This one had a slower start compared to other fantasy books I’ve read. It leans more toward a blend of fantasy and realism, so maybe I wasn’t the ideal audience—but I still enjoyed it. The writing was strong and kept me engaged throughout. Definitely worth a try if you’re into fantasy with a touch of magic.

Thank you Netgalley and William Morrow for the arc!

I absolutely devoured The Society of Unknowable Objects. It's the kind of book that whispers secrets to you while you're reading, like it knows you’re the kind of person who wants to believe there’s hidden magic in the world—and it delivers on that feeling tenfold.

The story follows Magda, an author with a quiet life who belongs to a Secret Society that protects magical artifacts. What follows is a deeply immersive adventure—part literary puzzle, part philosophical treasure hunt—that blurs the line between the magical and the unknowable.

I loved how Gareth Brown writes about the wonder of discovery. There’s this underlying awe, not just for the artifacts themselves, but for the ideas they represent—knowledge, memory, belief, danger. And Magda is such a compelling protagonist: intelligent, grounded, and quietly brave, with just the right amount of “What have I gotten myself into?” vibes.

It’s a love letter to curiosity, really. To the thrill of uncovering something ancient and impossible, and then wrestling with what it means. Brown’s writing is thoughtful without being pretentious, mysterious without being confusing, and emotional without ever dipping into melodrama.

If you, like me, LOVED Brown's debut "The Book of Doors", this is absolutely your next obsession. And the little nod to it at the end was *chef's kiss*. I adored it, and I’m still thinking about its ending. Haunting, hopeful, and deeply human.

As always, thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for allowing me to read this absolute treasure of a book. I will be picking up my personal copy when it hits shelves on August 7th, 2025. I can't wait to see it on display next to my copy of "The Book of Doors". :)

Magical objects. A Society of people who collect them. Mystery. Travel. Add in a dash of murder and romantic subplot and tons of beautiful imagery throughout....

The Society of Unknowable Objects is my first book by Gareth Brown and I absolutely loved it! It's that magical realism side of fantasy that feels grounded in real life while having those glimmers of 'whoa magic is real' making it a perfect type of fantasy book for someone who may not typically read the genre. The book description for this one was so enticing it encouraged me to request it.

What I loved most:
- It had adventure and intrigue. The magical objects they searched for reminded me of my favorite parts of the TV show Warehouse 13. The story kept moving and I felt pulled in to read this book from page one. You also have some lovely thrilling, keep you on the edge of your seat moments written in with the way Brown jumped perspectives.
- Magda's main character energy was so engaging that her perspective was my favorite to read. The way she processed things going on around her felt natural and I loved that because it made her feel relatable.
- There's a bit of romantic subplot but it's actually subplot and doesn't take up the main focus of the book. I love a good romance but I'm so glad the fantasy/magic elements of this book were the thing to really shine!
- The objects!!! I loved every time a new object came into play because my mind just kept going "what's this one going to do?!?"

It's a 4.5/5 rounded up because I was engaged and interested to continue reading. There were a few slow parts when the perspective changed and, while part of me would love for them to not be there, I believe they made the story that much more interesting when you look at the whole picture. I'm definitely excited to read more by Brown!

Thanks to Netgalley, William Morrow, and Gareth Brown for sending me an ARC of The Society of Unknowable Objects in exchange for an honest review.

I am not going to lie, this book has a slow start and then mid to ending there is so much going on. It came together nicely because I was beginning to have a lot of unanswered questions and I still do about one of the characters but, those questions died when the character died. I loved the writing style and it was a nice read once you really start to get into the groove of things. Magda finally got to see what really happened to her mother and I find it insane of the creation of the magical items. There were times where I was thinking of some things to create to put inside of the book but, in learning, not a human because they are unkillable. #netgalley

Thank you #netgalley and #harpercollins for the early copy of The Society of Unknowable Objects. Gareth Brown is 2 for 2! While I didn’t quite enjoy this one as much as The Book of Doors I still really liked it. I adored all of the magical items and how they worked! I felt the pace was a bit off for me though. Maybe I’m so used to fantasy being drawn out trilogies but I feel like I would have loved to spend more time in this magical world! I liked the book, but I LOVED the ending!!! So fun! Can’t wait to see what Mr. Brown has in store for us next! I hope we stay in this world!

I really struggled to read this book. I would pick it up, I would put it down. There were some times that I found it really engaging in others where I wanted to prod my eyeballs out there are some moments where I found. There was a way too much detail. In fact they’re definitely was. This was a different kind of fantasy book than what I’m used to so maybe I am just not the right audience.

It was realistic with a hint of fantasy. Perhaps it was just a little too realistic for my taste.

Thank you NETGALLEY for the arc!

Review for The Society of Unknowable Objects by Gareth Brown

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5 stars)

The Society of Unknowable Objects is a mesmerizing, thought-provoking novel that completely surprised me. It’s different from my usual reads, but I found myself utterly captivated by its unique premise, rich atmosphere, and compelling characters.

Gareth Brown weaves an intricate story filled with mystery, philosophy, and a touch of the surreal. The writing is immersive, drawing me into a world that feels both familiar and wonderfully strange. The themes of curiosity, destiny, and the unknown were explored in such a fascinating way that I couldn’t put it down.

This book is perfect for readers who enjoy intelligent, genre-bending fiction with a touch of magic. A truly unforgettable read! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I loved this book. I didn’t think I could love another book as much as I loved The Book of Doors, but I was wrong. The Society of Unknowable Objects was just as fantastic, and I very much loved it. And that ending! Now I’m dying to know how the story is going to progress from here.

Brown has created such a great magic system taking place in the modern world. The cast of characters was so good, each one unique and very entertaining. And the magical items themselves were so creative. I just enjoyed everything about this book, if you couldn’t tell.

Brown is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers, with both of his books getting a 5 star rating from me. Love them!

Thank you to William Morrow Books and NetGalley for sending me an advanced copy of this book.

I didn’t love this as much as the book of doors but I did still really love it! The first half of the book was a little slow but the second half made up for it! This author is really talented and I can’t wait to see what’s next!

thank you to net galley and harper collins for the arc!! i was so excited to receive this one because I really enjoyed the book of doors. it’s hard to recapture the magic of a really great debut, but the society of unknowable objects does a pretty good job. this was another fun and easy fantasy read with lovable characters, some weirdness, and lots of magical objects. the plot was a lot less straightforward than the book of doors. I felt like some of the middle was just filler. I also think that this book’s true villain was weaker as a character than the villain in brown’s debut. regardless, I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the book of doors & i’m excited to continue reading books in this little universe!!

What would you do if you discovered than an every day object - a chess piece, a pair of cufflinks, a coin, a necklace - was actually magical and allowed you to do incredible things? Would you use it for good? For bad? Or would you hide it away to protect it from anyone using it, for good or evil?

That is the very purpose of the Society of Unknowable Objects - to collect and protect magical objects to keep them from people who may want to use them for good. When a new item potentially appears after decades of no new items being discovered, a member of the society sets out to confirm if its is a real magical object. Things go very wrong when a mysterious man shows up to claim the magical object that sets off a chain of events that spans across three continents.

I was so excited to have an opportunity to read this new book from Gareth Brown. His first book, The Book of Doors, was my top read of 2024 and this book didn't disappointment.

Thank you to Gareth Brown, William Morrow, and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to get the ARC for this one because I had enjoyed Gareth Brown's first book, The Book of Doors, so much. I love how unique his magic systems feel to me, and the unknowable objects were no exception. Magda felt real, despite her living with this extraordinary knowledge of a magical world.

I fully enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more by Gareth Brown as soon as he writes them.

When I saw this book on NetGalley I requested it immediately. I read The Book of Doors Last Year, also by Gareth Brown, and I loved it so much I gave it to a bunch of people for Christmas. I loved his new book just as much. It is equally magical, touching, and exciting. The characters are lovable and fun, getting to know them was a delight.

A decade ago, Magda received a mysterious letter from her mother, Imelda, shortly after her funeral. The letter explains Imelda is part of a secret organization called The Society of Unknowable Objects. Along with three other members, Imelda keeps magical objects safe from the general public and has done so Magda’s entire life. The group meets two times per year and Imelda goes on to explain the ins and outs of the Society. Now that her mother is dead, her membership is passed on to Magda.

For the past ten years, Magda has shown up at the twice yearly meetings, nothing exciting happening, and no new objects acquired. Then Frank, the group’s leader, receives correspondence from an unknown man in Hong Kong, informing Frank he has a magical object to share with the Society. This kicks off a set of magical events that changes the four of them forever.

The Society of Unknowable Objects is a fun, world spanning tale of magic and mystery. The plot surprised me and kept me guessing. When I thought I figured out where it was going, something else extraordinary would happen. Magda is such a fun person to follow along on the journey. She’s someone I’d like to be friends with. I loved it and I look forward to more captivating books from Gareth Brown in the future.

You can get your own copy of this amazing book August 12, 2025.

This author is the best. He does it all. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It was marvelous. Highly recommend it to anyone. 10/10

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, in return for my unbiased review.

If you loved "The Book of Doors" (and I LOVED it), this is a fantastic 2nd book from Brown. It is about a society that collects, well, "unknowable" objects. I don't think you should know anything else going into this book. But much like BoD, it has great characters, great villains, wild originality, and a touch of romance/friendship connections that humanize it. I can't recommend this author's work highly enough.

I loved his first book so much. The second was not as great, but still good. I really liked how it tied into the first book and cannot wait for there to be more. Easily one of my favorite new authors.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for sending me an ARC of The Society of Unknowable Objects in exchange for an honest review.

The Goodreads description of this book tells you every you need to know about the plot, so I’ll jump directly to my thoughts.

The Society of Unknowable Objects can be read as a standalone novel, though it is loosely connected to Mr. Browns debut novel, The Book of Doors. There’s a cameo by Cassie, and the ending definitely implies a third book featuring characters from both books.

The Society of Unknowable Objects is a good story, though I have to admit I didn’t love it the way I loved The Book of Doors. Maybe it hit a few too many similar beats, or maybe I just didn’t like the villains as much, but the book didn’t grab me as much as the first one did. And I wonder if the ending will come back to haunt Magda and the rest of the Society. Still, I certainly recommend The Society of Unknowable Objects, and I’m looking forward to the next book by Gareth Brown.

this was magical and so good. i love the mystery and seeing how much the love of books was shown. the books by this author are so good

I really wanted to like this, I loved Gareths first book, but I’m going to DNF. I got about half way, and truly am not engaged. The concept is good, and maybe I’ll give it another go later on. But sadly I found myself extremely bored 😭 I really wanted to like it, and I very rarely DNF a book, but I just couldn’t force my way!
Thank you netgalley for the ARC!

Another 5-star read from Gareth Brown, who has quickly become one of my favorite fantasy authors. Brown's magic systems are complex yet involve ordinary, simple objects. The idea that you could be picking up a book, a piece of jewelry, or a hairbrush and it could contain unforeseeable and unknowable magical capabilities is such an interesting concept. Similar to his first book, I adored the cast of characters and their relationships with each other. The age-old line "with great power comes great responsibility" is a major theme of Brown's work. What would you do if you had all of this power at your fingertips? And that ending?? I had a huge smile on my face as I read the last chapter.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and 1,000 times thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of this book after wishing for it. I loved every minute of it.