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A review by laelyn
The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake
2.0
First things first: Yes, I primarily started this series because it was absolutely everywhere, I love dark academia mixed with magic and also, the library of Alexandria is in it. In the end, this is another lesson why I just shouldn't buy into hypes originating mostly on certain social media sites, because they rarely end up being enjoyable.
The first book in the series, 'The Atlas Six", was... okay. There were some good and interesting parts, and there was potential revealed in the last big twists, and I was mildly interested in how this story would unfold. It was also kind of boring and I always felt like the author was trying way too hard to sound sophisticated. The characters were mostly unlikeable or uninteresting, with the focus being less on us as readers actually getting to know them than on them proving to us how clever and Academic they are. Still, it was an enjoyable enough 3-star-experience to make me want to read the second book, which is... well, it's kind of a mess.
Once again there are intriguing bits and pieces all throughout, and the ending was, again, the best part of the book. But the characters feel even more lifeless, which isn't helped by throwing together new teams and forming new alliances seemingly only for the sake of having them interact, but there was no vibe, no emotional connection in any of these relationships. The characters are often mere archetypes and they simply don't feel alive. And that's a shame, because they have so much potential - I WANTED to love Reina but alas, I wasn't allowed to. I mostly cared about Gideon and he's not even part of the Big Six. Also, there's just... nothing happening. They all just idle around for the better part of the book, and the seemingly intriguing plot points - the ball! - are handled within one or two short chapters and without much fanfare. It's really, sadly, boring.
I wanted this to be an improvement to the first book, I wanted to explore these characters more thoroughly, but "The Atlas Paradox" gave me nothing. So despite the few things I actually liked, I don't think I will touch the third book.
2 stars.
Many thanks to Tor and Netgalley for the arc!
The first book in the series, 'The Atlas Six", was... okay. There were some good and interesting parts, and there was potential revealed in the last big twists, and I was mildly interested in how this story would unfold. It was also kind of boring and I always felt like the author was trying way too hard to sound sophisticated. The characters were mostly unlikeable or uninteresting, with the focus being less on us as readers actually getting to know them than on them proving to us how clever and Academic they are. Still, it was an enjoyable enough 3-star-experience to make me want to read the second book, which is... well, it's kind of a mess.
Once again there are intriguing bits and pieces all throughout, and the ending was, again, the best part of the book. But the characters feel even more lifeless, which isn't helped by throwing together new teams and forming new alliances seemingly only for the sake of having them interact, but there was no vibe, no emotional connection in any of these relationships. The characters are often mere archetypes and they simply don't feel alive. And that's a shame, because they have so much potential - I WANTED to love Reina but alas, I wasn't allowed to. I mostly cared about Gideon and he's not even part of the Big Six. Also, there's just... nothing happening. They all just idle around for the better part of the book, and the seemingly intriguing plot points - the ball! - are handled within one or two short chapters and without much fanfare. It's really, sadly, boring.
I wanted this to be an improvement to the first book, I wanted to explore these characters more thoroughly, but "The Atlas Paradox" gave me nothing. So despite the few things I actually liked, I don't think I will touch the third book.
2 stars.
Many thanks to Tor and Netgalley for the arc!