The Book of Doors was nothing like what I expected — and that turned out to be its greatest gift.
When I hear “magical realism,” I usually imagine butterflies, a sense of lightness, and happy endings.
But Gareth Brown caught me off guard — the emotions this book stirred in me were deep, unexpected, and I know they’ll linger in my throat for a long time.
Book review: The Book of Doors
- Author: Gareth Brown
- Series: Standalone book
- Publisher: Transworld Publ. Ltd UK
- Published: February 15, 2024 by
- ISBN 9781787637245 (ISBN10: 1787637247)
- ASIN B0C5CGYC4Z
- Language English
- Available in Electronic Format (ePub, PDF, etc.)
The Magic of Books – and the Pain of Losing Them
This is a story that will move every reader who loves the magic of books themselves.
Here, magic is not just a metaphor — books are portals, weapons, remedies, hope, and danger.
The main characters face off against a secret society whose mission is to protect “special books” from falling into the wrong hands.
They encounter fanatical collectors, book hunters, and an ancient library hidden from the world.
The plot is intense, laced with elements of thriller and mystery, and the pace is like a tornado of emotions and twists.
Chases, dangers, and time shifts keep the reader in constant suspense.
Yes – The Book of Doors opens doors… but what happens when we change history?
When we reach for the happy ending?
Every action has consequences — and that, dear reader, you will only understand in the final pages.
Beyond Mystery and Darkness, It Brought Me Emotion
Without revealing too much, I will say that the storyline connected to Cassie’s grandfather’s death touched me deeply.
Brown returns to this moment several times, crafting a quiet, heart-wrenching grief that shapes the heroine.
How one loss can mark our entire life… and determine which doors we are willing to open again.
The story doesn’t end with the final page — it simply begins again.
A cycle that repeats across time — and will keep repeating.
And as I closed this book, one thought continued to trouble me, leaving me with the eternal question:
Should books ever be destroyed?
When does a “special power” become a threat?
Or is it simply that there will always be people capable of turning any knowledge into a weapon?
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.
Suddenly Cassie and Izzy are confronted by violence and danger, and the only person who can help them is, it seems, Drummond Fox. He is a man fleeing his own demons – a man with his own secret library of magical books that he has hidden away in the shadows for safekeeping. Because there is a nameless evil out there that is hunting them all . . .
Because some doors should never be opened.
