- The Good: Time travel; a hidden library
- The Bad: Unsatisfyingly flat antagonists
- The Literary: A book with magical powers
Cassie Andrews is an introverted book seller in a small shop in New York City. One of her favorite customers gifts her a strange book full of mysterious writing and drawings. Inside the front cover, a handwritten message to Cassie tells her that this is the Book of Doors and that any door is every door.
I really enjoy this magical realist, time-traveling fantasy that is also a love letter to books. The book jacket compares it to The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, The Night Circus, and Babel, though it’s not as introspective as the first, as atmospheric as the the second, or as smart as the third, but this is a comforting, fun story that I appreciate all the way through.
Cassie soon discovers that the Book of Doors is a book with extraordinary powers, and, together with her best friend Izzy (Cassie’s brash and outgoing opposite), she explores all that the Book of Doors can do. Izzy is wary and warns her friend not to use the book too much, as it’s power will likely be dangerous. Turns out, Izzy is right and adventure ensues.
For a debut novel, I like the direct prose and clear, focused plot, especially the second act, in which the pacing slows down as Cassie gets sent back in time and has to live out ten years the hard way to get back to the present. It is surprising to me how well it works. In addition, there’s a beautiful female/female friendship in this novel, which is better than the romances in the book. But at least the romantic interests — one each for Cassie and Izzy — both feel like real people.
Unfortunately, the characters fall into classic good vs evil camps, which I find uninspired for a book like this. There’s even a chapter from the perspective of the primary antagonist and her motivation is that she’s a sociopath, which feels lazy. I’m not a big fan of contemporary thrillers, as the plot devices can too often be overly convenient, and this is true here too.
The flat antagonists aside, this is a breeze to read, particularly with the audiobook narrated by Miranda Raison. Highly recommended for fans of magical books and happy endings. This one is an action-packed, with stakes that feel real, which makes the comfort at the end all the more satisfying.