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aimeemg155's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The pretentiousness that runs through the entirety of this book ruins what is an interesting premise. It started out strong but has long bursts of stagnant character development and the sense of waiting for the other shoe to drop, which, when it does, is rushed and not as satisfying as one would hope. It tries too hard to be clever but fails to hit, and comes off as a pick-me novel.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Classism, Death, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
khaotixkaiya's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I really enjoyed the concept of the book which colors my overall opinion of the book, and why I kept reading it.
I 100% agree with other reviews that the writing style is not my favorite, it was dry and somewhat self-important. It was a strange tandem of random information but much character information given to the reader. That also seems somewhat in-line with the plot of the book itself though? All of the characters are prodigies, geniuses or exceptional in some way. And they all, to some degree, think highly of themselves and have blind spots. Whether with characters that seem to have a god complex or the few that are so self-deprecating it becomes self-centered and indulgent.
Spoilers incoming!
I was impressed with the growth of some characters, and the disclosure of others. From the beginning I found most of the characters, except for Reina, to be taxing. Libby is so anxious that she doesn't realize her potential (a gripe most of the cast also has with her). Nico is martyrs himself regularly, yet is constantly berating Libby for not realizing her worth to the group. Tristan is so emotionally repressed it's almost difficult to imagine how he made it where he had before meeting the Society, I'm honestly not sure how he's still standing with the levels of manipulation the other characters enact.
Which leads me to Callum, an "empath", and Parisa, a telepath. Callum is, as the author acknowledges, a walking time bomb. I don't generally take the time to diagnose characters, but Callum is chillingly and eerily detached, I truly believe he is sociopath. He has no qualms about manipulating others, whether through emotions or mental chess. For his own gain or entertainment? It's truly up to his moods, and when questioned says it's for multiple characters betterment. Callum's by far the most disturbing character in the book. And when he attempts to prostrate himself to prevent the other characters from outsing him? The internal motivation the reader is lead up to (again my personal interpretation as Blake doesn't tell the reader much) is still disturbing. I will 100% give it to Blake, this character is one of the most emotionally disturbing I've ever read. Parisa is also another disturbing character, though for much different reasons. While she also has no qualms about manipulating others, she is much more upfront about her... deadliness? She is an honest whore vs Callum is a lying bishop. Neither are good characters, but with one you know what you're getting. Although I didn't really like Parisa's personality and choices, I could almost always understand why she was doing them.
Personally, Reina is my favorite as she feels like the reader inputted into the story. She's an OP character, she just wants to read her books and enjoy the access given to her along with the peace it provides. She seems to be a reader, or author, insert and I enjoyed almost every part of the story she truly featured in.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book and have every intention to read the next.
I 100% agree with other reviews that the writing style is not my favorite, it was dry and somewhat self-important. It was a strange tandem of random information but much character information given to the reader. That also seems somewhat in-line with the plot of the book itself though? All of the characters are prodigies, geniuses or exceptional in some way. And they all, to some degree, think highly of themselves and have blind spots. Whether with characters that seem to have a god complex or the few that are so self-deprecating it becomes self-centered and indulgent.
Spoilers incoming!
Personally, Reina is my favorite as she feels like the reader inputted into the story. She's an OP character, she just wants to read her books and enjoy the access given to her along with the peace it provides. She seems to be a reader, or author, insert and I enjoyed almost every part of the story she truly featured in.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book and have every intention to read the next.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Murder
samsearle's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
lindseyhall44's review against another edition
dark
reflective
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
3.75
I really enjoyed The Atlas Six and am dying to get my hands on the next installment. I think for me, the part I most appreciated was how this novel explored the inequalities and corruption inside academia, through the lens of characters experiencing it in completely different ways.
I will say, this might not be for readers who favor plot heavy novels. It is engaging, but focuses primarily on character development and psychological ponderings, with a majority of the higher stakes occurring during the last 15% of the book.
Nevertheless, I am excited to see how the series progresses:)
Also can we talk about Libby, Reina, and Parisa, because the women of the atlas six carried the story on their backs. Libby especially, I am a sucker for characters I related to (she is 100% the archer by Taylor Swift personified). I also have a soft spot for Gideon, and hope that he gets more page time in the Atlas Paradox.
I will say, this might not be for readers who favor plot heavy novels. It is engaging, but focuses primarily on character development and psychological ponderings, with a majority of the higher stakes occurring during the last 15% of the book.
Nevertheless, I am excited to see how the series progresses:)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, Infidelity, Gun violence, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
hannahcstocks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
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? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Suicide, Stalking, Blood, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Bullying, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Dysphoria, Infidelity, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence
rebecca_jt's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Alcohol, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
Minor: Murder
anaisdai30's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Bullying, Death, Abandonment, Violence, and Murder
sweetjuicee_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
BOOK TW: Alcohol, blood, degenerative disease, guns/gunshot wound, manipulation, murder, sex scenes (not explicit), suicide
After I bought this book, I only saw hate for the plot and the characters (other than Elizabeth). I can completely understand where this hate for this book is coming from, but honestly, I thought that this was a great book — especially in comparison to my last read.
~~~~~~
The main six characters (Parisa Kamali, Tristan Caine, Callum Nova, Reina Mori, Nico de Varona and Libby Rhodes) are selected to be in The Alexandrian Society and have to train their magic to make sure that they're one of the five that make it to the next year. This book was very slow paced, but since so much of the book was mainly focused on the characters learning from both the library and each other, I could excuse it. I think it sped up at the right places Spoiler particularly the invasion and the part where they plan and fail to murder Callum but I enjoyed the fact that the book wasn't totally action-packed.
I also like Blake's writing style: she's great at showing not telling; she can handle the multiple perspectives pretty well without repeating things in another person's point of view, and I love how well she can describe something for pages and pages. If she wrote a book with zero dialogue, I'm 90% sure I'd enjoy it. Her descriptions were interesting and the only thing that took me out of the book was an occasional piece of dialogue or the fact that I had to force myself out of the book to do a separate task.
That's not to say it wasn't without its faults.
There wasn't a lot of 'rigorous' study that's suggested in the blurb, since the book focused more on the characters' thoughts and feelings towards the others in the society and their lives back home. Furthermore, the magic system is quite confusing — how do you figure out who's a medeian? Do they need to have median family? It seemed like Libby didn't. Can all medeians cast a certain type of magic, or did they have to go to specialists for illusions? I have a bad habit of filling in the gaps in my head, so I didn't realise until I read a review pointing this out.
~~~~~~
I'm fairly conflicted on some of the potential romances in this book. I'm always partial to romantic subplots, but there's something a little off with most of the romances that have been hinted at in the book; it feels almost unethical to ship them.
Trislibby is one I can't get behind because of the age gap, and I don't really think there's much to say about it.
Novacaine really splits me. On one hand, their moments together are adorable and I've accidentally read spoilers about how their relationship develops in TAPSpoiler with Callum's one-sided pining for Tristan and asking Parisa if she's been in love before, and I adore pining, one-sided or mutual which is so heartbreaking. On the other hand, if either of them got therapy, they would've never been attracted to each other, and that would be a good thing for both of themSpoiler because still being in love with the guy you stabbed/the guy who stabbed you is kind of crazy in my opinion.
I personally haven't seen enough for me to support Nicolibby, but I get the appeal behind it, since they start to tolerate each other much more (and because Nico's the closest thing Libby has to a friend in the society). If their relationship is developed in TAP, then I could support it.
The only ship that is the healthiest (even though it probably isn't that healthy) is Nicogideon. It's obvious that both of them care for each other more than the other knows, and it definitely surpasses a normal "best friend thing" (I love my best friends, but I do not want their problems), but if Olivie Blake turns around and says that they're not meant to like each other then I won't scream and cry over it.
~~~~~~
To reiterate, I like how Blake's managed the six different perspectives in the story. I feel that at times their characters and thoughts blend into one, but the majority of the time, she does a great job at separating them and their thoughts and feelings.
My final thoughts on the characters are as follows:
Parisa: I like her. It's very interesting how she and Callum have similar personalities and they see each other as villains in each others' stories. Their abilities both rely on people not being truthful and manipulating them to get the information or reaction they want or need. I'm intrigued to see how she changes and develops (or doesn't) in the second book.
Tristan: The first thing that comes to mind is that he needs therapy, but he's the type of person to complain about how it disrupts his work life. He, Callum and Libby are probably my top three main characters.
Callum: I think he's an underrated character. I'm always drawn to characters that have complicated morals and those who very easily make mistakes when picking alliances in books like this.Spoiler In isolating himself from the others and only allying himself with Tristan, he dug his own grave with the others and with himself. If he refuses to talk to the others, they'll think he's rude and be upset that he thinks that they're not worth his time, and since he and Parisa have similar (ish) abilities, they'll choose to eliminate the one who didn't bother to talk to them and think of him as expendable. He also dug his own grave with how he only spoke to Tristan as he doesn't seem to have any outside friends other than family ones that are all about business. Callum has also chosen to befriend the one person that can see through his illusions — Tristan both literally and figuratively is the only person there that can see the real Callum Nova, so only talking to the others out of necessity, but talking at length to the one person who can see through you is obviously going to do a number to your self-worth. He would've developed an us vs. them mentality eventually, and then having to kill the one person that you liked because he chose to side with "the enemy" is going to fuck you up mentally. He's definitely one character that I would've loved to be in the head of more, and I'd love to explore his relationship with his family a little more as well.
Reina: I've never liked her. From the beginning to the end, I never liked her. I understand just how important she is Spoilerand how she can't die for Atlas' plan to work but I seriously cannot stand her character. I had to skim read one of her chapters because she annoys me as a character so much. "I only feel strong platonic feelings" for whom? For what? Not your ability, not anyone around you, so what do you feel platonic feelings for? Books? She's the type of person to make fun of you because you aren't reading the classics every day.
Nico: Honestly, I think he's a little weak as a character by himself. I don't remember his perspectives as much as the other five and it seems like he prides himself on being Libby's rival and being better than her. I'm interested to see how he has changed in the second bookSpoiler now that his rival is trapped in the dimension of time.
Libby: I wanted to hate her, but she's too relatable as a character. Her constant need for everyone to like her hinders her as a physicist and as a person. She also dwells on things a lot. She felt a little like looking in a mirror, and I felt bad when the other characters spent their time talking about how they hated her. I think she was coming out of her shell a little and was much more confident towards the end, which was nice.
The other notable characters (Atlas, Dalton, Gideon and Ezra) were also really nice to read about. I like how nicely Blake tied up loose ends with Ezra'a perspective and how neither Ezra nor Atlas could be seen as the villains immediately. I really like Dalton and Parisa's relationship, even though it's one-sided and Parisa benefits much more than Dalton. Gideon is probably my favourite character in the book.
~~~~~~
I really liked reading this, but there's something that prohibits me from giving it all 5 five stars. I had the same problem with TSHEH where I liked it, but it didn't have a 5 star quality. I may not reread it for a while, but I'm very excited to read the second book and I hope it's as good as this one.
After I bought this book, I only saw hate for the plot and the characters (other than Elizabeth). I can completely understand where this hate for this book is coming from, but honestly, I thought that this was a great book — especially in comparison to my last read.
~~~~~~
The main six characters (Parisa Kamali, Tristan Caine, Callum Nova, Reina Mori, Nico de Varona and Libby Rhodes) are selected to be in The Alexandrian Society and have to train their magic to make sure that they're one of the five that make it to the next year. This book was very slow paced, but since so much of the book was mainly focused on the characters learning from both the library and each other, I could excuse it. I think it sped up at the right places Spoiler particularly the invasion and the part where they plan and fail to murder Callum but I enjoyed the fact that the book wasn't totally action-packed.
I also like Blake's writing style: she's great at showing not telling; she can handle the multiple perspectives pretty well without repeating things in another person's point of view, and I love how well she can describe something for pages and pages. If she wrote a book with zero dialogue, I'm 90% sure I'd enjoy it. Her descriptions were interesting and the only thing that took me out of the book was an occasional piece of dialogue or the fact that I had to force myself out of the book to do a separate task.
That's not to say it wasn't without its faults.
There wasn't a lot of 'rigorous' study that's suggested in the blurb, since the book focused more on the characters' thoughts and feelings towards the others in the society and their lives back home. Furthermore, the magic system is quite confusing — how do you figure out who's a medeian? Do they need to have median family? It seemed like Libby didn't. Can all medeians cast a certain type of magic, or did they have to go to specialists for illusions? I have a bad habit of filling in the gaps in my head, so I didn't realise until I read a review pointing this out.
~~~~~~
I'm fairly conflicted on some of the potential romances in this book. I'm always partial to romantic subplots, but there's something a little off with most of the romances that have been hinted at in the book; it feels almost unethical to ship them.
Trislibby is one I can't get behind because of the age gap, and I don't really think there's much to say about it.
Novacaine really splits me. On one hand, their moments together are adorable and I've accidentally read spoilers about how their relationship develops in TAPSpoiler with Callum's one-sided pining for Tristan and asking Parisa if she's been in love before, and I adore pining, one-sided or mutual which is so heartbreaking. On the other hand, if either of them got therapy, they would've never been attracted to each other, and that would be a good thing for both of themSpoiler because still being in love with the guy you stabbed/the guy who stabbed you is kind of crazy in my opinion.
I personally haven't seen enough for me to support Nicolibby, but I get the appeal behind it, since they start to tolerate each other much more (and because Nico's the closest thing Libby has to a friend in the society). If their relationship is developed in TAP, then I could support it.
The only ship that is the healthiest (even though it probably isn't that healthy) is Nicogideon. It's obvious that both of them care for each other more than the other knows, and it definitely surpasses a normal "best friend thing" (I love my best friends, but I do not want their problems), but if Olivie Blake turns around and says that they're not meant to like each other then I won't scream and cry over it.
~~~~~~
To reiterate, I like how Blake's managed the six different perspectives in the story. I feel that at times their characters and thoughts blend into one, but the majority of the time, she does a great job at separating them and their thoughts and feelings.
My final thoughts on the characters are as follows:
Parisa: I like her. It's very interesting how she and Callum have similar personalities and they see each other as villains in each others' stories. Their abilities both rely on people not being truthful and manipulating them to get the information or reaction they want or need. I'm intrigued to see how she changes and develops (or doesn't) in the second book.
Tristan: The first thing that comes to mind is that he needs therapy, but he's the type of person to complain about how it disrupts his work life. He, Callum and Libby are probably my top three main characters.
Callum: I think he's an underrated character. I'm always drawn to characters that have complicated morals and those who very easily make mistakes when picking alliances in books like this.Spoiler In isolating himself from the others and only allying himself with Tristan, he dug his own grave with the others and with himself. If he refuses to talk to the others, they'll think he's rude and be upset that he thinks that they're not worth his time, and since he and Parisa have similar (ish) abilities, they'll choose to eliminate the one who didn't bother to talk to them and think of him as expendable. He also dug his own grave with how he only spoke to Tristan as he doesn't seem to have any outside friends other than family ones that are all about business. Callum has also chosen to befriend the one person that can see through his illusions — Tristan both literally and figuratively is the only person there that can see the real Callum Nova, so only talking to the others out of necessity, but talking at length to the one person who can see through you is obviously going to do a number to your self-worth. He would've developed an us vs. them mentality eventually, and then having to kill the one person that you liked because he chose to side with "the enemy" is going to fuck you up mentally. He's definitely one character that I would've loved to be in the head of more, and I'd love to explore his relationship with his family a little more as well.
Reina: I've never liked her. From the beginning to the end, I never liked her. I understand just how important she is Spoilerand how she can't die for Atlas' plan to work but I seriously cannot stand her character. I had to skim read one of her chapters because she annoys me as a character so much. "I only feel strong platonic feelings" for whom? For what? Not your ability, not anyone around you, so what do you feel platonic feelings for? Books? She's the type of person to make fun of you because you aren't reading the classics every day.
Nico: Honestly, I think he's a little weak as a character by himself. I don't remember his perspectives as much as the other five and it seems like he prides himself on being Libby's rival and being better than her. I'm interested to see how he has changed in the second bookSpoiler now that his rival is trapped in the dimension of time.
Libby: I wanted to hate her, but she's too relatable as a character. Her constant need for everyone to like her hinders her as a physicist and as a person. She also dwells on things a lot. She felt a little like looking in a mirror, and I felt bad when the other characters spent their time talking about how they hated her. I think she was coming out of her shell a little and was much more confident towards the end, which was nice.
The other notable characters (Atlas, Dalton, Gideon and Ezra) were also really nice to read about. I like how nicely Blake tied up loose ends with Ezra'a perspective and how neither Ezra nor Atlas could be seen as the villains immediately. I really like Dalton and Parisa's relationship, even though it's one-sided and Parisa benefits much more than Dalton. Gideon is probably my favourite character in the book.
~~~~~~
I really liked reading this, but there's something that prohibits me from giving it all 5 five stars. I had the same problem with TSHEH where I liked it, but it didn't have a 5 star quality. I may not reread it for a while, but I'm very excited to read the second book and I hope it's as good as this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Murder, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Abandonment and Alcohol
tomas_lw's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
Fun premise, exceptional characters, pretty good execution.
The plot is simple and fun. Six magicians with exceptionally powerful specialities are selected to join a secret society. But only five can actually join at the end. Cue intrigue, sex, betrayal, magic weirdness, love, hate, death and other fun things.
Over all the book was a great read.
I do have som complaints though.
First of all the author seemed to almost forgot entierly about Reina for almost the entire book which was disapointing since her opening chapter made me really attached to her. I really hope she gets more to do in the next book.
And the ending of the book is very out of left field and exposition heavy. It felt like the author at the last time decided to turn the book into a trilogy and rewrote the ending to set up the sequels. It's a bit heavy handed and not entirely satifying. So lets hope it pays of in the next books!
Also, the book could have had a bit more things happening as most of the book is either characters talking with or thinking about the other characters. Don't get me wrong, I love all these characters and the talking and plotting is terrific, but the pacing of the book could probably have been better with some more action in the middle.
Overall, a great read as I said above and I'm definitely getting the rest of the series ASAP.
The plot is simple and fun. Six magicians with exceptionally powerful specialities are selected to join a secret society. But only five can actually join at the end. Cue intrigue, sex, betrayal, magic weirdness, love, hate, death and other fun things.
Over all the book was a great read.
I do have som complaints though.
First of all the author seemed to almost forgot entierly about Reina for almost the entire book which was disapointing since her opening chapter made me really attached to her. I really hope she gets more to do in the next book.
And the ending of the book is very out of left field and exposition heavy. It felt like the author at the last time decided to turn the book into a trilogy and rewrote the ending to set up the sequels. It's a bit heavy handed and not entirely satifying. So lets hope it pays of in the next books!
Also, the book could have had a bit more things happening as most of the book is either characters talking with or thinking about the other characters. Don't get me wrong, I love all these characters and the talking and plotting is terrific, but the pacing of the book could probably have been better with some more action in the middle.
Overall, a great read as I said above and I'm definitely getting the rest of the series ASAP.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Violence, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol and Death
Minor: Pedophilia
caseymac's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Gun violence, Emotional abuse, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Drug use, Kidnapping, Murder, Blood, and Confinement