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nicoledelairs's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
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
4.25
Absolutely loved it! I listened to the audiobook this time (read a physical copy of the first book) and the narrators did a phenomenal job.
Blake does a good job balancing the different POVs, and each character has a distinct voice that stands out. These characters just bounce off each other so well! Every combination of partnerships and collaboration brings an interesting new vibe to the story and gives the reader new insights into the charaters' minds.
There were definitely a few aspects that I found really funny (likeReyna telling Callum that she's a God, or Tristan asking Nico to kill him ).
There are some amazing things that are done with the magic system and I think it might be one of my favourite magic systems of any media.
The short story afterward is a fun little extra too :)
Blake does a good job balancing the different POVs, and each character has a distinct voice that stands out. These characters just bounce off each other so well! Every combination of partnerships and collaboration brings an interesting new vibe to the story and gives the reader new insights into the charaters' minds.
There were definitely a few aspects that I found really funny (like
There are some amazing things that are done with the magic system and I think it might be one of my favourite magic systems of any media.
The short story afterward is a fun little extra too :)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Alcohol and Sexual content
anton13's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Reason it wasn’t a 5 star read was bc it was a bit slow to me. Now that could’ve been my fault for not being fully in the book when reading a lot of the time but still it felt a bit slow. Nonetheless the story was amazing and the twists and turns had me shook. I don’t know how I’m supposed to survive till next year before I get to read the third book but I’ll have to manage. I love this world and the idea that there’s magic and secret societies with so much knowledge. I can’t wait to see how their journeys will continue. And also the end😱😱 no way! I wanna say this: FINALLY!! And: it made me so happy and so intrigued for the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Cursing, Addiction, Confinement, Death, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death of parent, and Child death
jeyjeyyy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-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? Yes
2.5
Really liked the first one, this one not so much. Maybe my taste has changed, it’s been a year after all, or maybe it’s just not as good. For me this book is too pretentious, like it’s trying to info dump on purpose. If I wanted to read something hard to understand, I would read an actual physics book or a philosophy essay. This book is trying to be that, while being a fantasy book and a Secret History variant, but it doesn’t do it well. The characters are trying so hard to be morally grey and nuanced, but they’re just unrealistic and most of the time annoying. Nobody talks or behaves like they do. I get that it is part of the point, that power has made them insane and detached from the world, but it’s honestly tiring. The only relationships I liked (Tristan and Callum, Libby and Nico, Gideon and Nico) were overshadowed by stuff I had no interest in, and honestly, most of the links beteen the characters didn’t really seem to make sense or have any purpose. Too much unnecessary and uncomfortable sex too. This book wants to do too much and therefore does nothing well.
I will say, though, some quotes in there were really smart and beautiful, shame they had to be mixed up in what was mostly an inefficient and quite boring story.
Olivie Blake is obviously a smart and talented writer, I just wished this book had clearer purpose. It is also quite niche so maybe it wasn’t for me but yeah, I wasn’t a fan.
Ps: Shoutout to Belen for being the best character ever.
I will say, though, some quotes in there were really smart and beautiful, shame they had to be mixed up in what was mostly an inefficient and quite boring story.
Olivie Blake is obviously a smart and talented writer, I just wished this book had clearer purpose. It is also quite niche so maybe it wasn’t for me but yeah, I wasn’t a fan.
Ps: Shoutout to Belen for being the best character ever.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Blood, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Colonisation, Death, and Murder
klavanger's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Classism, Murder, and Alcohol
dododenise's review against another edition
challenging
inspiring
mysterious
slow-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
4.5
Oh my god?!?
I enjoyed reading the first book more but holy shit I still loved this one so much.
I mostly was less convinced by all the philosophising this time. That was the part that really got me into the first book. But now I got into the character dynamics and the chaos of it all. I also actually like some of the characters now and considering they're all designed to be assholes that's an accomplishment. And I was rewarded in my favourite shipping!! I didn't dare to hope for it because so many characters are set up to potentially have some romantic and/or sexual relationship.
Honestly, their relationship dynamics were all over the place and I was here for it.
I enjoyed reading the first book more but holy shit I still loved this one so much.
I mostly was less convinced by all the philosophising this time. That was the part that really got me into the first book. But now I got into the character dynamics and the chaos of it all. I also actually like some of the characters now and considering they're all designed to be assholes that's an accomplishment. And I was rewarded in my favourite shipping!! I didn't dare to hope for it because so many characters are set up to potentially have some romantic and/or sexual relationship.
Honestly, their relationship dynamics were all over the place and I was here for it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Confinement, Alcoholism, and Cursing
Moderate: Racism, Misogyny, Violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Sexual content, Colonisation, and Death
nadiaherondale's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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? Yes
4.75
Although I didn't love it as much as the first one there is no other way to say it that this world building, the dark academia and the characters of this book are enchanting, trapping. It's a book you just can't put down.
During the first one I was so obsessed with Nico and Libby's cosmic dance of soulmatism (and I still am, after all I picked The Atlas Six up expecting a whole academic rivals to lovers slow burn) that I obviously put the other characters in the background. The Atlas Paradox helped remedy that, and honestly, I loved it. I loved exploring Parisa, Reina, Tristan and Callum more deeply, their motives and the independant research, and even others like Dalton, Atlas and Ezra (although fuck him).
Honestly I can't wait for the third one to see how every plot point (and there are a lot, Olivie Blake tends to go on tangents) is resolved
During the first one I was so obsessed with Nico and Libby's cosmic dance of soulmatism (and I still am, after all I picked The Atlas Six up expecting a whole academic rivals to lovers slow burn) that I obviously put the other characters in the background. The Atlas Paradox helped remedy that, and honestly, I loved it. I loved exploring Parisa, Reina, Tristan and Callum more deeply, their motives and the independant research, and even others like Dalton, Atlas and Ezra (although fuck him).
Honestly I can't wait for the third one to see how every plot point (and there are a lot, Olivie Blake tends to go on tangents) is resolved
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent, Stalking, Sexism, Confinement, and Fire/Fire injury
icieri's review against another edition
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Violence, and Death
taryn_g's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Alcoholism, Kidnapping, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death and Murder
Minor: Death of parent and Child death
sydapel's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Look, I'm not here to be a hater. Olive Blake clearly has talent and I'm happy to continue reading her books. But this was a slog to get through. The first half was alright, once I got used to Blake's writing style (reads very like fanfic, which makes sense), but when you get to the second half and barely anything has actually happened?? While I'm not going to pretend I don't love the aesthetic and the character dynamics she employs, the lack of on page action and stagnant characters (only two of them actually get to do something in this book) is really really frustrating. She also has so many different plot threads going that I used to think she knows how to tie up, but I'm not so sure anymore. Here's hoping for a robust editor in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Murder, Death, Sexual content, and Violence
Minor: Physical abuse and Misogyny
itsheyfay's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Alcoholism, and Murder
Moderate: Classism, Colonisation, Kidnapping, Ableism, Abandonment, and Toxic relationship