Book Review: The Society of Unknowable Objects by Gareth Brown
After reading The Book of Doors, I was excited to read this second book by Gareth Brown.
Description: From the author of the internationally bestselling The Book of Doors, another fantastical, stand-alone novel in which a trio of seemingly everyday people are members of a secret society tasked with finding and protecting hidden magical objects—ordinary items with extraordinary properties.
Brown doesn’t shy away from pushing his characters into dangerous situations. And I was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book. At times it made me anxious, but the characters were so likable that I had to continue reading to see how things played out for them. I was trying to predict how events would unfold, and at times, I was really shocked when they took a completely different turn.
I think the pacing of the book made sense because once conflicts arose, it was just boom, next thing. Very similar to his first book. However, I do think the first novel allowed for a personal conflict of the unknown, which Cassie was able to resolve with closure on the page for the reader. Magda was able to discover things she had always wondered about Frank and her mother’s last moments. But the face-to-face resolution of that pain, she didn’t get to have that moment on the page. It just felt like it wasn’t touched upon as much as I would have liked. However, I suppose it just shows how the character evolved from the beginning, as a writer hiding in her novels, dreaming of adventure, wanting to be part of something larger than herself, and being closer to her mother in some way, and then finally getting to live a life she wanted. Loved the last scene.
Although it is a standalone novel, I love the tie-in with the universe of his first book. A fun Easter egg for those who have read The Book of Doors, and hopefully for those who have yet to read it, a gentle nudge to start.
The publisher provided my arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
