A review by liseyp
The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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 get 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.