I love a world where the source of magic is books. The Books possessed incredible, interesting and insidious qualities, I really wanted to know everything about each of them and how they worked. There were a lot of different POVs here, borderline too many for me, but it gave a very wide perspective of the network of people working with and hunting the Books. Cassie’s galavanting and naivety in the beginning was irritating. I enjoyed the Woman’s perspective (probably the most honestly), but I’m a sucker for a good villainess and she was downright despicable. I think this author would have a lot of success writing horror; some of the scenes in this book were BRUTAL, and they were my favorite parts. The concept was absolutely brilliant and the way the last half of the book unraveled really saved it for me, but the pacing of the story in general left a lot to be desired.

While this book wasn’t necessarily my cup of tea, I’m certain it will have an audience that loves it.

Thank you William Morrow & NetGalley for the ARC!

The Book Of Doors was an engaging and captivating story with a unique premise. Admittedly it took me a while to get into the meat of the story, but I found myself thinking about this book when I was away from it. This is a must for fantasy readers and book lovers alike! I think my only critique was that it was kind of violent, and graphically so - I wasn’t prepared for that, so it kind of threw me. Otherwise, I definitely recommend this read!

Thank you again for the ARC’

5⭐️

I'm speechless, this book was incredible. I requested this book because of the comp titles in the synopsis but honestly I think it's so incredibly unique that I haven't really read anything like this. I'm blown away this is a debut! It's so beautifully written.

I don't want to give away too much about this book as I think this is one to go into without knowing much. This book has great characters and atmosphere. It's very creative and I loved the magical realism aspect of it. I also appreciated that this book could still continue in different story lines.

I'll be keeping my eye out for other books by this author as this shows so much promise out other great works to come.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Marrow for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

Five Stars!!!! I’d give it more if I could. Thank you so much to NetGalley and William Morrow Books for the ARC of The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown.

Cassie is a young woman living in New York, just a normal girl working at a bookstore until she discovers The Book of Doors. Receiving this magical book opens up an entire new world that is fun at first but becomes so much more than expected.

I laughed, I definitely cried and at times had to pick my jaw up off the floor. You know it’s a good book when you have to step away to process what just happened before moving on. This story weaves its way through, keeping you hooked and wanting more. The supporting characters are all great.

This type of fantasy book is something I haven’t spent a lot of time reading but am definitely here for it and can’t wait to read more.

I demand to know how I get a copy of The Book of Doors! Let’s be clear, not “The Book of Doors”, but the ACTUAL Book Of Doors. No need to tell me the actual book does not exist – We all know it does! 😊

From the first work in the first sentence on the very first page, I loved everything about “The Book of Doors”. Gareth Brown has skyrocketed to the top of my favorite authors list!

I found “The Book of Doors” to be original and in a category of it’s own. I personally have not read anything quite like it and as the storyline progressed, it just kept growing more and more intriguing and complex. Without a doubt one of the best books I have read in a long time!

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow, and author Gareth Brown for providing me the opportunity to review "The Book Of Doors” prior to publication. I am appreciative and leave my review voluntarily. NOW GIVE ME THE BOOK!

LOVED THIS! What starts as a fun, unassuming adventure quickly warps into an entire underground world that Cassie, our 20 something main character, is not remotely equipped to handle. We follow our chessboard of characters across the world, across time, and across a magical world of books and mystery. Brown does not waste a word in this novel, making sure that the reader is learning with our characters and never knowing what is coming next. This book could easily be started while relaxing on the beach and finished late at night hours after your bedtime.

*thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for a copy of this eARC in exchange for my review*

In concept, this book is brilliant. Gareth Brown devised a fascinating alternate reality where magic is real and time travel is possible. And magical realism in contemporary fiction is a big win for me. But the high of the world building did not balance with the low of the character building.

While there were a few characters that I felt a connection with the vast majority of characters (including our MFC, Cassie) fell flat. They were one-dimensional and functioned more like catalysts for the plot, rather than active participants in the plot. Because of the few lovable, believable ones, I know Brown can write characters in a more compelling way.

I want to note that the woman was a terrifying and anxiety-inducing character for me. She needs to come with trigger warnings, frankly. I think this takes special talent (hats off to you, Brown). It’s not every day that a chilling, psychopathic killer on a page makes me want to vomit. But I wish the other characters felt as palpable as the woman. Also I don’t think we, as the readers, were given justice in her origin story or her end.

The origin of the books was also disappointing for me—the nebulous prose was a dissatisfying experience, given the importance of the books in the plot. But Brown’s handling of time throughout the story was masterful. His closed concept of time and concise explanation was perfect, and I really felt that I understood how time travel worked in his world. He should get an award for making time travel seem simple and plausible.

Overall, the plot was fascinating, but Brown deserved a better editor. I have to believe that the characters and relationships were more fleshed out in his mind. Maybe the story should have been longer, giving more space for character and relationship building. Maybe the details of the plot distracted from detailing the characters more carefully. I can’t say for sure. But this is a debut, after all, and I believe that editing was at fault.

I’ll be on the lookout for more books from Gareth Brown in the future. If he has more ideas as fascinating as this one, I know I’ll want to read them.

I loved everything about this book. From start to finish I was wrapped up in a world of magical books, intrigue, time travel, and the perfect loop of events. This novel is filled with twists and turns that will delight readers to no end. This has been the best book I have read so far this year, and it will be hard pressed to drop it out of the top 10 by the end of the year.
Thank you so much to William and Marrow and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this stunning book.

Greif is a long ad bumpy journey but in this novel by Gareth Brown, the journey has a little magic added. A bookseller in NYC is given a book from a deceased customer. After learning this book has the power to transport her to any place she can imagen, Cassie goes on an adventure with her roommate.

This book - exceeded my expectations. I was in the mood for some fantasy and this definitely hit the spot. There were so many twists and turns. I can’t even count the number of times I gasp and yelled when reading this. I loved the characters and each of their different storylines. A must read if you like fantasy.

I was given an Advanced Reader Copy by NetGalley for an honest review.

Magical, mysterious, with pages bursting with utter brilliance, this book is everything and more.
This is hands down the best book I have read in a long time! Worthy of every five star review it gets plus added bonus stars 🌟
A world where magical books exist. Books that can do amazing things, good, bad and plain evil. Who wouldn’t want to own one or even better, all of these wondrous books?
Luckily for the world only a few people know of their existence because if some of these books were to fall into the wrong hands who knows the terrors they could unleash.
After a long time customer to the bookshop she works in leaves Cassie a book, she has no idea how much that strange book is going to change her life.
Unbeknown to her this peculiar book has now put her and her best friend, her flatmate Izzy in the path of danger as there are people out there that not only know about these magical books, but those that covert the book she now holds in her hands.
People who will go to any extremes to have The Book of Doors for their own.
This book is filled cover to cover with nonstop action that casts its own spell over you making it impossible to put down and stop reading. Even then, when sleep won I found myself dreaming about the book!
I am not a massive fan of fantasy books so please don’t let that fraction of the book dissuade you from picking this book up and reading it. Although it is about magical books with powers, it is a book that anyone who enjoys exceptional storytelling will not be able to put down.
It is as beautiful inside as is the cover.
This book has it all. Mystery, adventure, danger, thrills, friendship all tied up with a magical twist.
If you only read one book this year, make sure it is this one!

Booklovers rejoice! The Book of Doors is an ode to fantasy lovers, bookworms and the power that reading and books hold. I enjoyed this unique spin on the "bookstore clerk" character type, and really thought this book came together at the end. Following Cassie as she tries to escape bookhunters who wish to do her harm was exhilarating and just really fun. Really loved the potential for this to become a series as well.

This is a really good fantasy read, time travel is included. Cassie works in a library and her favorite customer, Mr. Webber, dies and leaves her a book. This book is called the Book of Doors, it is very magical. Along with her best friend Izzy, they begin to explore what this book can do.

Hold it in your hand, and any door is every door. This book is for you Cassie. a gift of thanks for your kindness. May you enjoy the places it takes you to and the friends you find there. With the Book of Doors, Cassie felt free. She was able to go wherever she wanted whenever she wanted, like she had her own fairy tale magic carpet. Nobody else had a life like this.

Told in 7 Parts:
Doorways
Memories
Echoes in the Past
A Dance in a Forgotten Place
The Nothing and Nowhere
A Plan in the Five Parts
Beginnings and Endings

Magical, Good vs. Evil, and a Creative Story! 3.5 stars!

Many thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy! This book will be released 2/15/24.

The Book of Doors primarily follows a girl named Cassie who is gifted a magical book called the "Book of Doors" that allows any door to become "every door". With this book Cassie is able to go to Italy through her bedroom closet, it's the thing of miracles. The only catch is that the Book of Doors isn't the only magic book and Cassie isn't the only person who knows about them. There are people good and bad trying to hunt down the books and Cassie has to decide who to trust and ultimately what should be done with these powerful books.

This book was such a refreshing read - every time I felt like I knew where things were going, I was wrong. It's not easy to find unique ways to tell a story about traveling through space and time and yet that's what Gareth Brown did. His writing really took me through a whole emotional roller coaster in an authentic and touching way.

My only criticism is that the pacing can be a little slow from time to time but honestly I didn't even care because of how well the story was crafted!

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for this e-ARC!

4.5 ⭐️ Synopsis: Cassie is an introvert works at a bookstore in NYC. When one of her favorite customers, Mr. Webber, unexpectedly dies at the store, Cassie learns that he left her a book called the Book of Doors. At first all she sees are mysterious drawings, and she is unsure what to make of it. However, once she discovers that the book is magic and can open up any door in the world, her quiet life quickly begins to change, especially because book hunters have been searching for the book she holds.

Thoughts: The concept of this book was clever and as a non fantasy reader, I enjoyed all of the world building, time travel and magic. While the story primarily focuses on Cassie, there were chapters from various perspectives, including the villain, making the story complex and layered.

Read if you like:
-Books
-NYC setting
-Time travel and magic
-Good vs. evil theme
-Midnight Library/ Addie LaRue

Thank you William Morrow for the ARC. Pub 5/13

I’m giving this book 4.5 stars for two reasons. First, it’s a great concept. A world of magical books that all have unique, special powers? Yes, please. For this reason, I think The Book of Doors will become a favorite for many people, due to the concept and storytelling alone.

Secondly, the author surprised me several times. I can often pick up on foreshadowing and other plot devices / details that I have a feeling will come into play later. But Gareth Brown weaved a truly masterful plot together and it was so satisfying as a reader to see it all come together.

This book isn’t perfect. It did take a while to pick up and I found that I didn’t always connect with the characters the way that the story wanted me to (Cassie and Drummond in particular). The scenes with The Woman also felt a little flat for me. That said, I can overlook all that because it was such a delightful and thrilling read. Now I’ll just wait until it’s turned into the next hit HBO TV series. Thank you to NetGalley for providing the arc!

The Book of Doors was widely unexpected! It was a very complex novel, and, if I'm being honest, I think that it was too complex. As I was reading, I reached a point that I thought was the end. It would have made for a very good ending, but there was still 15%+ left in the book. I'm not mad at the ending that was written, but I do feel it would have been more powerful ending earlier.

This is definitely general fiction/fantasy. I think it's a stretch to put it as mystery/thriller, but I would say that ties in well with it being overly complex.

I mean, who doesn't want to read a book about magic books?

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an ARC to this book for an unbiased review.

I have rated this book a 2/5 only for the fact that no matter how many times I have picked it up I have not been able to get into it. The concept of the story is super interesting but maybe it’s just not for me or maybe since I’m a mood reader it’s just not the right book at the right time for me.

WOW! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC for my unbiased review. This, book, was, wild! Magical realism at its finest. I was drawn in almost immediately by Cassie, the book loving heroine. Having to put this down to work and sleep was painful. So many twists and turns! The way it all comes together surprised me in so many ways and I’ll be thinking about this one for a while. I will say if you’re squeamish this might not be for you (there are some very vivid descriptions of horrible deaths). First 5 star review of the year and let me tell you, I do not give those lightly! This one releases soon so get it on your lists now!

Thank you NetGalley and Mr.Brown for the opportunity to review "The Book of Doors." Brown takes the reader on a magical journey, through a world where magic books exist. Fans of magical realism will enjoy this novel which plays upon the idea of what would people do if they possessed magic? His writing style is reminiscent of Neil Gaiman. An endearing tale of adventure, highly recommended.