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A review by lainiereads
The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Okay, this book is confusing. But, in a good way, I think? Like I really enjoyed reading it, and I can't wait for the second one, but man I had no idea what was going on the whole time. The writing has the perfect dark academia fanciness, which created a large amount of confusion- but it's also what made me still enjoy reading even when I was completely lost. Olivie Blake's writing makes it so easy for the readers to feel like they are also in some mysterious private "school" and are learning about some crazy complicated magic.
Speaking about magic, that was also very hard for me to understand- but once again, in an enjoyable way. It felt a lot like reading about philosophy, but instead of being all theoretical, it was about the magical abilities that they had. It was very interesting to learn about, although I absolutely understood none of it (like actual philosophy). If anyone enjoys that kind of abstract thinking, then this book is 100% for you. If you don't like that kind of thing though, don't worry, it's still enjoyable when you don't understand it.
Now for the best part of the book: the characters! They were all so complex! And their dynamic with each other?? Also complex! It was so hard to figure out what was going to happen next because there were so many layers to each person. It felt like every chapter, my perception of each character was completely changed! My personal favorites would probably be Nico and Libby, who I can't wait to see more of in the next book (psssst Olivie Blake, please give me more Libby and Nick content in the next one, that's all I want). They both try to be morally good but find themselves struggling with doing the right thing at times. Libby especially questions her beliefs a lot, which made me connect to her a lot more than others who just did crazy things for fun (though I also love those characters too).
This book includes many morally gray characters, fancy dark academia vibes, and a complex storyline- what's not to like? Everyone go read it so we can all discuss the ending and wait patiently for the next one :)
Speaking about magic, that was also very hard for me to understand- but once again, in an enjoyable way. It felt a lot like reading about philosophy, but instead of being all theoretical, it was about the magical abilities that they had. It was very interesting to learn about, although I absolutely understood none of it (like actual philosophy). If anyone enjoys that kind of abstract thinking, then this book is 100% for you. If you don't like that kind of thing though, don't worry, it's still enjoyable when you don't understand it.
Now for the best part of the book: the characters! They were all so complex! And their dynamic with each other?? Also complex! It was so hard to figure out what was going to happen next because there were so many layers to each person. It felt like every chapter, my perception of each character was completely changed! My personal favorites would probably be Nico and Libby, who I can't wait to see more of in the next book (psssst Olivie Blake, please give me more Libby and Nick content in the next one, that's all I want). They both try to be morally good but find themselves struggling with doing the right thing at times. Libby especially questions her beliefs a lot, which made me connect to her a lot more than others who just did crazy things for fun (though I also love those characters too).
This book includes many morally gray characters, fancy dark academia vibes, and a complex storyline- what's not to like? Everyone go read it so we can all discuss the ending and wait patiently for the next one :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Chronic illness, Violence, and Grief