The Book of Doors
By Gareth Brown
Genre: Magical Realism | Pages: 432 (paperback) | Publication Date: 2024
My Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 | Dates Read: 9/15/2025 - 9/22/2025
Trigger Warnings: Gore, torture, gun violence, death, racism
Author
The Book of Doors is Gareth Brown’s debut novel, which was first published in the UK and US in 2024. An Amazon Editors’ Best Book of 2024, a finalist in the Goodreads Choice Awards for Readers’ Favorite Fantasy and Readers’ Favorite Debut Novel, a Sunday Times Bestseller, and language rights sold to over twenty territories… let's just say it was a success. His second book The Society of Unknowable Objects was just published in August of this year.
Premise
The Book of Doors is a standalone urban fantasy with some dark undertones. When Cassie Andrews, a bookshop worker in New York City, is gifted The Book of Doors, she unlocks the ability to travel through any door in the world. But Cassie and her roommate Izzy quickly learn that there are other special books in existence, and those who know of them will now do anything to get what they possess. With help from Drummond Fox, a man with his own protected library of magical books, they’ll use the Book of Doors to escape the evil that’s chasing them all.
Characters: 3/5
The characters were the weakest part of the book.
Our MC, Cassie, was fine. She was a proactive character whose choices were believable and shaped the story, but I didn’t find her to be a particularly memorable character outside of the storyline.
Izzy wasn’t much beyond a plot device. It felt like she was there just to serve as “the best friend” and motivate Cassie to push through challenges. Their dynamic didn’t feel believable to me, especially toward the end of the story after they had been separated for a significant length of time.
Drummond was an interesting character who gave Cassie and Izzy important insight into the world of magical books. His voice was unique and his inner challenges added depth to the story.
Mr. Webber was such a loveable character (I just wanted to transport through the book and squeeze him).
“Happiness is not something you sit and wait for. You have to choose it and pursue it in spite of everything else.”
Setting: 5/5
Setting was used really well here, The Book of Doors transporting us to real-world locations across the globe. The setting was more than just a backdrop–it actively impacted the story. The ever-moving NYC crowd amplified Cassie's feelings of loneliness and alienation. Other settings, like Paris, felt vivid and alive as the characters experienced them.
Plot: 5/5
The tension built as the story progressed and the MC was discovering the truth as the reader was, which made for a very gripping read toward the end. The plots weaved together in a super satisfying way. I really enjoyed how the characters explored the idea that time travel isn’t about altering history, but fulfilling it. This added a sense of destiny and inevitability to the story, and an extra layer of depth to the plot as things came full circle.
Themes: 5/5
I jumped into this story fairly blind, and while I did expect some moral questioning, I didn't anticipate this story’s gentle themes of loneliness, aging, grief, regret, and friendship. I loved the exploration of Cassie’s relationship with Mr. Webber.
The moral angle of the story was the most central theme, with the obvious questions being if the books should be destroyed. If there are people in the world that would use the books for evil, does that mean no one should be able to use them? What’s put at stake when power is in the wrong hands?
“Take a little advice from me. Don’t waste your life hidden away in your mind. Make the most of the time you have, otherwise before you know it, you’ll have no time left.”
Emotional Impact: 4/5
The emotional beats were subtle, but impactful and definitely pulled on my heartstrings (something that I feel is rare in this type of book). I felt that Brown gave us just enough with the sappy moments, never lingering too long or slowing the pace of the story. These scenes were powerful, because loss, grief, and the other themes explored are all unavoidable in all our lives.
Cassie is a character with a normal life and normal issues (well, aside from the ultra-powerful, magical book thing I guess), so it was easy to relate to her. Her relationships with Mr. Webber and her grandfather were incredibly tender, and the loss of them just might put a lump in your throat.
Personal Enjoyment: 5/5
This book was the first standalone I’ve read in a while and was definitely the fast-paced series break I needed. Once the plot started rolling, I always looked forward to picking it up.
While it doesn’t have the character work or emotional impact that other stories do, it feels like a book that could be enjoyed by a wide variety of audiences and I definitely wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it!
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