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trishasthoughts 's review for:
The Atlas Six
by Olivie Blake
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The Atlas Six was such an interesting read. It was everything I wanted it to be and more, and yet not at all what I thought it would be. There is this delicious darkness to this book. It discusses themes of intellectualism, censorship of knowledge, and power as a concept through the lens of magic.
Olivie Blake’s writing is very effective in this novel. The tone and tension she creates propel the storytelling forward. The Atlas Six is primarily plot-based and as such, it requires a balanced, restrained movement to keep the readers engaged and interested. Blake delivers on this in spades. Her capability in describing the minutiae is reason enough for this book to be as celebrated as it rightly is. The writing is fairly accessible, even if all the concepts tackled in the book aren’t necessarily so. I was drawn into the world if the Alexandrian Society. Everything from the setting to the magic of the Library was very well described in order to create a very particular effect.
The most compelling part of this book was without a doubt the cast of characters. There is not a single character introduced without some purpose, which I loved. Not even background characters are inconsequential to the story. The Six were each quite meticulously crafted, and their dynamics with each other were loaded with different forms of tension (and well timed reprieve). I do wish there was a little more time spent developing the character arcs throughout the story. It’s clear that they are changed by the end, their actions and the outcome weighing heavily on them in their own ways. Were they likeable? That’s up for debate. But were they interesting? Absolutely!
The world building in The Atlas Six left something to be desired in terms of completeness. Some parts are really good, like the Library and the specialities of the Six. But the magic system in the book is still unclear as a whole. Also not entirely certain on the distinction between witches and medeians. Honestly the incomplete world building was the only reason I didn’t give this book a 5 star rating.
The themes on the other hand (and their execution) deserve a 5 star rating of their own. This book poses some very important questions in academia. Who should have access to knowledge? Censorship or commodification of knowledge makes it a privilege with limited access. I also thoroughly enjoyed the tidbits of quantum physics in this. There are also very interesting themes of morality and power. This book reminds me of the Lord Acton quote “power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.” It is very relevant to the magic in this book and the medeians themselves.
I think The Atlas Six is sneakily philosophical. It draws you in with an adult fantasy dark academia set up but it truly delivers on the academia front. Blake often launches the characters into thought exercises and moments of intellectual development in particular interest to a specific character. I understand why some people felt this was not exciting but I loved that aspect. More so, I thought it was completely necessary to build character growth.
I would highly recommend this book to any fantasy lover with a particular inclination towards academic settings. The ending feels very unresolved but sets up the second book perfectly, which I cannot wait to get my hands on now. I really enjoyed this book, probably more than I initially thought I would. I couldn’t put it down once I picked it up.
Olivie Blake’s writing is very effective in this novel. The tone and tension she creates propel the storytelling forward. The Atlas Six is primarily plot-based and as such, it requires a balanced, restrained movement to keep the readers engaged and interested. Blake delivers on this in spades. Her capability in describing the minutiae is reason enough for this book to be as celebrated as it rightly is. The writing is fairly accessible, even if all the concepts tackled in the book aren’t necessarily so. I was drawn into the world if the Alexandrian Society. Everything from the setting to the magic of the Library was very well described in order to create a very particular effect.
The most compelling part of this book was without a doubt the cast of characters. There is not a single character introduced without some purpose, which I loved. Not even background characters are inconsequential to the story. The Six were each quite meticulously crafted, and their dynamics with each other were loaded with different forms of tension (and well timed reprieve). I do wish there was a little more time spent developing the character arcs throughout the story. It’s clear that they are changed by the end, their actions and the outcome weighing heavily on them in their own ways. Were they likeable? That’s up for debate. But were they interesting? Absolutely!
The world building in The Atlas Six left something to be desired in terms of completeness. Some parts are really good, like the Library and the specialities of the Six. But the magic system in the book is still unclear as a whole. Also not entirely certain on the distinction between witches and medeians. Honestly the incomplete world building was the only reason I didn’t give this book a 5 star rating.
The themes on the other hand (and their execution) deserve a 5 star rating of their own. This book poses some very important questions in academia. Who should have access to knowledge? Censorship or commodification of knowledge makes it a privilege with limited access. I also thoroughly enjoyed the tidbits of quantum physics in this. There are also very interesting themes of morality and power. This book reminds me of the Lord Acton quote “power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.” It is very relevant to the magic in this book and the medeians themselves.
I think The Atlas Six is sneakily philosophical. It draws you in with an adult fantasy dark academia set up but it truly delivers on the academia front. Blake often launches the characters into thought exercises and moments of intellectual development in particular interest to a specific character. I understand why some people felt this was not exciting but I loved that aspect. More so, I thought it was completely necessary to build character growth.
I would highly recommend this book to any fantasy lover with a particular inclination towards academic settings. The ending feels very unresolved but sets up the second book perfectly, which I cannot wait to get my hands on now. I really enjoyed this book, probably more than I initially thought I would. I couldn’t put it down once I picked it up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicide, Blood
Minor: Alcohol