This book appears to be very much a marmite book but that’s often the case with books that have been hyped and when people go in with pre-conceptions about what it should be like.

I try and go into everything I read with an open mind and all I really knew about this one was that it was Dark Academia, which having loved Nevernight and A Deadly Education, I knew I was here for.

First up, it’s important to know that this is a multipoint of view book. All of the characters are so intriguing that I think it is necessary to get into each of their minds to unpick what is going on but I know that not everyone is a fan of switching heads so often. The cast of characters is diverse so there’s bound to be one who’s sections you want to skip forward to - but don’t.

Second, the book starts a little slowly. This is an adult title, and I’m currently doing a writing course for children and young people where the focus is very much on letting the reader know up front what is going on. Here we get introduced to each character in turn along with the mysterious Atlas but they, like us do not yet appreciate what we are getting in for.

I showed a friend the back of the book and they said the stakes weren’t high enough if five of the six get to walk away, but if you like more than one character the stakes even then are plenty high enough imho.

The magic in this is dynamic, and political and definitely has the potential to be manipulated.

In fact much manipulation and double crossing happens and who doesn’t love that in their fiction?

As you might expect with a story about knowledge it does get cerebral at times (and the tiny font in the ARC didn’t help my Long Covid brain). I love books that challenge me and make me think but the timing has to be right. That’s why I restarted this book a few times because I knew it was a story that would be more demanding for me as a reader, I was definitely intrigued from the first line’s of Libby’s section (just after the prologue). Demanding does not mean unenjoyable it just means be prepared to brain.

A great idea for a story; magic at a higher level, dark thoughts and some romance too.

This was an enjoyable read, not too light as there is a lot of scientific thoughts about the basis of magic, which nearly lost me sometimes. But, nevertheless, the characters are interesting, the setting is perfect and the story leaves you wanting to read more.

Thanks to the publisher for approving my request. Unfortunately this didn't gel for me. There wasn't enough distinct characterisation to support 6+ POVs, and the way magic works in the world is confusing and unexplained. The story only really picked up in the last chapter, and the middle section was particularly slow, akin to 'Dangerous Homework: the novel'.

The Alexandrian society only seeks the very best magicians: each decade six very different talents are invited to study in the Alexandrian library for a year in competition with each other, only five of them will become members of the society at the end. Hand-picked by Atlas Blakely, Nico, Libby, Parisa, Reina, Callum and Tristan will have to decide how much they are willing to sacrifice for life-long access to a wealth of knowledge and power .

The Atlas Six is very much a character-driven book, which switches POV frequently and allows us insight into the the perspectives of all six initiates. The different kinds of magical abilities of the candidates and how characters worked together to solve problems were intriguing. Some of the characters received more attention than others, and I did have favourites, but all six managed to pique and maintain my interest. I loved the academic setting and the premise of a sentient library that grants people access to select knowledge only. And I loved that at the heart, this was a story focused on interpersonal relationships: the scheming and manipulating, and the alliances these six form as they compete for their places in the society and learn what is required of them.

This book definitely deserves the hype it has received, and I've already per-ordered the sequel. Dark academia at its best! Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for providing me with an electronic copy in exchange for a review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

While the story was a bit slow to get going, particularly with so many characters to follow, I was hooked by the end and am completely intrigued to see where the story goes in the next book. We could have done with spending more time with certain characters (such as Reina), and the twist was a bit of a curveball, but I liked the way the world was set up and hope we get to see more in the next book.

I really enjoyed the whole aesthetic of this book.

All the characters were flawed in their own way and it made for an interesting dynamic when reading. Half the time I didn’t know who I was routing for or if any of them.

I actually loved the multiple POV (this is not something I usually go for) it works so well for the storytelling style.
I enjoyed the mystery of the book, this did make for frustrating times while reading as you don’t have all the answers and even once finished there are still many more questions to be answered. But it really encapsulates the feeling of the group who equally are without answers in the society.

There is something very enthralling about this book and I would recommend to anyone looking for a dark academia inspired mystery.

This book was all vibes and not a whole lot of plot, but sometimes that's what you want. I won't lie, I would've liked things to have been delved into some more and had story beats strengthened, but I enjoyed The Atlas Six. I've been recommending it to my friends and hopefully Olivie Blake will come out stronger with book 2.

If you ever want a dark academia book, THIS IS IT! Full of amazing morally grey characters, magic, secrets, this is honestly the best dark academia book I've ever read. I feel like this world can expand so much more and I can't wait to watch these characters grow further. The writing is beautiful and gives all the atmosphere and dark academia aesthetic that you could ever wish for!

Ok so there is so much hype surrounding this book so my expectations were high going into it. I predicted that I would love it enough that I literally ordered every special edition there was 🙈😂.
So did this live up to my expectations?
Yeah pretty much!
Will I rave that everyone needs to read this…probably not. But I will recommend it to people who like slower and more character focused stories.
This is definitely what I would call a character study with a focus on what would someone sacrifice for great power. The characters themselves are all very distinctive and range in the scale of morally grey to just downright terrible. That is to say I loved pretty much all of them! The only character I couldn’t care very much about was Libby and that’s mostly because she’s super irritating.
I will say that if you are going to read this you need to give it your full attention as it is quite complex when it comes to the magic system. I am still trying to wrap my head around it and I guess I would of liked a slightly less convoluted explanation of it!
Also although this definitely had those dark academia vibes and the elitist school setting atmosphere, I would have enjoyed more world building and descriptions so I could fully grasp the imagery of the characters surroundings.
The story itself like I said is very slow, so don’t go into this expecting and action packed adventure. The ending was probably the most gripping section of the book with a unexpected twist. So for sure I’ll be continuing onto book 2!
I gave this one 4⭐️.

I loved this book. I think my favorite thing about it was all the scientific thinking on abstract concepts 🤯🥰 loved it! But it wasn’t too complicated nor too complex and there was magic involved so a win all around.

I picked it up because everyone was talking about it and I heard “dark academia”. But this book was more of a magic university or Ph.D. degree. And it was super cool!

Loved the setting and the magic and the science. Even the characters were great. I really look forward to the sequel. No idea if it’s going to be a duology or more but I’m here for it 😁.

I honestly do not know what I have just read and I don't think I liked it, either.

It was a really long book that somehow didn't really tell y0u anything.

There was too much going on with no real structure.

Sometimes the hype for a book is OTT. I promise, The Atlas Six lives up to its hype. I don't want to give anything away at all but...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Atlas Six gives tension and drama and sex and magic and fear and loathing and time and physics and confusion (in the best way) all wrapped up in a nice neat bow.

It makes you think about the world and things that should not exist and if certain people should not exist and the discomfort we feel around others.

Its about power and morality and those who have it and those who covet it and the lengths people will go to get it.

If you like the sound of morally grey characters, people who own their sexuality and those who nurture their bad parts, people who refuse to let the world dictate their life and those who just want to fix it... this book is for you.

Gotta be one of the most hyped books of the season, and I did enjoy it.
The Atlas Six was surprisingly sexy for a book I expected to have no romance at all.

I was left feeling a little bit flat after finishing this book. The first 10% i thought it was was heading for a 5 star review but the middle/main section of the book ruined it for me. However, the last 10% was also amazing.
The Atlas Six is about 6 uniquely talented magicians who are invited to The Alexandrian Society for a 2 year trial to see if they can join the society of the world’s most magical academics. It’s a secret society which opens up its trials every decade. 6 start the trail but only 5 can be initiated. One must be eliminated but what exactly do they mean by that…
This book has so much promise. Magical people, libraries, a huge secret house and more but for me it was all over the place. The middle section of the book was incredibly long and seem to jump wildly from one character to the next. Unfortunately, I didn’t like any of the characters and therefore weren’t rooting for them. The ending also left me asking lots of questions which can be a good thing but I’m unsure whether I’ll read the 2nd book to find out the answers when it’s released.
Overall, the beginning and ending of the book were filled with excitement and suspense but for me it was a 3.5 star read.

This book was a highly anticipated read for me and so I screamed when I got this lovely copy of The Atlas Six as an e arc. Thank you so much <3 . This book was crazy! There was so much happening all at once, there are so many questions I have that need answers. I enjoyed the way this book was written as it flowed and flowed into each chapter. Very character driven in my opinion which I enjoyed.

I have never been so baffled by a book in all my life.

Because the premise was so cool. A dark academia setting with morally gray character, but the result I got was not… not good.

None of these characters are interesting. Do you know those people who think the only way to be cool is to act edgy and mysterious to create an aura of interest in them? But then you actually get to know them and you find they’re absolutely insufferable? That’s the entire cast!

Except for Reina. I actually liked her, only because the author seemed to forget she was pin the book. Justice for Reina!

But aside from the characters, there are issues galore. The pacing needed some work, and there was no plot at all. It was like the book was used to inflate the ego of Libby, who was so annoying I wanted to slap her. It was a chore to read this book and the fact people loved it is weird to me.

I won’t be reading the sequels.

This book know what the people want. This is a fantasy novel which highlights characters really well and understands them equally aswell. I loved this story and I think that Olivie Blake is a true talent, when it comes to page turners. I loved every page and these characters are just.. perfection!

As an obsessive fantasy reader, it is no surprise that a book starting with an ancient legendary library and the magical mysteries that surround it would have me completely and thoroughly hooked! I really savoured this story and took my sweet time reading it - it felt like a special treat just for me. The concepts were intelligent, intriguing and kept me guessing throughout. I loved the different types of magic and how well the fantasy elements mixed with the modern world - beautifully done. Loved everything about this story - the unique and believable characters, the mystery, world building - all of it. Cannot recommend enough!

A very intriguing premise. In a version of our world, magic is part of society, used at different levels, the more talented make a fortune in business and politics.

Six individuals are given the chance to study in a secret society of academics with access to incredible archives that will increase their power and knowledge to incredible levels. But there is a drawback, it will cost one of them their life.

Thought I would love this but felt let down. Mainly because it was hard to like or emphasise with any character and there felt like a lot of padding before we get to a conclusion which felt underwhelming. Just didn’t feel like it rewarded the reader like it should have done.

Thank you to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of The Atlas Six in exchange for an honest review.

As one of the most anticipated dark academia novels of 2022, The Atlas Six had a lot of expectations to live up to and, quite frankly, it did. From world building and magical explanation, Olivie Blake manages to pull it out of the bag. All six of the main characters (and the four most prominent supporting characters) provide unique storytelling and the POV change is refreshing throughout.

The story is compelling and well paced (more on pacing later) throughout with plot twists that were completely unexpected and the dynamic between the characters continued to shift with each chapter, allowing the reader very little time to come to expect anything too far in advance.

With regards to the ending, it was not known to me that this book was part of a series and the last few chapters appeared rushed, however now knowing there is more in this world to come, it makes sense and in fact is well fitting with the rest of the title.