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.

An awesome book! What a mind to conjure up such fantastic ideas and keep track of all the books, characters and timelines. I must admit I had to concentrate a bit at times to work out who was when and where but it's well worth it. The concept is brilliant.

Thank you to the author, publishers Bantam and NetGalley UK for access to this as an advance reader’s ebook. This is an honest and voluntary review.

Cassie lives a quiet but comfortable life, working in a bookshop and sharing an apartment with her best friend. But, when a regular customer dies leaving her a small unassuming book called The Book of Doors, she enters a world of adventure and wonder the likes of which she never imagined.

A fantastic idea, and a wonderfully inventive world I was happy to be lost in.

While I’m always intrigued by stories about the magic of books I’ve rarely found them to deliver on my expectations. The Book of Doors is that rare exception.

There are places where the story could be tighter, the occasional character that could be more developed, and some plot lines that could have been explored more to fully deliver. And, yet I wouldn’t have this book any other way than it is.

From the very first pages it grabbed me with it’s warmth. The sense of wonder in what the world could be. In all the very best ways it reminded me of The Neverending Story and The Box of Delights. That sense of a childlike immersion in a world of magic. Although The Book of Doors can also be brutal. There are some death scenes which are quite full-on and really stand out against that initial sense of wonder. And, yet that contrast absolutely works.

I look forward to more from this author.

I know that it is still early on in 2024 but this has to be starting my list of my books of the year 2024. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it's interesting twist. Very well written.

Received this as an ARC thank you wow 🤩 it’s blowing me away a fantastic read ! Galloping plot can’t believe it’s a debut ! Would make an excellent 👌 tv series. Compared to a discovery of witches but with books 📕 and omg a real baddie I am scared of “the woman” highly recommend it - published on 15 February in Uk

‘Don’t let the world pass you by.’

The first thing you learn about Cassie is that she works in a bookstore. So, basically, she’s a kindred spirit.

It’s just beginning to snow as she’s getting ready to close Kellner Books for the night. Mr Webber, a regular, is mid coffee. He’s reading The Count of Monte Cristo again. Mr Webber loves the classics.

‘A good story is just as good the second time around.’

This is the night that Mr Webber gives Cassie a book. All books are special but this one is life-changing. I mean, more than other life-changing books. Cassie gets a glimpse of just how much when she gets home that night. You see, Venice isn’t usually in her bedroom.

This is the Book of Doors and the possibilities are endless. It’s one of the most coveted books in the world and many who seek it have nefarious agendas.

“Hold it in your hand, and any door is every door.”

The heart of this book for me was Mr Webber. He was an absolute sweetheart. He could have been on every page and I still would have wanted to spend more time with him.

I wasn’t a fan of the way two characters spoke at times. One of the baddies was misogynistic, racist and made light of domestic violence at one point. You can be the biggest Bad without resorting to any of this and, other than making me despise them more, it added nothing to the story. Neither did Izzy body shaming herself.

I’ve decided I should never live above a cheesecake shop. I am, however, ready to move in to the Shadow House.

This book contains a lot of magic. My favourite magic, though, was the ice cream that didn’t go off in ten years. Not that ice cream will ever have a chance of expiring in my home but I liked the idea that, if you were so inclined, you could go back and finish off that ice cream you started eating a decade ago. Although, now that I think about it, if you’re the sort of person who could leave ice cream unfinished for years, I’m not sure I trust you. This type of magic may be wasted on you.

I don’t know if you can read this book without thinking about how you would use the Book of Doors. I’d be walking through my maternal grandparents’ front door in the 90’s. They were my favourite people and there are so many things I want to tell them about: what’s happening in my life, stories they’d laugh at, movies and books I know they’d love. I’d want to hear more stories about their lives and have the opportunity to have random conversations with them about whatever.

I also thought about which book other than the Book of Doors I’d like to have in my possession. There are so many that wield enormous power, that could be used to change the world, for better or worse. I think the Book of Joy is the one for me, though. The possibilities alone make me smile.

‘It’s always about the books, isn’t it?’

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bantam Press, an imprint of Transworld Publishers, Penguin Random House UK, for the opportunity to read this book.

I was completely intrigued by the synopsis of The Book of Doors. I’d describe it as part fantasy, part thriller and part horror. New York City bookseller Cassie lives an unassuming life until one day she is given a book. It’s an unusual book filled with strange writings and drawings telling her that this is the Book of Doors and whoever possesses it will have extraordinary powers. But it appears this is not the only magical book in the world as Cassie and her friend Izzy soon discover. It’s a tale of intrigue and mystery that will keep you enthralled as the plot unfolds. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK Transworld Publishers and the author for the chance to review.

”This world is awful and mean and I hate it... but books have always been a place I can go. When I was young and when my grandpa was dying. I prefer books to the real world.”

Cassie is handed a kind of journal with random scribblings from a dead man - the Book of Doors: <i>Hold it in your hand, and any door is every door</i>.
However, this magical opportunity doesn’t come without its risks. There are bookhuhters who are picking people off one by one and taking their books.

The villain, the Woman, felt extremely caricature and barely evil. Her purpose in life: to bring pain into the world, to make other living things suffer. She relished the idea of using despair as a weapon.

This felt similar to The Midnight Library - preaching about getting over grief, having experiences, living life.

“You don't have a right to be happy, Cassidy… Happiness is not something you sit and wait for. You have to choose it and pursue it in spite of everything else. It's not going to be given to you.”

Even though I don’t think the author sets out to be insulting, there is frequent sentences that don’t sit right with me. There is blatant fat phobia and body shaming despite this being a book filled with delicious food descriptions. Then there is just off-key remarks which seem out-of place and uncalled for.
Just one example:

“You look like a cow,' Izzy observed, but there was no cruelty in it.

This book presents an idea of time travel I have always personally seen the most potential in, and that’s always exciting. Even though this isn’t a book I would deem science fiction, it does delve into the concept of time travel and altering the prospect of altering the past.

Overall, I think this might appeal to younger readers, but maybe not individuals who go into this with high expectations.

I would recommend this if you enjoyed Ink, Blood, Sister, Scribe or The City of Stardust.

Thank you to Random House for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I liked the ideas in this book, but it didn't deliver them very well. I feel like author had this great ideas but didn't know how exactly to write a story about it.

I really liked the concept of magical books, and I would love to have a book of doors!

Plot is very straightforward, with few surprises. It's easy to read and it feels like it's written for young teens. The feelings are explained as to a child. I usually enjoy YA and children's books, but I didn't expect such writing style from a book labelled Adult.

There is very little character development, and all of them have nothing interesting about them.

This is such a creative story that had me engrossed from the very start. The book of doors has everything I would want in a book and even things I didn’t know I wanted. It’s magical, it’s different and it’s captivating.

Thank you so much for the arc

This is the most interesting book I've read in a while and so very cleverly written and put together. The story did not progress in the way I thought it would and the plot was so cleverly orchestrated. I stayed up late so I could finish it, so compelling was the ending. I can't wait for it to be published so I can recommend it to others! (Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC).

The concept of this book is what drew me in - a fantasy novel full of magic and time travel. I also adore books about books and libraries so I was so excited to read this one.

However, it was just too slow for me - I think pacing is so important to keep people wanting to read on and this one felt too much like a slog.

It was really well written and the overall story was great.

If you do not mind slower books, then you should pick this one up! Thank you to NetGalley for the arc.

I love books and I adore fantasy, especially speculative fiction, and this new novel is everything I hoped it would be.

It’s incredibly difficult to express how good this book is! I’ll summarise..
• Perfect settings - think NY bookshops, Scottish castles, libraries, piazzas, coffee shops..
• Brilliant characters - varied, interesting and a protagonist you can really invest in.
• Plot - the PLOT! This twists and turns, backward and forward and laws of physics are upturned and what could be complicated feels expertly real.
• THE BOOKS! ..!

Book Review
Title: The Book of Doors
Author: Gareth Brown
Publisher: @transworldbooks
Pub Date: 15th Feb 2024

Thank you @netgallery for an advanced copy of this ebook. This book has taken me outside my usual genre, and I’ve loved the journey!!
In this magical book, we meet orphaned Cassie grieving her beloved grandfather. When Cassies mysteriously receives a book which has the power to transport her through any door she visualises, she is set on a trajectory that incorporates time travel as well as coming face to face with others who have similar books. What Cassie does not initially know is that these books also have bestowed on them certain powers that will draw her deep into the realms of good and evil. As the adventure unfolds, Cassie comes face to face with having to make judgment calls on people she meets along the way, fight for her life and the lives of her friends, and ultimately fight for good over evil.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was well plotted and imaginative and crafted multiple timelines together seamlessly and cleverly. The story line had layers of complexity that held my concentration and attention, and I specifically loved the final third of the book. The description of the big battles between good and evil were particularly visceral and had my heart racing.

Although attempts were made to draw out the characters there was a sense of telling of the characters rather than a showing of the characters. Therefore, I found the book’s plot stronger than its character development.

However, despite that I loved that this book transported me to many places. I loved the magical elements that made me suspend belief. Finally, I would love to read other books in this genre.
Rating: 4

If you like magic, time travel and friendship this is the book for you. To be honest there were bits of the book I struggled with but that was probably my problem not the books.
Cassie lives in New York and shares an apartment with Izzy. She works in a bookshop because she loves to read. One day a customer gives her a book and the adventures begin.
Like a lot of books I felt that the ending was a bit rushed. 95% of the book was setting up the story, introducing the characters and taking us along with them but the denouement seemed too quick.

I really loved the premise of this book. Bookthemed books are almost always an immediate sign up for me anyways. But unfortunately it didn't live up to the expectation.

The book felt dry and chuncky to read, I just couldn't get into it. I think a big problem was, that I didn't like any of the characters and couldn't relate to anyone in the book. They all felt rather bland and stereotypical and the main character at times is just downright egoistical. Same goes for the villains, no real backstory, they just spit out the most evil shit. YESSS we get it girl, you like to torture people, I don't need to read about that again and again in that depth, thanks.

Another thing which might be overlooked, but really annoyed me: The characters do and say a lot of problematic shit without a hint of contextualisation.

One example is the way some of the women talk about their weight and food in general. I don't have the exact quotest but something along the lines of: "I can't eat bread or I'll get fat". It screams unresolved body issues from the early 2000s paired with weird eating myths. Just feels icky, especially written by a man and without some progress or education on that topic throughout the book. It's just used as like a "character trait".

Same with one of the villains who just goes and insults marginalized characters with their marginalized traits. Also without further explanation or the "good characters" reacting to it in some way even just in thoughts thinking: Wow, that's not cool.

On a positive note: I really liked how timetravel was portrayed. Its logic made sense to me. And the books with their different powers also felt really cool and well thought out. There also were a few twist that I didn't see coming and that were rather interesting.

All in all just 2.5/5

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