I truly wanted to love this book. It is dark academia meets fantasy and the overall idea of a magical, surviving secret Society housing the Library of Alexandria and, therefore the secrets of all knowledge, has so, so much potential.

The book, however, is based on characters and the way they interact. None of the characters felt realistically formed or depicted to me. They are adults in their 20's behaving with the thoughts and dialogue of a teenager's creative writing project.

Which means that the way they interact just doesn't save scenes which somehow possess lots of description but minimal and inconsistent world building and plot. An entire fight scene or magical experiment can be happening and it is so bogged down with philosophical thought or irrelevant description that you have no idea what the key element of that scene is until after it is over.

On the other hand, the "major twist" surrounding one character was so obvious I honestly thought it was a plot line I was supposed to be following until I realised towards the end that was supposedly the clever twist.

This book is so convinced by its own pretension that it seems to have convinced social media of its brilliance on initial self publication. I'm not sure it is going to manage the same via traditional publication.

When the world’s best magicians are offered an extraordinary opportunity, saying yes is easy. Each could join the secretive Alexandrian Society, whose custodians guard lost knowledge from ancient civilizations. Their members enjoy a lifetime of power and prestige. Yet each decade, only six practitioners are invited – to fill five places.

5 starts!

This book is a fascinating, intriguingly smart, character driven freaking mind game. Between twists and conversations that go from philosophy to quantum physics, my mind has been blown (and questioned) a few times. I also thoroughly enjoyed the writing, pace and dynamics of those 6… well done!
That’s all you need to know.

I voluntarily read an ebook ARC of this book. In the meantime, also got myself the audiobook because life got in the way and I wanted to alternate. The audio is great (4/5*), and I especially appreciated to have different narrators for the different POVs. I may have also bought the hard cover of this book, but it will be our secret.

Notes on reviews: I made 3 reviews
1) My Instagram account (for some reason doesn’t allow me to copy the link): ireadthereforeiexist
2) GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4530074115
3) Amazon: https://www.amazon.es/gp/customer-reviews/R2K8J0XPFWK7A9?ref=pf_vv_at_pdctrvw_srp


Notes on the draft: I can understand the drafts shared as ARCs are designed to avoid piracy of the manuscript (I work negotiating commercial/legal terms in the corporate world, so I get it…). That said, it’s incredibly difficult to read in Kindle in the format that was shared: the map and pictures are in pieces in different pages, the titles are somehow misplaced, sentences are cut in half… it’s a bit of a nightmare. In my case, I could not use the Netgalley app because it only works on my phone (not compliant with my latest iOs on iPad), and the phone screen is not big enough. I did try to read in the phone, but the pdf format of the Netgalley app had incredibly wide margins and tiny font size, so it was also extremely difficult. Not sure if all of this will be relevant for you, but thought would be worth mentioning it.

I went into this book not expecting to like it. I've had some bad experiences with BookTok/Booksta favourites and I was so sure this would end up the same. But, it didn't and I'm so glad for that because The Atlas Six really is an amazing book!

I took a lot longer to read this than I do for books of the same size but that was only because it was so packed I needed to take frequent breaks. Storywise, it is quite straightforward with a linear-ish plot. However, the characters are what drive the book. There's multi-POV between the six main characters and each chapter was like diving deeper and deeper into their soul.

I was really cautious at the start of the book since it took more than 10% of the book just to introduce all the characters but I'm glad for that now. It really is necessary to know their background first because, at the end of the book, you'll probably know the characters inside out.

Olivie Blake is a truly talented author; the way she writes the inner battles of the characters is tremendous. The way she writes the magic is... magical. I am so intrigued by the magic system and I hope more is explained about it later.

There was one thing I didn't like, and that was the big dump at the end when everything was revealed. It seemed a little forced, but I didn't let it sway my rating since everything before that was amazing. The Atlas Six is very much a character-driven book and if you don't like that then I would suggest skipping this series. I, for one, loved it and I cannot wait to read more.

Little disclaimer before I dive into this review. If I hadn’t gotten a proof for this, I don’t think I would have read it. Ever since I heard of this book I kind of felt slightly put off by the marketing and ‘hype’ for the book. As soon as I saw the phrase ‘TikTok sensation’ immediately any interest I had in this book. I know this is a me problem but i’m really happy to say this book isn’t terrible and isn’t as cringey I thought, in fact I quite enjoyed most of it! The Atlas Six actually surprised me not only with its plot but also with the way it gets darker throughout. It’s my first read of 2022 and i’m not mad!

Atlas Six = Secret Society + Library + Magic + Secrets + Dark Academia Vibes

Why Did I Read It?

The reason I picked up The Atlas Six wasn’t because I was enticed or super excited to receive an e-arc to review, in fact I was only mildly curious because of the excitement on twitter. I picked it up because I was bored and alone around Christmas and thought it would be an idea to try a new book. I have to say though, if you are thinking of picking this up or even have a mild interest in it like I did, do yourself a favour and pick up a copy as soon as you can. It’s fascinating, page turning (at points) and most of all it has a mystery you’ll be dying to unravel.

“we are empty and trying to fill, lighting ourselves on fire just to prove that we are normal—that we are ordinary. That we, like anything, can burn”
Olivie Blake, The Atlas Six
What is it even about?

The whole plot of this book revolves around a secret society which is only for the select few. So few only 6 initiates are picked every 10 years, with only 5 of them going on to graduate. What is this secret society you ask? Knowledge. It’s an infinite library with all of recorded history. Can you think of a lost artefact or book from centuries ago? Odds are they have the original manual-script or artefact. I loved how this book centres itself on the question of: what would you really do for infinite knowledge and power? Each of the core cast of characters has a very different answer which tends to make the book hard to put down. There’s a lot more excitement with so many events to go down that I won’t spoil in this review. But I do remember being mind-blown when I realised where the title came from, it’s so clever!

Lets Talk About Characters

Talking about characters, there are six main characters whose points of view you will hear from. The problem with this format is some of the characters are so dry. No matter how devious, cunning or salacious a character might be – it doesn’t automatically make them interesting to read, especially if their whole personality is just that. Out of the six characters there was only one point of view I always looked forward to read the rest were a mixed bunch. Sometimes the points of view will be riveting and I found myself on multiple occasions staying up till 2am for ‘just one last page’. Other times I’d start reading and fall asleep.

“The problem with knowledge, is its inexhaustible craving. the more of it you have, the less you feel you know”
Olivie Blake, The Atlas Six
It’s really hard to nail such a large group of main characters and get you to feel strongly about all six. Atlas Six doesn’t fully succeed but it doesn’t fail either. Libby, Nico and Reina were fantastic, Tristen and Parisa were always a mixed bag and Callum was just boring. Each character had a specific magical skill set which would benefit the society, with each being the best in the world at their field. Each gift feels unique and interesting and as the book goes on it tends to build and develop these and they blossom, reveal secrets and twists that you didn’t expect. I just wished that some of these characters were just more interesting to read.

Would I recommend it?

Yes. I think it has some absolutely astonishing moments. Moments when I just exclaimed ‘What The Fuck?!’, leading my room mate to ask me if I was okay. Moments when I couldn’t put it down. Moments when all I would be thinking about is these characters and who could be eliminated. (hint: you’ll never guess what happens). So many of the elements are fantastic and for these I would totally recommend reading it. However, I would also be cautious with the hype starting to build around it.

It is a great book, but it also does have some big caveats with some chapters that feel like filler and moments where I genuinely considering putting it down and not returning. The first half of this book is everything i’ve been praising about it, dark, mysterious, intriguing. The end of the book is the same. But around the 60 → 80% mark is just so mind-numbing and the total opposite of everything i’ve been raving about. So it’s just something to keep in mind.

Would I read the second book coming out later this October 2022? Yes, i’m awaiting it with baited breath I NEED IT NOW! Will I still get excited about the fact Amazon is developing a TV show around it? Fuck yeah, I’m already fan-casting in my head. Do I understand why it’s become a ‘runaway TikTok success? Oh totally, and now I’m starting to realise that’s not necessarily something that should put me off. Because, i’ll probably find parts of it that I really enjoyed!

“Funny how that worked; the innocent fragility of being human. There were so many ways to break and so few of them heroic or noble.”
Olivie Blake, The Atlas Six
In The End

The Atlas Six is great. It’s fun but not without flaws. But it’s certainly a book I think you should prioritise reading. I haven’t mentioned everything about the book here, because what I loved most was going in completely blind. I think not being that excited for this book actually helped temper my expectations and enjoy it a whole lot more than I would have. On a side note, Olivie Blake is a genius and I cannot wait to see what kinds of evil delights the sequel brings and what she writes next.

Wow! I was completely drawn into The Atlas Six right from the first chapter. Olivie Blake has written a masterpiece, entwining the modern world with magic and pulling together an incredible cast of characters all of whom are complex in their own way. I loved the way the different POVs worked together to tell the story. The whole book was really cleverly woven together and I'm really looking forward to reading the next book.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review—thanks so much to Netgalley for sending this to me!

The Atlas Six has set the internet abuzz, and I was intrigued to see if it would live up to the hype. Described as dark academia with a magic library, rivalry, morally grey characters, a touch of murder. I was definitely intrigued.

There’s a lot going on in this book in turns of character. I’d say it’s definitely more character focused than plot focused, and the characters definitely stand out. Some are devious or more likeable than others, they’re all interestingly flawed, and they all have a lot going on under the surface. They all intrigued me from their first introduction and then kept things moving swiftly through the story even when the plot itself wasn’t hugely action-packed.

I think this is a great concept and the way the different characters use their magic was another highlight. The powers they have in this book stand out really well. Even though they’re not all necessarily unusual powers to see in fiction, I feel like Olivie Blake puts a really good spin on things and gives their abilities an edge. I also appreciate that there’s as much to say about the powers we don’t see as the ones we do. The real powerhouses in many ways are the unobtrusive characters, the ones who sneak up on you and don’t seem as useful or as flashy, but they’re the ones you have to watch out for.

I enjoyed the worldbuilding, which felt very natural and like it was built in really well. I’m also fascinated, again, by everything that’s so tantalisingly hinted at, as the author teases us with snippets of another story outside the one the main characters are embroiled in. My favourite character by far was Gideon, and I’d love to see more of a focus on him in the future; he definitely stole the show.

However, there were a few aspects of the book that kind of lost me. There are certain parts where the characters get kind of philosophical and scientific trying to explain their powers and how their magic system works, and all this universal connection, pseudoscience stuff that honestly had my eyes glazing over. I’m a simple reader, I don’t need to know how a magic system works. If you tell me that it does, I’ll believe you. I found some of these conversations honestly kind of boring, I didn’t feel like they revealed anything about the characters or progressed the story, it just read kind of like filler and I struggled to stay interested during those parts.

I also personally found that the book lost its way a bit towards the end. Up until that point it had been a headlong race towards the finish line and I couldn’t put it down, but in the final third I felt things started to fall apart a bit and became a bit more wishy-washy. Full disclosure, I did end up catching Covid and so after devouring most of the book in a day or two I was too sick to read it for a week, which may have broken my immersion, but I do also think that it loses some of the tension towards the end and becomes a bit confusing. Especially as a lot of the plot ends up hinging on a character who hadn’t really been important or developed before, which made the shock of his betrayal less poignant, to me.

Come to think of it, I did feel that way about a few characters in this book. Some minor characters steal the show, while other characters who play a far larger role don’t seem to have as much personality as the others. In this last instance I speak of Reina, my beloved. She had so much potential but compared to the other characters I really didn’t feel like she had anywhere near the same level of depth as some of the others. Most of the characters are really interesting but in my opinion it seems the author has her favourites and you can pretty easily tell who they are. Of course, many authors do have a preferred character, but I felt like it was a shame that some of the characters I was most interested in didn’t get to shine as much. I also found that a lot of the characters’ motivations were unclear to me. Several of them seem to join this society just because of mild curiosity or because they have nothing better to do, without having an immense underlying reason for it. I feel like this worked well for one character, but got frustrating when the same trait was mirrored in several. I’m reminded of books like The Name of The Wind, where Kvothe has a very clearly defined reason for wanting to join the University, which really makes you root for him. Here you get the sense that some of the characters are apathetic about their purpose for being there, and if the characters don’t care it also makes it hard for the reader to feel invested, especially when the stakes are so high.

Overall I had a great time reading this book, I found it addictive and it temporarily pulled me out of a huge reading slump that I’ve been in, and I was totally hooked. It had great characters and a fascinating world. I’m of two minds as to whether I’ll keep going with the series when book 2 comes out, but I had a great time reading it and I’d be interested to see where the story will go from here.

The Atlas Six has you feverishly burning through every page, knowing that the 6 magical people , who have been invited to join the Alexandrian Society, a once in a decade invitation, will be whittled down to 5 at the end of their first internship year there.

Each of the principle characters is approached by the enigmatic Atlas Blakely, Caretaker,(nowhere near as easy to gauge and read as the ABC his initials would suggest...).They have an hour to decide whether to join the other initiates and then the offer quite literally vanishes.

6 are chosen to guard and protect this library which has collated most, if not all, of the knowledge of the library at Alexandria (hence the name) and then kept on building, as well as changing location to avoid those who wish to take that knowledge and disseminate it. For the position of the Alexandrians is that knowledge is power and must be used sparingly and appropriately.

The chosen  are Libby and Nico, both physicists , Reina, a naturalist, Tristan and Callum, illusionists, and Parissa, an empath.

As we work through their initiation to the communal house in London, where are 6 are sequestered for their training , they are set to master the motion and essence of space as well as engaging in philosophical debates and lectures.

Sounds simple enough to get through in one year, right?

But it is in essence a competition and when you have 6 young people from vastly differing and diverse backgrounds, with powers that not even they fully understand, protecting items that they don't even know about, then things have the potential to go horribly wrong.

Olivie Blake does such an epic job of setting up her world, and then lets us readers loose in it to enjoy the existential dread, the peril, the quarrels and the chemistry between 6 fully rounded and realised people.

I loved the world building, the sense of getting to know each of the initiates as they get to know each other, as well as the constant knife edge of suspense, betrayal and attack from within, and without , the Alexandrian Society.

This book was sent to me in return for an honest review.

I usually love books like this - a bit of magic/supernatural and a touch of a thriller about it, but it didn’t hold my interest as much as other books I’ve read of late. However, I was still interested in the story and the writer has created very interesting characters and a world that would be good to explore more!

This is dark academia at it's finest! If you love The Secret History, Truly Devious, Vita Nostra and the like, then you will adore this. Secrets, mysteries, philosophy and morally grey characters all feature in a perfectly paced novel which is wholly original and unputdownable. This is the book I've been waiting for and I already keep recommending it to everyone. I can't wait to see what the sequel brings.

The Atlas Six fulfilled all my dark academia desires. Its subject matter is intelligent, philosophical, and engaging. At times, not a lot happens plot-wise but this is not detrimental to the reader's enjoyment as the characters are enough to hold your interest. The idea of a secret society of elite magic users is compelling enough alone but, when you add in betrayal, secrets, and ulterior motives, it becomes something very special.

The narrative is told through the POV of six potential initiates into the Alexandrian Society. Each has a different magical focus but all of them are ruthlessly ambitious in their quest for knowledge. They form a unique dynamic where each becomes part of something bigger than themselves; they basically all lust for each other in one way or another. The ending has me excited for the sequel as I can't wait to see where these characters go next.

I've read a few works by Olivie Blake and absolutely adore The Atlas Six. I really enjoyed re-visiting this story and seeing the changes from the initial self-published version. Very much looking forward to the sequel!

When the world’s best magicians are offered an extraordinary opportunity, saying yes is easy. Each could join the secretive Alexandrian Society, whose custodians guard lost knowledge from ancient civilizations. Their members enjoy a lifetime of power and prestige. Yet each decade, only six practitioners are invited – to fill five places. Such a wonderful book. Utterly unique, exquisitely crafted and quietly powerful. I loved it and want everyone to read this novel!

Although I did enjoy this book I did find it difficult to emerge myself into the world that Blake created, I found the book was very slow paced at the start and I struggled to keep my interest in the story. I enjoyed the characters that were created and appreciated the depth that they exhibited, presenting themselves as 3-dimensional characters with individual backstories.
I am not a huge fan of contemporary magic and this was something that I couldn't get into with the plot, I found it strange to adapt my reading to such a different world although I found the varying forms of magic that Blake created extremely interesting.
I feel as though this may be a book that I need to reread at a later point just to see if I am able to fully get into the story and hopefully enjoy it more another time.

Reviewing is ultimately a subjective experience. I like to tell you why a book works for me. Every now and then I’ll encounter a book that really doesn’t work for me. Slightly more unusual are books where I can see why I haven’t clicked with it but I can think of the people who may actually enjoy this far more. With Olivie Blake’s puzzling The Atlas Six we get a start to a new contemporary fantasy series exploring ambitious and competition that ultimately left me cold.

The secretive Alexandrian Society houses millenniums of knowledge both magical and scientific. It long ago used to be the Library of Alexandria before going deep undercover. The world has since evolved with mortal and medeian (magical) skills developing. A world where those with the talent can use it for personal gain or wealth. The Society looks every ten years for the best of the best – six candidates who will work to be rewarded with five places and then the opportunity for even more knowledge and either a position at the society or the pick of prime roles in the outer world. The mysterious Atlas Blakely is responsible for recruiting this decade’s students – the constantly arguing Libby and Nico who can control matter at the atomic level; Callum who can talk anyone into anything; Tristan who can see through any illusions and gain insights from any object; Reina who can boost nature and finally Parisa who can read minds and is very much focused on more power. This group need to learn either to work together or beat the others for the five places, but they also are about to find there are more dangerous forces with plans for this new crop of students.

OK unfortunately I found this book quite a disappointing experience, but it was one where I have taken a step back thinking and I think this one that its ultimately a question of various writing choices that I find very ineffective on me. For me the characters are fairly standard stereotypes initially all set up to be unlikeable and in conflict with one another but revealing aspects that suggest they are a bit more human and can actually work together. For me I found them very broad brush, overly privileged and very predictable and while Blake pushes them for the emotional conflict and very much explains the characters motivation and rivalries, however, I really didn’t think any of them stood out. However, those who enjoy broad characters verbal sparring, and changing rivalries may enjoy this soap-like dimension.

The worldbuilding I found again not that original nor broadened out. There is very little of it shown or explained. It’s all about character and plot mechanics. At one point our two physicists create a wormhole in space for the first time and it hardly raises an eyebrow even though allegedly this will change science. Its just a plot point. Two days into their role they have to take on an armed squad of killers and it all goes pretty well without any real prior training. This is a story where suspension of disbelief needs to be set high and again those who enjoy fast changing situation and watching characters negotiate their way through the story will instead probably enjoy it.

My biggest issue is the excessively verbose style of the narration. Because this is an elite academic setting Blake has opted for a story style that reads like a university academic text. Everything is described in lengthy detail and while I see that this is used to suit the Society’s own tomes I found it hugely distracting and overblown. It though for me felt very artificial and on top of that we get lots of character back story explained in lengthy episodes just to help support the story. Again, readers who like long descriptive passages and lots of asides and detours will probably enjoy it more but I’d have preferred a more organic style of storytelling.

The Atlas Six very much felt to be like a premise for a long running and successful series and I’m not surprised it has already got a tv series in development. It’s got broad character stereotypes that can be gently teased by the right actors; secrets and twist ideas to make an audience gasp and would require high levels of production design to make you appreciate the budget. But for me the story in novel form lacks depth, character and there is no interesting theme to the story. A story about elites in the 2020s should perhaps be a little more questioning of the type of people who want to be the best. This is very much a book not for me and it’s disappointing as so many I know love it; but it would be boring if everyone liked everything at the same time! But for me if this is what Dark Academia has to offer then this sub-genre if it is to be making a lasting impact needs to find something to actually say beyond stylish set-pieces or else will be pretty forgettable.

The Alexandrian Society are the foremost secret society of magical academicians in the world. Only six of the most uniquely talented magicians are selected for initiation, and only five of those will be successfully initiated. Libby Rhodes, Nico de Varona, Reina Mori, Parisa Kamali, Callum Nova and Tristan Caine are the latest batch of candidates to be recruited to the Society, and must prove themselves to be the very best, or risk elimination.

I have very mixed feelings about The Atlas Six. While I enjoyed the story and most of the characters, I did struggle a bit with the narration because following the POV of six different characters was a bit ambitious. Some of them ended up feeling pretty similar and the plot progressed rather slowly. A couple of the characters were deliberately unreliable narrators, but this made it really difficult to follow what was actually going on.

There was also a really unnecessary emphasis on sex throughout the book. I get that this is a dark academia book and the characters are all adults, but a lot of the sexual aspects didn’t add anything to the story and I just got the impression that the author was pretty frustrated. I have absolutely no problem with sex in books, but it needs to bring something to the plot. There were a couple on instances where it felt entirely relevant, but the majority was just off-putting.

Overall, it was a bit long and repetitive without having a particularly complex plot. There should have been so many great things about this book, but none of them ever quite got there.

The hype around this book was real, and when I first started it I was nervous it wouldn’t live up to it. But it did. It felt like Middlegame meets All of Us Villains, both of which I loved, and I really enjoyed this intriguing, character-driven dark academia fantasy – even if I did desperately want to punch of of the characters in the face.

I’ll be the first to admit that in the early chapters of this book, I was a bit worried that I was going to hate it. There was a lot of information and a lot of intelligent concepts for my puny brain to handle. Then I blinked and I was over halfway through the book and having the best time ever. The dark academia style magical world was really interesting, though I’m sure that some of the logic of it had flown over my head. I didn’t mind that too much, though, as I understood enough of the concept to know what was happening in the book even though it was significantly smarter than me.

For me, the biggest drive was the characters – for good or for bad. I loved a couple of the characters to death, and one of them I hated so much I wished only death for him. At the start of the book I only really liked Reina, but slowly Libby and Nico won me over with their inseparable rivalry. They can’t cope without each other and hate that. It’s my favourite dynamic. I was slow to warm to Parisa and Tristan, but eventually loved them too. I never warmed to Callum. Fuck that guy. The rest of them? I hope we get a five way poly relationship eventually, because they’re all terrors and deserve each other.

This book is hard to explain. It’s Middlegame-meets-All of Us Villains, and has the same claustrophic puzzle-y atmosphere as Gideon the Ninth during Canaan House. I can’t wait for the second book, but I already just know I’m going to have to reread it to catch all of the details I missed the first time. The plot is competitive and fantastical first, then took a left turn I did not see coming and kept me engaged enough to read the whole thing in one sitting. I don’t want to talk about this book in too much detail, not because it was bad (it absolutely was not) but because I think you should all go into this book blind and let it wash you away.

Wow, what started off as a great dark academia book, quickly rollercoastered into a phenomenal world-building, mind-blowing deep-dive immersion into the physics of magic and, by extension, the nature of life itself.
I picked up this title at random (nope it wasn’t down to the influence of tiktok, I’m far too old!); what I thought would be a quick and easy read between some heavy literary fiction turned into a hefty scientific and philosophical study. I absolutely loved it and am already chomping at the bit for the next in the series. I feel a re-read will be in order by then to stimulate the little grey cells once more.
In a word – superb!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4554484480

Well this was great!

It's the story of six magicians selected to compete for membership of a mysterious organisation and is really a bit of a mix of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, the Hunger Games and a Mills & Boon novel. All of which are things I love. I can't see how anyone who enjoys fantasy and romance wouldn't like this. And I am crossing my fingers that there will be a sequel.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for an ARC in return for an honest review.

WOWWWWW. I knew after a couple of chapters that I was going to absolutely love this, so promptly went out to buy the Waterstones limited edition hardback. This was a purchase I do not regret! Characters so fully realised, a plot intricately managed, and a magic system that makes sense? Bravo!

At one point pretty early in the reading I messaged a friend who had already completed it, and said “I feel as though all these characters could potentially sleep with each other at any moment?” AND I WAS RIGHT. What I meant at the time was that each character felt true, and potent, and barely able to contain their sexual energy. I don’t know how Olivie Blake managed to write that, but it made for a book I was compelled to read incredibly quickly, and left me with an ache for the next part the moment I finished it.

I truly can’t wait to find out what happens next.