WOW.
This book has it all - magic, intrigue, a really great villain, romance, and gorgeous prose. I was honestly nervous to read it because I loved the Book of Doors so much, but I needn’t have been because this book was brilliant.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 4.5 out of 5
Spice: None (a couple brief kisses)
⚠️ Pretty heavy on the graphic violent content. Content/trigger warnings at the bottom.

The Society of Unknowable Objects exists to keep magic safe; to keep it out of the wrong hands. But Magda finds out pretty quick that magic isn’t quite as contained as she thought. She sets off on an adventure to track down a magical chess piece, which launches a course of events that unravels the world she thought she knew. She also meets the handsome James and their romance is very sweet and adds a lightheartedness to an otherwise very dark and somber story.

This book has a wonderful cast of characters. I especially found the villain, Lukas, super intriguing. The characters are all a bit flawed, just like we all are, which makes a story filled with magic feel like it could really be happening.

I found myself rereading sentences over and over because they were just so beautiful. The story itself is super unique and captivating. I was up late a few nights just thinking about it.

Even though the book is about magic, it’s super relevant to the world today. One quote I loved (and hated) - “this was the American South—buying gun was way less suspicious than stealing one. He was just another guy on a day like any other, purchasing death as easily as he might buy a bag full of groceries or a tank full of gas…”

Why 4.5 stars rather than 5? I found the ending to be a bit unsatisfying, although I think it’s meant to be that way. It definitely left me thinking about it. Also, I know it can’t compare to the Book of Doors because that book was just so so special to me, but it didn’t hit quite as hard as that one, and it’s impossible to not feel a little let down by comparison.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the arc!










⚠️ Content/trigger warnings: Lots of graphic violence, both fantasy and real, including gun violence. Sudden death of a parent. Childhood illness. There are multiple scenes in the point of view of an assassin, and graphic descriptions of how he killed his victims.

Brilliant! I really enjoyed this and flew through it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

I love the premise of this book. One of my favorite things in speculative fiction is secret organizations, and this one is fun and unique. Also, they meet in a bookshop? Even better. I appreciate the way magic is handled in this world. The characters were interesting and entertaining. I would get frustrated with them at times because of the choices they made, and that just made them feel more real to me. The plot took some surprise turns! I haven't read Gareth Brown's first novel, but now that I've read this one I plan to read that as well. I like what he's building here!

Well, I really enjoyed this second book by Gareth Brown! This story is in no way related to his first book other than the existence of magic.
The story centers around four characters who are members of a secret society whose purpose is to protect the world from having magical artifacts fall into the hands of people who would use them for nefarious purposes. Lots of adventure and intrigue. I would enjoy seeing these characters in another story. If you enjoyed his first book, I think you would probably like this one as well. Happy reading!

Thank you William Morrow Books and Netgalley for providing me an advanced copy of this book to read and review.

In this book, Gareth Brown takes us on another magic adventure. We follow the Society of Unknowable Objects and their quest to find a new unknowable object. This quest takes you on many twists and turns as we find out just what the unknowable objects are really capable of.

I loved that this book has a unique magic system, found family, and a hint of romance. The characters were all different from one another but balanced each other well. I also loved the subtle nods to "The Book of Doors."

***Slight spoiler***
My only critique of this book is how much time was spent focused on Owen for him to end up only being a small piece of the overall plot.

Thank you, #Partner @williammorrowbooks @harpercollins and @netgalley, for my #gifted (free) copy. Pub date 8/12/25.

I read #garethbrown debut novel "The Book Of Doors" back in 2023, and it was one of my favorites of the year. The second I saw he had a new novel coming out, I immediately begged to read it early! OMG, this book was just as good if not better than TBOD. I am not a big fantasy reader, but Gareth is one of the best storytellers I have ever had the privilege to read. Anything he writes I will be reading, and I can guarantee it will be a five-star read. If you haven't read The Book Of Doors, I highly recommend reading it first. Although it's an entirely different cast of characters, there are many nods to TBOD in this novel. The ending was absolutely phenomenal, and I'm already ready for book 3!!! Pre-order and add to your WL and start reading #TheBookOfDoors in the meantime.

A magical world with magical secret everyday objects that nobody would know is magical unless you are looking for them. The four member society meets up twice a year to talk about the secret objects they are looking for, but unfortunately, it's been quite for some time. Then luck changes, and Frank, the leader, sends Magda on a journey to Honk Kong to collect the new magical object. The quest is not going as planned, and unfortunately, Magda may be bringing an unwanted visitor back to London with her, along with information about her past. Can she trust the other members in the society? 5 stars!

I absolutely loved The Book of Doors so I was so excited to read this one and it did not disappoint!
The Society of Unknowable Objects follows Magda, a writer who has recently lost her mother. Magda has inherited her mother's spot in the Society and learns of magical objects they collect and protect. It is usually quiet with meetings twice a year but when they learn of a magical object in Hong Kong Magda is sent to collect it. She soon learns that she is not the only one there for the object.
I really enjoyed this book. It was a little slow in the beginning but once the action starts I feel like it kept going. The imagery in some scenes is phenomenal, the magic system is really cool, the dual villains, secrets and lies... Do we use the magic we are given, also how do we decide to use these magics? What really is good vs. evil? Lots of thoughts.
Would recommend to anyone who loved Warehouse 13, who wants a magical storyline with little romance (this one is very light), and anyone who loved The Book of Doors.
*Note this can be read as a stand alone but there are connections to The Book of Doors. I would highly recommend reading that first you'll be happy you did.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc! This was an entertaining, whimsical read with easy to follow magical world building. It had the classic British style, straight to the point, writing but was also descriptive enough to set the beautiful scenes. Magda is a writer following in her deceased mother’s footsteps as a member of a secret society for magical objects; when a new object is discovered in Hong Kong, Magda takes off on an adventure for which she ends up seemingly unprepared and ends up in a world of danger, secrets, and of course—magic.

First and foremost, a huge thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts are my own.

That being said, I enjoyed this! This follows three members of a secret society tasked with cataloging and protecting magical objects. The main focus is on Magda, a young woman and the group’s newest member, whose mother was once part of the organization. It follows her as she tries to apprehend a man willing to kill over these magical objects. At times, I was a bit confused and the pacing of this is pretty slow up until the halfway point. After that, a lot of action goes on and the plot absolutely ramps up. I liked the conclusion, but considering I have not yet read the author’s previous work, The Book of Doors, some of it was a tad lost on me. I’m sure I would have liked it more if I had read Brown’s previous novel. That being said, I think this is absolutely worth a read! It touches on friendship and wanting to belong in a very unique way.

Overall, I recommend this book for people who want a bit of magic in their novels (that isn’t super hard to understand), stories on belonging, and fans of atmospheric, cozy tales.

“The Society of Unknowable Objects” by Gareth Brown is a splendid magical fantasy about a secret society that has been tasked with keeping the public unaware and safe from magical objects. The story follows a woman author who is the newest member of the society, and whose deceased mother was a founding member. She is sent to Hong Kong to investigate the emergence of a rare and dangerous object and quickly finds herself caught up in a murder and fleeing for her life. The thrilling journey to capture the “unknowable objects” takes us from a book store in London to the southern states of the US with many unexpected twists and turns.This book blends mystery, fantasy and magic in an exciting and imaginative way and for me this book was even more enjoyable than the author’s first book and I’d say that is magical in itself! I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys this genre!

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The society of Unknowable Objects. I loved The Book of Doors by this author. These books are truly different than any other books I have read recently.
This book centers on Magda who is a writer and an author. She is part of a group of people who have an unusual interest in magic. Magda and her group meet two times a year to discuss their ideas and their thoughts on magic.
This group has been around for decades and passed down to their descendants. Magda’s mother was a member but she died years ago.
This group has stored objects that can do special things. These objects are ordinary but they can do unimaginable things. They can make you disappear or maybe fly. . But this group must keep them hidden from the public because the good they do could also be used to create evil.
Magda is called upon to retrieve an object in Hong Kong and this is when Magda sees what evil truly looks like.
This book is fascinating and descriptive. Great characters and very different I was caught up with the story and plot. Possible sequel I hope.
Very good! 4.5 stars

Gareth Brown's debut, The Book of Doors, was one of my favorite fantasy reads of last year, and The Society of Unknowable Objects was just as enjoyable. This was so fun and fast-paced, and the villain just hurt my heart in the best way.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for sending me this book!

Gareth Brown's debut – [book:The Book of Doors|156480764] – was easily one of my top 5 from last year and ranks high on my all time favorites list. I've been counting down since I saw that he was putting his second book out, and immediately dropped everything to start this the second I received my copy.

This is another story with a FMC and ominous magical objects, but don't let that make you think it will be a repeat of The Book of Doors! In this book, the magical responsibility is passed down the family line upon death, and as you can imagine, there are some who are more willing than others to take on the obligation of this secret society. I loved the pacing of this story – I felt grabbed right from the jump and stayed engaged throughout the story as little hints were dropped.

The rest of my review contains SPOILERS, you've been warned.

The entire book I was wondering if we were in the same world as Cassie and The Fox Library and I was absolutely LOSING MY MIND (!!!!!!!!) when the woman enters the bookshop and then reveals herself to Magda as Cassie. LOSING MY MIND! The possibility that these worlds overlapped made total sense to me, but I didn't anticipate that they were going to actually intersect and I was SO THRILLED at the possibility that we may see a story where these two women are interacting with their respective magical objects.

I also really, really loved the darkness surrounding Lukas. All of the descriptions of him were so creepy and just wrong – it really added to the reveal of how he came to be.

Solid, solid 4.5 – I will for sure be purchasing a copy for my shelf!

This storyline had promise, but fell short in my opinion. The story is quite disjointed and distracting. The characters didn’t have enough depth to create buy-in and the random pieces of information thrown out in the middle of an event are distracting.

Thank you too William Morrow and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this ARC. I was enamored with this book from page one. The writing drew me in from the start and I settled in and savored the adventure. The characters were well developed. Even when I hated them, I felt a sense of understanding. The story developed a magic system that was unique and made me grapple with the question of what I would do if faced with these magic items. The end of the epilogue made me wonder if there was another book to come and I'd be open to visiting this world again. Not a cliffhanger but an opening for more. Overall I recommend this book for all who are intrigued by magic realism, adventure, sprinkles of romance, and simply are looking for a good book.

Loved the Book of Doors so was delighted to see a new book by the author and it did not disappoint. Really looking forward to rereading 10 years from now as this book will change for the reader in different times in their life. Well done

Thank you to Netgalley and William and Morrow for the arc in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Aaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!! I can’t stop!!!! If you loved The Book of Doors read this IMMEDIATELY. Arg I can’t write anything or I’ll spoil it. But I need to discuss this book!!! Like now!!! Read the book and do NOT. SKIP. THE. EPILOGUE.

The premise is solid—secret societies, magical objects, and a chase across the world—but the execution felt uneven. The first half dragged, bogged down by exposition and Magda’s questionable decision-making, but the second half picked up with more action and intrigue. While the magic system and worldbuilding were compelling, some character choices and pacing issues kept this from being as immersive as it could have been.

First off, I loved the Book of Doors. So, the bar was pretty high for this one.

The Society of Unknowable Objects pulls you into a similar world where history and magic intertwine, and no one—not even the protectors of powerful artifacts—can be fully trusted. The story zips from London to Hong Kong to the American South, unraveling long-buried secrets and throwing its characters into danger at every turn. Magda Sparks, though a bit too plucky for her own good (and honestly a little annoying) makes for an interesting guide through this shadowy underworld. It has some twists and turns that I wasn't expecting, and some that I was. I'd definitely read more in the world.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Unknowable objects are magical items (really cool items!) that posses power - and that most people know nothing about. Three people are members of a secret society in London, tasked with keeping the general public unaware of the existence of the magical objects, for the objects could also be harmful to people, too. Frank has been a member of the society the longest, when he learns of a new object coming to light in Hong Kong, and decides to send the newest member, Magda, to investigate. Once Magda arrives in Hong Kong, it becomes evident others know about this new object as well - and is intent to kill to keep her away from it. Even more concerning, this person knows all about the other unknowable objects as well, especially one that was stolen from him decades prior. Magda is able to get away, but only by using an object that the other members of the society do not even know about. Once she returns to London, she learns the society is not just about keeping the objects safe, but that there are a lot more secrets being kept.

I loved the concepts tossed about in this book! Who decides if magic is good or evil? Do we even have the "right" to possess the magic? This book also has a ton of excitement, so if you enjoyed this author's book about the magical doors, you will love this book. There are twists and then it is all pulled together, and really is a great read that you will continue to think about (especially because of that epilogue!).

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.