A review by foxcrofty
The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

4.5

I first encountered this book on a table at Barnes and Noble and was intrigued. Then after finally hunting down a copy and a few months off reading, I jumped into it.

The over all premise is six of the worlds most power medeians (magic users) have been offered a chance to join the premiere and secretive Alexandrian Society, however after a year of study together only five will be initiated into the society and one will be eliminated and it is up to the group to decide which member they will eliminate. 

My dark academia/Warehouse 13/The Librarians loving self was all over this concept.

Now I will say, this book is dense. The rules of magic are deeply rooted in the rules of physics and there were several times I was struggling to keep up. But I am not a science girl.

The only other reason I'm giving this book a 4.5 rather than a 5 is because the opening section was difficult to get through. Initially I found some of the characters more irritating than interesting but the further I got into the book the more my opinion changed. I thought this was going to be a plot driven book but it sort of bait and switches in the middle and becomes almost entirely about the characters. By the end I was deeply attached to all of them, even Callum, though he certainly scares me the most.

I am also very glad that this isn't a stand alone because final act left me very confused and wanting more.

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