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A review by nikitanavalkar
The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I have a thing for secret societies and dark academia, so being in the Atlas Six world was like being in my own personal wonderland. The vibes are scholarly and intellectual and just a lil spooky and overall immaculate. And for once we’re talking about people doing unspeakable things in pursuit of knowledge, pure and simple. Okay not so simple. The book presents a magic system that is inextricably intertwined with science, making the story at times deeply scientific, sometimes philosophical, always magical, and wonderfully nerdy. It tinkers with big questions like the mysteries of the universe and time as a physical or psychological construct but despite all its esoteric meanderings, the author’s writing style is easy to follow and very engrossing, and not lacking in pretty prose.
The titular six are a diverse mix of interesting characters, each with secrets and neuroses, each scary smart and ambitious, and very powerful. All in pursuit of a single goal, which makes them shaky allies at best, sworn enemies at worst. I of course, can’t stop thinking of the empath, who’s ironically the most callous of them all. The most villainous so to speak. All of them are varying shades of grey, but this one has the most sublimely lethal of powers and is the most dangerously aware of his abilities. Being in his head is at once fascinating and disturbing, therefore I was alternately repellant of him and also mildly infatuated with him. Of course I was. It is what it is. The romantic entanglements are complicated to say the least, and extremely confusing. Primarily coz they’re not the focus, but they inform their actions nevertheless, as romance often tends to. And I will always be the reader that looks for and talks about the romance in any book. I won’t say who’s what, but the pair of rivals is as often adorable as they’re at odds. But they’re not necessarily future lovers? I know, hard to compute.
I think I’d have rated this half a star higher with a little more romance, and with maybe a different ending, but there’s still time to see what happens in the next book. One of my favorite parts might be the short story at the end involving a fraught game/assignment shenanigans with Libby and Nico and their long suffering friends.
The titular six are a diverse mix of interesting characters, each with secrets and neuroses, each scary smart and ambitious, and very powerful. All in pursuit of a single goal, which makes them shaky allies at best, sworn enemies at worst. I of course, can’t stop thinking of the empath, who’s ironically the most callous of them all. The most villainous so to speak. All of them are varying shades of grey, but this one has the most sublimely lethal of powers and is the most dangerously aware of his abilities. Being in his head is at once fascinating and disturbing, therefore I was alternately repellant of him and also mildly infatuated with him. Of course I was. It is what it is. The romantic entanglements are complicated to say the least, and extremely confusing. Primarily coz they’re not the focus, but they inform their actions nevertheless, as romance often tends to. And I will always be the reader that looks for and talks about the romance in any book. I won’t say who’s what, but the pair of rivals is as often adorable as they’re at odds. But they’re not necessarily future lovers? I know, hard to compute.
I think I’d have rated this half a star higher with a little more romance, and with maybe a different ending, but there’s still time to see what happens in the next book. One of my favorite parts might be the short story at the end involving a fraught game/assignment shenanigans with Libby and Nico and their long suffering friends.