"This is the Book of Doors. Hold it in your hand, and any door is every door."

When one of the elderly customers at the bookstore Cassie works at dies, he leaves her a very peculiar gift. Next to him, she finds a book with strange writing and drawings, called 'The Book of Doors', addressed to her.

That night she's able to create portals to go to places she's visited before, all across Europe. Her roommate Izzy thinks the book might be dangerous, and that it shouldn't be used. Until a mysterious Scotsman named Drummond Fox falls into their lives, warning them they're in grave danger, just before a man who would do almost anything for the book, arrives with magical books of his own.

Cassie learns of Drummond's library, which holds not just thousands of ordinary books, but 17 magical ones, all with different abilities, he tries to keep them safe and out of the hands of those who would misuse them. Like 'The Woman', a cruel and evil creature who wishes to have all the books for herself, and enjoys causing absolute pain and misery in her quest to do so.

Initially, I was a bit worried that I wasn't feeling the kind of amazement that a book like this should make me feel – a book about how books are magical. The pacing was a bit odd at the beginning and I struggled to connect with Cassie. I feel like the author could have made her even deeper and more flawed than he did – she's been through a lot in her life, after all. I also felt Drummond could have been more fleshed out. That said, I really enjoyed the plot and concept of the book. A little twist somewhere along the line could have worked nicely, just to keep us on our toes, but overall an enjoyable read.

When Cassie, a bibliophile bookstore assistant in New York City, is given a strange book by a regular customer, her life changes. The ‘Book of Doors’ she soon discovers can make any door connect with any other door and so her world changes.
This is an incredibly inventive story which manages to include inter-continental travel, time travel, mind boggling paradoxes and all sorts of magic on the way as it tells the story of Cassie and a group of friends trying to keep the book out of the hands of those who would use it to do seriously bad things. I liked the way that time travel is handled and that an explanation of why the past cannot be changed is included early on. There were numerous paradoxes which appeared but all were resolved very neatly so there were no loose ends.
Early in the story we discover that the Book of Doors is only one of an unspecified number of other ‘Special Books’ which are much sought after and change hands for huge sums. Some of these make an appearance in the story but it is clear that by no means all of them feature in this tale.
Some sections of the story had an almost ‘Back to the Future’ feel as more and more versions of the same character turned up in the same locations waiting for events to happen before they could then carry on with the plan.
The whole story had a cinematic feel to it and I could easily see it translated to the big screen or as a TV story and, although the book is very much a standalone tale I could think of at least five different threads that the author could follow for a sequel (or series of sequels) should he wish to do so.
The only section which I felt was weak was the dream like sequence about two thirds of the way through the book. Although the language used was lyrical and a picture was clearly painted of the ‘Everywhere Nowhere’ I thought that it did not fit in well with the rest of the story. Cassie is very much a ‘matter of fact’ character and I would have preferred this section to have been written in the same tone. In my opinion the events would still have been clear to the reader without the jarring change of style (although it could be argued that this was a deliberate decision to match the jarring change of location).
All the characters feel very well drawn and individual. By the end they form a ‘well balanced party’ with differing skill sets which will all be required if they are to save the day. The writing made it very easy to picture and hear the characters as we moved through the story which I think, would allow easy translation to script form should a visual version ever be considered.
Overall though I thoroughly enjoyed this story and I hope that we will hear more about the books in the future.
Thanks to Random House UK for a review copy.

This book really surprised me and I found it very unexpected. It's an urban fantasy that takes place mostly in New York as we follow Cassie who is left a book that can open doors everywhere. Upon trying to find out more about this magical book, she and her friend are thrust into a world of danger and atrocities.

It went a lot darker then I was expecting as the tone of the book felt light hearted at the beginning, but I didn't mind as it reflected the reality of magical tomes in the hands of those with, lets just say..... not so nice thoughts.

A few unexpected twists that kept me turning the pages and I liked what the author did with time travel, but I feel like there was a little bit to be desired with the magic system. Although bare in mind I am someone who reads fantasy series rather then standalones.

Overall I enjoyed it and would recommend to those who enjoy urban fantasy standalones that have mysterious magic.

Thank you to Random House for providing me with a DRC!!

The Book of Doors is a love letter to readers who wish they could open a door and be whisked away to their favourite fictional worlds. Time travel within books can often make me vary, however author Gareth Brown has effortlessly weaved a beautiful and riveting tale exploring the theme of grief and humanity that readers will be unable to put down. I have to agree with my fellow reviewers that this is a story that would make an incredible live adaption on TV, and this is something I truly hope to see come to life. I look forward to recommending this book upon release.

Wow! Just wow! This book had me desperate to keep reading and I was so invested in Cassie as the rather brilliant main character. The idea behind the 'Book of Doors' and other magical books is such an interesting one and original too. The way that Gareth Brown weaved the story between the different characters and different time frames (as the most exciting thing about the Book of Doors is indeed time-travel) was absolutely brilliant and whilst I guessed how Mr Webber came to have the Book of Doors, there were other 'loose ends' that I hadn't. Loved the ending and how this supported Cassie in her grief.
The images that are created are at times quite brutal and some readers may find upsetting or disturbing. However, this did not detract from what I feel is an epic novel and likely to be a bestseller. I'll certainly be recommending it!

**Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an advanced e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own **

Cassie works in a bookshop but when a customer dies she finds a book he has left for her. Its a book of doors and she can go anywhere with it.
But other people want this book and will stop at nothing to get it.
Cassie and her friend Izzy are in danger but there is someone who can help them.
Drummond Fox has a collection of magic books which he keeps hidden away because someone or something is after them all.

Such a beautifully written, and magical book. I got lost within the storyline and truly felt as if I had been transported to this magical world. An incredible read.

I really liked the opening and then as the story branched out I started to wonder if it was my kind of book after all. The further on I read the more I got into it though and by the end I have to say I loved it. Very cleverly written and the time travel element is really satisfying too.

I was given an advanced reader copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The book of doors is like no other read I have ever experienced. It's the story of several lives and how they all interact and yet don't. Times that pass in a flash and yet happen all over again. There are moments of absolute violence and some of profound sadness.

There are also moments that will make you laugh out loud.

Read this in one sitting. Was up until 3am and don’t regret it. It’s got everything. Intrigue; fantasy; thriller type theme. I’m going to be recommending it to EVERYONE as I can’t see it not appealing to anyone. Fabulous.

This book got me hooked from the very beginning! It was so good that I finished it in a day! It mesmerized me and transported me to Cassie's magical and adventure-filled world. I felt that the book was well-thought of and well-put together. I can totally see this book being adapted as a tv-series! I loved reading this book and it lived up to my expectations. I can easily give it more than 5 stars!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

“They had been brilliant and funny and so alive, and now they were not; they were full stops at the end of a beautiful poem.”

“Thanks also to Dougal and Flora for making me laugh every day. They won’t read this, because they are dogs, but they’ll know. Dogs always know.”

Book of Doors was my third read of 2024 and I knew immediately that it was going to be one of my best reads of the year. This debut was well written with perfect pacing featuring the classic good vs evil battle, the importance of meaningful connections and the joy of friendship.

This story has all the wonder and intrigue that I expected from a few other books that I had read in 2023 and disappointed. Gareth winds in questions and twists that add to the story particularly as they are resolved. Cassie can be frustrating at times but this lends to her character as well as the entire premise of the story. Drummond is a fascinating character whose motivation for what he does becoming clear as we learn his history. There are moments that have you holding back tears, often unsuccessfully in my case and has me pleading for these to be changed so that it wouldn’t hurt so much. This too is addressed which is satisfying, if not still painful, bringing you a smile through the tears.

My only complaint is that I was still a bit unsure of the premise underlying the beginning of it all, despite it being explained and my reading this section several times. But it is a small issue in my larger enjoyment of this book. And an author who thanks his dogs in his acknowledgements, is one I want to read more books from. Although this did leave me with more questions about Dougal and Flora. What do they look like?

Pick this up if you are a fan of an intriguing new facet of fantasy that is well-developed and are looking for a stand-alone novel that is sure not to disappoint.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the opportunity to enjoy a new writer that is now an auto-buy for me

A beautiful story, perfect for people who consider themselves Readers - those who love books and stories and find it a key part of their nature, as opposed to casual readers. Though slow at times, the world and magic system of the books is a delight and you feel in skilled hands with the author.

I didn't expect graphic violence from the book's cover and description, but in a way that's part of the story's charm. it's a fantasy sci-fi book about grief and humanity and I didn't expect it to be everything that it was.

This is an incredibly strong, enchanting debut (I almost can't believe this is the author's first book) and was a delight to read. Highly recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

What a story! Early contender for my favourite book of 2024…
The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown is a fantasy novel pitting good against evil. Cassie, who works in a bookstore in New York, is given The Book of Doors. She soon discovers its secrets and the existence of a number of similar magical books - some good, some with potential to wreak havoc and harm. Cassie is joined by a wonderful cast of supporting characters: some whose names we never learn, others who become important in her life.
If you love books and their potential to transport you to other worlds The Book of Doors is a great read - every book is a doorway to another world for its reader and this takes that idea and flies with it.

Fantasy writers have many go to objects and images but two stand out – books and doors. For fantasy books involving books it is hard to go past the many magical books referenced in the Harry Potter Series (including of course Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) but there are also, more recently Garth Nix’s Left Handed Booksellers of London and Sunyi Dean’s The Book Eaters. And fantasy is replete with doorways and portals from the wardrobe entrance to Narnia through more recently to Alix E Harrow’s Ten-Thousand Doors of January and Seanan McGuire’s Every Heart a Doorway. Fantasy author Gareth Brown takes these two tropes and mashes them together in his debut The Book of Doors.
Cassie works in a bookshop and has a friendship with Mr Webber who comes in to read and drink hot chocolate. When Mr Webber dies in the shop he leaves Cassie a strange small book called the Book of Doors with the inscription: “Hold it in your hand, and any door is every door”. Cassie, with the help of her flatmate and friend Izzy, soon finds that this is in fact the case and using the book she can turn the doors in her apartment into any door in the world. But the Book of Doors is only one of many books of power (each has a different effect) and the appearance of that book puts Cassie in some very dangerous cross hairs. Fortunately she is found first by Scotsman Drummond Fox, keeper of a secret library who can help her understand the book and navigate the shadowworld that she has fallen into.
The Book of Doors starts with a fairly standard fantasy premise – an ordinary person obtains eldritch powers and in doing so finds that the world is much stranger than she first thought. She then has to come to terms with that new understanding of the world and her place in it and use those new powers to survive. But the opening section does seed a number of puzzles that take much of the book to resolve. That resolution depends on a fairly hard swerve somewhere around the middle when Brown throws time travel into the mix after which The Book of Doors has to play out a series of bootstrap paradoxes. While the action after this point, including a kind of heist element, is enough to keep the pages turning, readers who worry too much about the time travel shenanigans are likely to be less impressed. All that said, The Book of Doors is fantasy. So that while Brown does set up and stick to a series of “rules” they are not scientific rules.
And, for all the swearing, violence and smattering of body-horror, it is very much fantasy in Young-Adult mode – a sort of coming of age story of a young woman, and a cast of side characters who are either good, neutral (but good) or moustache-twirlingly bad. All of which makes The Book of Doors a mostly fun but slight fantasy debut that shows plenty of promise.

This was an incredible book to read! I was so glad to be immersed in this world filled with villains and a wonderful main character who was as intriguing as the book's premise. I enjoyed everything about The Book of Doors and highly recommend it for anyone in need of an adventure.

I’m going to get the thanks out of the way - Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Bantam and NetGalley thank you so much for the arc of The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
So, books, doorways, fantasy, magic, found family, old and new friends, adventures, murder, mayhem, great characters and truly despicable villains…this book came so close to 5 stars for me, I truly loved it. There is a lot of reference to violence, violent acts, and you can tell the author comes from the UK, there’s a certain sardonic snarkiness between friends that I don’t think falls as well with non UK readers…I’ve seen reviews where the author is described as fat-phobic. I don’t believe that was the intent, I think it’s a cultural / regional way of speaking that maybe could have been picked up by an editor.
Saying that, I loved this book, it’s a total 4.5 star read for me and this is why:
Characters: Told from multiple PoVs, Brown introduces the FMC Cassie, a bookseller – who doesn’t love a bookseller! Cassie is so human, so empathisable, flawed and easy to fall in like with. Her best friend Izzy is the centre of her world, she’s lost her Grandfather who brought her up and has no parents or other family to speak of. Books are central to her core and this truly shines through.
Izzy is the perfect best friend, she calls Cassie out and doesn’t let her get away with feeling sorry for herself or anything, she’s there for Cassie and that is what true friendship about. If you have a problem, a good friend will let you talk and give advice, a best friend will have the car running and be ready to face up to whomever caused the problem!
Drummond Fox is another key character who brings a whole new perspective to the story, he’s The Librarian with a distinct Scottish Laird demeanour, who has a tragic backstory of his own. He isn’t Cassie’s hero, he himself admits he’s a coward and I found his development in the story to be so real and relatable. There are other characters that I would love to talk about but, I refuse to spoil it for you, you’ll meet them and I can guarantee they’ll touch your heart just like they did mine.
You will have noted that I have concentrated on the more positive characters in the book and not the ‘baddies’, this isn’t because Brown fails at them, he truly doesn’t. They are amazingly evil, flawed and truly vicious. A warning for you, Brown doesn’t hold back when describing their terrible actions, which did make me wonder at the age this book is targeted at. The themes are more adult and could be triggering for some readers.
I’ve read reviews that have critiqued the writing style and a lack of emotion for the characters, Ididn’t get this. I was truly engaged and felt emotions for these characters. Brown didn’t go over the top in emotive writing but, did well in providing descriptions of past events, influences and situations that supported empathy and understanding of the characters, and I can truly say that one character not mentioned outright above truly grabbed me by the heartstrings.
The plot and the application of travel across distance and time was executed brilliantly, Brown transported me to different times and places. I could imagine being in Venice in the early morning, I could see the characters having coffee and croissants in a Parisian café, and I could truly sense the vacuum of time and space like a black hole (and no, I’m no scientist – so don’t come at me for that comparison!) The use of physics and the balance against the plot and the magic system was delivered beautifully. Gareth Brown is a master tapestry weaver, seamlessly weaving plot, magic system, time travel (all the science stuff) and characters to deliver heart stopping, heart tugging, high octane blasts of action that contrast beautifully with slower, more emotional events.

I must also comment on the magic system, without lecturing or going into immense amounts of mind numbing detail, Gareth Brown creates a well tuned, logical and understandable magic system that wraps up the plot beautifully and segues into a conclusion that worked in the whole for me…there was a bit that felt a little too nicely wrapped but I have no complaints at all. The Book of Doors is a true adventure that I was totally engrossed in and am sad to have finished. I can’t wait for it to be released and for you to discover just how amazing this book really is.

Here’s the thing. I’m not really a hater. When I don’t like a book, I’ll generally rate it low, write a one sentence review in Goodreads, and move on.

But with The Book of Doors…I have a lot to say.

First, the things I liked about this book:
1. The cover is stunning. It would be a book I would be proud to show off, if I had liked it.
1. The premise sounds incredible: Magical books? Time travel? A main character who works in a bookstore? A big mysterious library? Great!

Cassie, our FMC, works at a bookstore and is given a book by an old man that has the magical power to turn doors into portals to take you anywhere in the world. The book takes her on a journey that leads to Cassie realising there are more books out in the world with magical powers, and “collectors” who want these books that lead her into danger.

Reading the plot summary, I was incredibly excited to start this as I was expecting a cozy fantasy filled with enchantment, wonder and action, but I’ve been left feeling very disappointed.

The pacing of the story was all over the place, with the first half of the story being really slow but at the same time shoving a lot of information at us and expecting us to remember it for the end of the book. It was a lot of telling and hardly any showing, and I kept waiting for something captivating to happen and it just…didn’t. There were POVs that to me were not needed, I felt myself wanting to skim read over a lot of the plot to try and see if it would get any better.

The characters felt incredibly one dimensional. I didn’t resonate with any of them at all and I did not care about the outcome of a single one. The hints of a romance that were sprinkled throughout the novel was in my opinion pointless and not needed, it felt forced and they had no chemistry whatsoever. The dialogue in general felt unnatural in a lot of parts and was clunky. It really was a struggle to read.

One of the villains to me is perhaps the most ridiculous and useless character in the book, perhaps ever. His approach to anger and his actions are almost comical, dare I say cringe. He’s also sexist and racist for absolutely no reason as his bigoted views were not integral to the plot in any way shape or form, other than the fact that the main character is a woman. For example:

“Sometimes I wish I lived back in the seventies, when the natural order was still in place. Life was so much simpler then. I could just give you a slap and send you away to make my dinner and nobody would even blink.”

The women are also written incredibly poorly. Think 2010-teen-dystopian-novel kind of poorly. The amount of times women are referred to as bitches is CRAZY. And say it with me, male authors need to learn how to write young women without the need to body shame them for content!!:

“To her own eyes she was too tall and thin. She thought her hips were too narrow and her chest too flat, and her eyes were big and wide, like a startled deer’s. She never wore make-up because she never really learned how to do it.”

“Look at me,” Izzy complained miserably, “I am disgusting, it’s midnight and I am doing this to my body.”
“There’s nothing wrong with your body and you know it.”
“There might be if I keep eating like this. Have you seen my aunts? They’re all huge. That is my genes, Cass.”

All in all, I am surprised I didn’t DNF this, but I was determined to finish it so I could write this review.. I know we’re only in January but I feel like it is the number one contender to be my biggest disappointment of the year.

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

This is a fairly odd one for me to review. I loved the blurb of the book and was really excited to read it. However when I started to read the book I found it really slow, nothing really seemed to happen. I was at the point of giving up and admitting defeat and I read a few Goodreads reviews which all sounded similar to my experience in that it was very slow to begin. I carried on reading (feeling I was wading through treacle at about 30%) and it did in fact get much better and much more interesting at about 50%.

The last part of the book was thrilling and I really enjoyed it although some parts I had to read twice as the timeline became quite confusing but it was good as it did make me think and concentrate.

I will give this a 3.5 star rating only deducting because of the tedium of the first half of the book but if you can, keep going as it is worth it in the end.

Books are magic, they take you to other places in your mind. But what if they could really take you there? Are these books you would kill to own? Are these books you would die to own? Cassie, a thirty-something singleton, works in an independent bookshop in New York. A classic bibliophile, she loves the job. She has been there for several years and knows many of the regular customers, but her favourite is Mr Webber, an elderly gentleman who sits in his usual seat, drinking coffee and reading, and always willing to chat to her. Until one evening, as she prepares to close the shop, he dies, quietly, without fuss, of natural causes. By his side are two books, The Count of Monte Cristo which he had been reading, and a quaint little leatherbound book, full of scribbles and arcane and nonsensical scraps of, mostly foreign, writing. Inside the cover, the book declares itself to be The Book of Doors next to which is a note written by Mr Webber gifting the book to Cassie. The only other bit she can read say “any door is every door”. Later, while talking to her flatmate, Izzy, she discovers that the message means that if she can picture a door anywhere (whether she has actually seen it or seen it in a photograph or an art work)of), then any door she opens will be a portal to the other door. Not much later, she discovers that the other door can be situated anytime in the past. Then she meets Drummond Fox, known as the Librarian, who warns her of danger because there are a lot of magic books, and a lot of collectors, and some of the latter will kill to get them. In particular, a Doctor who owns The Book of Control and a Woman who owns The Book of Pain. Both are sadistic killers who use their magic to increase their collections. Drummond owns The Fox Library, whose sole purpose is to keep the books only for good purposes. Can Cassie, Izzy and Drummond defeat these foes, solve the riddle of the Books origins, and strengthen the power of the Library?
So a magical struggle of good over evil, with a murder story included and a very pronounced chase story plot. An interesting mixture but, on the face of it, nothing very startling about the basis of the plot. The idea of single objects carrying different spells is common, though the idea of a single book being a single spell is rarer (a similarish idea is found in the excellent: Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Tórzs). It is a bit self-indulgent at times, but overall the style is good, characters are believable and descriptive passages are well handled, not just when relating idyllic visits to foreign locations but also when relating second-by-second scenes of violence and mayhem. Where this book really takes off, however, is in the excellent and hugely complex use of time travel to circumvent problems and engineer a resolution to the drama. Saying that there are a number of twists is to undersell the labyrinthine nature of the story. A great exercise for the brain. I got the feeling that there is more to tell here.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.