If you found a book that allowed you to travel anywhere, where would you go?
Gareth Brown wanted to be a writer from a very young age, and he completed his first novel as a teenager. For the last twenty years he has worked in the UK Civil Service and the National Health Service 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 impudent and highly excitable Skye terriers near Edinburgh in Scotland. The Book of Doors is his first published novel.
This genre is newer to me and I only dip a toe in now and again, so it’s rare I find something that sticks. But when I read the premise of this story—a book that allows you to travel anywhere—I was hooked. Since I don’t read a lot of books like this it’s hard to compare to anything, but I plan on exploring a bit more. This story was very entertaining and at times it felt like I was watching a series rather than reading.
There were a lot of characters to keep up with, but even so, Brown made them unique and easy to follow. Their backgrounds were fascinating, and I particularly liked Drummond and where he resided in the Scottish Highlands. The characters were very black and white, likable protagonists and evil villains. Nothing too complex. My favorite part of the story was learning about the different magical books and their powers. It created an entirely new side to the world with different problems and possibilities.
The story gripped me however there were a few lulls. When Cassie got stuck in the past for a decade, and when Drummond was meeting with his group of book hunter friends in the Fox Library—both of those scenes slowed the pace for me. My favorite scenes were when Cassie used the book of doors to travel back in time to see her Grandfather. The idea of spending time with loved ones who have since passed is always a dream of mine.
3/5⭐️⭐️⭐️
For readers who enjoy urban fantasy, magic, and time travel.
Published February 13th, 2024
Synopsis:
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.
S. F. Prescott 