The Book of Doors: A Novel

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.
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Community Reviews
I liked the idea of this story and overall, I was invested in it. It was an easy read and didn't get bogged down in convoluted explanations despite trying to include a lot of elements. I think the general storyline was good enough for me to forgive some of the things that annoyed me.
Examples of things that were meh: Several too convenient things happen (some others that happen have an explanation, so I'm not counting those). Characters keep saying that one of them is so lovable and charismatic and and beautiful, but she's only really shown to be just regular at best but also often annoying. Some of the dialogue, especially at the beginning, was rough. Implied insta-love, blah. Some dumb decisions that lead to totally avoidable consequences. I think my biggest wtf was the explanation for how this all started, but maybe this fits under the too-convenient category.
But anyway, I did like how there were no unanswered questions at the end, even if those answers were sometimes too obvious or convenient. I also like when a book takes a turn and surprises me. To avoid spoilers, I'll just say that they end up using a device fairly early that I wasn't expecting, which transitions to the middle section of the book where loneliness and longing are explored, leading to some touching moments. And the ending was fine.
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