What an utter joy this book is!! This really is something special. The literary agent and publishers reading this for the first time must have thought all their birthdays had come at once. It's glorious. It's literally magical, yes, I said literally. I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review, and my honest review is that I love it so much I wish I could give it 10 stars. It is head and shoulders one of the best books I've ever read. Gareth Brown is incredibly talented to have produced such a gem. It's the sort of book that even if you buy an electronic version of it, you want the physical copy and I have done just that. This book will stand the test of time, it is a delight.

Everything about this book had me quite excited- I love a good book about books, make them magic books and it's even better. Unfortunately the execution here fell flat.

While did enjoy the cozy aspects of this book, I seriously struggled through reading it, especially the first 25%. I nearly DNF'ed and probably would have had I not agreed to review in exchange for the ARC. The main female characters are very one dimensional and hard to feel any feelings about whatsoever. Some of the body shaming comments were pretty disappointing, and should have been caught by any editor or sensitivity reader (not to mention the racism).

The prose itself was extremely sporadically paced, and lacked consistency and depth. The fact that the author and editing team couldn't come up with a name better than "special books" for these amazing tomes that can perform miracles rankled me through the whole novel, and is pretty indicative of the writing style.

One thing I did really enjoy was the carefully woven plot that took into account time travel and its repercussions. This clearly took a lot of effort and, I imagine, a lot of sticky notes on a wall. It's just a shame the writing couldn't back it up.

And a final note, though I know this ARC was an uncorrected proof copy, the formatting on e-reader was absolutely abysmal. We all make an effort to not let these things affect our opinion of the book, but it does. One cannot impartially judge a novel when struggling to read 10 word sentences because it's been randomly parcelled out over three lines. Let alone the seemingly random italicised words that must have been headers when formatted properly. Here they just popped up in the middle of paragraphs.

Overall, it could have been great, but I won't be recommending it to fellow readers.

From the first few pages, the writing style I knew was an immediate no for me, but I decided to try and press on to see if the plot and characters would get me through. (They did not).
The writing is all telling and no showing, and I mean that quite literally, with lines like <i>"He coughed a little self depreciating laugh, signalling to Cassie that he knew he was being silly."</i> and <i>"[He] rubbed his hands together as if they were cold."</i> and <i>"Cassie looked around the store. ... It was everything a bookstore should be."</i>. This is just from the first few pages. It is such a bland way of writing, not what I would expect from a fantasy book with a whimsical plot, especially not one comped to V.E SCHWAB AND ERIN MORGENSTERN!?

The way the plot unfolds is okay but not very immersive and a little like a pantomime. As soon as we reached descriptions of the places behind the doors I was like Okay!! Here we go!! I can get on board with this!! But the characters held it back so much that I couldn't even enjoy that.

The characters that I met in the first 8% are Cassie (protagonist) and her close friend/flatmate Izzy. They are nearly indistinguishable as characters. Truly two pieces of flimsy cardboard. Whats more, they seem to be written like early 2000s YA protagonists:
<i>"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 makeup because she never really learned how to do it."</i>
I'm sorry, what in the Bella Swan is this? This comes after two different strangers (men) call her pretty too. Also, this description is given to us because Cassie gets home and happens to look in a mirror. Normal people don't get home from a long day at work and glance in the mirror and assess their reflection in this way, as if they are describing themselves for an audience.
Her flatmate is what truly made me DNF. I let one comment about bread going to her hips slide, but when we reached this (context, they are eating pancakes at midnight), I had to DNF:
<i>"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 in my genes, Cass."
????????? I'm not saying there is anything wrong with depicting characters with bad relationships with food, in fact far from it! But the way this is dropped in reads like a fat joke from the early 2000s. It's 2024, and it's more powerful to write characters who have healthy relationships with food, especially fat ones.

After reading a few other reviews I can see there are similar instances with racism and sexism dropped in from a villain later in the book, but I didn't get that far so I couldn't say. But with this writing style they don't seem to be elements that are important to the story, but rather cheap jokes and weak attempts at characterisation.

I'm so mad - you're going to give me such a good premise and comp a book to Addie Larue and The Night Circus and then give me this?????? I feel swindled.

What a joyful ride!
I was truly not prepared to like this book this much. I was bought by the concept of magical books and doors one could use as portals (I admit it's because I just returned from London and the idea of being able to go back there in a second sounded appealing ;)). When it turned out that the Book of Doors holder can travel not only between different locations but also in TIME, I was afraid that the time travel as a theme will completely hijack the plot and the books wouldn't be that important anymore. I was proved wrong. What completely won me over was that every time I formed some prediction about the story ("Oooch, I'm sure this character's true identity is XYZ!") it turned out that the author didn't fall for it and had some other idea. And most of my predictions came from reading other stories and watching movies that included time travel, as there are some plot points and reveals that are very common in these types of stories. But Brown manages to use many traditional elements of the time travel plot without making it predictable.
This book is all about plot and pace and intricate planning. I love meticulously schemed intrigues and Cassie's story is like a puzzle, where several elements need to fit together for the final idea to make sense. It was risky, but for me, it worked - the story held me in its grip from the first page, it was engaging, creative and awfully fun. Which proves that I'm a reader who can turn a blind eye to many of the book's faults, if I enjoy the plot and intrigues that much, as I definitely see a room for improvement in the author's language and character development. The style is quite plain, and the characters are somewhat flat, but I still loved the book for the story.
Probably the only thing that I truly disliked was the origin of the books, as it killed some of their magic. This part was unnecessary.

What an amazing read and I for one was totally gripped by this novel. From the time Cassie, who works in a book shop is left a mysterious Book of Doors her life changes immensely as she travels through countries, as well as time, and encounters Drummond who shares his Book of Shadows and becomes her support with all the trials she encounters. Her life and that of her friends are endangered by those who seek to acquire these mysterious and horrific books and this leads her to extremes to survive and fight back at the evil woman who is trying to hold all these books. I actually read through the night to complete the novel as it was so engaging whilst horrifying. I have never read anything from this genre and yet I found myself totally involved in Cassie's story.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this novel.

I got a secret thrill choosing this book, as the author has the same name as a close relative of mine (sadly it’s definitely not the same person!), but I also picked it out for the gorgeous cover and book-themed title. I wasn’t disappointed!

Inside these pages you will be transported into a world where there are books that can let you time travel, manipulate the laws of physics, influence people’s emotions and much, much more. You will also find magic and book-love, some terrible horror (particularly body horror) but also some sweet romance, loyalty, bravery and ultimately, hope.

The opening of the story is deceptively slow, as Cassie and Izzie enjoy the magic of the book they have found like giddy teenagers with tickets for a round-the-world tour. It doesn’t take long, however, for the pace to pick up and the peril increase and then I was thoroughly hooked in – absorbed in the wonder and terror and adrenaline-fuelled excitement of it all.

I will have to admit that I was downright terrified of The Woman and she haunts my dreams still, weeks later, and I absolutely viscerally loathed Barbery, but Gareth Brown has the clever knack of making you love or hate a character only to suddenly turn the pages on you and reveal them so intimately that you can find yourself feeling sympathy for even the most heinous of villains.

On finishing, I am pretty convinced that I could read the whole thing again and pick up more details and nuances, and I can assure you all that this is definitely one of those books worth re-reading!

I'm disappointed!

The storytelling felt basic and didn't offer anything particularly new or interesting, with the narrative dwelling too long in one time period. The characters, both heroes and villains, were unremarkable and at times felt like caricatures. They all sounded much younger than intended which made some violent scenes feel really out of place.
Despite the complexity of the story, it failed to encompass true depth. The simple writing style, heavy with similes and repetition, poor pacing, excessive focus on the inauthentic romance, and overly detailed scenes limited the imagination and detracted from the fantastical elements.

This was fantastic!

I didn't know, there was going to be a time-travel element to this book so I was pleasantly surprised. Time travel is a tricky concept and may not always work in favour of the story but, for this book, it works really well.

The story has a nice flow to it, there's a hidden magical library, great friendships and an unlikely set of characters who come together to fight the big bad. There's hardly any romance in the story and I would say that one of the main themes of this book would be the friendships we make along the way. Casie as an MC starts out mousey and a bit generic but really grows in her character as someone whom people can look to lead from the front.

Overall, I'd say this was highly enjoyable and I look forward to what the author does next.

TW: blood & gore (lots of it)

I have to say that this was a really cleverly, thought out story, that had me hooked from the start. I LOVED how it all ties in. What a journey this was, I am actually gutted to have finished it and yet, couldn't put it down. This, for me, is one of those books that you just don't know what to do with yourself after, will any other even compare. Wow, just incredible and I'm truly grateful to have received it as an e-arc. It'll certainly be one to buy and have on the bookshelf, and I'm hoping that there are many more journeys with the book collectors.

Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Bantam for the ARC. Here I leave my honest review!

I have expectation for this book because the blurb is amazing and I can't wait to reveal the story. I love books so I always excited to read a book about books, especially the story is about special books. But after read this book I will give this book only 3.5 ⭐!

I tell you first about the thing I like. I love the concept about this magical book with difference use. Like Book of Pain, Book of Shadow, Book of Safety, etc and of course Book of Doors. There are always 2 sides of people who will protect the book and use this book for bad things. So far everything seems so good but the execution is not that good,

The plot is slow, I don't really like Cassie as main character, kind of confusing with the timeline because this book really special even can move you to another time. I'm not sure whether I like it or not for how the conflict arise and how to solve it. There's to many question left about this book. Who is the Woman, the real villain in this book, and how all of this book created (even though there's a hint about it). I'm not satisfy when I finish the book, hoping for more explanation but I also don't really want this book any longer.

Taking portal fantasy in its stride this novel revolves around a magical book whose pages are the portal to not just other places but also other times.
We meet Cassie in her workplace, Kellner Books where she speaks to one of her favourite customers Mr. Webber. Later that evening she finds that he has died, however he left a small leather bound book full or pictures of doors which she takes in his memory. When she returns to her flat she shares the evening happenings with her flat mate Izzy, and by chance the learn the secret of the book that can take you anywhere.
The Book of Doors is one of a set of books that influence Luck, Invincibility, Invisibility and much more. There is a guardian in the shape of Drummond Fox who is the Librarian, and his role is to protect these books as they are not only desirable but dangerous. Our adversary in the tale is the Woman, whose goal is to find the books and use them for evil, she relentlessly tracks down Cassie as the Book of Doors is a rare prize.
The narrative is fast paced, exploring not only the scope of the magical effects of the Books but also on what it is to be human.
I would recommend this book, all views are my own and my thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for access to the ARC.

Cassie happily works in a New York bookshop/ cafe. She has her favourite customers one of which is Mr Webber. When he dies in his sleep he leaves her a book. inside is the inscription- The Book of Doors; one door can be any door. Along with her friend Izzy she discovers that the book can take them through a door to anywhere. At first this seem a joyous wonder, but The Book of Doors is not the only magical book & not all of them are benign!

I absolutely adored this book. The story kept me gripped to the page in spite of some really grisly descriptions. It is a book that makes you glad that you can just go with the flow & not question the logic & leaves you with a real sense of loss that it is all over. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book. It is probably my top read so far this year.

The idea behind the book of doors is wonderful, a magic book that allows you to walk through any door you can visualise? Yes please!
And I did enjoy the story, the characters and their journeys and emotions were complicated and enthralling yet at times I found the pacing of the book to be .. a bit off.
I really enjoyed the discovery of other books and the dark side of the community that wields them and I liked the friendship and family ties that were so important throughout the plot.

This book took me completely by surprise, not my normal kind of book to read but it definitely held my attention. I loved the magical plot of a book given as gift and doors into powers. The only draw back for me was I didnt really warm to the characters, the main character seems needy and I found myself wanting to shout at her at times lol.

A book that really can open doors

This book has ‘Inception’ like qualities to it, with the added dimension of a magic book that enables the owner to travel to anywhere and anywhen. And there are other books with their own special powers too, whether they’re used for good or evil is entirely down to their owners.

Just when you think that you’ve got a handle on things and wonder how Cassie is going to get back to reality a single sentence drops a bombshell that opens up a whole new set of questions to ponder. I hope that further books will follow to develop the relationships between the characters and reveal more about the magical books and the intrigues left hanging at the end of the book.

I was given this book from the author via netgalley only for the pleasure of reading and leaving an honest review should I choose to.

An accomplished and engrossing debut. We all know books are magic, so a book about magic books is twice as magical!

Blurb:

If you could open a door to anywhere, where would you go?

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...

I had such high hopes for this book. I love the idea of magical books, each granting the user a different ability. The novel starts slow but promising. Unfortunately, I soon realised that the pacing was off; it was full of unnecessary passages where nothing significant happened, and there were stereotypical characters. The main heroine is passive, has no distinct personality, and must be saved by men. The other characters are either noble or pure evil, with nothing in between and no moral ambiguity. The romantic themes appear spontaneously, without any meaningful character interactions. Above all, I believe the author failed at creating a point of view of a modern young woman, as Cassie's voice seemed unnatural.

The story starts in a bookshop and is about someone who loves books - I am loving it already

A magical book that can take you anywhere you want to go is an exceptional thing - but of course this means that others want it too. There is magic, there is danger, there is time travel, there are evil characters - what more do you want? This takes me back to the books that I could not put down when I was younger - it draw you in and you want to carry on reading late in to the night.

The writing flows easily and is quite beautiful.

Such a mesmerising and captivating book with interweaving plots that take you on the best kind of rollercoaster. Highly recommended!

Cassie works in a New Yorrk bookstore and flat shares with Izzy. Her life is a little humdrum until an elderly custo er leaves her a book. No ordinary book. You can use this one to open any door that you can visualise - a y place, in any time. Cassie has the Book Of Doors. But others want the Book and will do anything to get it and they have other books to help them get it.
A slow start,, as these kind of books often are. The characters are drawn well and develop as the story unfolds. Some of the bad characters are fairly dark so if choosing this for a YA, be aware of some violence and offensive language.
After about 1/3 of the way, the story becomes more exciting as plotlines interweave. I can only imagine how the author kept tabs on all threads in order for them to weave together at the end. It does have an end but I think there is more to come as more books are chased for the Fox library.