The Atlas Six was an easy five star read for me so I went into the sequel with a lot of excitement and an equal amount of trepidation. What happens if I don't like it? Will it be as good?

Well... what can I say? The first half was a bit slow but I was perfectly happy rejoining this motley crew of morally grey idiots. The second half blew my bloody socks off!

I don't want to say too much because of spoilers but:
- The characters make this series.
- I still have no idea who is on the side of good or evil.
- Gideon Blake has my whole heart.
- Nico exasperates and delights me in equal measure.
- The new alliances forged in this book are amazing.
- Two characters preciously described as 'dull' certainly proved that they are anything but.
- All hell is going to break loose in the final book and I will be ready and waiting.

I'm not 100% sure what I just read but I've made note of the headlines from the plot. I have to admit this second installment was a struggle of rather epic proportions. It was confusing and convoluted and yet I'm still invested to some degree with certain characters, namely, Libby, Nico, Gideon and Ezra. That's not to say I like Ezra, I don't, but that storyline is an interesting one. I continued to dislike Parisa and I started to intensely dislike Reina. Atlas is fascinating.

I will be returning for the third go round for this series with the hope I can recapture the enjoyment I found in book one.

I really wanted to like this book. I read the first one and gave it a 3 stars but i felt it was all a bit convoluted. Same with this one I'm afraid. The story just jumps about to much for me and I couldn't connect with any of the characters. They feel so one dimensional. I ended up dnf this after 1 chapter.

She did it again, I am so invested in what will happen to the future of these characters. Also I kinda like Callum now, which is a surprising turn for me. It's very heavy on shipping everyone with everyone as usual, but it's fun.

Thanks to netgalley for giving me early access to this book!

The follow up to The Atlas Six. Like with this Atlas Six I found this book confusing but overall I really enjoyed it and read it in a day!

I hadn't fallen in love with THE ATLAS SIX the same way many did, but I saw enough promise that I thought a sequel could build from and turn into something great that I couldn't help being curious about THE ATLAS PARADOX. Sadly, this sequel is even less enjoyable for me than the first book.
The book is so verbose and dense and overwritten that it feels like there is no room left for the reader in the reading of it.

i wasn’t a lover of the atlas six because of how slow it was, and this second book itself was much more enjoyable to begin with, but again started to feel like it was dragging through the same like, five events for a really long time. i loved the characterisation again but never felt like anything really interesting was happening. that being said, something i do really love about this book is the way you can never say that any of the characters are strictly “good” or “bad” people. the way the point of view switched so often had me constantly changing my opinions of characters (especially callum!!) and had me doubting everyone’s intentions and motives straight away. though this books was slightly underwhelming, i did still really enjoy it!

Wow! This book was excellent. I love Olivie’s writing style and the way this book grips you. Although the story was a little slow, I absolutely love the intelligence of the book and the way that it poses interesting questions. I love all the characters, seeing their human struggles and faults and the way the book makes a comment on our humanity. I’m so annoyed that I have to wait for the third book but thrilled there is a third book.

This is the sequel, and second of a trilogy. The Atlas Six of the first installment are still missing one of their number.

The remaining five can still be found inside the society walls. Their sixth has been removed to the past, lost but not forgotten. There are new threats to deal with and the survival and freedom of all suggests that the remaining five in the present combine their abilities and talents to preserve their own lives and the establishment they are part of. This is a big ask based on the individuals concerned.

This novel is far slower in pace, compared to its predecessor. I'm afraid that I found this book less appealing than the first as there is a lot of dense writing and description about feelings and attitudes, but very little seems to happen until about half way through the book. So, not a lot of plot for most of the book, lots of inner feelings and vibes (desires, wants, needs, fears, dark places). It plods.

There is still a focus on scientific and magical theories. The individuals are now'post-grads, and have been charged with pursuing on their 'dissertation' - their own projects.

I almost gave up around page 250. However the reappearance of Libby (in the past) kept me going. especially as and her, now graduated student turns up at the society annual event in the present. A temporal paradox type thing - that kept me going. It took me quite a while to read as it didn't hold my attention as much as the first novel. Easy to put down and do something else / read something else; still interesting enough to want to finish. Consequently its dropped a couple of stars in my rating. I feel, like a number of trilogies, this was a book is a middle book, setting up things for the third, rather than aiming for an effect in its own right.

All that said, I applaud Olivia Blake for her imagination in crafting such a world and her blending of magic, time, space and quantum mechanics! I will be looking forward to the third instalment.

I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I've now got the Hard Cover version - so it can't be that bad.

I’m not sure if The Atlas Paradox is kind of a drag of a book or if I’ve gotten a lot dumber since I read The Atlas Six. I loved how distinct the characters were in The Atlas Six and how it felt like characters influenced the plot as opposed to in this book where for most of them I felt there was little development, and the plot was influencing the characters. Blake is a very skilled prose writer and I definitely want to read more from her in the future, but The Atlas Paradox was quite uninteresting and overly long for how little happens or is explored.

The atlas paradox is the second book in The atlas six series and serves as a continuation of Atlas's group through their various investigations and interactions.

I absolutely adored The atlas six, so when this book was announced, I couldn't wait to read it. And not only did it live up to my expectations, but it definitely exceeded it.

One thing, in specific, that I find extremely unique about Olivie Blake's books are the multiple POV's. And as much as it could seem overwhelming, I loved the use of it in this book. It helped to see different events in different perspectives and ultimately allowed the reader to get a feel of each character individually, without being influenced by the main characters POV.

As much as this series is based heavily om plot, I felt that this book specifically was very character driven. It mainly consisted of character development and aesthetics instead of new plots and while that could be a problem for many people, I loved being able to learn and understand the characters more.

Although this book wasn't heavily plot - driven, It was everything I could've asked for in a dark academic book. It was a wonderful continuing to The atlas six series and a great second book in the series.

As much as I enjoyed reading the different POV's in book 1, I didn't necessarily care for many characters. And although this book has the same characters, I loved being able to learn more about them. It helped in understanding each character and their reasoning for making the decisions that they do.

Olivie Blake's writing is probably something that I would say is extremely unique about it. And although I know it's very difficult for some people to read, I absolutely adore her writing. It takes some getting used to, but it's so atmospheric and beautiful that I can't help but love it. And it's no different in this book. Her writing almost makes the book more imaginative to me and definitely sets the scene and tone of the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was an excellent continuation to The atlas six series and ended on an absolute banger.

Thank you to Pan MacMillan and NetGalley for this arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.

The ending will leave you breathless and grasping for more, which is unfortunate because Blake didn't tease a follow-up in the series, but rather a new book called "Alone with you in the Ether". Nonetheless, I enjoyed the world-building, the characters are starting to grow on me and the new perspective of some other favourites (and not so favourites).

Olivie Blake is phenomenal in creating largely character driven books - in this we return to our six protagonists from the Atlas Six, with the narrative switching between their respective pov.

Much like the first, I continued to find the characters all... between deeply unlikeable or just ambivalent. It's odd for me but also kind of refreshing. The anxiety that often comes with having a favourite dissipated and just as well, as Olivie hurts my head sometimes with the academia / science stuff (alas, science was never a strong point for me).

I felt like this book further developed themes around morales - individual and societal - with some genuinely thought provoking moments where I would sit and wonder what I would do.

Its a solid 4/5 - I found myself wanting to know more about the side characters- J and Gideons mum immediately come to mind, and that's why this isn't a 5. But - looking forward to the final installment!

3.5 ⭐️Spoiler free review
I will start this off by saying this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year so I went in with super high expectations.

You join everyone for year 2 of their research and the book starts with Libby missing and the group being fractured.

I really liked the change in topics and the focus on time travel and I still found myself reaching for a dictionary a lot with this one.
I found it to be super character lead and I found myself wanting the story to proceed faster like I could have edited it down a bit more to make it feel less dragged out.

Overall what an ending I will be picking up the next book and Callum has my whole toxic heart! A good read just not the one I was expecting to adore.

4 brilliant stars

The Atlas Paradox had similar vibes to the first book in the trilogy, The Atlas Six. We continue the journey of Atlas’s group and their investigations and interactions, observed from multiple POVs.

It was a fascinating journey for many reasons: the way the author portraits each personality, all the interactions between the characters and especially, how science/philosophy/morality/extreme magical power get intertwined with decisions, questions and [potentially dark] future plots. I was equally intrigued and growing attached to practically all of these characters while they took me to a thought provoking journey in which, honestly, I am not entirely sure what decision I would have made.

Audiobook overview: I alternated a lot between reading and listening. The audiobook of this second book was extraordinaire and the narrators were incredibly talented… they gave the necessary pacing that each character needed. Very well done, narration gets 5 stars.

Of note: I voluntarily read a gifted ARC of this book (and almost did a happy dance when I received it, to be honest)

My review can be quite short, since my thoughts upon finishing 'The Atlas Paradox' are dominated by the one opinion: this book could have comprised the last - say - three or four chapters of the preceding book, 'The Atlas Six'. As it is, standing as a sequel novel, 'The Atlas Paradox' is too long, it is diluted in terms of storyline and plot, the character development and the relationship dynamics between the characters here are vague and abstracted, at times simply baffling. Ultimately, this long-winded and, indeed, aimless novel could have succeeded, condensed and tightly edited, and as a finale to 'The Atlas Six'.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4964749943

Not quite as good as the first in the series, but still a fabulous book. I love the world the author has created, all of the characters, and I really want to know where the story will end up. The only flaw is that everyone gets a bit introspective and navel gazing. There's far too much of people dissecting what's going on in their own and others' heads and not enough action. But bring on the next instalment.

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

Firstly I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC ❤️❤️

The Atlas Paradox picks up where we left AT6, only without Libby. The now Atlas Five continue to work on themselves whilst obsessing over the fact she’s not there. I’m really confused by this book because the first half was AMAZING. The competition at the beginning (I’m calling it that) that took place between TA5 was brilliant and I was totally hooked but the plot got so bogged down in unnecessary conversations that made me forget important information and I had to keep going back.

With Libby gone at the beginning the balance was definitely off for me and, if I’m being honest, it didn’t level out. I just didn’t enjoy this book at much as I did TA6. There just wasn’t enough plot for me it was just too fluffy. I’m hoping that the next book with feel fuller 🤞🤞

I liked it but I just didn’t love it as much as TA6 🥺❤️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

A wonderful carry-on from The Atlas Six. It's fascinating to watch all the characters grow from the previous book, or not as the case may be. I am intrigued as to how the series will end and how things will turn out.

This one suffers slightly from the 2nd book syndrome. Plot wise, nothing really happens - its all aesthetics without any solid storyline. It meanders a lot and you just have to go with the flow.

Characters too seemed a bit directionless in this book. They are doing their own stuff/ research but there wasn't any wow moments. The characters are what I liked best in the previous book but something about them was just missing in this one.

I did like some of the relationship development. Nico is a babe and my confirmed favourite from this lot.

I will be reading the next book so hoping for a more exciting finale than this book.