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A review by emmagrace
The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A few thoughts:
1. Olivie Blake has a real talent for writing complex inter-character relationships. In the first book, I thought Callum and Reina were both lacking in complexity/attention compared to the other four, but this book really made up for that.
2. While I might have been quick to dismiss the first book as an empty dark academia book (all vibes no substance), this book really does a good job at digging into the relationship between knowledge and power. I look forward to seeing how that develops in the next book.
3. Kind of related to my second point, I think that while book one felt very insular, this book widens the scope and situates the story in the wider world. The world building that initially felt like bare bones is now fleshed out, and I'm sold on it. It's an interesting exploration of our world but with magic where magic isn't the miracle solution to all of our problems, but rather an amplification of the pitfalls of power and greed.
4. My one critique is that the choice in perspective really held back the narrative. By having each chapter be from only one character's perspective, it made for this awkward reading experience where we wouldn't hear from a character for 60+ pages, and when we did catch up with them, several weeks (or sometimes months) will have passed and we have to rewind to where we last saw this character. It was especially annoying when a chapter would end in a cliffhanger and it would take 60 pages to see what happens next.
Aside from my one issue with this book (which was, admittedly, significant), I overall thought this was a great book, and I'm excited for the next one!
1. Olivie Blake has a real talent for writing complex inter-character relationships. In the first book, I thought Callum and Reina were both lacking in complexity/attention compared to the other four, but this book really made up for that.
2. While I might have been quick to dismiss the first book as an empty dark academia book (all vibes no substance), this book really does a good job at digging into the relationship between knowledge and power. I look forward to seeing how that develops in the next book.
3. Kind of related to my second point, I think that while book one felt very insular, this book widens the scope and situates the story in the wider world. The world building that initially felt like bare bones is now fleshed out, and I'm sold on it. It's an interesting exploration of our world but with magic where magic isn't the miracle solution to all of our problems, but rather an amplification of the pitfalls of power and greed.
4. My one critique is that the choice in perspective really held back the narrative. By having each chapter be from only one character's perspective, it made for this awkward reading experience where we wouldn't hear from a character for 60+ pages, and when we did catch up with them, several weeks (or sometimes months) will have passed and we have to rewind to where we last saw this character. It was especially annoying when a chapter would end in a cliffhanger and it would take 60 pages to see what happens next.
Aside from my one issue with this book (which was, admittedly, significant), I overall thought this was a great book, and I'm excited for the next one!