What a joy to read this book! Intricate and compelling plot, wonderful characters, world building second to none!

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.

There's a lot to like about this book, but I also think there's a lot that needs to be fixed. Lots of the prose is clunky and repetitive, making the story drag in even the more tense bits.

The biggest issue that I have with this story is that the stakes are WAY too low for what the book is going for. No sense of urgency, no intent on resolution, but instead they just happen upon the answers every single time? Weird.

I'm sure some people will like this book, I know I have a list of people I'll be recommending it to, but I don't think this story was worth it for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC copy of this book.

This is tough. If I hadn't read Brown's other novel, I likely would have rated this one higher. It was just too similar. I am shamelessly a plot driven reader, and these plots were far to much alike. A group of characters keeping secret objects/books out of the hands of people who would abuse them. Traveling the globe to collect the objects/books to keep them safe from the "bad guys". Ugh. I felt like I wasted my time on this one. I was real tempted to start skimming this book by the end. The positives- the magics are cool and it's very readable.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and William Morrow. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Thriller, Suspense
Language: Peppered with profanity

THE SOCIETY OF UNKNOWABLE OBJECTS plays off the same world of THE BOOK OF DOORS.

I enjoyed this book. It is less complicated than the first book. It is based in the same universe but is not a series. All the people are new, but the problem is similar with those in power wanting more.

This was a quick read, and I would recommend it if you loved the first book. I'm interested to see where else this author goes in the future.

Happy reading!

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with an eARC.

This was a fun, fast-paced read. I love books about magical objects, especially when descriptive. I liked the setting and the magic system in general. The characters were likeable as well. I think I would have enjoyed it even more if I had read The Book of Doors first, I think there's a connection in the epilogue which might be related to a possible third book in the near future. The PoV switches were done quite well, giving context to the scenarios appropriately. The ending was predictable after a certain fact was revealed somewhere in between (no spoilers here) so I was mildly disappointed by that. Otherwise this is a great urban fantasy, almost cozy book with a found family.

Oh my gosh, I drank this book like a strawberry smoothie on a hot summer day. Gareth has such a way with words, kept me guessing with some many huhs and whats when I was reading.

I was happy, sad, and anxious waiting to find out what this secret society was hiding and it did not disappoint. Even seems like there is another book to come? If so I can’t wait to read it!

The second book by the author of one of my favorites from last year: The Book Of Doors.

The best way to describe this story is utterly bizarre but totally captivating. At first I thought this story seemed too similar to The Book of Doors, being about magical books and magical items that bring excitement and danger alike, but as I kept reading I realized this should be marketed as the second in the series, as the stories overlap.
And the epilogue which weaves the two books together- perfection.
Definitely check out these books if you like magical realism. Thank you NetGalley! Due out in August.

Magda is a member of The Society of Unknowable Objects, a position she inherited from her mother. Along with Frank, Will, and Henry, the other society members, the society meets every six months and protects the unknown objects, which are items that contain magic, from the world. Since Magda has been a member, the society has never added any new items. But now Frank has been made aware of the existence of an object in Hong Kong and Magda is off to retrieve it. But complications occur, and now Magda is questioning the society, its members, and everything she thinks she knew about magic.

I was excited to read this book as I really liked Brown’s first book, The Book of Doors. (I read and reviewed The Book of Doors a few weeks ago!) Like The Book of Doors, this book is filled with magic and the characters are on a quest to keep the world safe. I enjoyed this story and liked how Brown would often end a chapter with a puzzling statement that kept me turning the page.

By the end of this novel, I liked this book just as much as The Book of Doors. They are both fantastic reads. If you liked The Book of Doors then you will enjoy this book, and I highly recommend reading this. Overall this book kept me intrigued, and I read it very quickly. It’s a fun magical mystery!

Magda is a member of The Society of Unknowable Objects, a position she inherited from her mother. Along with Frank, Will, and Henry, the other society members, the society meets every six months and protects the unknown objects, which are items that contain magic, from the world. Since Magda has been a member, the society has never added any new items. But now Frank has been made aware of the existence of an object in Hong Kong and Magda is off to retrieve it. But complications occur, and now Magda is questioning the society, its members, and everything she thinks she knew about magic.

I was excited to read this book as I really liked Brown’s first book, The Book of Doors. Like The Book of Doors, this book is filled with magic and the characters are on a quest to keep the world safe. I enjoyed this story and liked how Brown would often end a chapter with a puzzling statement that kept me turning the page.

I slightly preferred The Book of Doors because it was the first and felt more original at the time. I also liked the characters in The Book of Doors better. If you liked The Book of Doors then you will enjoy this book, and I recommend reading this. Overall this book kept me intrigued, and I read it very quickly. It’s a fun magical mystery.

THANK YOU for approving my ARC request!

I am so, so excited that I got to read the ARC. I am not remotely surprised that I enjoyed this book. I am perhaps one of the few reviewers that has not read the Book of Doors, but I will be next. This novel, in my opinion, can be read without having read the previous novel, which is set in the same universe. I can see how reading tBoD can elevate this read, though!

The Society of Unknowable Objects is so engaging and thrilling and full of a subtle humor and warmth that is hard to master. Gareth Brown does it very well, and it just draws you in deeper. I don't feel this novel was slow at all; I think it was very well paced, with each chapter being just as engaging and relevant as the previous. I had a complicated relationship with Magda; she frustrated me at times, as she could've avoided certain situations, and she felt quite immature... often. However, this did not deter me enough to not finish the book.

There is magic in the world. It can be experienced through magical objects. But some objects are dangerous. Magic in the wrong hands can be dangerous. Hence, the society, intent on gathering the magical objects and keeping them out of the hands of those who would abuse them.

This was a fun read, although I sometimes found it a little slow. This was made further with perspectives we didn’t necessarily need. I also didn’t wholly love Magda. A lot of the situations she found herself in could have been easily avoided, or she could have easily resolved them.

But on the whole, I enjoyed this one, and I loved the tie to book 1, and the fact this can be read as a standalone, but also together with book 1. I’m looking forward to seeing where this will lead.

TL;DR: 2 of 5 stars. Read it for the premise, magical items, and plot twists, but skip it if you can’t get past extremely cringe dialogue and character writing.

I requested an ARC of this book because I had heard great things about Gareth’s first novel, The Book of Doors. But this was a hard one for me. I think the only reason I kept on plugging instead of adding this one to the DNF pile is that there was *just* enough good stuff happening. It’s fairly well-paced. The magical items are fun to read about, and there’s a good deal of mystery and secrets regarding how the secret society that collects them was formed. It’s certainly hard not to be intrigued by all that as a reader.

However, Brown’s characters are flatter than flat. Their dialogue is painfully awkward to read. The main character—Magda—was so babyish that it was very difficult to stomach. Most of her actions stem wholly from either her infantile crush on a man she’s just met, or her childish wonder at all things magic.

Many thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This story tells us that there are magical objects - from books to chess pieces to maps - in our world. Some of the objects were left over from a time when magic was accepted as real and other objects were made fairly recently. All these objects appear benign, but if used in the wrong hands can wreak havoc on our world. The Society of Unknowable Objects was formed to collect those magical objects to protect them and us. But, as usually is the case when dealing with unknowable objects not everything is as it seems to be, including the Society.

The author let his imagination run amok as he envisioned a whole host of unknowable objects, and his readers received a huge gift because he did. Gareth Brown is a talented author who knows how to keep his readers reading into the very early hours of the morning wanting - no, needing - to finish one more chapter.

This is a book to be savored because it is well written, the world building is imaginative, and the storyline is complex with unexpected twists and turns. By the end of the book, Brown tied up potential loose ends, the romance in this romantasy was in its infant stage, his readers are left hoping there will be many more books from him.

My thanks to Morrow and NetGalley for an eARC.

Gareth Brown has written another book that can pull readers into a magical adventure. I was hooked after page 1.

The Society of Unknowable Objects exists in secret with three members who are the keepers of magical artifacts. They keep them locked up so as to not fall into the wrong hands that can misuse them to create havoc. They have a meeting every six months in the basement of a bookshop in London. Hearing of a new magical artifact, Frank Simpson sends Magda Sparks to investigate and retrieve it in Hong Kong.

Along her journey she meets James Wei and runs into an unknown antagonist who is a professional killer. This killer has great knowledge of the objects, planning to steal the one possessed by James Wei. Magda, fleeing for her life, returns to London determined to learn all the secrets surrounding the society.

I enjoyed the twists and magic this story offered. I was excited to get approved and get my hands on this eBook. I recommend it to everyone who enjoys a magical thrilling adventure with outstanding characters and writing.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC eBook.

Thank you to William Morrow for the eARC!

I read Gareth Brown's debut novel, The Book of Doors, last year and it instantly shot to the top of my favorite books list. It was exactly the kind of low fantasy book I love - unique premise, very engaging, and surprisingly dark and foreboding. So when I saw Brown had a new novel coming out this year that seemed to be in a similar vein, I jumped at that 'Request' button as soon as I saw it available on NetGalley, and was truly THRILLED when I got accepted. I put off reading it until now so my thoughts would be fresh for pub day in a couple of weeks, and wow, what a fun ride!

If anyone has any reservations about whether this will be as good as The Book of Doors, DON'T. The Society of Unknowable Objects was just as fun, intriguing, creative, and dark, but all in its own way. I enjoyed the characters (Magda! James! Henry!) and the setting (believe it or not, I found myself pining for a cold, rainy day in a London bar - probably because it's currently 95 where I live). I also really enjoyed the creativity of Brown's brain in coming up with so many cool magical objects and found myself looking forward to each new reveal. I was once again fairly horrified (in a good way) at the darker aspects of this book - Lukas's character will sit with me for awhile, just as The Woman in TBOD did. The twists and turns were great, and maybe because I read the book in only about 36 hours, I didn't see any of them coming, making it even more fun. Lastly, I loved the small tie-ins to TBOD, and hope that in future books we'll get to see more crossover between these worlds (which it seems are the same world). Overall, I had a GREAT time with this book and will be recommending it as far as wide as I recommend TBOD. Thank you for letting us into your fun brain, Gareth!

The Society of Unknowable Objects. A small group of people in London, who, in an unassuming book store basement, have been keeping magical items out of the hands of the general public for decades. It’s been decades since a new artifact has come to light until they get a message from Hong Kong. Author Magda Sparks is sent to meet with the person who has reported it, but she is not the only one seeking the item out. Murder, magic, and mayhem follow, both around the society and within it.
This book hooked me from the beginning, the writing making me want to learn more. The characters are people I came to care about. There is a little bit of romance that I thought wasn’t fleshed out well, I don’t care for the “love at first sight” trope, but once the new artifact surfaces, the action is almost nonstop and it was a page turner after that! The magic system was different from anything else I’ve read, which also made it interesting. I’m already looking forward to the sequel!
Genres: Fantasy, Magical Realism, Mystery
Thank you to Netagalley and the publishers for the advanced readers' copy in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️½ (3.5/5)

Gareth Brown’s The Society of Unknowable Objects is an atmospheric and imaginative debut that explores the power of hidden knowledge, the magic of books, and the weight of legacy. It begins with a tragedy: Magda, a quiet London bookseller & undercover author, is thrust into a world of secrecy and supernatural mystery when her mother unexpectedly dies while searching for one of the world’s “unknowable objects.” Left behind is a letter filled with cryptic instructions—and the truth about the secret society her mother served.

Magda becomes the unlikely heir to her mother’s mission, pulled into a world where certain books and objects carry power too dangerous for the average person to possess. Frank, the head of the Society and a near father figure to Magda, becomes her guide, while other characters—including the steadfast and kind-hearted James—bring warmth and heart to a story that often feels cloaked in shadows.

While the book’s premise is rich and intriguing, I found the execution somewhat uneven. There were times when the story failed to fully hold my attention, and some plot developments felt a bit too predictable given the mysterious setup. Still, I stayed invested—largely because of the characters, particularly James, who stood out as my personal favorite.

Brown’s writing is elegant, and the novel explores interesting themes: grief, knowledge, trust, and the responsibility that comes with knowing too much. If you’re someone who enjoys slow-burn literary mysteries with a touch of the surreal, this may be a good fit. For me, while it didn’t quite reach its full potential, it was still a thoughtful and enjoyable read—and I’ll be curious to see what Gareth Brown writes next.

In London, there is a group of four people who are charged with the knowledge that in this world, magical items exist. They are the Society of Unknowable Objects, and they keep these magical items locked away from the world.
Magda is a third generation society member and she loves magic, that is until she volunteers to go to Hong Kong to meet a man who says he has a magical item and everything goes wrong. As Magda starts to unravel the secrets of the magical items and the society, she battles with her conscience on whether these items are good or evil.

Another masterpiece! I adore this world of magical realism that is created. The writing style is easy to follow and I love the seamless way he bounces between points of view to add to the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Willam Morrow for the opportunity to read this ARC!

very well done and interesting fantasy/thriller/adventure book that generally works really well! would recommend. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

Another great magical adventure from Gareth Brown. Should magical objects be used or forgotten? Brown explores this theme along with friendship, relationships and connection.

Characters 4
Plot 4
Themes 5
Setting 4.5
Emotional Impact 5
Personal Impact 4

Overall 4.5