Ok, so you might have to bear with me for this review because I really enjoyed this book, but also... didn't. Yes, I don't really know how else to explain it, there are a few things I can pin point that I will talk about, but the rest was just a feeling I got, so I'll apologise in advance.

So... the characters, there are a few of them and we do get multiple POV's, but the main one, and the one I loved the most was Cassie, the woman who originally finds the book of doors and sets the whole story into motion. Cassie is someone who is incredibly easy to bond and empathize with. Not only because she loves books, but because she's someone all alone in the world, no parents, grandparents, no family to speak of except for her best friend and roommate Izzy. I think what made me really enjoy her character though was that Brown didn't make her the usual hero style type, the one who would give everything up to save the world. She's complicated, layered, a little selfish in parts, and because of this reads as more realistic. We also have Drummond Fox, Librarian and the first person to stumble upon Cassie with the Book of Doors. His character is shrouded in a little mystery, we want to trust him, but also feel he has ulterior motives, and I enjoyed how his POV didn't just flesh the world out, but also took us back to some moments in time that were pivotal to the story.

What Brown does incredibly well though is draw a clear line between the 'good' characters and the 'bad.' While the likes of Cassie and Fox may not be wholly good, they are certainly better than The Woman, the mysterious figure who spends the book doing everything in her power to get her hands on the Book of Doors, as well as others. She is someone whose story is kept close to the chest, someone we never learn much about, not until the end of the book anyway, but she is vicious and is someone with no moral code, willing to do whatever it takes to gain as much power as she can. There are other characters who get POV parts, some you will like and others you will hate, but there was one character that I felt wen't a little OTT over to the evil side. He almost read like an evil comic villain, you could imagine him sitting there twirling in a chair stroking his cat, and I think he could have been much more sinister without some of the language and actions that he used.

I do feel like the writing style took me out of the story a little in parts, it never seemed to move with the story at all, rather stayed the same, bland, almost simplistic style the whole way through, so the parts of the story that should have been high octane and filled with danger didn't really hit as much as they could have done. I also felt like the way it was written almost left a gap between the reader and the character, it was hard to develop emotions for these characters when there was little to no emotion on the page, and if you know me I am 100% a character over plot reader, so you know the plot was good for me to have finished this.

The use of time travel in this story was done exceptionally well, in fact the use of the Books in general was brilliantly done and I do feel like Brown got the perfect balance of the high octane vs the slower scenes. It's a dark story, and there are certainly scenes that are not for the faint of heart, but the time travel is where this book really shone for me. I loved how parts of the story almost came round a full 360 through it, and I also enjoyed how it was used to add both emotional and tension filled twists. Despite the lack of emotion and depth in the writing, some of these scenes certainly still hit, and some absolutely gave you that edge of your seat, nail biting moments.

The ending was both a hit and a miss for me, and I still can't decide which side it falls on, in fact I still can't quite decide if I loved this book, of if it felt more of a meh read for me... I did warn you this would be a mixed review! I rated it 4* because the bits I enjoyed I loved, but I did feel there were lots that let it down and, had those been fixed, it could have been a truly amazing read.

I absolutely devoured this book. It’s the perfect mix of friendship, magic, time travel and good vs evil. I loved the idea of the books and the characters within. I really enjoyed how things connected in the end and I honestly just couldn’t put the book down!

Unfortunately this book was a DNF for me.

I could not get into it, but that’s just me, it just seemed a little all over the place. Thanks for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Book of Doors has very good premises and I was curious to read it. Unfortunately, it didn't fully work for me. The general concept was interesting, a book that allowed the owner to travel through doors, but the final delivery could have been improved. The characters weren't fully fleshed out either and I couldn't connect with them. Even their reactions sometimes felt unrealistic. The worldbuilding was good but in the end I hoped for something... more.

Received arc from random house UK and Netgalley for honest read and review,this review is my own personal review.
Still have covid so reading a lot just now.
The blurb on this sounded quite good so requested a copy, it was quite a good story.
Kind of a time travel and door hopping mystery.Maybe.not so much my type of book, I didn't really relate to any of the chart and it seemed.to jump about.

I am going to be absolutely bold and say that this is it...the best book of 2024. I know its only January but my god...I thoroughly got lost in this book. It's s a fantastic idea brought to life and the whole time I was reading it, I just kept thinking...this has to be made into a film. It just has to.
I love the magic, I love the characters, I love the time travel and how the link and add to elements of the story. It was so cleverly considered and planned out. If I think about it too much, it totally addles my brain but still makes sense so fair play to the author. This was no easy feat but he has nailed it.
I wish I could read it for the first time again and not on my kindle because I just know this is a book I will want to own and keep forever.
An absolute joy to read. Thank you to the publishers for allowing me to read it in advance. I'm so excited to see how it does this year.

This book took a while to get going, and honestly, from both the description and the first few chapters I thought this was going somewhere else entirely. It seemed more whimsical and light hearted, and while it certainly started that way, it ended up somewhere altogether darker and more adventurous.

I would compare this book to the Skulduggery Pleasant series actually, now that I'm thinking back on it, although less sarcastic in tone. But the adventure, the twists, the dark moments are all there. There's a wholesomeness there at times too, and a certain sense of satisfaction at how it all comes together. I sped through the last third - by that point, the plot had well and truly gripped me.

Cassie finds herself in possession of a book that has extraordinary power, it can turn any door into any door. She can open her bedroom door and find herself stepping out of a doorway in France right opposite her favourite bakery.
The Book of Doors is coveted by those in the know about about these powerful books and Cassie soon finds herself the object of much unwanted attention.
I liked this, i liked the relationships with the other characters, I liked the travel aspects, i enjoyed the time travel, i loved the dual timeline Cassie. Overall it was a good read, if you enjoyed the Extracted Trilogy i think you will like this.

Absolutely amazing. I don't want to give the plot away, but this is a fantastic read. One of my books of the year, no doubt at all. Loved it and can't wait to see what the author comes up with next.

THE BOOK OF DOORS
by Gareth Brown
Publish date - 15 February 2024

I was looking forward to reading this novel and happy I did, as I was taken on a wonderful reading adventure. A clever, interesting and thought provoking plot, so be prepared to be transported!

The writing style was to my liking and well written. There are lots of great characters in this book. Cassie, the protagonist and her wonderful friend, Izzy, share a flat in New York. Cassie works in Kellner Books in New York and Izzy works in the jewellery department in Bloomingdales, New York.
Cassie and Izzy met while both were working for Kellner Books before they started sharing a flat. They have a lovely relationship, although very different personalities. Their journey begins when Cassie, who inherits The Book of Doors from a customer of Kellner Books, Mr John Webber, when he passes away.

I was blown away by this wonderful plot, writing and characters. I decided to go with the flow and be transported through the plot like a James Bond novel! There is friendship, time travel, horror and magic all rolled together in this book. Please read this wonderful story!

I enjoyed believable characters to love and hate in equal measures. Mr Webber, a true gentleman, Drummond Fox, the librarian. Azaki, bookseller, Hjaemer Lund, his bodyguard, silent but deadly, Dr Hugo Barbary, an awful character but the worst character is the Woman. They all go on a time travel journey you will never forget and this book will stay with me forever!

I enjoyed this book and give 5 star rating.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW

Thank-you to NetGalleyUK, Random House UK and Transworld Publishers for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's really hard to explain what I loved about this book so much without giving spoilers, but okay here goes:
I love a story in which books are important. And I love a story with characters that I vibe with: be they goodies or baddies. I also love a story with clever plot twists and where the bits settle back together in a really satisfying way where he get wide-eyed and start saying NO HE DIDN'T just before the reveal. The Book of Doors has all of these.

The characters are well-written and sympathetic without being one-dimensional and I love the supporting cast too. The world-building is nicely done and the set-painting is quite lovely in places. I'm looking forward to reading more by Gareth Brown in the future.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024 and let me tell you - it is phenomenal!

It is a mixture of the fantasy, an adventure, magic story, magical, a bit of laughter (dark humour mostly), a thriller, a horror, a romance (even if that is more implied than obvious). It's got it all in spades, and buckets, and everything else you can carry something in.

I always think that an author who writes a book like this has to have some very impressive spreadsheets to keep on top of everyone and everything and every time and place, and if that is true then I really want to look at them. Can someone write a book just documenting people's spreadsheets? Is that a thing? I want it. I do love a spreadsheet. Anyway...where was I?

Now, I know we don't judge books by their covers, but we do, and this cover is beautiful, mainly because it is a cover that shows about 20 books on it. And I am easily pleased.

I usually give every book I read up to 25% before I decide whether it's worth me sticking with it or not, as not every book is for me, but I knew right by the end of the first page that I wouldn't be walking away from this. The way of writing, it just felt like it could be a classic of the future. This is a book where you'll fall in love within the first page.

It is intense. I can normally finish a book this length in 2, maybe 3 days, and sometimes in one day if I'm really committed. But this book took me longer. Mainly because it was the Christmas season and I was busy, but because it deserved so much focus, so much time spent on it, and time well spent it was too. There's this layer of mystery around everything, from the characters to location, clothing to book, thoughts to actions - it leaves you very on edge.

I did make the mistake of reading the last 1090 pages at night, and all I wanted to do was to go to bed and go to sleep but there was no way I could put this down. I felt my jaw hit my chest on numerous occasions, it is so shocking and surprising and twisty and turny. I was desperate to get to the conclusion but I also didn't want it to end.

The idea of being able to travel anywhere, places you've been to and those you only dream of. Cassie was often moved to tears by this, and to be honest, so was I. It sounded like such a wonderful opportunity to appreciate all the world has to offer by just stepping through a door. If only. But obviously, with everything good comes the possibility of something bad, and that is explored fabulously here, right to the extremes of good and evil.

It is very to-ey and fro-ey, with scenes from the past and the present interlinking. Potentially unwise and complicated, asking a lot from the reader. But it flows so naturally that I can't think of another way he could have written it. Things you read at the start of the book start to make sense by the end, and things you read about later harks back to things you read early on. It's so clever and well executed.

Ok, so I know the main book in question within this book is not your average book, but for me, what Gareth has created, it really shows the power of books and why they're so important. People who aren't bibliophiles or perhaps only read now and again can laugh at us more book obsessives, but I personally think books and the written word are one of the most powerful things we have, and underneath everything magic, I felt that was a very important message. Books can take you out of your world, they can give you magic and wonder, they can give you friends if you're alone, love if you're lonely, happiness if you're sad, and I believe they have the power to save your life, and I felt that very strongly in this book.

There are many, many characters, but there were a handful that stood out for me that I will explore in more detail.

We firstly have Cassie, our main protagonist. Seemingly in the background, not necessarily important, plodding on. She felt a bit subdued, like she was waiting for greatness. But at times she felt a bit too trusting. But what stood out the most for me, is that she felt very real, like she could be me or you. Such a great main character. And then we have Izzy, her best friend and roommate. I felt she was a bit mysterious at first and wondered if she was hiding something or there was more to her, but I felt for a lot of it, she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. But she is a great character to work off Cassie, and together they make a formidable team. The final female character I will look at is called The Woman. We don't know much about her other than the fact that she is very frightening, very evil, and has the power at her fingertips to cause death and destruction. And whilst that is on the surface, I felt there was something she was hiding, something she was trying to forget, and it was interesting uncovering all her layers.

Now, the main male characters I would say are Drummond Fox and Hugo Barbary. Drummond is also of the book world. He's mysterious right from the start, and honestly, continues to be so, even as we get to know him. I wasn't sure whether he was a good guy, or whether he was just playing along to gain things for himself. He felt sad and heartbroken, but with this tough exterior he'd built around him. I really enjoyed getting to know him. And then Hugo...I won't go into too much detail about him as everything I could say is a potential spoiler, but I don't think it's a spoiler to say he's not a nice man, almost akin to The Woman (see above), and another greatly written baddie.

Cassie felt very normal with the idea that this book she owned could do magical things. She reminded me slightly of Dr Who, how the companions are always okay with the idea of travelling through space and time, no questions asked. Cassie was similar in that sense. That's a good thing by the way. I long to be a Dr Who Companion. In fact, I think the plot of this book could make a very good Dr Who episode.

I wish I had a way of going back in time and starting this again, or just forgetting what happened so I can start it afresh. It's just glorious and I envy everyone who gets to come to it new.

The pacing was a little off but it was so much fun and clever that I didn’t mind, excellent combination of mysterious and fantastical and horrifying and circular

As a bookseller and fantasy-obsessed reader, I really wanted to love this book. I often have issues with females written by male authors, and that is not an exception here, there are moments of awkward writing, word-choice and pacing. However, the magic-building and world-building of Brown was brilliant. I did however find the villain character written less-than perfect. Filled with awkward dialogue designed to make us hate them due to them being socially disruptive (racism, sexist etc) rather than having valid choices for their life-path or devoting time to fleshing out the character. The concept is phenomenal and I enjoyed the book seeing where it was going to go, but the villain felt slightly off putting. I had higher hopes for this book, but unfortunately I do feel slightly disappointed. I think those who enjoyed The Magicians or A Discovery of Witches will enjoy the premise the most. Worth a read, but unfortunately, the author does make me think the phrase ‘white male fragility’ and ‘tokenism’. Ouch. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC in exchange for honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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 . . .

Unfortunately, this book is a DNF at 14%. It is just not gripping me at all and I am finding myself easily distracted by other things instead of being enthralled by the story. The plot itself sounds intriguing but even though we are starting to dive into what’s going on, it feels like a mere scratch in the surface. It’s as though I don’t know the characters at all or feel any emotion towards them which even at this early stage, I should be. I’m rather disappointed as I had hoped this would be a good read for me. It’s possible I’m just not in the right mood to read this right now but it is going to have to be a DNF.

Overall, The Book of Doors is not a book for me.

Thank you again to NetGalley and Random House UK for an advanced copy of this book.

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown

I haven’t read any books by this author before but the premise really intrigued me. I could very easily see a sequel being written as there is lots more to explore. I really enjoyed the book, although I didn’t find the explanation as to where the books came from to be plausible – that’s the only thing I would change.

Cassie Andrews is sharing a flat with her best friend Izzy in New York City. She has her dream job of working in a bookshop, and she is shocked when one of her favourite customers dies in the bookstore leaving her a very special book – The Book of Doors. Inside it says that any door is every door. Merely imagining a door can take you there – present and past! This unlocks a wonderful world for Cassie and Izzy – until one day they find that others also want the Book, and will stop at nothing to get it. What’s more the Book of Doors isn’t the only magical book.

Definitely a good read, especially if you like magic, time travel, and adventure. The characters are well drawn and very believable. I really hope he writes a sequel.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6072964969

This was a complete gamble for me as I only read mystery/thrillers and tend to actively avoid sci-fi, whether book, TV or film. However, something about the books description tempted me and I thought it was worth just giving it a go. I am so pleased I did. One word...... Magical!
When you're someone who gets through endless books, year after year, they generally get forgotten or tend to merge together, I can guarantee I will not forget #TheBookOfMirrors, this is special, it will always stay with me. I really do hope that it will be either made into a film or TV mini series (many possibilities for spinoffs too) as visually they would be spectacular and also I've been boring my non reading family silly with how much I'd love them to see/read this book.
My only negative which I would drop half a star for would be the fact I don't really understand how or why the books were originally created, I realised we are told who made them, but I just don't know why, and why would that person make sure awful ones as well? Finally, I'm not sure if I understood the back story of our main evil villain and how she became that way? The same with Hugo, what was his beginnings? These questions maybe things I've missed but for that reason I have to rate a 4.5 star rating rounded up to 5.
Thank you #NetGalley for the advanced copy

What an interesting premise. Books which hold magical powers that are shared by the person who holds them. The book of doors allows you to travel around the world and time.
It's a very desirable book and others will kill to get hold of it. Cassie is left the book and the adventures with her best friend Izzy will astound and inspire.
Enjoy I did

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the review copy. I enjoyed this book and it is impressively written for a debut author, but it was hard not to compare it to a very similar book I read earlier in the year, Ink Blood Sister Scribe which also features magical books. I think this book is very good at weaving together all the various characters and their stories into a cohesive narrative, but I don't think the magic system was as well developed in comparison. Nonetheless if you liked Ink Blood Sister Scribe, you'd probably also like this book and it is well worth a read!

Not a genre of book that I would normally read but the advance publicity caught my attention, and I am so glad that it did. Although this is a book about time travel, Gareth Brown seems to attach some logic to this concept. An interesting story involving magical books that can be used for good or evil. There are some very dark strings to this plot line that include psychological torture as well as murder. The book also deals with more down to earth themes including friendship, companionship and coming to terms with bereavement. A well written book where all aspects of the plot come together very nicely.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for the advance copy of this book.