A review by whenjessreads
The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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.
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