifically to “The Midnight Library” and sort of makes it clear it’s the world/plot of this book that is the comp. Ultimately, in my head, this book was set up to fail. I’d possibly consider going back to it once the initial disappointment wears off.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC.

I enjoyed this book overall and thought it had a unique concept. However, I had a hard time staying engaged with it and it took me a while to actually finish. At times the story seemed abnormally slow and I didn’t really feel connected to the characters.

With that being said, there were a lot of positives. I really enjoyed the time travel and the magic system.

I think this is a solid read for anyone looking to immerse themselves into a magical fantasy with mystery elements. My true rating for this book is 3.5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to receive this book as an ARC.

The Book of Doors by Garth Brown was one of those books that I found hard to put down. It grips you from the first chapter and doesn’t let you go until the last sentence of the final chapter. I loved the characters and the pace of the book. I found myself dreaming about it when I read before going to bed at night and thinking about it during the day until I could get back to it. Yes, it really is that good! What’s not to love? There’s time travel, magic, sadness and joy in this book. I love a book that can make me both laugh and cry; which The Book of Doors did. Gareth Brown is good at making the reader feel part of the action as well as the emotions of his main characters. It made me want a book that could open doors to my past or take me someplace that held a special memory or person. The different books (The book of Joy, Book of Pain, Book of Healing, book of Mists, etc) all represent different feelings and emotions, or actions, that one could take, and while reading about them I could feel the world around me changing to accommodate the powers of that particular book. I would read another book by Gareth Brown with pleasure!

This book was fitting for its description. I loved it; just absolutely loved it. What a beautifully, intense, fantastic fantasy that exceeded my expectations!

I loved the premise of this book, that a book can bring such abilities to its owner as to allow them to open a door and travel to all sorts of places. I also loved how rich and intricate the storytelling became when delving into the darker aspects of such a world and power. Readers get to travel along with Cassie as she discovers these new possibilities presented to her, and I really, really enjoyed when Drummond came into the storyline. The transition to learning of the negative side of such power was very detailed. Overall, this just a well-written book full of an intriguing fantasy world that kept me interested all the way until the end. A definite recommended read!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Book of Doors begins slowly with introductions to several characters, but their stories will all merge and make sense soon. This is Cassie’s story…she loves books, works in a small bookshop, and her best friend Izzy is also her roommate. One day, an old man dies in the bookshop and leaves her a mysterious book. ..the Book of Doors. Cassie is entranced and uses it to journey around the world. Any door is every door. Soon she learns that this is not the only magical book in the world and having this one is extremely dangerous.
There is magic, time travel, and friendship in the story. We learn Cassie’s special tie to the books and it is all very mystical.
I did enjoy the story and once it had me hooked, I didn’t want to put it down! This is a unique story that creates a unique side to the world.
Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was an advanced reader copy of this book. This does not in anyway affect my opinion of it.

I do like the premise of the book of doors and all of the possibilities it unlocked. I felt uncomfortable with some if the other books and all of the possible misuses of them. I was not expecting some of the results that were had by someone individuals using them.

I also had a hard time with the idea of being in "nothing".

This book is different than books I normally read.

In Gareth Brown's The Book of Doors, our main character, Cassie is given a book by one of her favorite customers after he dies. This book, called The Book of Doors, is full of drawings and writing that she can't understand. There is a handwritten message to Cassie telling her that this is the Book of Doors and that any door is EVERY door.

With this gift, Cassie's quiet life is swept away and is replaced with mystery and intrigue. With help from her best friend, Izzie, she starts exploring the doors and what is inside the book. They meet Drummond Fox, who warns them that danger awaits anyone with the book (there is more than one). Cassie, Izzie, and Drummond join forces and try to unlock the mystery of the Books and they encounter a whole slew of intriguing secondary characters in their quest to get out of danger and find out what the story behind the books are.

I loved every bit of this book. The characters, back story, and all of the people they meet along the way, both dangerous and not-so dangerous. I hope this is the first of many books relating to the subject.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book. I can't wait to share it with my book club when it is released. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to Harper Collins and NetGalley for this advance reader copy of The Book of Doors. This review will appear on Goodreads.
This book was described as "A debut novel full of magic, adventure, and romance" for readers of A Midnight Library. I have read The Midnight Library and enjoyed it, and loved the premise of both books. However, I can say I enjoyed The Book of Doors even more.
This was a twisty-turvy adventure in every sense of the word. The pacing was exciting, and could almost be called a thriller over a magical realism. I would re-write the description as a debut thrill-ride full of magic and adventure, even better than The Midnight Library. Suspend your belief of what is possible and take a ride to the strange and wonderful adventures in the books with magical powers.
This book was just so fun.
4 solid stars

Thank you Netgalley, Harper Collins and Gareth Brown for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I loved every moment of this book. It transported me to many different places. It's full of magic, and every emotion from happiness to despair.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a book that takes you away and into another world, another reality, or another time.

Started off super slow but then picked up a quarter of the way through. The premise is that magical books exist giving the owner the ability to inflict pain, joy, walk in shadows, etc. The most sought after book is the Book of Doors that transports you to other times and places. Fans of the TV show The Librarians will definitely want to read this.

An absolutely incredible book! I loved the fantasy elements and being able to escape the real world with the characters. I felt so connected to Cassie and her story, and was rooting for her the entire time! The plot moves quickly and there was never a moment where I was bored or confused. This was such a fantastic read and I can't wait to recommend it to everyone!!

I absolutely loved this book and the characters. I love any book that can take you away and make you feel like part of the story. This was a brilliant first novel by a very talented author, whom I plan to follow.

I loved this book. The main character works in a bookstore in New York City and loves books. The magic in some books is revealed throughout the story. I did not realize early on that time travel was a major theme, but I enjoyed it when it happened. The story, as in many fantasies, involves a battle between good and evil.

Imagine a world where there are magical books, that give the owner varying abilities while holding the book. That is the world in which Book of Doors takes place, centering around Cassie, a young woman living in NYC, who received the Book of Doors from a loyal customer of the bookstore she works in. This book leads her on a life changing adventure, as this book can open any door in any location, or any time. With the help of the Librarian, Drummond Fox, Cassie must fight to save her and her friends lives from a seemingly invincible woman, set on a quest to possess all the magic books.
The cast of characters introduced each had their own distinct voice and perspective, and although at times the writing felt slightly amateurish, the concept and overall execution kept me invested and interested in this novel. My main complaint would be that at times, the description felt lacking and not as developed as I would have liked, but as I said, this book was definitely a hit for me as a whole. In particular, I enjoyed how the author intertwined the lives of the various characters, especially with the revelation near the conclusion of the novel.
Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

This was such a great read! The whole story was very enjoyable and entertaining. I was totally enthralled the whole book. The beginning was sweet to look at Cassie and her life and relationship with Mr Webber, and Izzy. The layers of books and the world that follows and hunts these books was so interesting. Reading this book really played like a movie in my mind. I wanted there to be more and more even as it ended. The main critique I had was there could have been more explanation as to how the books were made. I didn’t realize that Cassie made them until a few chapters after the one “saying” that’s when it happened.
But still such an enjoyable book… one I thought could be a series and would do amazingly!

If I had a nickel for every time in 2023 I read a book about magical books, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice. Right?

As someone who proudly named Ink Blood Sister Scribe as one of my favorite 2023 releases, The Book of Doors's premise spoke to me. Now that I've read it, I'd almost describe this book as Ink Blood Sister Scribe's moody relative. Although the first part of the book is filled with wonder and light merriment at the Book of Doors's ability to transport our main character wherever she'd like, it quickly descends into a dark and thrilling mystery. I absolutely LOVED this. Others may be wishing for more of the lighthearted merriment.

All in all, I thought this was a fantastic read. The author did a wonderful job at balancing the darker elements of the book (our book's villains are V-I-L-L-A-I-N-S!) with heartwarming explorations of friendship, family, loss and grief. There were also many twists that I did not see coming.

Highly recommended to anyone who's a fan of fantasy, magical realism, time travel, and elements of mystery/thrillers.