Book of Doors is an okay debut, as it is for the most part an interesting concept. Unfortunately, the characters are underdeveloped and uninteresting. Cassie's (the main character) obsession with her appearance and weight is tiresome and boring. I'm not sure if Brown knows how to write from a young woman's perspective or just misses in this book.

The authors writing style offers moments of enjoyment, yet I am uncertain about the book's overall direction and who and what I am rooting for. However, the concept of a magical book opening doors to anywhere, and the discovery of other books with diverse abilities, is a delightful aspect of the story. There is a good story in here somewhere - sadly Brown fails to pinpoint it.

Although this book didn't hit the mark for me, I think it could for others, especially younger readers. Because of this I have rounded my 2.5 stars review to a three.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the eARC of The Book of Doors!

This was so interesting; I had no idea what I was getting into when I picked this up and I have zero regrets about picking if up now! I recommend going into this one completely, 100% blind if possible.

Where would you like to go? What if you could get there instantaneously? That is just one part of "The Book of Doors" by Gareth Brown. If you possess the correct book, all you need is a doorway to walk into the place of your dreams.

Of course, it wouldn't be a proper story without problems. And Cassie, a bookshop employee, and Izzy, her roommate, quickly get into trouble.

Other books exist, and other people-- some of whom are not very nice-- have custody of them. As you can imagine, these not-very-nice people want to take other people's books away from them. They want all the books for the power it will give them.

The magic world is a tough world. I don't know if this book will be part of a series, but I can certainly see it becoming that. "The Book of Doors" is well-written and it hooked me right away. Because it moves so quickly, it's hard to put down.

I recommend "The Book of Doors." It's one of those books I keep thinking about even though I finished it a few days ago. If my description of the book seems rather spare, it's because I don't want to take the chance of ruining one of the many surprises that crop up in the story.

I'm looking forward to Gareth Brown's next book!

Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read the advance reader's copy. I am writing an honest review.

Thank you netgalley and William Morrow for early access to this read.

Synopsis: one of Cassie’s long time customers—friend—dies at the bookshop. He leaves her behind a book that starts a whirlwind of adventures. It’s not just any book, it’s the book of doors—it can take you through any door. It’s a coveted item though and dangerous people are after it. One in particular she learns about through her new friend Drummond. The woman is a ruthless human and she will stop at nothing to acquire the books that hold special magic. Cassie and her friends must stop her before she annihilates the world. And we get to go on that journey of magic with her.

Whhhhheeewwie! What a ride.

What worked for me: my gosh, the entirety of the book worked for me. I love the magic, the books(even the bad books), the loops, swoops, and pulls that it took to create this complex and creative novel.

In the beginning of this book I thought I might get tripped up and lost because there are a lot of characters and a lot of layers to this book, but Gareth Brown does a WONDERFUL job at walking through this book.

I had only one question running through me and it’ll be the same one you’re asking up til the very end. I won’t tell you what it was cuz I don’t wanna include spoilers.


This book is incredible. I highly recommend it. I will be after a beautiful edition of this book to add to my shelf. Definitely a top read for me. It’s fantasy done different and I absolutely enjoyed it. Gareth Brown has taken an incredible dream and put it in writing for us to enjoy.

Marvelous! This story was engaging and interesting, the characters were realistic, and it kept my attention throughout and I truly enjoyed it. A must-read!

I’m usually not a huge fan of fantasy but this well written book won me over.
Cassie works in a bookstore and is given a magical book which involves time travel and opening doors to anywhere she wants to go. Unfortunately there is danger involved and she and her roommate get caught up in a secret underworld of book thieves and unsavory characters.
I loved all the twists and turns that pulled it all together. .It was clever, dark and enchanting. I really cared about the characters and wanted the good guys to triumph. I’m so glad I took a chance on this book and hope it becomes successful.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you @williammorrowbooks for the #gifted copy of this book.

Magical doors! Say no more! Cassie is an ordinary girl working in a bookstore living a pretty average life. Her favorite customer gifts her a wonderful present that seems to be one of a kind. It’s extremely unique with odd drawings and words that are strung together and almost nonsensical. Cassie realizes this is an extraordinary possession that can transport her to other locations just by opening a random door. Her best friend Izzy and her set out together to make the most of this gift and travel anywhere their hearts desire. Soon they discover they aren’t the only ones with a magical book and they are being hunted by evil people. There are many secrets to be uncovered in the world with these one of a kind books!

WOW. This book I think has it all. Magic, fantasy, danger, time travel, super power and a friendship between a young girl and an older man that I just wanted to hug, squeeze and place next to my heart. I don’t know why but the opening chapters completely grabbed me and didn’t let me go.

If I could use one word to describe this book it would be enchanting. I felt completely swept away in this world and love the idea of opening a new door and stepping into a new world at each turn! How fun and spellbinding! This book is beautifully written and although there is a small portion I felt like went a little slow I was completely lost in this fantasy world filled with characters I loved and a journey I didn’t want to end. So exciting to find a new author I enjoyed so much!

I love books about books and book lovers. This one packs some punches and is both fantasy and fiction. At times dark, with battles of good against evil, it is also hopeful with characters trying to do the right thing. This author has a great imagination and the story is quite an adventure !

A huge thanks to NetGalley for providing an eARC of this wonderful, magnificent, brilliant novel.

On the list of books about books, this might have to be in the top 5 at least.

Cassie and Izzy are roommates. Cassie works at a bookstore, and Izzy works for Bloomingdale's. They work different hours, which lends to the strength and length of their friendship. They're in their 30s, which is part of the reason why I absolutely love this book. Why shouldn't 30-somethings and 40-somethings (and beyond) have magical adventures anymore? Why does everything fantastical and fabulistic happen to teenagers nowadays?

I digress.

One of Cassie's favorite patrons at the bookstore, Mr. Webber, dies one quiet evening as she is closing up the store and stops to admire the scene outside the store window. After the police have left, she picks up his copy of The Count of Monte Cristo, and finds another book, a smaller book, underneath.

The Book of Doors.
"Any door is every door."

There is writing on the inside from Mr. Webber, giving the book to Cassie and telling her to go see the world. At first, she is confused, but she thinks it is a sweet gesture from the man, even though she doesn’t understand much more in the book since it seems to be written in multiple languages with multiple writing forms, none of which she understands. There are pictures, as well. She closes up and heads to the apartment, and tells Izzy about her day. She is reminiscing about when she visited Venice and the bakery she at ate. When she gets up to go to bed and opens the door to her bedroom….it opens to that same place she had just been talking about. Not wanting to believe she was crazy, she calls Izzy over to confirm what she is seeing. Izzy is scared by the whole thing – the book, the going to other places, and she consistently warns Cassie of her fears, and after Izzy Googles Book of Doors and comes up with nothing…nothing at all, she is certain that no good can come of the book because to her, it looks like someone is wiping the trail. Because Google knows all.

Someone is watching Cassie and Izzy, following them, trying to figure something else. And someone else is watching the watcher. And others, still, want all the books, because yes, there are more books like the Book of Doors, they want them all for themselves, usually at no good to others.

First of all, the character building in this book is phenomenal. The relationship building is incredible. Backstories. Internal conflict. Character evolution. This book has character down. The imagery wasn’t bad, either, from the desperation of nowhere to the mountains of Scotland, you could imagine yourself, no, you could feel yourself there. You feel their losses and their fear and their rage at the things people are willing to do for the books, and for no reason at all.

There are some points in the book where you feel that there is no way for the author to close that hole in the plot, but then she does. The theories on certain possibilities are incredible. The story is a book lover’s dream come true, but also shows how even wonderful, magical, amazing things can be twisted and used by evil people for evil things.

I am usually not a fan of fantasy books but this one grabbed me from the beginning. The concept of having the ability to travel in time has always intrigued me. The story and plot are great and kept me reading! The characters are well thought out and developed through out. Really looking forward to this being published in 2024 and I can see it being a series or have a sequel.

The story is about a woman, Cassie, who is gifted a book called "The Book of Doors", that enables her to travel anywhere or any time. As the book develops you find out there are many other of these "magical books"-book of joy, despair, shadows, safety, e

Thank you so much to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

I have so much to say about this book but I also don’t want to give anything away because it was such a wonderful journey. First off, I cannot believe this is a debut novel. The prose is elegant with just the right amount of wonder. It pulled me in in a way that most books can’t do: quickly and for almost 400 pages. It’s long but not meandering, which is a feat in itself.

I think this book has everything someone could want in a book: beautiful imagery (and not so beautiful imagery), subtle romantic undertones, magic (but not the cheesy kind), and lovely characters that have unique and lovable personalities. There is excellent closure on all the important storylines that feels satisfying to the reader and still holds complexity of conflicting human emotion.

Seriously, an incredible debut and something that I’ll hold in my brain for a good while (and recommend to lots of friends the second it comes out). Congrats to Gareth Brown on a job well done!

This was a wild ride. Multi-dimensions and time travel and who knows what's going on sometimes. There's the battle between good and evil, repeating travels, stepping through doors to anywhere you want to go. But where there's power, there's always danger. A book that starts off only a little bit paranormal becomes increasingly strange and hard to explain. I enjoyed the read, it was thought-provoking, confusing, and mystical.

Upfront, I received an Advance Reader’s Proof from the publisher through <a href="https://www.netgalley.com/">NetGalley</a>. And, I rarely summarize fiction plots, mainly because I think it unfair to the author - there are plenty of people who do for those on the hunt, and there is almost always an extra teaser blurb somewhere - and I think it unfair to the reader who, like me, dislikes spoilers.

It's a rare page-turner that I find myself reading these days and this is one. For that, and leading me to want another in this world, I bump it an additional star for though there are other novels in this genre that work with similar ideas but I think Mr. Brown has come up with a ...<i>novel</i>... approach. The pacing of some sections is quite different from that of most of the book and some might think it uneven, but I took it as a manifestation of one of the powers of the Book of Doors (again, I don't spoil.) I did find myself annoyed at some of the characters' actions/inactions and that means I was engaged. I enjoyed the twists and was satisfied with the conclusion. Four stars plus one.

One line in particular resonated with me:
"I've read it before, but as I get older, I find comfort in rereading favorites. It's like spending time with old friends."

I have my "comfort" books that I rely on to get me through periods of what I call "reader's block", rereading them helps a lot. So I really understand that sentiment.

This is my first read for this author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy to read.
I loved this book. I enjoy this genre to begin with. There were some areas that were a bit longer than they needed to be. However the characters were well written. The story drew me in from the very beginning. Just when you think you know where its going, it takes a bit of a twist. I liked that it wasn't too "out there" in the story line. If you enjoy this genre I think you will really like this book

I want to live in the world of The Book of Doors! Gareth Brown has written a fun sci-fi mind bender with interesting characters, time travel, and best of all, magical books! Each characters have their own mysterious, complex motivations and agendas that blend well together to add to the already complicated world of mystical books. I read past my bedtime, because I had to know what each of the characters were up to and how everything would all play out in the end. I am eagerly awaiting the next chapter in this story.

I was lucky enough to win an e-ARC of THE BOOK OF DOORS by Gareth Brown through a Shelf Awareness giveaway. Thank you for the early look, and have a safe and happy holiday season!

Anyone who reads knows you can be transported anywhere through a book, but what if a book could actually open a door and put you somewhere else or someplace else in time. Cassie, the main character, has been given a book, not any book, but the Book of Doors. This book is so special that numerous people will do anything to have it. Enter the friends and enemies.
I think Gareth Brown has come up with a unique twist on time travel and other bits of magic with this novel. I will admit I felt it moved a bit slow in the beginning, while setting up the story and introducing numerous characters. Also, Cassie learning to use the book was a chapter of flowery words and place dropping. After all of that was out of the way, it did pick up the pace and give more than one or two twists that in the end made for a highly satisfying read.

Thanks to Net Galley and
William Morrow for the eArc in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book. It's a blend between a cozy bookstore mystery and a quest to thwart a thoroughly evil serial killer with magical powers. The best character is Drummond Fox, who has a hidden library of books with magical powers, and is on the run from the evil woman who is hunting him. He crosses paths with Cassie when she receives the Book of Doors. The magical books, and their origin, and the backstory of the evil woman are all cleverly entangled, thanks to some time traveling. The evil characters are pretty one dimensional psychopaths, and the relationship between Cassie and her best friend and roommate Izzy feels a bit off. Cassie was fine traveling solo through Europe when her grandfather died, but when sent to the past she spends a decade living in the apartment of an older man she befriends and never works or travels or attempts to be independent, which felt inconsistent and strange. Aside from that, an interesting book with a clever plot.

The Book of Doors was such a fun concept and one I was eager to read. But ultimately, I found the author’s note at the end of the book that included his agent’s plea for “more wonder,” “put more wonder in it,” “where’s the sense of wonder!” to be interesting because that’s how I felt reading the book. I wanted more magic and more fun and instead it was a book with a lot of terror and gore and honestly, pretty amateur writing and unrealistic, lame dialogue. The level of gore was completely unexpected.

I didn’t care for any of the characters as the character development and description was pretty scarce. The antagonist was a complete sadist and killed for no reason other than she enjoyed it. The plot was either too fast (and skipped or sped through certain necessary parts) or meandered aimlessly describing croissants and other foods and pointless dialogue between the characters.

I know the cover and description will pull in a load of book-loving readers, and I’m curious to see whether others will think it delivers on what it advertises. For me, despite enjoying the concept and some of the time travel elements, it was a definite no.

_The Book of Doors¬_ by Gareth Brown is an emotional, character-centered, time-traveling read. It mainly follows Cassie Andrews, a bookshop worker with a traumatic past living in New York City with her best friend Izzy. Unexpectedly Cassie receives a gift from her favorite customer, which turns out to be a magical device called The Book of Doors. It takes Cassie all over the world and to different times, and to new friends, but she soon discovers the danger inherit to magical books and those who collect them.