A secret society, the most powerful of all the mages in existence given the chance to be a part of it, a mystery wrapped within an enigma. That was how this was packaged.

The writing is dense and imaginative, the ideas are good and plentiful, but by the time I got to the end of it, I couldn't help but feel that I'd finished the first part of a book that had taken a very long time to get to the beginning of the story. I understand the need for complex and vivid characters, but in order to have them be something more than words upon a page, they have to do things and be the sum of the potential they are given, and it felt like there was a lot of discussion about what could have been and less of what actually was.

Worldbuilding was superb, it's clear there's a lot of work gone into it, but it just didn't click for me.

At first I thought I was just going to be confused by this book, and, while it happened a few times, all the information and conversations in the book didn't keep me from completely enjoyed the story. We have six characters, each with their POVs chapters, so we understand more who they are and what do they want from the experience they find themselves into. None of them are 100% good nor 100% bad. They are more or less in the middle, maybe some nearing the bad and others the opposite. I didn't have favorites; I actually restrained myself from creating a bond with any of them because I wanted to be impartial and see how the story would unravel. It wasn't entirely possible. and I was fascinated by some characters more than other, and one in particular I care less and think they didn't have as much presence as the others.
I've seen people describe the book as smart, and they're right. The book analyzes abstract concepts, fueled by the magical reality of the world the character live in, and it goes on and on about certain concepts. It's extremely intriguing and I was invested, not only in the characters, but also in what they were talking about, their background stories, what they were doing, etc.
It's not a difficult written book, it just needs a bit of focus to follow, but if you find yourself into it, then everything flows smoothly and what happens may or may not catch you by surprise. I know I was caught unguarded a few times. Excellent books one may need to read again to catch details one misses during the first read.

The description of this book ticked a lot of boxes for me, and I was expecting to love it. But I didn’t.
Good points: it started well; six young(ish) magicians approached by an enigmatic stranger offering them the chance of a lifetime…. But no opportunity to read ‘the small print’.
There were interesting themes; a diversity of magical abilities, and human-ish beings, glimpses of how the magical and non-magical (Muggle?) worlds intertwined. Suspense, mystery and menace, all hinted at.
Then……it got a bit boring. The characters were not very likeable. Or relateable. It took me a while to get a couple of them sorted out in my head. And if I’d read one more mention of Libby’s annoying ‘bangs’ (fringe)……..
The story was very conversation driven; but the conversations were always very cryptic, full of non sequiturs and I frequently had to read sections more than once. And they were pretty dull.
However, just when I was beginning to hope it would finish soon, the story picked up its pace. Some things actually started to make sense.
I’m not desperately awaiting the sequel, though.

I have seen this book everywhere so I was so excited to try it. I didn’t really know much about it other than that it’s dark academia.

I enjoyed the dark academia vibe from the book and I liked the atmosphere it created. I also enjoyed the themes of the book for example the pursuit of Knowledge. I really liked the idea of this book and I will say that I think I enjoyed it overall. The writing style took me some time to get use to but I did eventually get into the book as the story felt a little all over. The writing does tell rather than show but that doesn’t bother me much.

I enjoyed the setting the most as I am a sucker for a school setting especially a magical school. I found the magic to be interesting and there is a lot of potential in it.

The main problem I had with this, is that the characters were unlikeable and they might have been written that way deliberately but unfortunately I just didn’t care for them. I don’t think there was a character that I liked or found interesting. There were some parts that seemed very pretentious too which was annoying.

Overall this was an okay read for me and I am glad that I read it. If there’s more books in the series I will continue as I found the setting and magic interesting.

This book blew my mind! Every single time I thought I knew what was happening a plot twist came and left me reeling! This book is very character driven and we get to see the point of views of all six characters. Each and every character is absolute chaos and I love them all so much. My favourites however are Nico and Libby, I absolutely loved their dynamic.

No one here is good. Knowledge is carnage. You can’t have it without sacrifice.

This book follows six people who have some incredible abilities as well as being some of the smartest minds on the planet. I loved every single one of them, they’re all so unique and each have their own story within the main story of them fighting for a spot to be part of the society. They each have their own strength and weaknesses and they have to learn to work together despite not trusting each other. When they get to the decision of who is going to be eliminated it was so interesting to see it from each of their point of views.

Really there was nothing more dangerous than a woman who knew her own worth.

Libby was one of my favourites because although she is incredibly smart and very capable, she has anxiety which shows in how she is constantly needing to prove herself and the way she fidgets all the time and it was so relatable. Nico is so caring and loyal to his friends and I loved seeing his friendship with Gideon. I also loved Parisa and how confident and smart she is and uses everything to her advantage even the fact that she incredibly beautiful which always makes others underestimate her. Tristan’s ability was also really interesting and one of my favourite scenes is of him and Libby working together to protect the library. Callum was one who I didn’t like until the end which honestly surprised me.

Either you believe you’re worthy or you don’t, end of story.

Right from the beginning I was completely hooked and stayed up late at night to read just one more chapter because I just needed to know everything! Every time I thought I had figured things out, I was left reeling because I did not in fact figure things out and it was such a wild ride! There is a lot of science in this and when I’m reading I felt like I was sitting in class with them listening to the smart kids talk about advanced science that had me feeling like I was not as smart as school had convinced me I was.

But princesses can be monstrous at times

I loved reading this book and the interactions between the characters especially Nico and Libby and their bickering but also knowing each other so well. The last part of the book were we finally start to see all the pieces fitting together and figuring out what everything has been leading up to was so satisfying and it had me screaming. Then we get to the end which was intense and an absolute wild ride and now I am dying in anticipation for the sequel because I need to know what will happen next.

This was a really fascinating read! I enjoyed the world building with its mix between modern and dark academia, and the definition is really interesting. I think this book shines by defining its main characters early on and immediately establishing their personality.
The pacing is a tad slow but the plot twists were very well executed.
Regarding the formatting, aesthetic, cover, I thought they made a very cohesive package that works together wonderfully.
The only thing I missed was a bit more depth. The book has a lot of really interesting ideas, characters, concepts, and I would love to see them be more fleshed out!

Juicy, compelling dark academia with all the backstabbing you can eat

I am reliably informed, every time I see any official marketing for The Atlas Six, that it is a Tiktok sensation: an originally indie published dark academia fantasy which gathered a huge viral audience and is now receiving a traditionally published debut with all of the bells and whistles that entails. As a non Tiktok user and a crumbly old thirty-something, this marketing isn't exactly aimed at me, and my prior experiences with dark academia (both the books and the educational experience) have been mixed, to say the least. On checking out The Atlas Six, I have discovered two things to definitely be true: one, I definitely don't care for this genre full of rude, overconfident and/or anxious prodigy characters in unnecessarily toxic but ~pretty environments; and two, The Atlas Six is a very compelling book despite that. So I guess I have a new favourite series in a least favourite subgenre now. Wonderful!

The premise of The Atlas Six - which it wastes no time in setting up - is that every decade, six highly talented young adults are selected for a two year... graduate-scheme-slash-cult-initiation in the Alexandrian Society, the heirs of the Library of Alexandria and a whole bunch of other lost and hidden research. At the end of their first year, five will progress to the second year of induction, and those who become full members will join an elite group full of wealthy, prestigious individuals who exert disproportionate influence over the world's powerful institutions. The Society, led by Atlas Blakely, taps six new mages (hereafter "the kids", because although they are in fact all adults they come across as super young to this crumbly old thirty-something) with various powers and personality problems. There's Libby and Nico, who have just graduated co-valedictorian from the same magic school, with the same speciality over physical objects, and detest each other to the point where they just can't leave each other alone. Reina exerts control over plants, but she hates her natural talent and prefers to pursue historical study instead. Parisa is a telepath who uses her abilities and her sex appeal to stay on top; Callum is a manipulative empath who alters the world around him to give himself the easiest ride possible; and Tristan is a big whiny baby who can see through illusions and possibly through the entire fabric of reality. (But not through the lies of the people manipulating him! Poor Tristan.) All six have grown up in a world where magic is a rare, generally hereditary ability, but it's also known to the wider population even if magical individuals have different career paths and circles open to them. We don't get much in the way of worldbuilding for the broader magical society, or much to go on when it comes to relationships between magical and non magical folks, but The Atlas Six does enough to set itself up and make its characters feel like they have come from a real, living world.

Stuffed into a house with no directions beyond "enjoy learning, kids!", the six start to unpack the mysteries behind the Alexandria Society. An attack on their first night by a whole host of enemies who were accidentally-on-purpose allowed to breach the wards that supposedly keep it safe - because it's not a dark academia unless your school is indifferent to your death - underlines both the society's precarious position and some of the darker elements of the kids' talents. What follows includes (in descending order of importance) scheming, backstabbing, tenuous alliances and study partnerships, conversations where characters tell each other about their magic in more or less flowery metaphors, enjoyable but transactional sex, dreamwalking with half-mer best friends, life-altering sex, holidays, and actual magical study where the characters (mostly Nico and Libby, who are the only two straight out of university who apparently still remember how to study) get to push the boundaries of reality. In all seriousness, there's a significant difference in how each character uses their magic to influence their lives, and while it kind of itches to see Parisa and Callum's abilities benefit them as they try to figure shit out and survive potential elimination while other characters get less of a chance to shine, the magic really works alongside the rest of the characterisation. By the end, the only member of the six who ends up genuinely shortchanged is Reina, who doesn't get a personal arc or come to any new understanding about her powers, and whose standoffishness leaves her disconnected from the balance of power around the rest of the five. Nico and Libby's connection to each other also hampers their interconnectedness with other characters at points, and they're the only characters who maintain significant relationships outside the Society, but Libby in particular gets opportunities to connect in sometimes very unexpected ways.

To say too much about the plot beyond the set up would veer quickly into spoiler territory, but I should note that the way things develop make its characters pretty reactive most of the time, and there's long stretches where they don't have much to do beyond discuss new information and wait for the right time to act on it. The elimination mystery - which ostensibly takes up most of the characters' time - is not so much a mystery as a "who is going to lose this game of high stakes musical chairs", and while that's an interesting topic for a reader to speculate on, it doesn't lend itself to clues or opportunities for someone to piece things together before the end arrives. Instead, it's the mystery of what, exactly, The Alexandrian Society represents and what the kids haven't been told that starts to get really juicy. As the characters come to terms with the implications of joining the Alexandria Society and the danger it poses to them, and weigh that against their own ambitions and self-confidence, everything builds up to a conclusion that contains both predictable elements and at least one surprising reversal. And, because this is YA-adjacent publishing in 2022, we leave things on an enormous cliffhanger, with new enemies gearing up to take on the kids who remain in the Alexandria Society after the dust settles. Which is a problem, because I was simultaneously absolutely done with these horrible people and also would really like to know what happens to them, and apparently I have to put up with two more books to do that.

Anyway. even if you read it with a constant inner monologue of "why are you like this, stop being mean for five seconds and talk to each other", The Atlas Six is full of tension and characterisation that makes it a compelling adventure, even if I can't recommend "reading in a subgenre you dislike" as a leisure activity. And for everyone on board with the dark academia train (or looking to find out more), this book is a ride you're totally going to want to take.

⚛️🧿🌱☣️⚔️ BOOK TOUR REVIEW ⚔️☣️🌱🧿⚛️

The Atlas Six by @olivieblake

Huge thanks to Stephen at @blackcrow_pr and @torbooks for my #gifted copy of the book and my invitation to join the tour!

⚛️ Now as some of you may or may not know, The Atlas Six has been a TikTok/BookTok sensation! With that being said, I always have slight anxiety about reading books that are so popular in case I am the one that has to say “I didn’t like/rate it that well” but I am so pleased that this is not the case at all!!
☣️ I really enjoyed this book and the magical world Olivie has created! The book was imaginative and the characters well written with my favourites being Libby, Nico (no, not just because of his name 😉) and Reina.
⚔️ The book was relatively fast paced to begin with and this only increased the further in you got. I also really enjoyed the various character perspectives which were always quite insightful into each characters personality.
🧿 I also LOVED the illustrations within the book which I will let you find for yourselves. I cannot wait to see what my Fairyloot & Illumicrate editions will look like in the flesh given the standard copy is so gorgeous!
🌱 Now if the next book in the series could hurry along (late October is so far away) so I don’t have a torturous wait to find out what happens next, that would be AMAZING!

I heard so much about this book that I was curious enough to read it and find out what was the hype about. I was not disappointed! It’s very good, the characters are complex and the story itself is intriguing, I couldn’t stop reading.

My only problem with the story was that it was very slow, taking a long time to get to the action, but otherwise, it’s a great book.

I’m curious about book 2 and how the story continues.

Arc generously provided via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to the publisher for my eARC copy of this book. Unfortunately I didn’t love this book and therefore didn’t finish, I just didn’t connect with this one. Not for me, sorry.

This is just fantastic, what a whopper of a first book.

Initially, it reminded me of The Scholomance Series, (which I absolutely adore), but it’s much more adult and dark.

I flipped my opinions on all six repeatedly, my allegiances changed repeatedly, and I was knocked to the floor on numerous occasions.

Just, utterly absorbing and fantastic. I think it’s my book of the year so far. I need the next instalment NOW!!!!!

My thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the copy in exchange for an honest review

I really wanted to enjoy this book - the tangible book itself is gorgeous and will look great from any bookshelf. I was in the realm between overwhelmed and underwhelmed - so I guess just whelmed. I love dark academia aesthetics and this book seemed to tout that in spades, but it didn't seem entirely fleshed out.

Some of the characters were well fleshed out and interacted in ways that were engaging (Nico and Libby were this reader's favorite). I had problems telling Callum and Tristan apart in many cases as they almost seemed like the same character even though their backstories pinged them at different ends of the social spectrum.

I wish we were given the opportunity to see the characters interact naturally and give them downtime to play off each other to see them show off their personalities and relationships, but the passages of time glaze over their interactions. Setting and magical backstory are also glazed over - I never got a real sense of what the building they were staying in was like nor was the magical system explained beyond the occasional tidbit thrown in. I don't think we were ever told why one of the characters needed to die - every time it was mentioned it was glossed over and everyone moved on.

I know this book was self-published and kudos to the author for doing so, but this book would have been better serviced with an editor/editorial process to answer these questions and streamline what goes on within the book. I know it will be a very popular title in shop and the hard copy is gorgeous.

Wow! I was not expecting that. I was gripped from the first chapter. This was a fantastic read, very unique and mesmerising. I could not put it down. I cannot wait to read more by this author. This was fantastic!

The Atlas Six is a really good fictional academia novel, which incorporates magical elements. It focuses on six individuals who compete to win a place at the institute. They need to show their worth and prove to the other competitors that they’d be good for teaming up.

I blooming well loved this book, and take my hat off to the author. She has gone quite in depth in places, and I really enjoyed reading from the differing perspectives!

I

If you’re a fan of books like Ninth House that perfectly blend complex magic systems with an eerie educational setting then this book is for you.

I love dark academia books! Something about putting an intricate magic system into a book and working in some sort of plot where acolytes have to work together, battle it out or solve a mystery always end up being really good, and this one didn’t disappoint, it was a perfect dark academia read.

Although you’re fed quite a lot of information about the characters and the journey they’re about to go on from the get go, a lot is still held back and you find yourself immersed in this world with this journey and these characters whilst everything slowly unravels. There are lots of questions and whilst we get some answers, the suspense was perfectly curated to keep you interested until the end.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a really good adult fantasy book and honestly this one was so beautifully written with a really interesting plot and intense characters that you found yourself invested in, loving and loathing them. I’m super excited to see where book 2 takes us after everything that was revealed in this one!

I highly recommend if you’re a Leigh Bardugo or Naomi Novik fan and like a bit of dark academia, this has been one of my favorites and a great addition to the adult fantasy genre.

This book is great for those who are new to science fiction/fantasy.
i do not read a lot in this genre but when I saw the reviews I could not wait to read it.
The plot and the characters are amazing. as you get to know each character you just want to read more, it is like a thirst that can not be quenched.
I really hope there will be more to come.

I will start off by saying I've not read anything by Olivie Blake before and I was really interested in this book after reading the blurb. I've already read more magical library books than I can count on my fingers and toes and this sounded a bit unique.

I was disappointed.

The first half amounted to a load of immature squabbling amongst the characters interspersed with random scientific experiment and theory rambling. It's really weird that there is romantic undercurrents between almost every single character between each other, which also made the story confusing to follow as despite the chapter headings being titled as to which character's point of view we're reading, it gets confusing about having feelings for multiple characters of different genders.

The second half isn't much more interesting with a big brother-esque who will face elimination debate spanned a large amount of the story with one inception-like scene being the only curious bit apart from in the last few chapters where we actually ended the book as it started from Atlas's point of view as he had been almost entirely absent the whole book apart from the beginning.

It could probably have been about a third shorter than it was and I'm not so sure I'd want to read the next in series.

The Atlas Six is one of those books I’ve seen so much hype over that I was excited to finally see what everyone was talking about. The problem with a hyped book is you always have an infallible expectation which outs the book on a rather disadvantage. My opinion on Atlas Six is rather mixed and I’ll admit, I still haven’t made my mind up on it! There were times when I was reading when I enjoyed this book, when the 6 worked together or in groups to achieve tasks or defeat someone or when you saw glimpses of goodness. That said, Atlas Six isn’t an easy read, you have to really concentrate, re-read sections a few times or possibly just be more intelligent than me perhaps, because quite a bit of this went over my head when it came to magical theories and physics. Maybe this is just me but at times I just felt like the book was talking at me as opposed to talking to me and left me feeling a little distanced. That said I did feel that the writing was clever, it just took me longer to digest than usual.

In terms of the plot, this is very much a book 1 set up, the start where the characters are introduced is interesting and promising, but it’s a bit of a slow burner after that.

My main issue with The Atlas Six however is the characters you spend the whole book in the company of. I don’t expect all characters in a book to be likeable, in fact morally grey characters and the conflicts and destruction (both inner and in what they cause) can be fascinating. That said, with Atlas Six I didn’t necessarily feel like the characters were dark or complex just obnoxious for the sake of it, the majority just obstructive to progress and insufferable to spend time with. That’s not to say, as the book went on, that I didn’t come to understand some of these characters, with some context to their egos or guardedness, but still there isn’t any excuse for them to be as vile as they are to each other and often it makes no sense, and furthermore their vile jabs and cruelty are so casually glided over. For example Nico for quite a bit of this book goes out of his way to belittle Libby but also gets annoyed at her for not thinking enough of herself (I can’t think why), likewise Tristan hates Libby apologising but also treats her like she’s an inconvenience to the point she apologises for her very presence. It’s enraging.
Then there’s Reina, literally given no character depth, her purpose in this book is ?? Yes I did find Parisa fascinating in how unapologetic she is but if a book is literally named after the SIX characters I don’t understand the imbalance of Reina vs Parisa on the page, or how Callum is treated like a cartoon villain for the majority of the book in how extreme he is. That said, this is only the first book so possibly development of these overlooked characters could be rectified in book 2.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy in exchange for my honest review

A well written fantasy novel, which unfolds through multiple POV characters.

The characters were all flawed, interesting and at times extremely unlikeable.

Great twist at the end which leaves you waiting for the next book.

Thanks to NetGalley UK and the publisher for the Advanced Reader Copy.

Is this TikTok sensation worth the hype?

I hadn’t heard about this book until a couple of months ago. I don’t have TikTok, and I am probably not the primary target audience for this book hence why I hadn’t heard about it. According to the blurb on the arc copy, this “TikTok sensation” has over 15 million views – that is crazy. I was incredibly excited when I received an arc of this book since it seemed to be a much-loved book. So what did I think?

I usually love it when I don’t know anything about a book before picking it up. However, in the case of The Atlas Six, I actually wished that I knew a bit about it before reading it. If I knew that this book would have this much romance and be YA, I probably wouldn’t have picked this one up. However, there are aspects of this book that I loved.

Firstly, I LOVE the premise of this book. The Atlas Six is set in a world where the library of Alexandria still exists, and some people are born with supernatural powers! This book follows six people who are exceptionally gifted. This group has been selected to become a part of the Alexandrian Society. They can become caretakers of the lost knowledge from ancient civilisations and enter an elitist academic magical group. However, although six are chosen, only five will walk away. HOW COOL DOES THIS SOUND?

Moreover, I also love how having magical powers doesn’t necessarily make you a part of the elite. You would almost imagine that having magical powers would automatically make you wealthy. However, that is not the case. These magicians or “medians” still have to fight to gain influence. Although they have an advantage, having magical powers doesn’t grant you an easy path through life.

Consequently, these characters have different magical abilities and come from diverse backgrounds. Olivie Blake does a fantastic job creating fascinating character dynamics and conflicts by giving these characters different magical abilities.

However, I had several issues with this book. Firstly, I didn’t find any of the characters that likeably. All the characters are power-hungry and quite egoistic. I suppose it makes sense to become self-centred when you are told that you are one of the top six best medians in the world. However, having these characters act so selfishly made it difficult for me to like them. The only character I liked was Ezra.

I also didn’t enjoy how this book portrays sex and almost romanticises unfaithfulness. Halfway through this book, there is a scene where a character is unfaithful, and this horrendous act is almost depicted as a liberating and praiseworthy act. That scene made me so angry that I almost DNFed this book. I absolutely can’t stand when someone glamorises unfaithfulness. Just break up first, PLEASE!

Lastly, the character of Parisa is such a horrible character. While I prefer morally grey and complex characters, I couldn’t find a single redeeming thing to Parisa. Parisa is manipulative, narcissistic and rude.
That being said, I did find the first 130 pages and the last 40 pages to be entertaining. Especially the conclusion was well-paced and had some great plot twists. I do understand why some people love this book. The Atlas Six has a fascinating concept, morally grey characters and interesting character dynamics. However, the unlikeable characters and how sex is depicted lessened my enjoyment of this book.

I am therefore giving this book a 3 / 5 star rating
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A special thanks to Tor and Black Crow for sending me a physical copy in exchange for an honest review.