A review by abitbetterbooks
The Atlas Complex by Olivie Blake

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Ughhhhhh I wanted to like this so much more than I did. 

I loved the first book, the second I enjoyed, and this one, while I really like Olivie Blake’s writing style, didn’t really live up to the expectations and tension that were built up through the first two novels. This is always the risk with a trilogy, and while there were some things I really appreciated about it and moments that I think are very memorable, overall the direction of the plot left a lot to be desired. 

The characters and their relationships are the most important and dynamic aspect of the Atlas series in my perspective, so I think having the various members of the team separated throughout the story made the whole thing feel quite disjointed, especially with the number of different narrators. I see what Blake was trying to do, and I can appreciate what all of these viewpoints brought to the narration and world building, but I feel like the execution made the overarching story feel less cohesive. 

In terms of the concluding 30% or so:
I’m not the kind of person who requires a happy ending to a story or want zero stakes so that there is no risk or sacrifice, but I just didn’t really see the payoff here. While I appreciate leaving some elements open ended, I felt like the expansive set of scenarios described was a bit of a copout to providing a meaningful conclusion, while also still giving an ending that was just not satisfying at all. Again, I don’t need everyone to be happy, but some of the pain seemed needless. Leave my boy Gideon alone!!!!!
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