This book was interesting and a quick read, but I couldn’t get engaged in the book at all and it didn’t really capture my attention.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and William Morrow for the gifted e-book ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

This was a totally unique story to me. It was so original. I enjoyed it. I admit that it did lose me at times. Some parts were very slow, but overall a great book and debut!

This book was so different and unexpected. I really enjoyed it and thought the idea was so clever and original. There were some parts that felt a little slow or overdone, but overall it was a great debut novel.

"The Book of Doors" builds a fantastical world filled with magic, wonder, and intrigue.

Cassie lives in ordinary life, working in a bookshop; that is until she is left a book by one of her regular patrons. However, this book is truly magical. It leads her into adventure beyond her wildest dreams. With that adventure also came a certain level of danger. Cassie must choose her allies wisely and protect this newfound book at all costs.

Gareth Brown created a fun read and I am looking forward to what comes next. Thank you NetGalley, Gareth Brown, and William Morrow for this gifted ARC.

I so enjoyed this story. I read it while on a cruise and recommended it to so many. It honestly has something for every book lover.

I like how the magic is within the book, gives us some fantasy and the characters are so well done!

I’ll have to look for it on audio and immerse myself back into this world!

complex storytelling and lots of intrigue - a great magical realism story for all ages. some of the characterizations felt a bit off, but not every character is a great fit for every reader

The book of doors is about a girl, Cassie who works in a bookstore and one night as she is closing a customer passes leaving her a book. This book turns out to be magical and can open any door in the world. However, when she inherits the book what she doesn’t realize is the danger of owning it or who could be after her.

I was first drawn to this book from the synopsis and the cover. It directly appeals to magical realism and to readers who enjoy things like “The invisible life of Addie LaRue”. To me there was a lot going on and therefore there was a lack of plot that I normally enjoy in more fantasy books. I did want to enjoy the concept that a book could open doors all over the world, it felt like an adaption of time travel. I did not enjoy what felt like the constant complaints towards a woman’s body or her attributes. The “villain” known as the woman was very vain and less villain like to me.

I went in with an open mind to this book I see the concepts, the character depth, and world building and am hopeful for what Gareth Brown writes next.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House publishing fro an early copy of this book for an honest review.

Umm what?! That was so much better than I thought it would be! I'm always wary of stories that include any sort of time travel because it could go so wrong, but this went so right. At no point did I feel like I needed to be an astrophysicist to understand the magic or the different timelines. I loved that we got to discover everything together with our main character Cassie. The ending wrapping everything up was the cherry on top. The only downfall for me was the characters--I wish they would've been more fleshed out and developed. Overall, a great read that I would recommend to everyone!

4.5 stars

Magic. Adventure. Romance. Suspense. This book had everything you could want from a great read. I highly recommend this for all ages.

Is there a way to time travel and read a book for the first time? I definitely want to do that if possible! I loved loved loved the plot of this book and the idea of being able to be able to transport to anywhere you want with the power of the book of the doors. This one had me so very intrigued and interested to see how it would end

The Book of Doors starts strong with a clever conceit. The rest of the book has moments, but I kind of wish I'd taken notes while reading (lots of characters and books and...). Fine way to spend the time, not sure it will stay with me though.

I realized pretty early on that this book isn't really for me, and I did not finish reading it. That doesn't mean it isn't for other people, I just didn't connect with it and had some issues with the way the women were speaking about their bodies. The negative talk about being bad for eating bacon and bread really put me off. I was also really bothered by some of the comments about race in the book, so this one just wasn't for me!

This book was so well written and the plot takes you on various twists and turns. It is a palpable feeling of mystery as you try to determine what will happen in this unique story. Magical realism always transports the reader to a world of endless possibilities and this story does not disappoint the reader. Anyone who is a fan of mysterious stories and plots that tie together at the end in a perfect way will love this book. A great debut novel that excites the reader for the author's next release!

Thank you so much netgalley for this book! I loved the magical aspect of it and it kept me hooked from the beginning to see how it would play out. I've recommended this to my book club and we'll be discussing this book next month! It was very thought provoking and imaginative!

The Book of Doors is a standalone contemporary fantasy by Gareth Brown. Released 13th Feb 2024 by HarperCollins on their William Morrow imprint, it's 416 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback format out in 2nd quarter 2025 from the same publisher. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links.

This debut fantasy has a wonderful premise with loads of potential. There are books here which are actually magical. Protagonist Cassie is gifted one such book, with the power to turn a door, any door, into any other door throughout time and space.

Naturally, there are people looking for the books for their own purposes, both benign and malign. Bookhunters are picking off collectors and taking their books. There are inevitable comparisons to The Midnight Library and The Ten Thousand Doors of January. It's definitely reminiscent, if not directly derivative. Readers who enjoyed either of those books will likely find a lot to enjoy here.

The prose and characterizations are oddly rough in places for a top shelf publisher and a book which must have had a thorough editing process (thus it seems intentional artistically). There is a great deal of telling instead of showing, and readers will struggle to maintain engagement with the protagonist.

Three and a half stars. It would make a good choice for public library acquisition, and for readers who really enjoyed the Midnight Library or The Ten Thousand Doors of January.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

In an interview with the staff of the Los Angeles Public Library (Feb. 15, 2024) Brown spoke of authors that inspired his desire to write. Their influence and his talent have created a stellar debut time travel fantasy. What if you had a book that gave you the ability to travel any where any when just by opening a door? What if you were given a book that allowed you to travel anywhere or any when? What would happen if you, a person who is bright, but unnoticed discovered not only this magic book is real, but there are others offering other magical tools? That is how Cassie becomes captivated by the magic. Spiraling through dangers found in the present, for a while trapped in the past, she becomes all that the reader hopes for. This debut novel generated high interest when first published, being noted by Amazon as an Editors Pick in February 2024. I really enjoy Brown's treatment of the key villain. Not a stereotypical mustache-twiller, the Woman remains almost silent enigmatic and very very deadly. Tension was high enough that this reader did cheat and read the last chapter. Nevertheless, I was up most of the night speed reading to see the resolution unfold.
Brown speaks of writing 5 novels in the last few years, and plans to take some time off. Make that time short please, Readers will hope for a sequel

Full disclosure: I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank for for this opportunity.

Being the booknerd that I am, I’m always drawn to books about book. And sadly, I’m often disappointed. This book of books, however, delivered on every level. Books, magic, danger, love, grief, villains, heroes…who could ask for more?! Clever and witty, with great character development. The gentle-seeming beginning lures the reader in, and suddenly takes them on a wild adventure. The author has managed an epic tale, with no shortcuts, in one modestly-sized novel. Best I’ve read this year.

There was way too much world building in this book. It kept pulling me out of the story which I did not enjoy.

I was immediately drawn to this book when I saw it because I love books with time elements: Addie Larue, Ten Thousand Doors of January, etc.
Overall, I really really liked this book! The main reason this isn't a 5 star read for me is, in some of the scenes, it was painfully obvious that it was a man writing a woman and it made me cringe.

I really enjoyed this book! Magic that kept me guessing. I loved the time travel vibes and the connections built.