Olivie Blake's strength of writing flawed and pretentious characters that you can't help but root for shines through here again in Gifted & Talented. The book follows the three prodigious Wren siblings after their father's death as we delve into their lives and secrets while they wait to find out who will inherit their father's business.

These characters are messy, overly ambitious and of questionable morals but I found myself invested in their lives. If it wasn't for the magical element, I could almost believe these are real people, like a behind-the-scenes documentary following the dysfunctional lives of the rich.

Overall I enjoyed this book and it is definitely my favourite of what I have read from this author. The characters' personalities and the dynamics between them was a real strong point for me that really elevated the story.

The audiobook did a great job of narrating here and kept me intrigued and wanting to know what happened. The voice was very clear even at fast speeds.

Thank you to Macmillan UK Audio and Netgalley for this audio copy to review.

*Audiobook review*

WOW 5⭐️ performance by Eunice Wong. Absolute phenomenal performance!

Blake has done an amazing job of bringing us deep into the lives of 3 gifted siblings who are navigating life around their father's death and it's so beautifully written. We delve deep into the expectations and challenges each sibling has faced over the last decade. Each of them reflecting on where life has brought them by the time their father's funeral comes about, have decided to make big changes for the better.

It did take me a couple weeks to get through the audiobook because there was no clear direction where the book was headed and for that reason, it struggled to keep my attention. The 3 MCs and others in the book did also have magic but I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't a huge part of the story.

(Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review)

This book is all about the characters, and Olivie Blake really knows how to write them in a way that makes you feel invested - even when they’re messy, morally questionable, or downright unlikable. That’s honestly one of her strengths as a writer, taking characters who are loud, flawed, and complicated, and making you root for them despite it all. One of the best parts is how immersed you get in each of the characters and how believable their dysfunction feels. The sibling dynamics are chaotic and often tense, and their relationships with each other feel so real and raw - full of grudges, guilt, and that complicated mix of love and resentment that often comes with family.

The whole story feels like a deep dive into their personalities, ambitions, and how they deal with the huge expectations placed on them by their father, both when he was alive and after his death. You get to see each sibling’s different take on success, ambition, and happiness, and how they process their grief and the pressure that’s haunted them since childhood. It’s like a messy, raw exploration of how their upbringing shaped them and how each of them has their own ideas of what it means to be happy and successful. They all have different lines they’re willing to cross, different ways they seek validation, and it’s fascinating (and sometimes painful) to watch them navigate that.

As always, Olivie Blake’s writing is gorgeous. It’s got that signature lyrical quality, but it’s also sharp and snappy when it needs to be, especially in the dialogue. The way she balances poetic prose with quick, witty exchanges really brings the characters to life and makes their interactions feel so authentic. The plot itself is messy and chaotic, but that feels intentional - it mirrors the characters’ own lives and how tangled up their ambitions have become. It’s definitely more character-driven than plot-heavy, but that actually works for this kind of story.

The one thing I found a little lacking was the fantasy/magical powers element. It’s just not explained much at all, which didn’t ruin the story for me, but I was definitely curious about it. You never really find out how the siblings got their powers, where they come from, or how they work, and while that’s not the focus of the story, I couldn’t help but want to know more. I get that the magic is more of a backdrop to their ambition and how they use it to shape their identities, but I’m just the kind of reader who likes to have a bit more world-building detail.

All in all, though, this book really nails that character-driven story vibe. It’s chaotic, intense, and beautifully written, and even when the characters are at their worst, you still end up caring about them. It’s one of those stories that’s more about the people than the plot, and it’s done so well.

note: i will rate the book and the audiobook separately.

audiobook: ••••.25
i love eunice wong's narration. this got some sassy vibes at some parts, at the same time i can feel her emotions while she says the characters (especially that one chapter with meredith and jamie)

book: •••.75
even though there are some parts got me laughing and relatable, there are some words and phrases that threw me off. it's my first olivie blake book, and i must say i've enjoyed this. and i think it was the right decision (for me!) to listen it as an audiobook because if i read only the book, the pacing will be slow (also, the illustrations inside got me awed).

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did, I really enjoyed the ride. The beginning was tough, so much rapid-fire intellectual sparring, so many characters who felt like they existed purely to deliver clever dialogue. But once I settled into the rhythm of it, I started to appreciate what Olivie Blake was doing— she’s a huge character builder after all.

The chaotic sibling dynamic was one of my favorite parts. The jealousy, the rivalry, the way they push and pull at each other—it all felt so raw and real. Those moments of messy, complicated connection made the book for me. And honestly, I don’t think I would have gotten through some of the heavier, more meandering parts without the audiobook. The narration really helped bring out the emotion behind the words and kept me engaged when my attention might have wandered otherwise.

That said, I’m definitely more of a lover of world-building, and that’s just not Blake’s thing. She’s all about building strong characters, and exploring deep relationships with heavy dialogue, which is fantastic if you’re in the mood for it, but I did find myself wishing for something a little more grounded at times. Still, once I got past the initial struggle, I was glad I stuck with it.

🎧Audio Book Review🎧

Gifted & Talented
Olivie Blake

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This will be the eighth book that I own by this author and will also be the very first that I've actually read - and yes, I am ashamed by this fact.

So, on that note, you won't be surprised that I went into this totally blind and having no clue what to expect, other than the greatness that I've heard everyone talking about in previous book's reviews.

Well I can definitely say that this was an experience and I honestly don't have the words to do this book justice.

I will say that I was petrified going into this as it's one of the longest audio book reads I've ever done and at over 18 hours, it's a chunky one!
However, I was so sucked into the whole thing that I just kept being drawn back to listening in and got through this much quicker than I'd expected.

This was described as magical fantasy and for quite some time, I really wasn't too sure about this classification.
Having not read any Blake previously, I just wasn't sure where to place the odd occurrences that were happening and whether these were more psychological than magical.
But as we read further into this and more events unfold, this becomes much more obvious.

Our character list is pretty small focussing on the 3 Wren siblings, their deceased father and a few additional characters who play their parts to perfection.
The family dynamics are all over the place and I loved getting to know each of the siblings in great depth, both from their own pov chapters - which dew ribed personal thoughts, feelings and events that shaped them through life - and their contrasting sibling pov chapters - which helped us see how they all thought about and related to the others.

There was just so much going on that it's impossible to give any insight into the storyline, other than this was a super in depth delve into these characters' psyches which was both fascinating and yet often uncomfortable.
But I absolutely loved every minute.

This has definitely spurred me on to read more of my Blake tbr stack - but I absolutely need a breather before diving back in.

(4/5⭐️) 🎧 Thank you Net Galley for the ARC of ‘Gifted and Talented’ in audiobook format. Firstly, I really enjoyed the narrator. Her voice is clear and embodies every character uniquely and well. As for the book itself, this is such a character driven story! The plot is evident but events that occur do not accelerate the story as well as the characters themselves. They are all beautifully described. Flawed. Some arrogant. Naive. Very human. Their dialogue is humorous and flows naturally. Even the way they speak suits their character well. My favourite characters being Gillian, Meredith (sister bitch) and Lou. This book focuses heavily on 3 siblings and their lives after the death of their father. We follow their lives, their thoughts, faults, loses, growth. I appreciate towards the end they all grow in their own way, really take ownership of themselves and their choices in life. I love their dynamic at the end and how they all healed in their childhood selves. The addition of some simple witchcraft also made for some fun complexity to the ordeal - with Eilidh causing the apocalypse and Meredith convincing people to be happy. (And Arthur’s death though it was due to him being stupid and not magical).

This was definitely written in typical Olivie Blake prose and I loved it. It gave me flashbacks of ‘Masters of Death’ which had such a good cast of characters. More books like this please!

Well, this story was certainly a journey. I had an absolute blast for the first 30% and couldn’t put the book down, but I struggled to get through the rest of the story. I’m not a fan of character-driven novels, and I haven’t read any other works by Olivie Blake, so I probably picked this up with the wrong expectations. Considering the blurb, the story was surprisingly… tame. Where was the murder, the scheming, the revenge? Am I the only one who thinks something is missing?

Kudos to Olivie Blake for making me root for these horrible, horrible characters. Not many authors can write unlikeable characters and make the reader emphasise with them. I’m looking at you, Yellowface 👀.

If you’re unsure about the length, I would highly recommend the audiobook. It helped me get through the tougher bits.

Olivie Blake's magical realism is so real and witty and satirical, and I loved this booked from start to finish. A fantastic satire of today's social media age, this book is primarily a character driven romp filled with family dynamics and social commentary. It features the engaging prose and well-developed characters we've come to expect from Blake, and a narrator that adds a layer of interest to the whole thing.

The audiobook narrator was excellent, the characters were easy to distinguish from one another, and the appropriate levels of levity, sarcasm, etc, were relayed well to the listener. I listened to this at 1.5x speed, which is normal for my listening preferences.

This was such a beautiful and REAL story with genuinely flawed characters and you really get to learn why they are the way that they are. The depiction of love in this brought me to my knees on several occasions. It was so realistic and beautiful.

I really like Olivie Blake’s other books but sadly this book wasn’t for me.
I struggled to connect with the characters and because of this I DNFed it.
However, I do really enjoy Olivie Blake’s very unique writing style and will definitely read her books again in the future

Thayer Wren, CEO of Wrenfare Magitech dies suddenly and his children gather to discover who will succeed him. In their own ways they are gifted but not close in many ways, all living very different lives. Any one of them could take the lead.

Well written and well narrated novel (I listened to the audiobook). Good quirky characters with complicated personal issues and personalities. This novel gives us an insight into their lives, skills, hopes and dreams. They must all face how they feel about their father.

This book tells the story of the Wren siblings in the aftermath of their father's death. I loved the narrative's conversational style and the plot's gradual unravelling. I enjoyed the insight into the different siblings, the father's insecurities, and the complex relationships between them all. The magical element is subtle but integral to the plot.
The characters were diverse, featuring LGBTQ+ characters, polyamory, neurodiversity and mental health representation, with lots of strong female characters.

I saw a review describe this book as complex and interesting and I think I have to agree. It’s definitely well written and deeply existential and mind boggling book but I fear it may not have been for me. I am still going to rate it 3.5 stars though because I did find it funny and did find most of the characters likeable!

This book is about a complex relationship with your siblings and parents, and then ?potentially? becoming parents (I agree with some reviews; in that I don’t care much about motherhood/parenthood and it’s not really what I signed up for so I did find that aspect really boring) and having very deep existential thoughts about it.

But also, about being nepotism babies, wanting the benefit of being a nepo baby, but hating being a nepo baby (because they’re leftists and don’t agree with it). Also about being really unhappy in your current relationship and wanting something you can’t or shouldn’t have.

I also expected a lot more magic but I feel like that aspect didn’t really deliver? Still slightly confused about the context of the magic and why it was there? I really thought there would be more of it.

I listened to this mainly via audiobook (and read some chapters via e-book) and I did find it a *tiny* bit easier to keep up via audiobook with the voice changes. There are times during the book where the POV keeps changing both between characters but also two completely different situations and it’s kind of hard to keep track.

Thank you to TOR/Pan Macmillan for the early copy of this book (both audio and e-book in my case) in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Net Galley, Macmillan Audio and Olivie Blake for this audio ARC.

This book was truly unique and a bit of a rollercoaster, if you are looking so something fantasy but different, then Gifted & Talented should be bumped up your TBR.

I received the audiobook for this and really enjoyed it, at first I was concerned I would get a bit lost in the story, it is from the narrators point of view (no spoilers as to who this is). However, after getting through the first hour of establishing our main characters and starting to learn about them, you get sucked in and there is no return.

Gifted & Talented introduces us to the Wren family, learning to process their grief on the passing of their father in comparison to the insecurities that he influenced. Whilst the fantasy element isn't subtle as it plays an important part to the story later on, there are no magic wands or fae, but their 'gifts' are impactful to those around them (though our characters do not necessarily deem them as such). There is a lot of complexity to each of the characters and you see how they grow in a short space of time, as though there are a few throwbacks the story is set in the short period after the death of Thayer Wren.

Meredith is the eldest, having fought her whole life for her father's approval he dies just as her company Birdsong starts to sink under the discovery of her lies. Arthur's relationship woes are just one his of his problems, aside from the pressure of his political career and insecurities that his father never loved him. Eilidh cannot move past the injury that ended her ballerina career, and now works for her father who is overly protective of her.

The ending of this was perfect, making up for a slightly slow start that I appreciate was necessary as the story was built. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone in a reading slump and needing something completely different.

Tropes:
- Dysfunctional family
- Witty
- Magical realism
- Mystery
- Modern world
- Unreliable narrator

This was a powerful and addictive story, which dealt with a number of complex and important topics such as capitalism, ambition, power, success, technology, morality, sexism, social issues and social media influence. The family politics element to this story felt very much like Succession so I was immediately drawn to the characters. There are flawed and deeply troubled characters who struggle with their life choices and with love.

I was very intrigued with where the plot was going and the audio was really enticing. There was a lot of humour which I loved - very sarcastic at times. And the dialogue was gripping. The side characters were also fantastic - Eve was epic.

However, I did feel like there could have been a bit more at the end - it felt like it was just missing something. There wasn’t a huge amount of actual plot and I wanted a bit more from the magical elements.

Overall, an interesting, complex and thought provoking read.

Gifted & Talented was a such a unique read. The book is complex and nuanced and it does require a little critical thinking to understand some of the underlying messaging. But even so, Olivie's Olivie's writing style and the way it reads like a dark comedy in a lot of places really elevated the experience for me.

I really liked the magic system in this books, and how it does feel like in a way parts of their magic - for Arthur and Eilidh at least - could also be manifestations of their mental blocks or trauma.

Arthur has a desperation to be loved and will do anything for it, and it feels like he's losing his loved ones and his political campaign he gets the 'yips'. Eilidh has compact physical and mental trauma after a career ending injury, and lots of internal rage at living in her siblings shadow, hence the biblical plagues.

I also really enjoyed Meredith's character on several layers. Yes, in my ways I can see how she is a hated character for the way she acts. How her behaviour can be seen as blunt or cruel or dismissive, when really she has a good heart and she is just terrible at expressing it the way her siblings do. You can see the many sides of her, the ones you like and the ones you don't.

I also really enjoyed how much diverse representation was in this book! We had strong female characters, we had references to metal health and neurodiversity, we had polyamory and queer relationships - we love to see that!

The book is brilliant in its simplicity. The overarching story is simple - rich, asshole patriarch dies and now his kids have to pick up the pieces. It is Olivie's writing style, the complex characters and family drama and nuanced relationships she creates that bring so much depth and life to the story outside of that simple plot. And for that, I loved this book.

The audio for this book was especially well done - I really liked the narrator and I felt like she added even more depth to the story. Sometimes with complex books reading them without audio can be a challenge for me, but with this one I had 0 issues because audiobook was fantastic!

You know when you're so intrigued by an author but keep putting off picking up their books for no apparent reason? Until this year, that's what Olivie Blake was to me, when I finally decided to dive into Januaries (in January of course).
Having really enjoyed that, I knew I needed to read more of her works. So when I saw her next release was being touted as Succession, but with magic, I knew I had to get my hands on it.
Gifted & Talented follows Meredith, Arthur and Eilidh Wren, three telepathically and electrokinetically gifted siblings who are forced to confront their long-standing rivalries and dangerous abilities when their father, Thayer Wren, suddenly dies. Not to mention, there's the small matter of who will inherit Thayer's company, Wrenfare Magitech.
This is a longer read (or in my case, listen), but I absolutely flew through it. The pacing and narrative style make it really engaging, I felt like I completely knew and understood the motivations of all the siblings by the end. They're messy and, at several points, very dislikeable, but I couldn't help but root for them. The secondary characters are super memorable too, with Yves and Gillian standing out to me in particular. The whole world just felt so fleshed out, something I often find is missing in reads like this.
The only thing stopping this from being a five-star read for me is the ending. Personally, it wasn't for me, but I can see how others would feel differently.
Eunice Wong, who narrates the audiobook version, is perfect for this book. She breathed so much life into all of the (many) characters and each one was instantly recognisable when she was speaking, making it far easier to track the story while listening.
Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan UK Audio for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to begin this review by thanking NetGalley and MacMillan UK Audio for the opportunity to review this ALC.

I have always been a fan of Olivie Blake, though I had to take a pause after finishing her trilogy. This book brought back all my faith in this author.

Olivie Blake knows how to write messy characters. Individuals who are all so flawed in such a natural human way. Her characters are realistic, and it is because of this that you both hate and admire almost every major and minor character that is introduced. It is easy to sympathise with all three main characters in this novel, whilst also accepting how terrible they are as people. It is quite a reflective book, in the way it makes you think of how you perceive others.

There is not much to discuss regarding the plot, it is as stated within the description. But the characters and the narration make up for it entirely. I was never once bored. The narration style was so fun to listen to in this ALC, as the tenses switched often from third person to first - which only makes sense as you progress in the story - with a lot of ‘breaking the fourth-wall’ which was so entertaining to listen to.

I also occasionally teared up, despite this story not entirely being a sad one. It focuses on the complexity of familial relationships, romantic relationships, and childhood friendships. And the way everything so beautifully rounded off at the end introduced a somewhat nostalgic, heart-warming feeling that I appreciated.

3.75 🌟

I should possibly have rated this a little higher, but here’s the odd thing. I really enjoyed this book. I was completely invested in the lives of these screwed up siblings, but if you’d have told me I’d patiently wait approximately 12 hours into a story that’s essentially focused on the reading of a will to get to the actual reading of the will, I’d have laughed. But here’s the weird part. I waited completely patiently. I enjoyed getting to know each of the siblings, with all of their flaws and obscurities. I found it incredibly funny, and touching. Yet after all of that book, I don’t really have much else to say 🤷🏻‍♀️ I wish I could offer a meaningful review, but all I’ve got is that I really enjoyed it. There’s magic, deceit, betrayal, backbiting, double crossing and rejection. I’ve seen loads of reviews that compare to succession, which I’ve never seen but it seems I’d also enjoy.

I enjoyed the narration, but I did find I had to mess around a fair bit I couldn’t settle between 1.5 or 1.75 one was too slow the other too fast, I eventually got used to 1.75.

I’m really grateful to MacMillan Audio U.K. and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ALC 🎧