Thank you to NetGalley, Gareth Brown (author), and William Morrow (publisher) for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:
3.5 stars (rounding up)

My review:
This book has such a cool concept - as someone who loves magic AND books, magical books are right up my alley! I had a hard time getting through this book though, I almost DNFed at around 40%, but I am glad that I stuck with it and got through it. There is a whole lot of "not much" that happens during the book. But then the action will hit all at once before it mellows out again. And some points just were confusing to me. The book is very... descriptive, and it didn't engage me the whole time.

While I liked the premise of the book, I didn't really connect with any of the characters. In fact, I found them all downright unlikable at some points. They made some decisions that I just wanted to smack them over.

I was glad that the ending seemed to answer a lot of questions and wrapped things up. I'm glad that the characters got the ending that they deserved - whether it be good or bad. This book will stay on my mind for a while.

The Book of Doors has such an interesting premise in a unique world. The story kept me interested, though I did struggle to get through some parts. The first section was slightly difficult to understand at times, and there were a few instances that were a bit uncomfortable (a female character bemoaning certain foods because they'll make her fat -- very 90s unhealthy diet culture; and a certain character's racism -- yes she's a villain but still)


I stuck with it despite these flaws and the twists and wrap up were good and I enjoyed the overall story. But I'm not sure I'll recommend this to everyone as these issues are insta-no's for many. Some audiences will love this, others won't, I could see this being a fairly divisive book

So I’m super picky when it comes to fantasy novels, but I have to say that this one was right up my alley. A nice little magical realism book taking place in New York City that made me feel similarly to how I felt when I first read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, one of my favorite modern novels.

I thought this would be a light read, but it was actually super dark in some parts, with very vivid descriptions of violence. It didn’t feel out of place necessarily, but it did take me by surprise in those moments. I found myself really rooting for the characters, as they were all bookish people- my favorite kind of characters.

Overall it was a wild ride, very unpredictable, and a fun break from what I normally read.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5

Cassie works at a bookstore in NYC. One day, her favorite customer silently passes away and gifts her a book -- the Book of Doors. She soon learns that this book has special properties, allowing her to travel anywhere just by opening a door.

--

The Book of Doors made for a very refreshing read. At first, the plot seemed a little convoluted, but everything did come together beautifully in the end. The story itself was captivating, with surprise twists and turns that I never saw coming.

However, while the story and narration was great, there were some parts of the dialogue that nearly made me DNF the book. For example, one of the female characters makes some very unnecessary comments about food and how it impacts her body ("I am disgusting. It’s midnight and I am doing this to my body." -- all because she ate pancakes AND bacon). In another instance, one of the villains uses a term that some now consider a racial slur to the Japanese community.

Overall, I am quite glad that I still gave the book a chance. It was a great book to start off the year, with such an interesting premise and unique story.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When Cassie is left a mysterious book, she and roommate Izzy soon find that its special powers turn doorways into portals, allowing them to travel instantaneously all over the world. Such power does not come without danger as they realize that their Book of Doors is just one in a collection of magical books. Good vs. Evil, time travel, and adventure are packed into this fast-paced, suspenseful story.

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown has been on my 2024 list for a while, so I was very excited to get an advanced copy from Netgalley and the publisher. I saw it pop up on a few lists and I am a full sucker for every genre this falls into… time (space?) travel, books about books, books about bookstores, etc., ad infinitum.
Cassie Andrews lives in New York City with her best friend Izzy, and has my dream job in a bookstore. One evening while she’s closing the store, her favorite customer dies in the bookstore holding a book. When she opens the book, she sees that it is called the Book of Doors, and that he’s written her a note that he’s leaving the book to her.
The Book of Doors, she soon finds out, is a magical book that can open any book on earth and can take you there instantly. Even more, the book can take you back into the past if you ask it to. Cassie and Izzy experiment with the book and start to figure out what amazing things it can do, but soon realize that it isn’t the only magical book out there. And of course, there are some Very Bad People hunting all of the magical books. This begins our adventure in time and space.
It’s definitely a fun and poignant read, especially if you like magic, time travel, and adventure. The characters are well written and believable and the scenes are so visual.
I really enjoyed it, and now this author is definitely on my radar now and I am eager to see what he comes up with next. Thank you to Netgalley for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

This was a captivating time travel read with well-crafted storytelling and character growth. This story offers escapism with intrigue, mystery, and time travel elements. Criticized for unbelievable aspects and unnecessary horrific violence. Warning to skip graphic violence at the end of Part One. Regardless, this was an interesting read and I definitely recommend it!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC!

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. Some parts dragged on for much longer than I'd have liked, but then others I was absolutely glued to the page.

Its a FANTASTIC (in every sense of the word) storyline, that's dripping with details. Would absolutely recommend to others to give it a try.

Thank you to NetGalley & Author Gareth Brown for the eARC of The Book of Doors.

I have had my eyes on this one for a while so I was excited to get a copy of it on my kindle! I really loved it!! The author developed such a unique and mystifying atmosphere! Will be reading more by them!

It was an okay read....interesting enough to keep me reading and finish the book, but not something that I would tell everyone to go out and read. It had a very interesting concept, but there were a lot of things that I kept questioning and it seemed like the author was trying to wrap things up too neatly at the end. Also, I don't think that some of the books made sense....the book of mists?

Rated 5/5
This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I loved this book! I have read 4 books so far in 2024 and already know that this is going to be in my top 3 for the whole year. The writing was great and so vivid. I felt like I was apart of the story. I could see the scenes play out and felt like I was on the journey along with the characters. I’m going to be recommending this one to my friends and family upon release!

Book of Doors attracted because it’s fantasy adventure with a little time travel thrown in. It also is about books. I enjoy a book about books.

The story was interesting but not a page-turner. It seem to be same ole, same ole u til the final chapters when real action begins.

Given that this Graeth Brooks first book, I will look for more from him. He will probably improve with practice.

Thank you to Net Galley for the digital ARC!
Despite the initial confusion during their introductions, it was interesting to see how I continually appreciated and was fascinated by all of the characters, even the “bad guys”. The characters are all so complex and intertwined, new tidbits are constantly revealed even up to the very end.
At times, there was a sort of wordiness and odd sentence structure that made me trip over the story at some points. I found myself having to reread certain sentences a couple times.
Overall, this book had my jaw dropped, eyes tearing up and even letting out a chuckle or two at several different points throughout the story. I highly, highly recommend!

I can’t wait for it to be out and about as I wait enough to scream all about it. Plus, I just know that this is going to be our book club’ book of the month. I enjoyed it so so much.

I really enjoyed this book. Very new and interesting concept. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in fantasy/magical realism novels.

The first half of this book was stunning - gorgeous storytelling, a childlike perspective of this unique magic, and a convincing adventure. This felt a lot like if Addie Larue had taken a more diverse approach to it, and I was very invested in Cassie and what she would do! I cried multiple times through this book and found Cassie’s exploration of grief with her closest people to be the strongest part of the book.

Where the book fell flat, however, was the second half. The most glaring issue I had was that there was a lack of purpose. The protagonist had no motivation to continue her journey and agree to help save the book of doors and stop the villain(s) from using them for evil. She happens upon the book of doors and has a fun little time, then Drummond shows up and tells her of all the intense, high-stakes danger she is in, and she’s just on board with waging this battle for this book? Especially when Cassie seems very naive and does not give the impression a main character willing to put herself in harms way for no reason.

I also wished the author had picked one villain to focus on and give us a backstory as to how they became the evil person they were - and I thought the woman was a good villain! But I didn’t understand her & in my opinion it is crucial to let readers understand your villains reasoning and motives, not just “because she wants to.” Barbary seemed useless and just offered setbacks for our main characters without actually doing anything worthwhile to the plot. I think he distracted from what could’ve been a fantastic, well-rounded villain.

I still really enjoyed this story! I love unique tales of magic, and the author’s flow between past and present was flawless, which is not easy to do!!

I first want to say thank you to NetGalley, Gareth Brown and the publishers for allowing me to get an ARC copy of this book.

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this book, especially with the comparisons I had seen about it being similar to midnight library, which I had recently read. I would like to note that I don’t agree with these comparisons besides the loosely related concept of stepping through time.

This book was a pleasant surprise and I was unable to put the book down after a while. Every character is written very well and gets you involved in their personal story and relationships with the books, even characters that we only saw for a chapter. Each character’s story comes full circle by the end and unlike most books, every loose end is tied by the last chapter, which was very satisfying. Pay attention to the small details throughout, they almost always came back up to make a connection.

Come prepared for a journey through time, problem solving, mystery and a vast range of emotions.

This book was an amazing read and a great debut novel for Gareth Brown. I can’t wait to see what else he writes!

Title: The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown

Publication Date- 02/13/24
Publisher- William Morrow
Overall Rating- 3.5 out of 5 stars

Review: Review copy given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Book of Doors sets out to be a combination of a literary fiction and a thriller. I would say it somewhat achieves it’s goal. I found my experience to be that the book felt like it was spilt into halves based off genre. The first half felt like a heartfelt literary fiction that shaped up to be one of my favorite books of the year. The latter half was a thriller that was convoluted and had too many elements to it. Unfortunately because of the latter half of the book I ended up not enjoying it as much as I expected. Let me say more.

This book contains one of the most interesting worlds and premises I’ve ever read. This is a world where books carrying magical powers such as time travel, pain, despair, luck, etc. At the start of the book we get to know a few of these books and what they can do. As the book goes on there are more and more books to the point that I wondered what the point of them was anymore.

We get to know a lot of characters who were all truly wonderful all the way to the end. The Book of Doors carries a found family element with it that was endearing and heartfelt up until the last page. In the latter half of the book this wasn’t as prominent at the start but could still be felt.

Throughout the story we spend time with people who are “hunt,” these magical books for use and/or collection. There is some beautiful imagery in the first half that will stick with me forever. Picture you favorite ambience room and put that in a book.

There is time travel in this story and it all made sense for the first 40 percent. Then it felt like the author himself got confused or took things too far to the point that it no longer made sense. There is one really heartbreaking element to the main characters life that felt relatable and authentic. However, on the very last page the author basically took all the heartfelt away. You will only understand that if you read the book. With that being said some of you will disagree with me about that element, you may soak it up and love it.

That brings me to my final point. The story wraps up too neatly. I would have liked to see a more open ending that didn’t feel like everything tied up in a nice neat bow. Now, to you that may be something that you want or prefer in your books.

All in all I did really enjoy this book. The first 50 percent I will never forget reading and some of the scenes and moments will be in my mind forever. I am not upset I read this and will read from the author again.

This was a intriquing fast paced time travel read I found the story well crafted and the characters likable as they experienced growth throughout the book. They start out inmature and annoying but the two young friends do evolve as they must to meet their challenges. This book has all the elements one wants to read to escape from life. Intrique , mystery and time travel.

In the end its about unusual circumstances and rising to the occasion those circumstances require. I enjoy the descriptions of the travel although done most unbelievable. I would catagorize it as a magical paranormal mystery with a element of horiffic violence throughout. I felt the time travel aspect would have been so pleasant without the violence which has no place in the story other then shock value.
Alert: Be aware:
The end of part One has horiffic graphic violence and can be skipped . Skipping the violence does not take away from the basis of the story. This book written by a man also contains a lot of shaming of women's bodies and shames the women for eating. Its mysognistic and devalues the women characters. Those two aspects of this book were disappointing . The remainder of the story has value and is interesting.. Due to the above two elements I would normally rate it 2 stars but I give a extra star for charachter development and the time travel element.

I believe all of us readers can find something in common among us: we all love books. Hearing about this book for the first time made me truly interested, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. I loved the fantasy and superpower aspect of books that isn’t always mentioned in stories. However, I love it when books themselves have a story set around the idea of what books hold in them. Besides the books, the characters were amazing with extreme intelligence and adventurous spirits. This is definitely a book you need to read this year.
Thank you William Morrow for sending me this arc in exchange for an honest review.