Caffeinated Reviewer

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown delivered a delightful adventure filled with danger, time travel, magical realism and books. A fast-paced tale with twists, unique characters and fresh ideas. Narrated by Marinda Raison, I highly recommend listening!

A debut novel full of magic, adventure, and romance, The Book of Doors opens up a thrilling world of contemporary fantasy for fans 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.

Magical realism, books of magic and secret libraries… yes, please! The Book of Doors has it all in this intriguing tale. In New York, we meet Cassie Andrews, who works at Kellner Books. That is where she met her friend Izzy and the two now share an apartment.

There is nothing extraordinary about Cassie’s life. She sells books, passes her friend Izzy each night as they work different shifts and curls up each night with her books. One evening at the bookshop, a regular gentleman who likes to take tea by the window and read books while sharing stories with Cassie falls dead. After the police and ambulance leave, Cassie finds an unusual book on the table where he died. It’s full of strange writing and mysterious drawings. At the very front there is a handwritten message to Cassie, telling her that …..

“This is The Book Of Doors. Hold it in your hand, and any door is every door.”

The tale that unfolds leads us on an adventure filled with danger, greed, magic and time travel. It took a little while for the story to unfold, but once it did, I was hooked. While I had the physical book, the audiobook was fantastic. Particularly for all the unique characters from the villains to the mysterious Mr. Fox.

Most of the story is from Cassie’s point of view as she explores doors and decides whom to trust once she is thrust into this world of magic books. But we get perspectives from others, including Drummond Fox, the Librarian, and the Woman, a most heinous villain.

The books, all similar in size, each possess magic. Some make you lose your memories, give you invisibility, make you invincible, grant you lucky and more. The owner of the books have power to manipulate others using them. In the wrong hands, these books are very dangerous. The Book of Doors will take you to any door, but not just in the present. You can go back to your own timeline. Unlike most time travel books that apply the “butterfly effect,” Brown gives it a twist.

This was a clever story with good vs evil, magic, time travel, books and hidden libraries. It could be very dark, but the author also sprinkled in lightness with happy moments and pastries. Perfect for fans of fantasy, magical realism and adventure. While the story wraps up nicely, Brown left the door open for more adventure and I hope we get them.

Marinda Raison’s narration captured the unique characters’ personalities, giving this cast their own voice. She helps set the tone of the story and made listening a pleasure. I highly recommend grabbing this in audio format.

Amazon | Audible

About Gareth Brown

Gareth Brown wanted to be a writer from a very young age, and he completed his first novel as a teenager. That novel wasn’t very good and he’s been working on his writing ever since. For the last twenty years he has worked in the UK Civil Service and the NHS while writing in his spare time.

When not working or writing, Gareth loves travelling, especially the whirlwind first few hours in a new city and long road trips through beautiful landscapes. He enjoys barbecues, patisseries, playing pool, and falling asleep in front of the television like an old man. Gareth lives with his wife and two excitable Skye terriers near Edinburgh in Scotland.

Website | Instagram

About Miranda Raison

Miranda Raison is an English television, stage, voice, and screen actress.

Instagram

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• 2024 Audiobook Challenge

About Kimberly

Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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