The Book of Doors: A Novel

Name: The Book of Doors: A Novel
SKU: 52770
Availability: InStock

4.3 | 3,391 ratings

Price: 1.99

Last update: 08-09-2024

About this item

A debut novel full of magic, adventure, and romance, The Book of Doors opens up a thrilling world of contemporary fantasy for readers of The Midnight Library, The Invisible Life of Addie Larue, The Night Circus, and any modern story that mixes the wonder of the unknown with just a tinge of darkness.

Cassie Andrews works in a New York City bookshop, shelving books, making coffee for customers, and living an unassuming, ordinary life. Until the day one of her favorite customers—a lonely yet charming old man—dies right in front of her. Cassie is devastated. She always loved his stories, and now she has nothing to remember him by. Nothing but the last book he was reading.

But this is no ordinary book…

It is the Book of Doors.

Inscribed with enigmatic words and mysterious drawings, it promises Cassie that any door is every door. You just need to know how to open them.

Then she’s approached by a gaunt stranger in a rumpled black suit with a Scottish brogue who calls himself Drummond Fox. He’s a librarian who keeps watch over a unique set of rare volumes. The tome now in Cassie’s possession is not the only book with great power, but it is the one most coveted by those who collect them.

Now Cassie is being hunted by those few who know of the Special Books. With only her roommate Izzy to confide in, she has to decide if she will help the mysterious and haunted Drummond protect the Book of Doors—and the other books in his secret library’s care—from those who will do evil. Because only Drummond knows where the unique library is and only Cassie’s book can get them there.

But there are those willing to kill to obtain those secrets. And a dark force—in the form of a shadowy, sadistic woman—is at the very top of that list.

Top reviews from the United States

Jaime M. Hamby

Beautifully done!

Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2024

I love found family! It is just so heartwarming. This book has so much going on, but takes you on this beautiful, humbling journey. It is an adventure and tries to also teach you about balance in the world. I loved the characters. I loved all of their connections to each other, even the villains. It showed that one persons decision can truly have consequences for others. I loved Cassie and IZZY! It was a fun ride and one I would recommend and take again. I could not put it down and was mad when I had to sue to life getting in the way. Thank you for the fun journey!

F. Moyer

First half a bit slow; second half much better

Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2024

I would classify this book as Fantasy since the story is driven by the idea that a set of magical books exists, where each book imparts its own unique set of powers to whomever is holding that book. Still, Amazon’s “Product Details” calls the book “Time Travel Science Fiction” – probably because I’ve never seen a book classified as Time Travel Fantasy. Yet, isn’t the whole idea of time travel just wishful thinking rather than scientifically possible? Anyway …

The protagonist (Cassie) is gifted an odd looking book (the Book of Doors). Does she know the book was magical? Not initially; but odd, wondrous things certainly made it appear that perhaps it is magical. Does Cassie’s life remain peaceful and mundane? Of course not.

The story is slow getting started. And during that time, I’m thinking: this story should explain how all these magical books came to be. (To the author’s credit, he does explain that -- after a fashion, anyway.)

The second half of the book was much better. More action. More heart. More urgency. More twistiness in the storyline.

Bottom Line: A twisty, entertaining storyline. Suspend your skeptical nature and then just enjoy the ride. A heartwarming, fantastical read.

Note: There is one point in the story where I was shocked with what the author allowed to happen within the story. It was just against the basic “flow” and “feel” of the story. As a reader, I just had to power through it. If you hit this same part with similar emotions as I had, just power through it. Ultimately, you won’t regret it.

Morgawr

I’d give it ten stars if I could!

Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2024

I’ve never read anything like this book, it’s wonderful, imaginative and unique. Well written, complex but easy to follow, highly recommended for anyone looking for a very good debut novel

Steve Krizman

Good, light read

Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2024

The magic in the Book of Doors allows adventure across borders and time. It takes you to picturesque spots in Europe and America, where characters hide out from evil hunters of magic books. These books have a wide range of powers — from bringing joy to intense pain.
The Book of Doors serves as one book to rule them all, and it falls into the hands of our main character, Cassie, a homebody thrust into peril that elicits her courage, loyalty, and practical wisdom.
The plot is complex but easy to follow. It takes a few unpredicatable swerves. Magic leads Cassie and her friends into trouble and helps them get out of it, without “jumping the shark.”
The writing is clean and simple. But efforts to dress up the prose are unsophisticated. It’s good, light reading.

Rob Stauffer

A new twist in Fantasy

Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2024

I rarely leave reviews unless I feel that a book is exceptionally good, or horrendously dreadful. The Book of Doors is fantastic, and I can't stop thinking about it. I'm not going to summarize the book, because there are already lots of reviews that do that, and you can also read the Amazon description. Suffice it to say this book is filled with memorable characters, witty humor, sheer terror, and is completely engrossing. The concept behind "the books" is so thought-provoking, I find myself hoping that there will be sequels.
This is the best book I've read in quite some time!

Lindsey

Almost, entirely phenomenal

Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2024

I loved reading this! From beginning to end, the stories are woven together so carefully, you don’t realize until the end. The writing is beautifully done and well thought out for almost the entire book. The only bit I disliked comes at around 3/4ths completion. To avoid spoilers, I will refer to this as the ballroom section, this piece and just after have some writing that is quite graphic and gory, but it made sense with the events, for the most part; the writing here also felt rushed in some places, and out of place in the rhetoric and prose of the rest of the book. Overall, I still enjoyed the book and how it was written, I would still recommend, but take this as a bit of a forewarning.

Kindle Customer

Wow!

Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2024

This was a great novel, and it makes me want to read more by Gareth Brown. I didn't even notice the name of the author when I started reading, and I was shocked to finish and see that a man had written it. He wrote Cassie, the main character, and her friend Izzy so well that I just assumed the author was a woman. His male characters are also written so thoughtfully; I really appreciate great characterization. As for the story, Mr. Brown seems to have really done his research on how time travel would have to work if it was real! This is the only story (book or movie) that I've experienced where I understand the concept of time travel. And it is fascinating to see how everything comes full circle. Overall, I'm really hoping a sequel is planned; I really want to know if Drummond and Cassie and Lund and Izzy get their happy endings!

Priscilla Burczynski

patience required

Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2024

This took me ages to get through. It was slow going, and felt disjointed often - very mellow and gentle with splashes of violence that seemed harsher than necessary. The characters are likeable and mild. But when it finally all came together as a story, it was very enjoyable and well-written. Overall, very likeable and worth having patience with.

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