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lizgriffinwords's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Thank you Libro.FM for the ALC of The Atlas Six, read by a full cast, a Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books! Whoever decided to cast Steve West as Callum deserves a raise.
For those like me who were living under a rock and hadn’t picked this one up, here’s the pitch: every ten years, the society that guards the lost library of Alexandria archives selects six of the most promising and powerful magicians of their generation as candidates for a year-long fellowship. Five are selected. One is eliminated.
I haven’t read a lot of dark academia, and even less “new adult” (since it was picked up and published by Tor, it is ADULT, just to be clear), so I don’t have much to compare it to. But if you liked Ninth House and/or Umbrella Academy, this is right up that alley.
I loved the setting and the overall “vibes”… but I was less of a fan of the writing style and all of the characters. I’ve had seasons of my life where I was too similar to Libby — naive, teacher’s pet sort of person — and having all the other characters mock and gang up on her was tiring as a reader.
Content warnings: cursing, su*cidal thoughts and attempts, gaslighting and bullying, sexual content (though honestly not as much as I thought there would be, given its TikTok fame)
For those like me who were living under a rock and hadn’t picked this one up, here’s the pitch: every ten years, the society that guards the lost library of Alexandria archives selects six of the most promising and powerful magicians of their generation as candidates for a year-long fellowship. Five are selected. One is eliminated.
I haven’t read a lot of dark academia, and even less “new adult” (since it was picked up and published by Tor, it is ADULT, just to be clear), so I don’t have much to compare it to. But if you liked Ninth House and/or Umbrella Academy, this is right up that alley.
I loved the setting and the overall “vibes”… but I was less of a fan of the writing style and all of the characters. I’ve had seasons of my life where I was too similar to Libby — naive, teacher’s pet sort of person — and having all the other characters mock and gang up on her was tiring as a reader.
Content warnings: cursing, su*cidal thoughts and attempts, gaslighting and bullying, sexual content (though honestly not as much as I thought there would be, given its TikTok fame)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Cursing
Minor: Violence and Death of parent
mightyola's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Death of parent, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Suicide
Minor: Incest
phippsmr's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gaslighting, Gun violence, Death, Death of parent, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Classism, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship
prideandparchment's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, and Death
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Grief, Terminal illness, and Violence
chelsearose's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Alcohol, Murder, and Cursing
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Death of parent, and Terminal illness
Minor: Suicide
nataliii's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Gun violence, and Mass/school shootings
Minor: Child abuse
idajoh's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I really enjoyed this book and trying to figure out the several mysteries in this book (with some mysteries left for the sequel thankfully)
Only thing that bothered me was that sometimes the author would try to write really "eloquently" but whatever she envisioned did not translate well to paper. Like I could just not follow what was happening and had to re-read several times. A good example of a very awkward scene was the ballroom scene for sure
Another thing that bothered me was the obvious dismissal or atrocity that was the characterization of Reina. Author did obviously not care that much for her. Funny how she's also the only character that is heavily influenced by western societies. I'm glad the book is diverse and all, but I do find it sort of weird that out of all the best six in the world, everyone of them come from developed countries (except Parisa (sorta), but she moved to one so still heavily influenced). And out of all the east-asian countries Reina's from Japan which is the most westernized East-Asian country. And two from America?? And then one person from England and one from South Africa... uhmmm
Only thing that bothered me was that sometimes the author would try to write really "eloquently" but whatever she envisioned did not translate well to paper. Like I could just not follow what was happening and had to re-read several times. A good example of a very awkward scene was the ballroom scene for sure
Another thing that bothered me was the obvious dismissal or atrocity that was the characterization of Reina. Author did obviously not care that much for her. Funny how she's also the only character that is heavily influenced by western societies. I'm glad the book is diverse and all, but I do find it sort of weird that out of all the best six in the world, everyone of them come from developed countries (except Parisa (sorta), but she moved to one so still heavily influenced). And out of all the east-asian countries Reina's from Japan which is the most westernized East-Asian country. And two from America?? And then one person from England and one from South Africa... uhmmm
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
silver_lining_in_a_book's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
You want to believe that your hesitation makes you good, makes you better? It doesn't. Every single one of us is missing something. We are all too powerful, too extraordinary, and don't you see it's because we're riddled with vacancies? 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.
Every decade, six medeians are invited to compete for a place in the Alexandrian Society. They are the best of the best, masters of their craft. They must study, train and fight under the same roof for a year, five will go on to study for a second year, one will not. It is up to them to decide who is eliminated.
I do not have the words to describe how this book made me feel. The story was so different from anything I could have imagined, but Olivie Blake really delivered when it comes to the characters and the atmosphere. The latter was mainly as a result of her beautifully crafted prose, which really reflected the elitist academic setting and transported the reader right into the centre of all the action and tension within the Library of Alexandria.
When it comes to the prior, I think the author must have worked some sort of magic of her own. All of the characters were so deeply flawed and quite a number of them were undeniably twisted, but she somehow managed to make me care for all of them. Most of all, to my surprise, I found myself adoring the most depraved character in this book - Callum Nova. I don't know why I cared for him so much, but I loved his power and I loved the way he observed other characters from afar without much care for their opinion of him. I have never read from a character like him before, which - considering the number of dark academia literature published every year - is quite an achievement!
The reason I emphasise the characters in this novel is that they are truly the foundation for what Blake has crafted here. The novel has a plot, but it gently simmers in the background as the characters and their dynamics (not to mention all their discussions about physics, psychology and human morality) take centre stage. The plot really only picks up right at the end, but that is exactly I type of book that I enjoy, so I can't complain. I absolutely adored this and cannot wait to see where the author takes this story next! (I just hope that we get to see a little more of Callum!)
Every decade, six medeians are invited to compete for a place in the Alexandrian Society. They are the best of the best, masters of their craft. They must study, train and fight under the same roof for a year, five will go on to study for a second year, one will not. It is up to them to decide who is eliminated.
I do not have the words to describe how this book made me feel. The story was so different from anything I could have imagined, but Olivie Blake really delivered when it comes to the characters and the atmosphere. The latter was mainly as a result of her beautifully crafted prose, which really reflected the elitist academic setting and transported the reader right into the centre of all the action and tension within the Library of Alexandria.
When it comes to the prior, I think the author must have worked some sort of magic of her own. All of the characters were so deeply flawed and quite a number of them were undeniably twisted, but she somehow managed to make me care for all of them. Most of all, to my surprise, I found myself adoring the most depraved character in this book - Callum Nova. I don't know why I cared for him so much, but I loved his power and I loved the way he observed other characters from afar without much care for their opinion of him. I have never read from a character like him before, which - considering the number of dark academia literature published every year - is quite an achievement!
The reason I emphasise the characters in this novel is that they are truly the foundation for what Blake has crafted here. The novel has a plot, but it gently simmers in the background as the characters and their dynamics (not to mention all their discussions about physics, psychology and human morality) take centre stage. The plot really only picks up right at the end, but that is exactly I type of book that I enjoy, so I can't complain. I absolutely adored this and cannot wait to see where the author takes this story next! (I just hope that we get to see a little more of Callum!)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Child death, Murder, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death, Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Child abuse, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Drug use, and Mass/school shootings
Minor: Classism, Alcohol, Blood, Grief, Infidelity, and Kidnapping
dosymedia's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I. Loved. This. It was super addictive and had (for me) the right balance between relationships and everything else, which I think it manages primarily by being so about intergroup politics/backstabbing & personal drama.
- do you love pretentious intelligentsia & academicians with murderous bents? imo, if you liked the prose and the narration in the Red Rising series or in Micah Nemerever's These Violent Delights, specifically for the broad inclusion of the social sciences and philosophy, this might intrigue you
- the magic is wishy-washy, v. soft, but worked for me tonally
- everybody queer, yay!
- romantic relationships develop out of nowhere, i was most convinced by preexisting romances.
- most characters had shallow arcs, but i loved the characters as written, there wasn't a dull combination to read on-page
- highly recommend the audiobook! it's a full cast
- do you love pretentious intelligentsia & academicians with murderous bents? imo, if you liked the prose and the narration in the Red Rising series or in Micah Nemerever's These Violent Delights, specifically for the broad inclusion of the social sciences and philosophy, this might intrigue you
- the magic is wishy-washy, v. soft, but worked for me tonally
- everybody queer, yay!
- romantic relationships develop out of nowhere, i was most convinced by preexisting romances.
- most characters had shallow arcs, but i loved the characters as written, there wasn't a dull combination to read on-page
- highly recommend the audiobook! it's a full cast
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Classism, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, and Death
Minor: Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide attempt, Incest, Sexual content, Gun violence, and Blood
bookishgoob's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
I went into this with high hopes, and in the beginning i was worried those hopes were too high. I felt like I had hyped myself up too much to enjoy what was in front of me. However, after some time with it I realized I hadn’t necessarily hyped myself up too much, I was just far too impatient to let the story unfold. The way that the characters each had their own perspective added so much depth and life to the story. The fact that I could hate and love these characters added an element of me being there with them. I loved that these characters weren’t two dimensional what so ever, even the side characters had dimension and purpose. The way that the story unfolded and came together at the end was a perfect mystery answered with a slight cliffhanger for what’s to come. I enjoyed every moment of this book, from the dark academia aesthetic, to the moral ambiguity each character had. I felt like I related so much to libby and reina, and loved parisa and nico. I couldn’t stand callum the whole time but his character still added so much to the story. The questions my mind was going over of “Is he wrong because I think he’s wrong or is he actually morally wrong?” was a constant on the forefront of my mind. People say that they hated the “pretentious” language used, like it wasn’t the entire point. It’s a secret society. Of course it’s pretentious. Anyway, I am so excited for book 2 and I am finding myself feeling so impatient for it! I highly recommend this book if you’re in the mood for secret society, rivals to lovers, and hot people.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Classism, Gaslighting, Grief, Sexism, Alcohol, Death, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Medical trauma, Chronic illness, Gore, Infidelity, Child death, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, and Addiction
Minor: Hate crime, Kidnapping, and Gun violence