A heartfelt thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to delve into "The Book of Doors" as an eARC.

My long-standing wish to read this book, born from the first sighting on Goodreads, has been granted—thank you!

"The Book of Doors" invites readers on a captivating journey where the ordinary intertwines with the extraordinary. Focused on Cassie Andrews, a New York City bookseller leading an unassuming life, the narrative takes a captivating turn when a mysterious gift from a favorite customer disrupts her world.

This book brought me immense enjoyment, progressively improving until I found it impossible to put down. Its cleverness and originality consistently brought a smile to my face, and I thoroughly appreciated the well-crafted and seamlessly integrated story.

I cannot emphasize enough how genuinely I relished and cherished the experience, akin to a delightful treat, of reading this book!

With a beautiful cover and a mysterious title, I had to pick this one up. I'm glad I did and I loved this story. Gareth Brown is a new author for me.

Description:
In New York City, bookseller Cassie Andrews is living an unassuming life when she is given a gift by a favourite customer. It's a book - an unusual book, full of strange writing and mysterious drawings. And at the very front there is a handwritten message to Cassie, telling her that this is the Book of Doors, and that any door is every door .

What Cassie is about to discover is that the Book of Doors is a special book that bestows an extraordinary powers on whoever possesses it, and soon she and her best friend Izzy are exploring all that the Book of Doors can do, swept away from their quiet lives by the possibilities of travelling to anywhere they want.

But the Book of Doors is not the only magical book in the world. There are other books that can do wondrous and dreadful things when wielded by dangerous and ruthless individuals - individuals who crave what Cassie now possesses.

Suddenly Cassie and Izzy are confronted by violence and danger, and the only person who can help them is, it seems, Drummond Fox. He is a man fleeing his own demons - a man with his own secret library of magical books that he has hidden away in the shadows for safekeeping. Because there is a nameless evil out there that is hunting them all . . .

Because some doors should never be opened.

My Thoughts:
This was a great fantasy adventure type book involving magical books that could be used for either good or bad. It follows Cassie who has received one of the books, but is now in great danger. Much of the book is her adventure trying to survive amidst bookhunters searching for the books who will do anything to get their hands on one. There is one woman who is everyone's nightmare, and she is known solely as "the woman" throughout the book. It was fun to follow the advanture and the relationships Cassie formed in her struggles to survive, save her book, and keep her friends safe.

Thanks to William Morrow through Netgalley for an advance copy. Expected publication date is February 13, 2024.

Complex but well-managed story line. There is some interesting world building here. Most of the characters have depth and dimension, even the villains, which is refreshing.

The Book of Doors
A Novel
by Gareth Brown
This was one difficult book to read.I became so confused and the people were just far too many to keep up with. It just was not something I had expected.

I was so excited when Netgalley accepted my arc request because I love this specific niche type of fantasy, that is similar to Narnia, Wonderland, or Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series. I don’t think there is a specific term for this specific whimsical type of fantasy but we need to make one a term for it. It’s this specific fantasy that feels almost childlike in a way, usually involving a magical adventure full of whimsy. This type of book is most commonly seen in middle grade books, so I love when I see books with this specific niche type of feel in adult fiction. I feel like it is a rarity because I don’t see it often. This book also felt weirdly British (lol) like Harry Potter, even though it takes place in America.

Quick breakdown: a bookseller named Cassie is given a gift by her favorite customer, an unusual book that gives her the power to travel anywhere in the world that she wants. Yet, possessing this book puts her in danger, as the book of doors isn’t the only magical book in existence and people with nefarious intentions are seeking them all. This book had the whimsy of Wonderland and the magical adventure of Harry Potter, and it fed my inner child. You know when you’re in the mood for a fun adventure movie? This is like the book equivalent of that and it really hits the spot. You get to go on this magical fantasy adventure without even leaving your couch, and what could be better than that?

Cassie, like me, is a book lover who takes comfort in bookstores and libraries and she’s extremely relatable. Not to mention, the bookstore where Cassie works sounds sooooo cozy and perfect. Comfortable, with books, coffee, comfy chairs and soft music. This book was so nostalgic and extremely well written. It had me feeling sad and nostalgic for a time that Cassie spent in Europe, something that I myself had never even experienced. It was as if I were the one who had met the handsome German boy in Paris or the kind middle aged couple in Venice who treated Cassie like a daughter, people who she had promised to keep in touch with but never had. This book had me sad and missing fictional people from all walks of life that I had never even met.

This book’s strongest suit is how visual it is, all the surroundings and people described very well so that everything is easy to visualize. I had to check because it’s very impressive that this is a debut author, since the writing was honestly better than most of the established author’s books that I’ve read, and better than I generally expect from a book. Beautiful descriptions and scenery, wonderful characterization, and all the magical fun of an adventure story.

The second strongest suit is that there is no boring filler, none of the whole, nothing happens until 60% of the book. This book jumps right into it, and you feel like you’re in the middle before even 15% in because it jumps right into the action. My undiagnosed ADHD appreciates this. Wish more books were like this and didn’t waste my time with too much filler.

The book is also excellently plotted. The way that things come together in different timelines is genius. And the evil characters in this are truly evil, some of the most evil, horribly terrible people I have ever read in literature. The plot is so imaginative, and such a wild adventure. I can tell so much thought and effort was put into plotting this story. Fantastic worldbuilding and very imaginative story. I thought the ending could’ve used a more brighter conclusion rather than ending on that note but I liked how everything tied together and all the questions were answered.

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.

I absolutely judge books to quickly. Was I bored 2 pages in? Yes. Will I keep reading this? No. As a bookseller, maybe I was just unimpressed with the interaction between Cassie and the old man? But I found her rude despite knowing she liked the old man and didn’t want to keep reading.

Wow. Agh. Wow. I cannot express HOW MUCH I LOVE this book. It's perfect for fans of fantasy, science fiction, superheroes, superpowers, time travel, friendship, good versus evil, light versus dark, and books. I guess anyone who likes "The Midnight Library" or "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue" or "The Night Circus" (all books that I apparently need to get my hands on ASAP). It makes a book lover fall in love all over again with the power of books. Ah, my heart and soul can't stop gushing.

So the story starts in a bookstore with Cassie, whose age I can't seem to quite figure out, as she's closing for the night. Her final guest, who is a regular at the store, quietly and suddenly dies but he leaves Cassie a final gift: a book. At first the book seems like just an old thing and then Cassie learns that it has the power to transport her back to any door ANYWHERE in the world. It's a wonderful gift. But, something so good has to have some darkness in it, no? Cassie learns the hard way that, with all the good, comes others who are willing to exploit the goodness for pure evil. And now Cassie embarks on a race of survival, with her best friend Izzy and mysterious book savior, Drummond Fox, to try to not only protect the Book of Doors, but all the other special books that exist.

Cassie, as a main character, has so much to learn and sometimes that annoyed me -- like, why are you going back to the apartment where the murderous man just shot two people?! Anywhere but there! But then I also love her for so many other reasons: she cares so much about her friends and she learns so many lessons that any human can learn from.

Izzy is just awesome. She's funny, sarcastic, down-to-earth, and the most realistic of the two friends. She's the perfect balance for Cassie and it as clever of Gareth to include her.

Lund. Oh Lund. I love Lund. A man of few words. But I love Lund.

I can't get over the touching moments of friendship in all the ways they appear: Cassie and Izzy, Izzy and Lund, Cassie and Drummond, Drummond and his group of friends, Cassie and Mr. Webber, and Cassie and her grandfather.

Also, the time travel concept feels like a new one. It's different than the theories I'm so used to hearing from the Marvel universe so it's a new idea that gives me something to think about.

And, finally, the true villain -- the woman, as she's dubbed -- is so sadistically and painfully cruel that she's so perfect for this book.

Ah, it makes me love books EVEN MORE than before.

A HUGE THANKS to the publisher, William Morrow, and Netgalley for this galley in return for my honest opinion. I absolutely loved this gem and cannot wait to buy my copy of it when it's finally released. I am already recommending it to all the book lovers in my life and my students will definitely enjoy this one.

I ABSOLUTELY loved this book! I rather enjoyed how everything was tied together and the cause and effect of what they did. The characters, the concept… all of it!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Once I got into this book… I could not put it down! When I saw the synopsis for this book I was interested right away. It reminded me a bit of Ink Blood Sister Scribe with the magical books. I think this book did it even better. I loved how the book left me questions as I started reading and slowly those all fell into place as the book progressed. I truly enjoyed each of the characters and what they brought to the book. The multiple POV worked really well. I do want to point out that I was not expecting some of the violence in this book… it is only very small parts of the book but it gets pretty graphic. I am also not at all a horror girl so I’m a wimp when it comes to all that!

Thank you to Gareth Brown, William Morrow, and NetGalley for giving me the wonderful opportunity to review this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily and with my own opinions only.

I enjoyed The Book of Doors overall. The story is centered around magical books and doors, with bittersweet moments and a sense of wonder. Cassie, the main character, discovers a magical book capable of opening doors to anywhere. However, she soon realizes the danger surrounding these magical books, as many are willing to do anything to possess one.

While the story was mostly enjoyable, a few aspects didn't quite click for me. The pacing felt slightly off, and I struggled to connect with the characters. Some of them were downright irritating. The plot had its fair share of holes, and the ending left me unsatisfied.

Despite these issues, The Book of Doors kept me engaged. The mix of magic and danger made it an entertaining read, even though I had some reservations about certain elements.

I expected this book to be good based off of the summary and the cover, because I do sometimes judge a book by its cover, and I was pleasantly surprised with this.

The characters were likable and this had a lot of action and adventure in it. The concept of a book that allows you to travel anywhere was really cool. And the story left me wanting more information, in a good way.

There were certain parts of this book I wasn’t expecting and wasn’t sure how they fit into the story, but I found that I got an answer later on.

Overall, this was a great read!

"Any door is every door"

I loved this book. It grabbed me immediately, and I did not want to put it down. A girl who works in a bookstore comes into possession of a book that allows her to travel anywhere she wants to go simply by opening a door. What could be better than that? And then, the adventure begins, because there are people willing to kill to get their hands on this book.

There were so many twists and turns in this book, and they all felt just right. I didn't want the book to end, but I needed to get to the end and see what was going to happen.

Thank you to netgalley for sending me an early copy to read! I really liked the premise of this book and the cover is beautiful so I was very excited to read. However.... something about this was just not agreeing with me. Maybe I'm just really picky or about to enter into a reading slump but I just couldn't find it in me to finish this book. The way it started just was not enough to keep me interested. Most of all I just found the characters to be a bit boring and I just didn't care for what they were going through.

I received a free ARC of this book from the publish via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I am officially DNF this book at 36%. Overall this just wasn't the book for me. I liked some chapters but hated other. There were soooo many characters and at 36% of the book we were just getting into the action it seemed. I wasn't invested enough into the main character. For Netgalley I had to give it two stars but for Goodreads I am not giving it any stars because I didn't finish it and maybe I will pick it up again some day. But I have found based on my review and others you either like it or you don't.

I really was looking forward to this book after it was compared to Addie LaRue and The Night Circus. I never felt attached to the main character- Cassie, and the plot was preposterous. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy but this was a miss for me.

this just missed the mark for me, it was trying to be way too many things and the whole magical books and time travel didn't work for me, wasn't sure if it was going for Midnight Library or what but I was pretty bored throughout and had a hard time keeping track of the magic "rules" of the books and what the point of the whole story was. Also her friend Izzy was insufferable and needed a reality check.

New York book seller Cassie comes into possession of a strange book upon the death of a beloved bookstore patron. This book turns any door into anyplace you want to go. As Cassie shares this with her best friend and roommate Izzy, she isn't so sure it is safe. Googling the "book of doors" sparks interest all over the work and they embark on a dangerous, time traveling journey discovering many books with different powers, the book of illusions, the book of pain, the book of joy and many more. To protect the books, Cassie and Izzy must deceive and out maneuver book collectors that want the books for pure evil and help others keep the books safe.
What an interesting concept, multiple different books with different powers and themes. The story did have a dreamy whimsical feel and kind of reminded me of the Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harlow, which i loved, however also had some violent, evil characters in it. I loved the relationship dynamic of the different characters and a well thought out ending that involved time traveling to eventually best the villain as well as learn how the villain came about. The ending was wrapped up nicely, unpredictable and not rushed. Well done. Thank you to NetGalley and Gareth Brown for the ARC copy

The most fitting one word review for this amazing debut: MAGICAL.

Gareth Brown, you had me at hello from the first page to the last. Magic books, SAY NO MORE. Just the metaphor itself of the magic contained in books and the escape and other worlds they contain…. But the story itself is so perfect. A blend of light and dark, life and death, friends and foes, joy and grief.

I could not have imagined a better read to kick off 2024. I will be SHOCKED if this doesn’t land in my top 5 of the year!

4.5 stars!
This was a delightful, imaginative tale of adventure, mystery with a dash of danger. Cassie is gifted a book of magic and possibilities. It can take her to any door anywhere. At first she is filled with delight and develops a near obsession in visiting her favorite places around the world. Much like you can escape with a good book this magical book is a place of escape. However, she quickly realizes that this book has hidden dangers about it. Soon she has to go through a world of mystery, magic and intrigue to save herself, her best friend and roommate Izzy as well as her new friends.

The book does take a bit of time to get started so if at first you find it slow, stick with it. I made the mistake of starting it in the middle of holidays where a lot was happening. As such it took a little longer than usual to get into it as I had to put it down often. That meant it took several days to finish it when normally I would have read it more quickly. If you stick with it, the story will eventually transport you into a different world where you too can escape regular life as Cassie does.

I can definitely see this as a book club book as it lends itself to good discussions. I will be recommending it to mine.

A magical and adventure filled story that reminds me of when I was a kid and could not wait until Sunday evening to watch the Disney movie.

When Cassie is gifted a book from a customer in the beloved book store that she helps run she doesn't think much of it. But she soon realizes that the book provides entryway to where ever she wants to go! It's not long before she is contacted by the librarian of such rare books and chased by someone who is hunting for the special tome.

With just her roommate Izzy to help can Cassie outrun the hunters and help put the magical library back together again?

so fun, so magical, you will get swept away! #Williammorrow #thebookofdoors #garethbrown