When a bookstore regular leaves Cassie the book, she questions what it means and why he gave it to her. Through complete accident, Cassie learns that this is the book of doors and that visualizing a door and opening one in front of her can take her wherever she wishes to go. She and her best friend Izzy are enjoying where the book can take them, when they learn that not only do people know about this book…but many of there looking for it. Cassie and Izzy are in serious danger.

WHEW! What a way to start off my 2024 reading! This book was absolutely fantastic! I could not stop reading. The twists and turns the story takes are like riding a roller coaster…in the best way. I have so much that I want to say about this story, but I don’t want to give any spoilers, so all I will say is this…read this book! If you enjoyed Addie Larue, or The Midnight Library, you will adore this one just as much as I did! This is book is going to be a huge hit in 2024, I can already tell!

The Book of Doors is a fabulous read for anyone who enjoys an imaginative fantasy novel with engaging characters that keep you flipping pages.

The main protagonist Cassie, works in a bookshop, in New York City. She doesn't have a great social life or many friends, though her roommate Izzy is her best friend despite being very dissimilar in nature. Izzy is boisterous and Cassie quite reserved.

Cassie was close to her grandfather and is still grieving his loss because she feels she let down when he died, years earlier. So it's hardly surprising she is happy to spend time chatting with another elderly man, a customer in her bookstore, quickly saddened when he also dies suddenly in the store at his regular table. What she doesn't expect is for him to leave her a parting gift, a small rather tattered, yet mysterious little leather bound book called the “Book of Doors.”

It turns out to have some very interesting properties/magical abilities, which allow the holder to open doors to ... anywhere and anytime in the world. Wow! What a gift, but why was it left for her specifically? As Cassie learns how to travel the world in moments, she drags an unwilling Izzy along for the ride and what seems like a dream come true soon becomes a nightmare for both women and they learn that magic isn’t always used by those who are good.

It's a roller coaster ride of huge imagination, eerie and magical and mind blowing inventive. Yet, despite quite a lot of violence and sorrow, it never becomes too heavy and it's always pretty easy to follow, it fired all my synapses but didn't over tax my brain. Great to curl up on a cozy sofa with - it’s a hard one to put down!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read the eARC of The Book of Doors in exchange for an honest review.

Overall I did really enjoy this story. There is a villain that says some questionable things and I have complicated feelings about this. The villain must say and do horrible things in order to show his character, but they don’t need to involve race.

I hope this is corrected before the book is published, and if so, I would give this story a 3.75.

It was a book for book lovers. A book about magic and portals and all that special things that come along with it.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance arc of this title. After reading the synopsis I was anxious to read this one and it did not disappoint me. This is a fantasy story of a Book of Doors, a book that has magical powers to open doors among other things. Cassie gets in possession of the book and she and a friend decide to check out its powers, but they quickly learn that with such power comes danger. I overall enjoyed this fantasy story, I felt there needed to be a little more character development of the main characters so I was a bit more invested but overall it was an enjoyable escape in time book. 3.5 stars!

I would like to start off by saying thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for being generous enough to lend me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to read this book after reading the overview of it, the concept of magical books, and being able to escape through time and reality seemed like a great idea. However, in my opinion, it was just executed poorly.

The characters fell flat, and I had such difficulty trying to connect with them. The pacing of this book was all over the place. It felt rushed at times and painstakingly slowed the next. The timelime felt erratic. One second, it would be a few days, and the next the jump was to five years. I truly felt like I could not keep up with everything going on. Another thing that kind of irked me were the "jokes" that were made. They felt extremely distasteful.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this unbelievably fantastic book - I didn't want it to end!! The well developed characters, story line and detailed descriptions made it difficult to put this book down! This gifted brilliant writer manages to paint a magical story that feels so real! At times, I felt like I was a actually there with the characters as their stories were unfolding. Fantasy and time travel typically isn't my thing (or, at least I thought it wasn't, but this book managed to pull me in from start to finish! I have no doubt The Book of Doors will be one of the top 10 book debuts of 2024! Highly recommend!

I was really excited to read this book however it did not meet my expectations. It was hard to connect to the characters and I felt like the plot was a little all over the place.

Thank you for the ARC!!

Some books seem special to us. Others are special in a different way. One such book—The Book of Doors—has landed in the hands of book-lover Cassie Andrews, and now she is on the run, fleeing from evil.

Drummond Fox is—or was—a librarian of a large private library. Once. Long ago. Now his library is gone, unreachable, and he wanders alone, lost in his pain.

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown, to be published by William Morrow on February 13, 2024, takes you on a thrilling, sometimes disturbing, adventure.

I encourage you to read it, to learn what has happened to Cassie and Drummond, and what will happen in their futures.

I read this book in December and finished it at 1am Jan 1 - closing the door on one year and opening the door to the next!

When I first started reading The Book of Doors, I went in blind other than a vague recollection of the blurb on Netgalley - and for the first chapter or two this book felt like a cozy book about friendship and seeing the world. But things take a turn and it becomes a fantastical race against (and with!) time, featuring some pretty gnarly death scenes sprinkled throughout.

I was surprisingly invested in all of the characters, main or otherwise, and the world spanning settings give the book real life grounding within the magic. Questions are all answered in a satisfying way, but the door is left open (LOL) for more. And I have to tip my hat to the creation of a particularly unpleasant villain in the book - any time I brush by someone in the street from now on I'll be nervous!

Four and a half star ⭐️ read for me!

Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Book of Doors
By: Gareth Brown

5 Stars

How do you start with a book like this? It is different, but in a magical, fantastical sort of way. This book shows a world where books can do amazing things. They can take you places, do things for and against you, or others. There are so many books, so many ways to change a life. Your life. What would you do with a book that can open any door?

This story was awesome from beginning to end. It was magical and fantastical. It was full of adventure and danger. I thought with all the different characters that I would get confused, but surprisingly, I didn't. Each added a unique element to the story. I think it was the way it is written, perhaps. It was very well done and intriguing.

I absolutely loved the story, but sometimes it could really be an emotional roller-coaster. So, I'll leave a friendly warning for the reader. Grab the tissues and hold on. You are in for a wild ride.

*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Reviewed By
Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Reviews

thank you Netgalley for being generous enough to lend me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

i was so excited to read this book after reading the overview of it. the idea of magical books and being able to escape through time and reality seems like a great idea, it was just executed poorly in my opinion. the characters fell flat, there was no time to connect with them. you didn't get a chance to fall in love with the characters, to learn all that you could.

the pacing of this book was also all over the place. one second it would be a few days and the next the jump was to five years. the timeline was a bit confusing and i feel like if it were executed a little better and not so rushed, this could have easily been an amazing read. but at times i just felt like i couldn't keep up with everything that was going on.

another thing that had me side-eyeing the book was some of the "jokes" that were made, if we can even call them that. at the very beginning of the book of doors, there's a joke made about being on a plane and that only terrorists take a plane. i nearly shut the book just from that alone. not even a full chapter into the book yet. all of the "jokes" were distasteful. there was even one about another person of color regarding their skin tone.

i powered through in hopes that perhaps maybe the pacing would even out, i would connect with the characters and that maybe, just maybe the writing would improve. it did not.

for a debut novel, the idea of this book was magnificent and whimsical, i think it just needed to be executed a little better.
1 like

Rating: 4.5

This book was quite the rollercoaster. It had everything I needed to be an amazing story. It had time travel, magic, dynamic characters who are likeable. It was absolutely amazing! This book also triggered so many emotions. I definitely cried in a few sections of it.

I loved the relationship that Izzy and Cassie had where if Cassie was involved in anything Izzy would be there to back her up. Same way the other way. I also loved the character building that was seen throughout the book with Cassie as she aged up. I enjoyed how the book hinted towards that and as the book continued, you started realizing it was true.

I also really liked Drummond as a character and his relationship with Cassie. Although it wasn't a romantic relationship, it was like Drummond was a protective older brother to Cassie.

One final thing I loved, although it wasn't blatantly said, was the backstory with Rachel. I may be wrong about my theory, but if I am correct, I think it's cool how they gave The Woman a backstory as to how she became so hateful. That was a cool touch, even if I am making it up!

Cassie lives in New York City where she works in a book store and shares an apartment with her best friend Izzy. She loves books and her job. When an elderly customer, one of her favorites, dies in the bookshop he leaves her a mysterious book. It is unlike any book she has ever seen. It is the Book of Doors. Cassie finds that she and Izzy can travel anywhere she can envision by holding the book and opening a door. But there is danger. Other people know about these magic books and they want hers.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an eGalley of this title.

Was not a fan of pacing or character descriptions that rubbed me the wrong way. Unfortunately was unable to finish.

The Book of Doors is a deeply moving, amazing and sometimes, horrific adventure! I enjoyed enjoyed it immensely and highly recommend it. I sincerely hope that there is a sequel in the works, especially exploring Drummond and Cassie’s future.

Disclaimer: I received this ARC from Netgalley and this is my honest and freely given opinion.

The Book of Doors
by Gareth Brown
Pub Date: 13 Feb 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cassie Andrews works in a New York City bookshop, shelving books, making coffee for customers, and living an unassuming, ordinary life. Until the day one of her favorite customers—a lonely yet charming old man—dies right in front of her. Cassie is devastated. She always loved his stories, and now she has nothing to remember him by. Nothing but the last book he was reading.

But this is no ordinary book…

It is the Book of Doors.

Inscribed with enigmatic words and mysterious drawings, it promises Cassie that any door is every door. You just need to know how to open them.

Then she’s approached by a gaunt stranger in a rumpled black suit with a Scottish brogue who calls himself Drummond Fox. He’s a librarian who keeps watch over a unique set of rare volumes. The tome now in Cassie’s possession is not the only book with great power, but it is the one most coveted by those who collect them.

Now Cassie is being hunted by those few who know of the Special Books. With only her roommate Izzy to confide in, she has to decide if she will help the mysterious and haunted Drummond protect the Book of Doors—and the other books in his secret library’s care—from those who will do evil. Because only Drummond knows where the unique library is and only Cassie’s book can get them there.

But there are those willing to kill to obtain those secrets. And a dark force—in the form of a shadowy, sadistic woman—is at the very top of that list.

This is an epic tale of a quest with magical books and their impact on those who possess them and those who want to do so. It was very dark at times and full of adventure. It is a very long book so prepare to spend some time in this fantastical world.

Wow! This book was amazing!
Okay so short synopsis: Cassie works in a book store in NYC, living a predominantly boring life. One day her favorite customer comes in and dies in front of her. Saddened of course, but his death brings a whole new world and meaning to life due to the fact he left a book for her, The Book of Doors. Once Cassie has this book, she experiences being hunted for the magic it possesses, by people who hunt and collect these magic books for a living. With the help of her best friend and some unlikely individuals, Cassie learns and maneuvers through this new world she is creating and in control of. But will she be able to defeat the evil lurking in the shadows or at every turn?

This book took me by surprise! I wanted to read it because of the concept, however I found myself sometimes lost or maybe confused at parts and I questioned if I truly was enjoying the book. Well I was! Because everything eventually ties into itself in such a way that leaves your mouth open. This book has humor, subtle romance, sadness, adventure, and page turning mysteries that keep you needing to read to see what happens. This is an onion of a book with all of its carefully thought out layers of excellence. Everytime you think “I know what’s going to happen” you don’t. If you want a fun read for 2024, please get this book when it’s released on February 13, 2024!!!

One of my last reads of 2023 is also one of my favorites. I didn't know too much about this book before starting and I think that added to my immense love of it. All I knew was from the few adjectives that were included in the NetGalley email: fantasy/thriller, magical artifacts, unexpected allies, cozy bookstores and mysterious libraries. I was sold. It is very similar to The Night Circus, The Starless Sea, and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.

With the Book of Doors in your possession, any door is every door.
Cassie is gifted this magical book by a patron of the bookstore she works at. She pretty quickly discovers how to use the book and travels around the world. But this isn't the only magical book in existence and there are people who will kill to have them in their possession.

The Book of Doors went from "ok, I think I like this" to "oh my goodness, I am loving this" once time travel was introduced. This element brought the story together beautifully.

The idea for this book is genius, however the execution wasn’t amazing.
The idea that books have powers and the classic fight between good and evil was the setup for a really cool book lover’s fantasy story.
However, I found the writing inconsistent with the depth of the story. I felt like the writing style (excluding the random swearing and extremely visual deaths) was that of a teen. I almost thought maybe this was an accidental YA read, but it’s made for and written by an adult.
All in all I still really enjoyed this book. I wish it had the time and description a story like this deserves.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC