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rachrreads's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
I am unsure how I feel about this book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading from these characters POVs— well except for Callum’s. I hated how malicious Callum was, especially considering he was an empath. Libby, while annoying, was the most relatable for me. Parisa is a queen. Nico is charming and a bundle of energy. Tristan was intriguing and his powers are still a mystery to me. Reina was the much needed calm center for the group.
I found the explanation of the magic to be lacking. The word medeian is used in contrast to witch, but it is not clearly explained what the difference is. I think medeian is just a highly skilled and/or trained wizard and a witch is just a common person with magic and no training, but not sure.
I do not fully understand the plot and what happened at the end either. Every time I thought I understood what was going on, the next chapter confused me even more. I am intrigued to see where Olivie Blake goes with this though, so I am tempted to read book 2.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Suicide, Alcohol, Body horror, and Death
Moderate: Kidnapping
sunsetcity's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Cursing, Violence, Abandonment, Child death, Death, Grief, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Blood, Bullying, Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Terminal illness
phippsmr's review against another edition
- 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
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
idajoh's review against another edition
- 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
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
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
bookishgoob's review against another edition
- 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
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
jfield351's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Cursing, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Grief, Murder, Sexual content, and Violence
Minor: Kidnapping, Confinement, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Child abuse, Abandonment, Addiction, Car accident, and Chronic illness
claudiamacpherson's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Death, Gaslighting, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Cursing, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, Classism, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Violence, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, and Gore
azrah786's review against another edition
4.5
**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley and gifted a finished copy of the book by TorUK & Black Crow PR for a blog tour in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, gun violence, blood, injury detail, murder, death, suicide/suicidal ideation, alcohol, kidnapping, toxic relationships, emotional abuse, infidelity, sexual content
--
You know when you just know from the opening chapter of a book that you’re going to love a book? This was one of those books for me!
Every 10 years, 6 individuals are exclusively selected to compete for a spot in the Alexandrian Society, a secret organisation that safeguards the supposed lost works and knowledge from the Library of Alexandria among other ancient civilisations.
The Atlas Six follows Libby, Nico, Parisa, Tristan, Callum and Reina – who are believed to be the most powerful and talented magicians (medians) of their time on their pursuit for the 5 open spots and all the power and knowledge the positions hold.
“…the problem with knowledge, is its inexhaustible craving. The more of it you have, the less you feel you know…”
I’ll begin by saying that if you enjoy character driven storylines then you will eat this book up just as much as I did. It is for the most part one intense and intimate character study that is woven into a pretty straightforward storyline following the characters on their perusal of knowledge, training of their powers and staking out the competition. However, there is also an element of mystery to the plot that is all about uncovering the protected secrets of the society and what being a part of it actually entails.
There is no doubt that this book is an adult one particularly with the themes and with all the primary characters being 21 and older however, the student and competition aspects do give it a slight upper YA/New Adult edge at times. Not that this was a drawback in any way but it may not be some people’s thing. Furthermore the pacing is slower than I had anticipated going in, but it is still a very suspenseful read. Plus Blake’s writing is so eloquent and everything is so meticulously pieced together that I couldn’t take my eyes away.
“That was the peril of thought. Thoughts were so rarely dismissed once they’d been picked up and toyed with, and a mind successfully altered could rarely, if ever, revert. Worse were feelings. Feelings were never forgotten, even if their sources were.”
The world building, in terms of the settings was quite subtle and simple. What instantly captured my interest though was the magic system, which did get a little complex at times but I was absolutely obsessed with the major X-Men vibes of it all!! A median’s powers either fall into being physical (where the individual can manipulate the elements) or mental (telepathy, empathy, illusionary) but the sheer variation and versatility of any one individual’s abilities made the magic feel so original and exciting.
There were fascinating discussions brought into the narrative involving space and time and philosophy when the characters were experimenting with their powers so not only does this big brain of a book keep you highly entertained it equally tests your intelligence and I loved it!
“You’re a fire hazard, Rhodes… So stop apologizing for the damage and just let the fucker burn.”
Each and every single one of the characters (minor characters included) had me completely entranced, not just by their powers but their emotions, their assessments of situations and their sharpness. They are all so messy and the relationships that form between them even more so. There’s deliciously witty banter, reluctant alliances, manipulation and SO MUCH sexual tension between everyone!! Even though some of the characters were more likeable than others and there were pairings that I was particularly rooting for, by the end I was fixated by them all!
Balancing 6 points of view equally has got to be tricky and Blake did it so well in this book but I have to admit I found myself wishing Reina had gotten a bit more page time so here’s to that happening in book 2.
Speaking of which that ending has me craving the next book so badly!!! Thus I am kind of glad that I read this now rather than almost a whole year ago when the initial hype train was making its way around the internet.
Now to impatiently count down the days until The Atlas Paradox arrives…
Final Rating – 4.5/5 Stars
Graphic: Violence, Suicide, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Gun violence, Death, Kidnapping, and Toxic relationship
kelleykamanda's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Death of parent, Violence, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexism
Minor: Blood, Car accident, and Infidelity
caseythereader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
- THE ATLAS SIX shouldn't work, but it does. Does it? It does. I liked it. I was sometimes bored? But I kept going? Yeah, I have no idea how I feel about this book.
- It's definitely very clever and keeps you hooked, unspooling plot twists and major actions slowly, between all the long conversations about the nature of time and whatnot.
- I think my main reaction is that this is what THE MAGICIANS should have been.
- Also, that Parisa realllllly verges on the trope of the insatiable bisexual (yet also unclear if she's actually queer or just slept with some women for power reasons? Why is this book hailed as full of queer characters?), though the reasons why she is who she is are laid out in the text, it still felt weird.
- I dunno, I'll probably read the sequel? Have you read this? Tell me what you think.
Graphic: Abandonment, Car accident, Confinement, Infidelity, Suicide, Violence, Death, Drug use, Sexual content, Alcohol, Cursing, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, and Murder