Rating: 4 1/2 stars

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake seemed to have become a success overnight when I first heard of it but when I had the chance to read it I found it equally incredibly compelling and fast paced and an all around marvellous read.

Following multiple characters as they each 'compete' to become full members of the Alexandria Society, I was immidiatly hooked on the magical world building (and the dark academia setting really held me captive) and soon after fell for each of the flawed characters (well I fell for nearly all of them) and honestly I cannot wait to see where The Atlas Paradox takes them next.
I also loved how deeply unapologetically queer the entire book is.
Each POV differs significantly from the others however one of the aspects I found most exciting in this book was the constant questioning of who is lying? who isn't? and is there even such a thing in the world as good and evil?

What brought the book down marginally for me was the occasional pacing issues when Blake would deep dive into a theoretical phenomenon or a scientific discovery - I will point out that these always seemed somewhat imporant to the plot so not just randomly being spouted - but it would loose me as a reader for a few minutes as I made my way through (this may just be for me though as I am not always the sharpest tool in the shed.)

Over all this was a wonderfully intricate book to read and I cannot wait to see what comes next.

I was so excited to be approved for an ARC of The Atlas Six. The description promises intoxicating grandeur and a mind-bending plot. Unfortunately, I found it more mind-numbing. The theme reminded me of one of my favourite movies Now You See Me, the difference being that the characters are particularly unlikeable and the plot quite incomprehensible.

I should have known from the very first few pages, which seemed like a whole lot of nothing, that this wasn't for me. But sheer stubborness made me push passed each excruciating page to get to 20%. It's genuinely such a wonderful idea, I don't know how it was so completely lacking. And considering this is the edited version of an already popular book that's about to be traditionally published, I can't understand how it was so lacklustre.

Maybe it is just me? It certainly seems so. I might retry at a later date to see if I just need to be in a different headspace... but I wouldn't count on it.

This book really wasn’t for me. And I don’t mean ‘for’ as in enjoyment, I mean this literally wasn’t made for me. Unlike everyone hyped up for this book… I didn’t read the indie version. And I think I probably needed this to get full enjoyment from it. Some scenes felt very inserted to clear up things in the original that maybe weren’t clear? It didn’t flow at alllll.

I also feel like there was maybe too much author insertion? They obviously chose which powers she wanted to make more cool and important. Cause having control over space, time, EVERYTHING was a whole lot cooler than everything else that was prioritised!
Though even the cool powers weren’t used much! Just because it was set in a library didn’t mean it had to be soooo boring.

The only thing pulling me through was that ending! And even though this was very slow, I’m officially excited for the show!

I haven’t read a great deal of dark academia, so it might be that the genre just isn’t for me. On the plus side, the illustrations were stunning and the last 20 or so pages did begin to show promise. Unfortunately though, other than that I found this book to be boring and nonsensical, the characters lacklustre and seemingly immune to growth, and the plot (and subsequent side plots) underdeveloped. The Atlas Six, overall, is a lot of very good ideas sewn together but not given due care and attention.

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake is a book I've seen doing the rounds online and decided to dive into. This is the story of the Library of Alexandria, hidden to the world guarded by people with magical abilities who are given the opportunity for wealth and power. Six are given that hope but only five can be initiated so they must compete between themselves.

Blake has created a dark academia setting that beings well. We are introduced to these characters and their succinct abilities whilst looking at how they are recruited. Blake has crafted unique characters that fill multiple points of view and this was noticeable when the magic system became confusing. It's hard to keep up with multiple magics that are integrated together and this could have been explained more clearly.

The plot itself is strong however did tend to steer of the direction at times until the footing was found towards the end. There was some world- and character- building that was predictable and went on for too long that it made me lose focus and even parts that should have been fleshed out more. The worldbuilding was complex and beautifully written but became so vast that some of the details felt redundant.

This is a book with potential even if it did fall a bit in the middle. Blake is a wonderful writer that creates well-crafted scenarios and I can definitely see how this book is adored. It's slow-paced and character-focused and I would recommend this for people invested in this genre but hopefully book two can be improved upon.

The Atlas Six is one of the most intriguing books I've read in ages, dark and twisting, clever and curious. At times I found it slow to read because it required a lot of concentration to truly get into it. It feels in some ways less like a book than an immersive experience designed to make you question issues of physics, morality, and the meaning of life whilst also being a superb story about a group of disparate people forced to work together, but also against each other, who hate each other but maybe they also love each other. Some of them definitely want to kill each other, except when they want something else entirely. Nobody truly knows how they feel, the world of the Alexandrian Society is mysterious and unsettling, and the six initiates of the Alexandrian Society are the reader's guides, companions, and narrators. Flawed and difficult as they all are, it's nonetheless impossible not to love them. Truly, I cannot wait to find out what happens next.

I should have really liked this book; I loved the idea of the world’s six best magicians being invited to fill five coveted places to a secret society, and I appreciated their character development, even though I didn’t particularly like any of them and I enjoyed finding out about their individual magic powers. However, I found it too complicated, lots of words not really getting to the point, large passages especially in the middle of the book with not much happening. I ended up skipping large paragraphs trying to move the story on, and then not engaging with the rest of the book. At 65% I gave up as I wasn’t interested enough to find out what happened.
Thank you to Netgalley, Pan Macmillan and the author for allowing me review an advance copy of the book.

“The moral of this story is: Beware the man who faces you unarmed. If in his eyes you are not the target, then you can be sure you are the weapon.” ― Olivie Blake, The Atlas Six.

WHAT. A. BOOK! The Atlas Six was my first book by Olivie Blake and, honestly, I just jumped into this adventure because one of my dear friends (@callmeluh), who read The Atlas Six not so long ago, was repeating over and over again how good this book was. And she was so right! I finished the book this morning (very early—that tells you how impossible it was to put it down), and I have a lot to say about it.

The Atlas Six is a story mostly centred on six characters: Libby (Elizabeth) Rhodes and Nico (Nicholas) de Verona, who are two physicians; Reina Mori, a naturalist who's very quiet yet very observant; Tristan Caine, the lone boy who's completely lost with his powers; Callum Nova, an empath who knows he's good at what he does, and Parisa Kamali, a sexy telepath who doesn't hesitate to take drastic measures when this is necessary. All of them are medeians (a term for 'magicians') and have been chosen by Atlas Blakely, the Caretaker of a mysterious Society that promises them more knowledge and power. To be considered for initiation, they will have to enter a program for two years and prove themselves worthy of being among the five that will be initiated. Of the six of them, one will be eliminated; that's the only thing they were told and, now, they have to fight to survive.

Where to start? The first chapters of The Atlas Six were a real pleasure to read; I was completely taken in the story and the different personalities of the characters. There was frankly not two characters the same, and I think that's what made the story very interesting. The characters' development was well-done from start to finish, and the dynamics between them, their conversations and collaborations really helped to identify their personalities. Yet, I'm still not sure I know them well. I actually struggled so much to figure out some characters that, when I expected them to do something, they were doing something else and I was constantly taken aback, which was a good thing because the story kept being unpredictable. However, I have to admit that, near the end, I already had predicted a few things that would happen, especially concerning a specific character. Olivie Blake let some hints here and there, that direct us on how this first book will eventually conclude. It didn't prevent me from loving the story nonetheless.

I'm very interested in seeing what role Atlas Blakely will take in the following books. Him, too, I didn't really figure out his character; I couldn't say if it was the 'helper' or the 'villain' of the story. I have my opinion on the subject, which I will keep for myself to avoid spoilers.

There were a few moments when I thought it was a bit dragging though—I was warned it would be like this, so I wasn't surprised by this point. I think Olivie Blake stopped some events exactly where they should have because, if not, the story would have been very repetitive. This makes me curious about the second book, I wonder what turn the story will take!

On the whole, I found The Atlas Six very clever, the story was more scientific than magical in my opinion, but I really loved that! The main theme around knowledge and power was riveting, and Olivie Blake magnified everything with her beautiful writing style! So, this book was a very good discovery, and I can't wait to read the next books!

Thank you so much Netgalley and Pan McMillan/Tor Books for the opportunity to review The Atlas Six! It was a real pleasure!

The Atlas Six is like a cross between the Betrayals and A Deadly Education. Six of the bestest best magic practitioners in the world are invited into the Society, but only five will be initiated. They are all openly suspicious of each other, but they must work together to protect the precious Alexandrian archives, and to further their own magical prowess to come out in top.

I really enjoyed this one. It is excessively verbose in places, and I’ll admit to skimming over some of the characters’ more cerebral dialogue — if they understand what they’re talking about, that’s good enough for me! I didn't have the patience to truly untangle the science or philosophy behind some of their discussions, but it was interesting to see the concept of magic approached in such an academic light.
I liked the characters, they each have their own reasons for being there, and they each hold their mistrust of the others very close. I found that their personal differences were best gleaned from how the others saw them (the book is told from multiple POVs) rather than how they read on the page, but as that's how we interpret individuals in the real world, I thought it worked well. Their different backgrounds are widely varied which I appreciated. We had less fortunate characters who had to graft to get to be their best, and then some who've never had to lift a finger in their life. Each have different powers that seem to stem from how they'd grown up, or from some deep-seated emotional trigger.
Their different powers are all pretty cool, some more obvious than others, and when they pit themselves against each other it can result in some pretty impressive outcomes. I particularly like when they are forced to work together to defeat a common enemy, offsetting their strengths and weaknesses against each other to bring some of the quieter characters to the fore, which was really good fun.

The writing style is quite heavy but it suits the academic superiority vibe well. This story somehow manages to make a year of study interesting, and the challenges the characters face throughout are gripping, with high stakes and real tension.

And after that ending, I’m afraid I’m going to need the next one. Right now. Many thanks.

The manipulation, the intrigue, the secrets! Wow this was such a great book. From the beginning you're introduced to the 'Atlas Six' the six best magicians in the world and they're all out for themselves. If they want to progress to the next year and past initiation they must choose one to be eliminated from the process and decide which of them is the least valuable, or perhaps the greatest threat. Parisa was my favourite character, I'm not sure what that says about me!

This book was fascinating, the physics in it washed over me a little but I kept wanting answers, kept dipping into the different POVs wanting to know more about these hugely flawed individuals with immense powers. I'd give this a 4.5 stars in reality, it lost the half a star due to the ending leaving me wanting. But I'll definitely be looking out for the next book when it's released.

An atmospheric dark-academia fantasy. An interesting mix of magic, philosophy, science and some very interesting, layered characters. Slightly too much focus on the complex physics over the characters for me, but a very solid read.

The Atlas six is an incredible novel which takes excellent characters and adds them to an incredible fantasy storyline.

I was entirely riveted and cannot wait for the next installment

Book Review (Donna) - The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

With thanks to @netgalley, @panmacmillan and @torbooks for this arc.

The library of Alexandria was never destroyed - it was hidden. And now its knowledge is safeguarded by the secretive Alexandrian Society who, every 10 years, select the 6 best magicians to enrol with them. After a year, only 5 will be initiated - and it is up to the magicians themselves to decide which of them will be eliminated.

I have seen so much about this book and went in with high hopes, and it did not disappoint. This is what I consider a slow-paced, character-driven book. Whilst I didn't really like any of the characters, I found them all incredibly interesting, so it didn't take away from the general enjoyment. The chapters are written from their differing POV throughout, and it really helped add the layers of their thoughts, feelings, and beliefs and was a masterclass in exploring these morally grey characters.

The ending was unexpected and added a complexity I appreciated, setting it up nicely for a second book.

I'm going to start this review with: Libby supremacy. If you like dark academia I highly recommend this book. It has pretentious characters, but I still loved them all. I am still confused by the ending of this book, but I think this has a good set up for the second book and I can't wait till this comes out. I would describe this book as no plot, just vibes and I'm not saying this is a bad way as I enjoy and love reading character driven stories.

I loved the premise of this book. A group of 6 of the magically gifted, invited to fill 5 spots of an elusive membership into the Alexandrian Society. From the start, you immediately got a sense of the competition, and found myself immediately drawn into the story.

The book starts introducing each of the characters who will later be fighting it out to join the society. We got to see each of their recruitments as well as a backstory to their characters and lives, which was a great way to ease you in. It actually didn’t take me too long to get to grips with all the characters (as sometimes with this many on centre stage, it can get a little confusing) but I didn’t find it hard to follow them at all.

There were some characters I liked more than others (intentionally written that way I think!). The dynamic between Nico and Libby I loved and they were definitely a favourite. Every split chapter perspective on them was bound to be a guaranteed enjoy for me but I found that I actually enjoyed reading every single character perspective, which is rare for me. There’s always a few characters that I’m less keen on following however, here, every single page I was kept enraptured.

I loved seeing the different vantage points of the six: what all the different characters were thinking and thought about each other, what they were planning and how they were getting on. The more and more I read, the more I got a feel for the characters and the more I started to love them. Even Parisa (who I hated with a vengeance at first!).

This book was seriously compelling and it was one of those that I couldn’t wait to get stuck back into whenever I had to put it down. The whole vibe of the book was great and it really kept me hooked throughout the story. I didn’t want to finish it because then it would be over! I honestly can’t wait for more. I need more!

Read it! Don’t be put off by this being YA fiction, in my opinion its for all adults regardless of age. The writing is fun and kept me engaged, i learnt new things whilst being totally engaged. Brilliant!

This book seems to be a real Marmite book. The reviews range from love to hate. I like to read all sorts of books , not sticking to any specific genre and go to each book with an open mind. I started off loving the idea of a magical library of Alexandria but really the story was about the personal growth of the atlas six ; chosen for their talents and ripe to learn more to develop them. This may not have been quite what I had expected but turned out to be interesting enough for me to want to buy the next book to see what happens. I look forward to seeing how the story develops.

I had seen so much about this book that I was really excited when I was approved for the ARC. Sadly, for me, it was another book that didn’t really live up to the hype.
I loved the ideas of the ancient library of Alexandria still surviving and magic being an everyday part of our world. Also, the premise of the 6 best magicians being selected to study at the library was one that intrigued me. The fact that magic had a scientific basis was something that appealed to.
The book just didn’t work for me though. I found the characters all to be very two dimensional and as someone who loves character driven books, this was a real problem. I didn’t feel a connection to any of them which might well be in keeping with the type of character they are supposed to be but it did make the novel less enjoyable. A lot of the book seemed to be where the characters were just sitting around and trying to score points off each other and there was a lot of book where nothing of any note seemed to happen.
I did enjoy the ending but this isn’t going to be enough to make me want to read the sequel.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers Pan Macmillan for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

You know when you hear a lot of hype about a book so you're afraid to read it and be disappointed?

This was not the case.

4.5/5 Cups of coffee from me, full RTC this week!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC of this in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed reading this fantasy novel! Six are chosen. Only five will survive. All six main characters are so different in their flaws. Secret societies and untrustworthy characters: what's not to love.

An intriguing plot kept me guessing till the end and sets up the sequel perfectly. While reading, I kept thinking this would make a great series. When I finished reading, I did some research, and it seems it will be made into a series which should be good. It has a real, Vampire Diaries/ Pretty Little Liars vibe. I predict this will be a very popular read.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.