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 🎧

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

I was pleasently surprised with this story. I went in expecting a world filled by magic that would influence the fight for succession, but 'Gifted & Talented' focus on family drama. Yes, there is magic, but it is regarded in the same way as we look at the internet, and while the three main characters think about their fathers company, the main conflicts stem from their personal lives or family dynamics.

If you like complicated characters and difficult family/personal relationships - pick this up!

4.5⭐️ Olivie Blake truly has a way with words, so much so that even as someone who generally has trouble being invested in books that follow unlikable characters, I found myself rooting for each one of them by the end…

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan UK Audio for the advance copy.

Olivie Blake is an author that I will always want to read their books.
The random and quirky elements always make the story interesting and fun to read.

I was glad to receive the advance for this book as the synopsis sounded great. I enjoyed how messy the siblings are and how weird the other characters are in their lives.

The three have their own issues which stem from their father’s inability to be better and leads them on a journey which includes magic and love.

This was a fun read.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan UK audio for giving me the opportunity to listen to the audiobook ARC 🎧

4 ⭐️
Okay this was v good!! The narrator did suchhh a good job with this as I can’t imagine how this would read in book form. I think audiobook really helped with the formatting of the book.

Magical realism meets Succession. The book revolves around 3 siblings and following their family dynamics after their dad dies. To be honest, not much ACTUALLY happens, but it was giving fun witty drama and made for a great listen.

Rated 3.5/5 stars

Somehow Olivie Blake makes reading about insufferable people so damn fun.
This is a story of pure satire, built in the age of social media as an on-the-nose look at the elite and their shambles of a life. Following three siblings awaiting the fate of their father’s inheritance, we run through a riot of thoughts and events as each character spirals into some form of disillusioned chaos. They’re incredibly out of touch but hey, self awareness counts for something?

It’s always interesting when you have those moments of feeling for characters you, in reality, should hate. Or even when you DO hate them, but it makes it all the more fun to read about them going through it. Olivie’s books are always a play on characters, but never more have they felt more like a statement than in this book. It’s clear there’s much to be said, and I imagine it’ll prove quite a marmite book, with every moment seeming a quip at the modern world and media.

The audiobook was definitely a big help to me, and the narrator was brilliant at portraying the tone of lofty indifference in a way that only elevates the elitism felt through these characters. The ridiculousness of their lives compared to most popped through in a way that seemed natural, and made it a lot easier to win with the story amidst all the societal commentary that may have otherwise proved a slow read.

Ultimately I enjoyed this one, but it’s definitely one you’d have to be in the mood for. Leaning towards a similar vein to Kuang’s ‘Yellowface’, it’s a fantastical look on the modern world, the elite, and the blasé caricatures that fuel the world as we know it.

Told with Blake's usual flamboyance and unabashed wordy opulance, this Succession with Magic tale of family, betrayal, envy and human frailty is not to be missed. Utterly compelling and just as utterly filled with reprehensible, messy and complicated characters this was a strange breath of fresh air.

This is a slow paced, character-driven story on the more real end of the magical realism spectrum. I was expecting magic to play a bigger role in the plot, but it’s more of a study of family relationships and sibling dynamics, with a sprinkling of magic with not much world building.
Eunice Wong is a fantastic reader, but I found the slightly exasperated and sarcastic style of narration lost some of the impact of the writing. It felt like there was limited light and shade in the tone, and some of the humour was lost as a result. I also prefer audiobooks with the majority of breaths removed, so sadly, I think the editorial / style choices just aren’t for me on this one! I’d be interested to see if reading the text would be a different experience to listening to the audiobook.
This is the first traditionally published Olivie Blake book that I’ve read, but I am familiar with her fanworks, so I was really curious going into this one. While this wasn’t a complete winner for me, I’ll be giving the Atlas series a go, as I love the prose and style of writing.

4.25⭐️

I’m sad this is the first book I haven’t given 5 stars from Olivie Blake, but 4.25 is still an amazing review!

This is a complex and messy tale about 3 siblings from a rich family, none of which are particularly likeable, but by the end of the book I found myself oddly attached to them.

This story won’t be for everyone, it’s very vibes over plot, and largely character driven. The pacing doesn’t always stay consistent and may be off putting for some, but it kind of kept me on my toes.

The dynamic between the siblings was my favourite part, on the face of it you feel as if they hate each other, but as you read on you realise that they do have deep love for each other, but it’s just not conventional in how they show it. They are all damaged from generational trauma and the pressure to be the best at what they do. They carry the wait of the dead father’s judgement and it puts a strain on each of them in very different ways.

I weirdly identified a lot with Meredith as the oldest daughter- while her role is exaggerated, the pressures she feels are very relatable to anyone that is also the oldest daughter 😂

The magical realism added to the whimsy of the story and felt so plausible when input into the narrative- if that isn’t you usual thing I wouldn’t let it put you off.

Overall, this was so very Olivie Blake in the best way- the only reason it’s not 5⭐️ is because I just didn’t get that 5⭐️ feeling when reading it (I can’t explain 😂) but I still highly recommend this one- especially if you loved Masters of Death- feel like the story telling style was most similar to that

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan UK Audio for the ALC.

I've been wanting to try Olivie Blake's work for a long while now but as this is an author that seems to be like marmite I felt constantly in a cycle of being compelled vs put off trying them after seeing reviews.

In hindsight, an early copy was probably not the best way to try but when I saw the ALC available to request I couldn't resist, especially as even when I'm not fully into a book I usually find it easier to get along with via audio.

Sadly I wasn't able to finish this, I'm aware that Olivie has a very distinct writing style but to me it felt rambly and couldn't hold my attention. There were moments where it really shone - the wry humour and witty tone had me laughing but then there would be huge paragraphs going off on a tangent preventing my immersion into the story.

I love character driven novels and am fine with an unlikeable main character, it was the writing that I just couldn't get on with. I will say that the narration was fantastic - the narrator did an amazing job of lifting the tone of the narrative off the pages although I would have preferred a bit of variation between the voices of the 3 characters.

Overall I think that Olivie Blake fans and those that vibe with very lengthy prose will love this, but it won't be for everyone.

This was my first book by Olivie Blake but it definitely will not be my last. The magic system was so unique in this book and kept me intrigued the whole time. This book is a little bit out of my comfort zone but I am so glad i gave it a chance. I can't wait to recommend this to allow my friends. The narrator was so perfect for this book. She had a nice voice to listen to and kept me in the story.

Succession with magic. The wittiest, driest narrator. A set of siblings that are completely unlikeable but you can’t help but root for as they all deal with their daddy issues. I wasn’t particularly taken with Atlas Six so was hesitant to give this a go but the subject matter jumped out at me. I’m so pleased I gave it a go because this is going to stick with me for agessss wishing I had the narrator talking me through my dullest work meetings. This one is going to win awards.

Thank you Macmillan UK audio and Olivie Blake for the arc audiobook via NetGalley in return for an honest review. The audiobook is well paced, performed and suits the narrator down to the ground - amazing casting.

This author always smashes the assignment when it comes to vibes and immersing you into a deep, winding tale.

I always find you need to be tuned into these sort of books before you start and I don’t think I was as tuned in as I could have been. So I found it a little hard to connect to the audiobook and it started to feel a little long for me and I struggled to stick with it but it’s not a reflection of the book, I think more of a reflection on me.

The audiobook narration was great and a great format to consume if you like listening or reading ‘hands free’. I wish I could have immersed more but it was entertaining nonetheless.

Olivie Blake is Queen at crafting complicated, deep, messy characters which may be hard to like but add to the weaving of the plot. I think those who love this author and this genre will find no problem getting into the story.

4.5⭐

This was my first Olivie Blake book and now I can't believe I've waited this long. What wonderful insight on the messy nature of families, sibling rivalry and how the pressure of growing up as a "gifted" kid can totally mess with your sense of self worth and achievement as an adult. Pretty much all of the characters in this were terrible people - or at least they were imperfect people trying to achieve happiness through all the wrong methods.

Olivie is a master of character. Meredith, Arthur and Eilidh felt so real and each of their voices was distinct in its own unique way. Meridith is such a MEAN person but I loved her POV, her unabashed pragmatism and avoidance of emotion. Arthur is a clingy kitten at heart, and Eilidh was one of those people that pretends to be sweet and innocent so much they genuinely believe it themselves. Some of the thoughts these characters articualted such specific feelings that it had me saying "omg, yes!" Meredith and Lou in particular had me laughing a lot. This book is FUNNY

The magical was almost incidental as magic. It was useful to move along the character development and the plot (incentive to find Lou, and of course Meredith's company) but it could easily have been replaced with something non-magical and I don't think it would have made much of a difference. It was fun though so I'm not complaining.

The audibook was narrated excellently, I could always tell whose POV we were in, and Eve's character was especially hilarious.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor/Pan Macmillan / Macmillan audio for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

for the first 30% I thought it'll be my next 5⭐️, but it isn't (it's still good tho)
it's actually really really funny, which is my favorite thing in Gifted & Talented, cus I love this exact type of humour

when it comes to characters, in true Olivie Blake fashion, they were really complicated and flawed and so human and not really human at the same time

my favorite character must be Meredith, I love her, she can do no wro- jk she's actually a MASSIVE fraud profiting off capitalism and driving that force forward, but god forbid women have hobbies😔

the plot was interesting... but the reason I took -1 star is that it lost me in the middle a little, it's very specific book, definitely character driven and I love all character interactions, especially between Wren siblings, but in the middle I was questioning what was actually happening here, but still I recommend this book a lot!

bonus shoutout to Midsummer night dreams Fairytale collection vol. II (yes, I'm obsessed with that selfpub collection that has 60 reviews on Goodreads including mine🫡), especially The Twelve Huntsmen or A Queen's guide to retribution that walked, so Wren siblings dynamic (sister dramatic, sister hysterical, brother clumsy etc) could run😌

Thank you Netgalley for providing digital advanced copy in exchange for honest review.

This is my first Olivie Blake book but I’m pretty sure it won’t be my last. I thought the magic system was particularly unique, and not something that I personally have ever read before. There is a large cast of mostly very unlikable characters, which I found tricky to warm up to, but eventually found quite entertaining. Everyone in this book is unashamedly out for themselves, and I would even describe at least two of the siblings as antiheroes rather than protagonists.

There is a definite feeling of dark academia to this book. If you enjoy smart, ambitious, somewhat pretentious flawed main characters, the likes of which you’d find in The Secret History or If We Were Villains, this book is for you.

The omniscient narrator adds real humour to the story, never hesitating to criticise the core trio. While the action takes a while to get going, the first third does add important context for the rest of the story.

Overall I found this quite an enjoyable read.
Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan UK Audio for an advance audiobook.

Unfortunately this book is a DNF. Life is too short to read books like this. I got through 50% of it and I just cannot continue. I feel like nothing has happened, nothing will happen (and if it does, I could care less), and listening to these people has just drained me.

The audio narrator is one I don’t mind at all but when they could not bring this book to life.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy.

Olivie Blake can write complicated, beautiful, unlikeable but loveable characters in all-encompassing, messy relationships like no one else.

Meredith Wren, the eldest and striving for perfection, is CEO of her own magitech company, Birdsong. She is a woman in power, arrogant, ambitious, and one-minded.
Arthur Wren is the second-youngest congressman in history, able to love anyone and desperate to be loved. He is currently married and in a three-way relationship with a heiress and race car driver.
Eilidh Wren is the youngest, favoured by their father and working for his company Wrenfare following an injury which killed her dream, her sense of self - at one point primed to be the world’s most recognizable ballerina.
Following their father’s death, which of the Wrens now deserved the Wrenfare throne?

Blake’s writing is something to be devoured delicately. Addictive, toxic, beautiful. It reveals something about the world, humanity, ourselves.
This also brought in some concepts that were explored in her short story collection Januaries.

<b>Like before Babel had fallen, some prior versions of themselves were laid in the same brick, sharing the same mortar, such that they’d always been able to speak the same language no matter what forms they took.
</b>
This is contemporary except for the fact that there seems to be some sort of weird trends around the siblings. Meredith seems very persuasive. Arthur appears to be in a situationship between himself and every electrical current. Eilidh keeps bringing about mini apocalypses.

So, completely normal for a completely normal family.
They all have a complicated relationship with their father, with each other, with how they try and cope with growing older and being saddled with so many expectations. Of inheriting a legacy, being a prodigy, doing something do worth with their lives.

<b>Ballet was both delicacy and contortion. Like girlhood, ballet was art meant for consumption; it was virtuous because it was beautiful pain.
</b>
Finally, Olivie Blake’s writing style.
It is just so unique. We have an unreliable narrator, an unreliable and unconventional writing style, different formats, and a whole lot of ways of showing love.

No doubt about it.
Olivie Blake is GIFTED AND TALENTED.

Physical arc gifted by Book Break Pan MacMillan.
My neighbours definitely heard me squeal when I opened my post.