This is one of those books I wish I could read for the first time over and over again! Filled with spectacular craftsmanship and beautifully woven details, "The Book of Doors" is a stunning debut novel by Gareth Brown.

Brown draws his readers into the story and world building throughout the first half of the work. I adored getting to know Cassie, Izzy, Mr. Webber, Drummond and the whole host of characters presented in this marvelous tale! Once I hit the halfway mark, I could not put this book down! I experienced nearly every emotion known to man while adventuring through the various cities and times alongside Cassie and her crew. Over and over again secrets were revealed in such dazzling ways that I still cannot believe this is a debut novel! It takes skill to present magical elements in such a way that - even for a moment - you believe what you're reading could happen in real life. Brown's characters and their scenarios were so real that I felt like they could be happening to anybody I pass on the street or in my favorite book store.

I would love to see a second novel that continues the storylines and slow burners that Brown introduced in this book but, no matter what, believe that this book ends perfectly to be a standalone ... even though I never wanted it to actually end!

If you are a fan of fantasy, action and suspense, this is a book you MUST read. I am so thankful to NetGalley, Gareth Brown, and HarperCollins for access to the ARC! I am telling all of my friends to add this to their TBR STAT!

This was an amazing book for anyone who enjoys magic and wishes they can escape into a hidden world of magic. The book was definitely a rollercoaster, there where highs, lows, and lulls. But the book did an amazing job to keep me on my toes!

Overview: The book's main focus is a woman named Cassie. She works in a bookshop in NYC, lives with an amazing roommate named Izzy, and Cassie loves books. One day a regular client leaves a book behind at the shop and Cassie quickly discovers what it is, the Book of Doors. But like most things magical and wonderful, there is a price for possessing this book. She is plunged head first into a world that she knows nothing about. Thankfully she will encounter people on her journey that she will be able to rely on and eventually call them friends.

Thoughts: The book had a slow start and the sudden increase in the amount of POVs really threw me off but after that is got much better. I was able to predict most of the plot in the beginning but after a bit I was encountering surprise twist one after another. There were moments of disbelief, suspense, and plot twists I did not. see coming. It was so much fun to meet all the side characters and slowly see the web that was being woven by the author and how it all tied together in the end. The book definitely picked up around past the half way point for me. Then the book rapidly came to a conclusion. I immensely enjoyed the book, if I had to say one critique, it would be that the book started off a little slow and ended a little quickly. All in all a great book, and one that I will be recommending to friends who enjoy magic and "timey-wimey" fun.

A big thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy of The Book of Doors in return for my honest review.

Nope! I’m not down with male authors writing young women who body shame each other. I’m not down with a male character who says, “I wish I lived back in the seventies, when the natural order was still in place, life was so much simpler then. I could just give you a slap and send you away to make dinner and nobody would even blink.”

We are blinking now! Same character uses racial slurs and more sexist comments. For what? A chance to say it to the wide audience of readers who want to read a book about books and time travel?! He knows the majority of us are woman, right?!

I was hoping for something more.

I actually really loved this. The atmosphere and setting of this book was really fun and interesting. I also really liked Cassie and Izzy’s friendship I thought it was a fun additional story and i loved that we got to see both of their stories play out. I really liked Drummond and feel like he could have had his own book his backstory is super interesting and I would love seeing more of him. I also like how the hero’s quasi fail and yet redeem themselves in regard to protecting each other. Also i loved the Magic Book world. the Book of Doors book was a super fun idea. Like Cassie it never would have occurred to me to see if the book of doors had a different idea and power over doors then we do, I also really liked how she got her peace with her grandfather and that Drummond also got to have his own happily ever after/ revenge story. I also liked how the bad guys weren’t quite what we are used to and that Izzy, Cassie and Drummond ended up with unexpected allies to assist there cause. Overall I really liked this story it was fun and quick and i would definitely recommend.

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown begins simply enough with an old man dying of natural causes in a small bookstore. There is no hint when this happens even with the gift for Cassie Andrews that he leaves of how action-packed this story is to become. It has something for every fantasy reader out there; good verses evil, mysterious characters, time travel and mystery to be solved. It does it all quite well too.

Cassie and her friend Izzy are not prepared for the adventure to come. Their lives have become a routine not in a rut to say but pretty close to one. Most of their dreams have not come true so life is mundane. Then the Book of Doors is given to Cassie. Adventure galore begins to happen being vividly written. The characters are revealed layer by layer, or door by door as it is. I loved how the introvert became the strongest of the group. A book that is charming as much as it is fascinating. Kudos to this new to me author, whose work I will be looking forward to reading more.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A book about books that transports you to any place you want to be. It's magical but also gives powers to the person who owns it. The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown is a fantasy and thriller novel. It keeps the guessing game throughout, and the reader is completely engrossed in the story. Expected Publication is February 13th, 2024.

Cassie works in a bookshop, and one day, she finds herself entrusted with a book. Even without realizing she gets caught up in a game that is very high risk. It's exciting and exhilarating, but at what cost? Will Cassie lose herself to the madness of the magic of the book?

The Book of Doors is magic, fantasy, sci-fi, and high octane read. The premise of this book instantly pulled me in, and at the end of the book, I am still thinking about it. I am thinking as readers, don't we all enter through different doors each time we read a new book. The story jumps into different timelines, so it is something to keep in mind. I enjoyed this book quite a bit.

Thank you, William Morrow @williammorrowbooks for the book.

CW: This book has some graphic violence, so it is not for the readers who can not read graphic descriptions.

One night Cassie’s favorite bookshop customer, a lonely yet sweet old man, dies at the end of her shift. His entire legacy is the last book he was reading, but it’s not an ordinary book, it’s the Book of Doors with a message to her saying “any door is every door”. Now she just needs to figure out how to open them. She runs home to her best friend with the magical book not knowing that she is now part of a world of book hunters. One such librarian is Drummond Fox, who has the largest collection of these magical books; some books create beauty, some evil. Cassie decides to trust and team up with Drummond in order to fight the most evil of all the book hoarders which leads her to time travel and learn about her own magic and powers.

I really liked this one, it was a little complicated at points and I needed some help afterwards from friends who had read it just to make sure I didn’t miss any details. The story kept me engaged the entire time and I really enjoyed the ride. I got lost in the world of this novel and I look forward to the author’s next one.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC to review

Intriguing story, really well-crafted structure, and interesting, multi-faceted, likable characters. I really enjoyed this book, but I wish an editor had come through and ravaged the descriptions down by about 100 pages. I'd be very, very engaged, and then find myself outside of the story for a while and realize the author was "telling not showing." But the story was absolutely engaging and novel and the ideas about time and the human experience were worth it

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Cassie is a young clerk in a NYC bookstore. When her favorite customer dies suddenly, she realizes that he left her a book and a message. The message tells her that she has the Book of Doors where any door is every door.

Cassie learns that the owner of this book can go to anywhere at any time. But could all of these places be safe and good for her? Is her book the only one of its kind or do other people possess this book and others that work magic?

This is an exciting, fast-paced adventure that takes the reader to a fascinating set of possibilities.

Cassie finds herself in posession of the Book of Doors. She doesn't know what power this book holds, but quickly learns that this book can turn any door into a doorway to any place she can imagine. But as they say, with great power comes great responsibility. She soon learns that she is not the only one who desires possesion of this book.

This is such a unique story! There was no time while reading this book that I was bored and didn't want to pick it up again. I fell in love with the characters and was so intrigued by what could happen next that I literally couldn't put it down. Excellent storytelling!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this ebook!

What a unique story! This was an a novel filled with twists and turns. The characters were interesting and unique - while a large group of characters, I didn’t have any issues keeping track of who's who. The pacing could use some work as it starts pretty slow and then picks up quickly. Male authors also need to chill with the fat shaming. There were a few references to it throughout and if you’re writing female characters you need to just stop.

Honestly, I was a bit unsure of this book because I'm not usually a fan of fantasy or magical elements. I am so glad I took a chance on it though, because I really enjoyed it! I was surprised at how fast the story unfolded at the beginning and did feel that it was a little long, but somehow still flew through certain storylines. It definitely had me doing some mental gymnastics trying to fit everything together and I'll be thinking about it for a long time.

This was really good. I am newer to fantasy so this felt perfect to me. I loved the book aspect and the characters really had me intrigued. I will definitely look for more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow books for the advanced reader copy of The Book of Doors. If you are looking to escape to a unique and thrilling world, this is the book for you!

When a cherished customer dies in the bookshop where Cassie works, she receives a mysterious book "The Book of Doors." As inscribed, "any door is every door", allowing Cassie to travel across the world and multiple timelines. All the while, Cassie is being tracked by multiple book hunters who want her book, and others, for powers of both good and evil.

I usually shy away from books with time travel because I find them confusing. I would love to see the authors outlines for this book because everything was planned perfectly. The time travel made sense and added depth to the story.

While some reviews spoke negatively of the characters and their development, I was quickly endeared to Cassie, Izzy, Drummond, Lund, and others. Yes, some of the dialogue was a bit trite but one or two sentences does not make a book or, in this case a truly magical world.

I look forward to reading more books by this author and hope to see The Book of Doors open doorways for this author to adaptations of this rich and compelling story.

The Book of Doors is a fantasy, time-travel book unlike anything I have read before! I found all the different books and their abilities utterly captivating and could see so much more in this universe. Our characters are so interesting and relatable (well, most of them!) and I could have just spent a series worth of books getting to know them more as they navigate this new world unfolding before them. And the actual cover?! GET OUT! It is stunning!

I can’t even begin to write how much I loved this book! I loved this book! Pure fantasy, pure fun! It has all the elements for a great story…Cassie is the perfect heroine, along with her gal pal, Izzy! And the villains are the worst kind of mean…ready to destroy the world, and all worlds in between! If only all the occurances in The Book of Doors, could happen!! I feel many sequels coming from this great story!!! high accolades!! read this!

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown is a portal fantasy and a book about books, two of my absolute favorite sub-genres of low fantasy. It’s charming, sometimes dark, emotional, magical, and surprising.

First, the plot of The Book of Doors is well-paced and exciting. The chapters are short and easy to fly through. Plus, all the various characters and locations keep the story moving, so that I never felt as if the story had stalled or gotten dull. I enjoy the idea of magic books and I found the concept of them potentially being used as weapons to be fascinating. The story is also full of lots of twists and turns and it managed to surprise me a few times!

The main characters are interesting and there are several relationships - both friendships and potentially romantic - that I genuinely love. The main character, Cassie, has several relationships that I found to be especially touching. Her friendship with her best friend, Izzy, was the book’s highlight for me. I also enjoyed her relationships with Drummond and Mr. Webber. There are also three scenes of her with another character, who I won’t name for spoilers, that I found to be truly moving and emotional.

My only complaint about the book is that the villains sometimes feel a little too one-dimensional. Hugo Barbary, in particular, feels almost cartoonishly evil at times. The Woman also feels a little flat, but since she’s used sparingly and her scenes all portray what a truly evil character she is, it ends up working well within the story.

The Book of Doors is a classic story of good vs. evil that I found to be a very enjoyable read. I recommend it to anyone who loves portal fantasies, books about books, and last year’s Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #WilliamMorrow for the book #TheBookOfDoors by #GarethBrown. This book is full of hope and what ifs and pain and suffering. If books like this did exist there would be such opportunities and other possibilities. A person can dream…..

This book had a lot of twists, turns, time travel, magic books, danger, fighting and friendship. Everything you could possibly want in a good fantasy book! As a book lover myself, reading a book about magic books was absolutely perfect. The plot twists and characters added throughout the story were absolutely perfect and brilliantly planned. It was a slower paced book, but an absolutely brilliant read.

4.25 stars!

I’ve always felt books are magic, but it was so fun to read about this world of magical books. The Book of Doors did a number on my imagination. I found myself daydreaming I owned the Book of Doors, thinking I would get off work in Colorado and have dinner that night in Florida with my whole family. Then spend the weekend in Spain or Bali or wherever I was feeling that particular day. To never have to use a public restroom again!! Sleep in my own bed every night while traveling the world. All the money I would save on travel. How good it is for the environment. The possibilities are endless! This was a really cool concept and fun read.

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