The Café of Infinite Doors

by Zara Marielle

In a mythical Scotland of long ago, a goddess’s mortal surrogate dies in childbirth and leaves behind a vindictive firstborn daughter who seethes in the shadow of her new divine sister, leading to a violent clash that leaves both sisters imprisoned in separate worlds.

Millennia later in San Francisco, sheltered, isolated twenty-three-year-old Marceline is desperate for a job, longing for a temporary escape from her controlling, toxic husband, Baxter. One evening, a magical café appears after a nasty fight. Run by a quirky, mysteriously feathered woman named Lucretia, her partner, Kilda, and a gentle Tahitian man named Sylvan, the café holds the safety, comfort, and companionship Marceline has craved. Upon learning that the café’s door is a protected portal that opens to those in need, she joins the cafe’s staff behind Baxter's back.

Unfortunately, soon after Marceline has found her safe haven, the portals to the café begin closing one by one and the cafe’s sourceless light goes from warm and honeyed to dim and shadowy. Evil is looming that will endanger not only the café but the world at large; if Marceline is to protect herself and her newfound family, she must choose herself for good and escape her marriage once and for all . . . or say goodbye to her hard-fought freedom forever.

Genres: Fantasy, Adult

352 pages, Paperback

Expected publication April 28, 2026

Reviews

[lookmairead]

DNF 35%

I hear time travel + Scottish vibes and my Outlander + What the Wind Knows senses tingle.

It’s kinda like Legends & Lattes but with some stakes. And the character background builds are tragic and abusive.

I think boils down to my need for the FMC to have a backbone. And I realize Marceline was getting there but it was painful to read.

I really appreciate the Netgalley ARC from Union Square & Co. for this. Even though it didn’t hook me, I will always be tempted to try out these types of book pitches.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Café of Infinite Doors was a beautifully written story quite unlike anything I’ve read before.

The story is told in two timelines. The first,“long ago,” where we follow the story of Bronagh, who is made an orphan when her mother dies bearing Quinn, a goddess of death. The second, present day, where we follow Marceline, a young woman in an emotionally abusive and controlling relationship. I greatly enjoyed both timelines although there was a bit of a disconnect for me in Bronagh’s character arc as the young woman we meet in the beginning seemed like a protagonist to root for and the Bronagh we meet later is definitely not!

A couple things I loved about this book:

The novel does not shy away from difficult topics, including emotional abuse, reproductive choice, grief, and self-worth. These elements are thoughtfully integrated into the narrative and all of the main characters internal journeys carry real emotional impact.

One of the book’s greatest strengths is the author’s ingenuity in weaving together different genres. I felt like this book was a blend of fantasy, historical fiction, and horror and I loved the ride it took me on.

The Café of Infinite Doors will resonate with readers who appreciate inventive genre blends and emotionally complex storytelling. It’s a thoughtful exploration of healing, agency, and the courage it takes to open—or close—the right door.

Thank you to Zara Marielle for providing me with an eARC!

[Belinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I CANNOT WAIT TO HAVE THIS BOOK IN MY HANDS

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I was obsessed with this world!

This is cozy fantasy with stakes - it reminds me of When The Coffee Gets Cold with Lucretia’s cafe. And Marceline desperately needs it. I had a visceral reaction to her gross abusive husband - like, wanted to throw the book across the room. I loved watching her grow to trust herself and work to leave.

All of this would be a beautiful, inspiring story AND THEN we get hundreds of years of mythological magic. There was a great balance between the two storylines and I was absolutely glued to the pages as they started to intertwine.

Overall I loved it! Cozy fantasy with stakes - amazing subgenre.

Thank you to Zara Marielle and Union Square & Co for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can see where this is going but I’m not a fan. I’m sure Marceline’s journey is going to be empowering but until then I just do not want to read about someone so downtrodden and abused. It’s yucky. And that’s not even addressing the fact that her husband found her when she was 17 and he was 25 and that makes him a predator which isn’t unpacked at all. It’s too much.

I also wasn't feeling the Scot-ified English and I feel like sylvan will eventually be exoticized but maybe I'm wrong about that.

Readers looking for something similar to Weyward or in the vein of The Bear and the Nightingale will be happy with this I think.

[Ros Jayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was the perfect mix of a cosy yet action packed fantasy!

*I was lucky to receive the ARC for this book from the author*

I felt the start of this book was cosy (apart from the toxic relationship.) Learning about the world and the characters, was really enjoyable. The characters were so easy to fall in love with and I wanted to get to know them more.

As we got on in the book I was excited to see how the two timelines fitted together, once this happened I was shocked! The ending was action packed and I could not put this book down. I needed to know what was going to happen!

Overall really cosy, was unable to put this book down. I also enjoyed this book was different to other fantasy I have read in the past. Will definitely be looking out for more of Zara Marielle’s works!

[Lune At · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you Union Square & Co for the arc copy.

This book started off strong. I really like books that scathe the boundary between childish and grown up.

I liked Marceline’s internal monologue. Struggling to leave an abusive relationship even if you love them was portrayed relatively well.
The other characters were fun to read. Kind hearted, good people that I felt for. The setting itself was really creative. And I wish I could find a cafe like that in my world.

Unfortunately there were also many things I didn’t like about this book.
For me the writing was often too sentimental. I get that the author wanted to make me cry but I really don’t like it when someone tries to force me. Which happened constantly.
I am a nitpick when it comes to this. And I know that.
There is a fine line between making me cry because I am genuinely feeling the emotion and a story telling me that I have to. For me it’s always the amount of sentences used.
This writer often almost had it! It was just that there were too many tear jerking sentences. Too many emotional scenes, too much of the same. Making it more annoying than heartfelt.

And then there was the villain of the story.
Because of the tears that this story wanted me to shed, the villain was often really annoying to me. I know there was no intend to write a whiny villain but that’s exactly what happened.
To write a good villain is hard, and I know that.
But this one’s journey just felt petty. She wasn’t dangerous to me, not really. She was a storybook villain who did things just because they were evil. It felt really cartoonish.
The revenge story became tiring really quick. Because there wasn’t enough character development from the start for this villain. Her character had been established from the beginning. Making her really one dimensional and unable to take seriously.
And this book really emphasized on the danger of this character. But it never showed what it promised.
We talk about really powerful magic but we can injure said magic wielder by throwing plates at them? I find that silly. It contradicted itself by doing that.
And I can easily lean into a book playing with multiple genres (because it went from adult to middle grade really quick). But not when it has been building up to something else.

Overall I really liked the theme of this story. The characters were, for the most part, well written. And the setting was really well thought of.
And if it had just been about the complexity of relationships without the villain, I would’ve enjoyed this story so much more.

[✮ ~ soph ~ ✮ · Rating 4 out of 5]

RECEIVED FROM EDELWEISS!! i accidentally clicked on netgalley and don’t know how to change it :(

my rating: ✦✦✦✦ — 4.25 stars, rounded down

–✧–

“Her curiosity was a chronic, lifelong condition, and there was no cure.”

–✧–

cozy, whimsical, and a little bit quirky, The Café of Infinite Doors is a fun, quick read.

this novel follows a young woman named marceline, as her turbulent, toxic relationship with her husband drives her onto her path to freedom, where she meets a mysterious, charming cast of characters in a strange café. since this story is told in dual timelines, we also meet the orphaned outcast bronagh, a resident of a scottish village in a much earlier time, as she plans to enact revenge on her sister, who is born a goddess. the timelines blur into one, coming into a grand culmination at the end.

i loved how this was a lighthearted, soft read (although there were some lightly gruesome bits), which was great—especially after my last read, a heavy, trauma-filled wartime novel.

–✧–

note: this arc was provided by the publisher via edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. thank you to edelweiss and union square & co.!

–✧–

stats:
spice 🌶️: 0.5/5
emotion 💧: 2.5/5
memorability 💭: 3/5
thought-provoking 🧠: 1/5

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Once I had heard that Cafe of Infinite Doors was going to be published, I was excited to read this debut novel. The blend of contemporary fantasy through Celtic religion, in particular the goddess of death and war had me hooked from the description alone.
Now that I have read this novel, I was not disappointed. The characters are perfectly flushed out and as the novel progresses, they are those which any reader can find a way to relate to. The main character, Marceline begins oppressed which the reader can easily see that she is a victim of emotional and mental abuse. Her development into someone who is strong enough to face her fears was fantastic to read.
The blending of ancient Scottish religion into modern day America and tying in other global cultures and locations through the Cafe is also very well done. The historical flashbacks give a backstory to a secondary protagonist and the main antagonist which is very important once the timelines converge into the present.
Highly recommended for readers who love books like Outlander or novels where the MC learns about their own inner strength and overcomes the obstacles laid before them previously out of their control. This author does not disappoint with this novel and I cannot wait for more in the future.

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not normally a fantasy genre reader but this book surprised me. I became completely captivated by it from the beginning. Taking a folklore legend and bringing it foreword to present day and then adding the theme of female agency was brilliant!

A Scottish myth involving the death of a goddess’s mortal surrogate leaving a vindictive first born to seethe over magical sister starts the book off. Enter Marceline, a young woman in the modern world, living in an emotionally abusive relation with her husband, Baxter, discovers a magical cafe where she can ease her emotional wounds. Run by Lucretia, her partner, Kilda, an a Tahitian man, Sylvan, the cafe offers comfort, companionship and safety. Here Marceline finds herself and the courage to be herself but can she save this world?

Told in alternating chapters about the legend (we see the magical daughter growing up and the evil sister plotting) and Marceline until these two stories merge - I found that so enchanting (after all it is a fantasy). This is a plot driven book though the character of Marceline is nicely drawn. The pacing is good and the blending of fantasy and reality nicely done. I loved these characters!

This is a perfect book for adults entering the fantasy genre for the first time. It’s colorful but low key; it tells a magical story in a real way; and it has a theme set in the real world.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Union Square & Company for allowing me to read this ARC.

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story definitely checked many of the boxes that I've been looking for lately in a good story. It has found family, a cozy setting, and it has tension. It was a lot darker than I was expecting and I found myself wanting to keep turning the page, particularly the parts that focused on Lucretia and her own backstory in mythical Scotland.

I sympathised with the villain of the story, and found myself mentally trying to steer her in the right direction. It pulled all the right heart strings for me. Ultimately, I felt like the story was about believing in yourself, realising you have worth and having the courage to stand up for yourself and others.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Cafe of Infinite Doors and find myself wishing the cafe was a real place for those in need, as there are many people in the world that would benefit greatly from people like Lucretia, Kilda and Sylvan.

[George Hobbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC edition
Two timelines - one current & the other from a time when a goddess walked the earth - detail the lives of two sisters and how different theirs lives progress.
A wonderful interwoven storyline as the chapters alternate from present to an ever shrinking timeline of the past. Characters are well developed and easy to root for or despise.
Prisons are not always made of walls, often they are constructs of the mind. Self realization seems to be a key to being set free, but finding that key is often very difficult.

[Jennifer Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I struggled to put this book down despite the heavy topics present. Let's face it, there wasn't a single character that was not affected. The story was told in such a way that even the heaviest struggles were given the respect they deserved and nothing felt rushed, even towards the end of the book when the action was at its peak.

I loved how the book was written in a dual timeline that eventually converged into one. I felt this allowed for some surprises/plot twists that packed quite the punch at just the right time.

[Tommi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had such a good time reading this book. It's a story of abuse, agency, finding strength and self, told through relationships between goddesses, and spouses, and friends, and siblings. I loved it! -I received the ebook as an arc from NetGalley. xo

[Celina Poole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an incredibly-written story of female empowerment and found family. Loved it!

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the Cafe. The Druid-era story? Not as much. I really did not care about Bronagh or Quinn, and fare less of that would have made the book stronger. In the Today timeline, Marceline and her relationship with Lu, Kilda, Sylvan and others is charming and her growing confidence (and realization that her daily life is... flawed. deeply, seriously flawed). Had the book been centered on the Cafe and the people inside, it would have been a far greater book. Even adding the good vs evil part would have worked. But those two plus the Bronagh/Quinn story? Just did not work for me.

eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss.