Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - The Atlas Paradox

Those who know me know I ADORED The Atlas Six, and so can imagine just how excited I was to get my grubby little hands on this beautiful sequel. Did I love it as much as the first book? No. But did I love it enough to still want to memorise every word? Yes, of course!

The Atlas Paradox picks up where The Atlas Six left off - Libby has disappeared, Tristan has failed miserably in his plan to sacrifice Callum, and the five remaining characters are left managing an uneasy truce as they start their second year at the mysterious Alexandrian Society.

More so than the first book, this novel relies less on plot and move on “vibes” (that’s what the young people call them, I believe 😂). There’s a wonderful mix of philosophical academic musings, apathetic self-destruction, Machiavellian mind games, sinister undercurrents and the presence of decay, rot and fear. While the pacing feels a bit slow and the plot structure can be lacking at times, The Atlas Paradox is very much character-driven, and Olivie Blake builds her characters so expertly that I’d be happy reading about them forever, plot or not.

Group alliances and dynamics change quite early on in this book, with

a creepy initiation ritual that exposes weaknesses and floats the idea of the archives themselves having some sort of sentience - a seriously interesting subplot that has been woven expertly through the book.

I desperately wanted to shove the characters together and say, ‘just share the things you’ve been experiencing with each other, it will all fit together like a jigsaw puzzle, you non-communicative idiots!’.

This book wasn’t an action-packed magic adventure, but let’s be honest: there are a million of them out there right now. I doubt you’d be able to find anything similar to this series.

Content Warnings

azrah786's review against another edition

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4.25

[This review can also be found on my BLOG]

**I was provided with an ARC of the book by TorUK & Black Crow PR for a blog tour in exchange for an honest review**

CW: violence, blood, injury, murder, suicidal thoughts, death, alcoholism, drug use, depression, kidnapping/confinement, toxic relationship, grief, emotional abuse, fire, sexism/misogyny, sexual content
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The Atlas Paradox is a sequel that is just as mind bending and absorbing as its predecessor. Be ready for lots more intrigue and scheming and a brilliant expansion on the powerful character study that was the basis of The Atlas Six.
We get to further familiarise ourselves with the individual characters and the way they think, as well as explore their understanding of one another in the aftermath of the events that concluded the first book.

"A person was only ever himself. So much of what they became, who they were, was inseverable, irreversible. If to others that meant irredeemable, then so be it.

The competitive atmosphere that was heavily present in the first year is tamed down a little as the second year sees the initiates go about independent study however, there is still a dominant air of tension arcing across the multiple plotlines that the story is split into.

The rivalries are still very much present between the characters as is the element of mystery surrounding the Alexandrian Society and its well-guarded secrets that the characters are trying to unmask. Add to that the threat from the Society's enemies as well as Libby’s situation and this book is jam packed full of a thrilling set of affairs that are all beautifully encapsulated by Blake’s elaborate and eloquent prose.

This series really stresses the academia part of dark academia with how the narrative is full of such highly intellectual conversations and introspection that as expected, you’ll only half understand. We get a more meticulous exploration of some of the characters powers alongside compelling twists and reveals that are slowly putting all the pieces into place for the endgame.

"A chink in the armour, Parisa thought. Funny how those things could undo you little by little over time. All it took was a tiny fracture to destroy an entire foundation."

The multi point of view was once again balanced extremely well if not better since there were a few more perspectives to read from in this sequel. I absolutely loved that we got to see more from Reina and also Gideon, two characters who weren’t in the limelight as much previously. I did have a minor issue with the chronology in some of the chapters though since there were times when the story would double back on itself when events went forward in one chapter and then were returned to from a different perspective quite later on. It was a little bit jarring.

Furthermore, this sequel does have sort of a middle book syndrome feel to it but regardless of this I was never bored of being back in this world or with these characters that Blake has created. I loved being back with them all and their chaos and messiness.

"But perhaps it was all their mutually assured destruction that was making her so very annoyed with this current state of affairs, because it was not fun at all to exist without a rival."

As ever the character interactions are just so addictive to follow. For the most part our usual subjects were hardly ever all together in one room but we do see an interesting shift in dynamics and new alliances form. Nico and Tristan? Remarkable! Callum and Reina? Formidable! I did not know how much I needed to see these partnerships come to be!

Now the ending didn’t have as big of a shock factor as book 1 however, it sets up everything very nicely for the finale and I can’t wait to see how everything goes down!
Final Rating – 4.25/5 Stars

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natashaleighton_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious 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

4.0

The Atlas Paradox—Olivie Blake’s highly anticipated sequel to her bestselling dark academia, The Atlas Six—is just as deliciously cerebral and unputdownable as it’s predecessor. But now, the stakes have been raised and the initiates are wedged deeper into the murky depths of the Alexandran Society (and Atlas’s plans for them all.)

Six magicians become five, with Libby’s whereabouts still unknown. Taking place a year after The Atlas Six’s ending the initiates are now in their second year at the Society. Alliances have shifted and new rivalries begin to form as everyone must now pick a side: to preserve the world as it already is…or to destroy it in the effort to create a better one.

As pretty soon truth The Alexandrian Society will be revealed for what it truly is: a secret society with a raw and dangerously world changing power, headed by a man whose plans to change the world could be catastrophic.

Full of wit, betrayal and plenty of intrigue, I really enjoyed it! Unlike The Atlas Six, the pace felt more consistent this time around and it was far easier to immerse myself in Blake’s beautifully complex and interwoven narrative which spans two timelines and eight main POVs.

I know that may sound a little daunting but, the complexity of each character and how interwoven (and interconnected) even the smallest—and seemingly inconsequential—details were, really makes you forget how many POV there are. And I genuinely loved how seamlessly everything fell into place—Blake’s narrative structure and ability to make every twist and revelation truly unexpected was genuinely impressive. I didn’t know what was gonna happen from one moment to the next and I loved that aspect.

I really enjoyed seeing how each character is copes with the events at the end ofThe Atlas Six, which has left almost everyone a little little off centre and out of their comfort zones. But, it does give us the opportunity to get a deeper understanding into some of the more standoffish/ emotionally guarded characters such as Reina and Callum who we didn’t get to see as much of previously. I also loved to delve a little more into Gideon who was briefly introduced in The Atlas Six and really came into his own here—he’s such a cinnamon roll of a character and I hope we get to see even more of him in future.

The groups’ alliances and dynamics have changed too, and the effect that has on all of their relationships going forward was really interesting—we also get to see new partnerships/pair ups between the initiates that I definitely hadn’t expected, yet thoroughly enjoyed. I was surprised by Parisa’s slightly less frosty demeanour. Don’t get me wrong, she’s still sharp and manipulative (possibly even more so given her stellar observational skills) but her anti-social edge has softened a little.

I was also surprised that the bigger picture still alludes most of the group (I think Parisa and Callum were the only ones who really began to grasp what was happening), though it was interesting to see them all start to suspect Atlas’s machinations.

There’s still plenty of mystery to unravel as they continue to search for Libby, delve deeper into the libraries capabilities, as well as trying to steer clear of the people hunting them. But, id say it definitely focuses more on the internal conflicts and really sets everything up for the next instalment.

Overall, an entertaining sequel with some of the best morally grey characters I’ve ever read and a few twists I definitely didn’t see coming. Perfect for dark academia lovers, plot twisty fantasy or fans of Naomi Novik.

Also a huge thank you to Tor UK and Blackcrow PR for the finished copy.

Content Warnings

uranaishi's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

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