AMAZING. Absolutely adding this to my favorite books of the year and it's only February! I was engrossed in this story from start to finish, have already recommended it to multiple friends and will without a doubt be buying myself a copy and highly suggesting my library gets one as well. I was nervous going into it because it's VERY hyped before it's even released which is so rare, I shouldn't have doubted the story though because it pulled through at every stop.
Characters, atmosphere, prose, this story has it all.

I wanted to read The Atlas Six because of they social media hype. I've been staying away from the social media suggestions for a while because they usually disappoint me. I tried not to go into this book with high expectations, but I was still a little disappointed.

The themes in this book were promising for me: dark academia, secret societies, and rivalries. Everything moved too slow for me and I couldn't sit and read it for hours at a time because I would lose interest. There's lots of potential and I think a strong edit would fix a lot of the issues.

The Atlas Six was recommended to me by one of my colleagues, because she's seen me tearing through other dark academia books like A Deadly Education and Ninth House recently. While I do very much enjoy this genre, I'm afraid The Atlas Six fell a little flat for me. The atmosphere of the book is wonderful, and I actually really enjoyed the characters, especially Parisa! However, issues with pacing made it a little difficult to get through The Atlas Six--even past the 50% mark, it felt like I was still waiting for something to actually happen.

As an avid reader of fanfiction, the lingering character vignettes and somewhat overwrought language immediately made me think of some of the better fanfiction I've read. Sure enough, a quick Google search tells me that Olivie Blake also writes Harry Potter fanfiction. Nothing against fanfiction whatsoever, but I feel that novels have a different set of rules and reader expectations, which The Atlas Six didn't quite meet for me.

Nonethless, I did enjoy The Atlas Six and would definitely read more by this author, especially if she happened to put out some short stories or novellas!

I truly wasn't expecting this book to be so good when I picked it up. I found all of the characters equally interesting which is so rare in a multi-viewpoint book. This book felt packed full of detail but fast-paced at the same time. The Magicians by Lev Grossman is one of my all time favorite series and this definitely reminded me of those books. I can't wait for the next installment!

So while I am not on BookTok, I have picked up on all of the hype surrounding The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake. Naturally, it made me curious to see if it would live up to all that hype. When Tor Books picked it up, I knew that something was going on with this book and added it to my TBR. And so here we are!

There are many secret societies in this world where magic exists. One of them is known as The Alexandrian Society, and they are tasked with protecting magical knowledge from all over the world. This includes the knowledge that most of humanity thought long lost. Every decade new initiates are brought into the fold to help protect this knowledge.

The latest six consists of Libby Rhodes and Nicolas Ferrer de Varona, both of whom can control matter; Reina Mori, a naturalist with a gift like no other; Parisa Kamali, a mind reader with a trick up her sleeve; Tristan Caine, an illusionist who can see through illusions; and Callum Nova, an empath with the ability to influence emotions. There's only one catch to their initiation: only five of them will make it in.

“The problem with knowledge, is its inexhaustible craving. the more of it you have, the less you feel you know”

Have you ever been both excited and nervous to start a book that has incredible hype? On the one hand, I wanted to read The Atlas Six, as it sounded amazing. On the other, I was so afraid that the hype would build me up for a fall, and thus I was almost dreaded picking it up.

As it turns out, I needn't have worried. I ended up adoring The Atlas Six and every little detail the author was willing to send my way. Though I am curious to know if it changed at all after being purchased and edited by Tor – can anyone enlighten me?

As I mentioned above, there are six main characters in The Atlas Six. I imagine every reader will end up having their favorites, as I did. I also think that the writer, Olivie Blake, had her own favorites. Some characters got more screen time than others and are arguably more connected and essential to the plot. All of which becomes more clear as time goes on. Personally, that makes sense to me. But I can see how it would be a bit disappointing, too, since all six were initially billed as being equally extraordinary. The top six, so to speak.

“Really, there was nothing more dangerous than a woman who knew her own worth.”

To me, The Atlas Six had very strong vibes similar to The Gilded Wolves. In this case, a group of unlikely allies (sort of, in this case) worked together, using their abilities to fill in a different piece of the puzzle. Sound familiar? It also had A Deadly Education vibes, though with a twist. The Atlas Six aren't students, though they deal with magical knowledge and its study.

It took me a little while to get into The Atlas Six, so if you find yourself uncertain in the beginning, keep reading! Once all of the character introductions are complete, the plot will start picking up more and more. For me, I think it all synced up once I understood each of the six without having to stop and think about who they were.

Long story short: I put off reading The Atlas Six for a bit because I dreaded the thought of it disappointing me. When I finally sat down to read it, I fell in love. Ultimately, I read this nearly five hundred-page book in one night because I got that hooked. Now I'm just sitting here waiting for the sequel (The Atlas Paradox).

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Every decade, 6 of the most skilled medians get invited to the Alexandrian society. They get the opportunity to study from its archives and improve their magic for a year before deciding which one to eliminate. Told in the POVS of all the characters this book is full of flowery prose and sarcastic 20 something-year-olds. The Atlas Six is thrilling and a bit speculative.

So this is my second time reading it. I bought the original back in 2020 and now I've read the revised edition published by Tor. I read this one simply because I wanted to see if the overall story changed; it didn’t. I don't really remember every little detail from the first book so I could have missed some things that changed but overall I liked it just as well.

The changes begin from the prologue. It's more subtle grammar choices than a big restructuring of the plot. From the first chapter, there are additions, for instance, Libby sees her father in the auditorium whereas in the original she and Nico only discussed Ezra. I wouldn't say you need to read both versions. They both ultimately tell the same story. A thrilling one, yes, but still the same.

My biggest hope was that I would finally understand what the hell was going on in the space and time sections. I was still confused…less so than the first time around but confused nonetheless.

Thank you to Net Galley & Tor for giving me an e-ARC!

I was fortunate enough to have read this book before it was re-edited and published. To be able to reread it with the changes is a delight! The magic system is easier to understand in this version, and there aren't a lot of significant changes, in my opinion. Even the second time around is still just as good!

Some might think the writing style in this feels pretentious, but I think it's so fitting for the book's vibe. It's very complex and has a dark-academia vibe. It also feels like it moves slowly, but everything is happening so fast! Amazing. I can't wait for the next book to come!

I was so honoured to be able to review this book as ARC reader, all opinions are my own.

For the lovers of ~Dark Academia~

This book is magic! I did not even know how I finished it so quickly, but before you know it, you are half way into it. The multiple POVS of the main characters make the book vibrant and interesting, you end up rooting for each character.

I loved how the book was written and I loved the story. Can't wait for the next one! :)

I did not expect to love this book, but here we are. If you like head games, sexual tension, and the philosophies and intricacies of magic systems*, you'll love it too.

*You don't need to love this last one. You can skim all the magic stuff and get to the next head game. I won't judge.

I absolutely adore the atlas six. I had a great time reading! Olivia Blake will be an insta buy for me!

The Atlas Six seemed like a book I would get lost in quickly. While I can see the draw for some, the story did not reach the depth I was expecting it to. I appreciate being able to read this early and I do know some of my higher leveled students would find interest in this title and would enjoy the story.

The Atlas Six
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
— — — — — — — — — —
Fuck it. Let’s be gods.
— — — — — — — — — —
Synopsis:
The Alexandrian Society is the best kept secret in the world. It consists out of the best magically gifted people, chosen every ten years. With every initiation six new members are introduced to join the society and protects its darkest secrets. Secrets that can get them killed.

When Atlas Blakely sets off to collect the six candidates, that could not be more different from each other, it is not only a question whether their magic is strong enough to complete the initiation but rather if it is strong enough for them to survive.
— — — — — — — — — —
This book reeled me into its magic the second I started reading. The whole concept of each person’s individual magical ability and their uniqueness was executed incredibly well.

The story was definitely not an easy or fast read. It required a lot of observation and concentration to understand the plot and character development.

Libby was my absolute favorite, which is probably because I can relate to her in so many ways. She is a very lovable character that often surprised me throughout the book.

If I had to find something that bothered me while reading, I would have to say that for me there could have been a deeper relationship between some of the characters. The multiple POVs would have been so good for that.

Overall it is clear to say that I really liked this book and I am really thankful to have received an ARC in return for my honest review.
— — — — — — — — — —
Ratings:
Smut: 🌶🌶🌶/5
Story: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Writing style: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
(two stars for writing because it was hard to read)

I wasn't sure at first if this book would live up to the hype when I started it. Then, the next thing I knew I was half way done with the book! The pacing at first seemed like it would move slowly, but it was sneaky with how quickly the book moved, They lyrical language made the book very easy to read and really brought the whole magical world to life. The author handled the multiple POV's with a deftness that was really impressive. I loved the characters, especially Tristan, Parisa, and Reina and am hard core shipping Nico and Libby. There were some secondary characters I would have loved to seen more (hello Gideon!)

This book seemed like it was written by someone much older. Blake's use of language was gorgeous and was what really captured me. I can't wait for the second book.

If I had to choose any of the powers to have, personally I would choose Reina's. The relationship between her and the natural world was spell binding. While she seemed to think of it as a curse and really admonished the plants, I also feel like she loved them like an overtaxed mother.

I heard about it and missed my chance to grab a copy before it moved to traditional publishing. I am thankful for the opportunity to read and advanced copy.

I really wanted to love this book. There are so many good things said about it that. Sadly, it wasn't worth the hype for me. There was a lot of filler that didn't add to the world or character building. Nothing about any of the characters resonated with me and kept my attention. I wasn't rooting for anyone to win, which is what I have done for other "Challenge" themed books.

Regrettably this one fell short for me as the world and characters didn't feel fully fleshed out and there was just too much that I think was meant to add to the story but took away from it instead. While this wasn't for me, that doesn't mean that it wouldn't be for someone else. I definitely suggest giving it a read if you would enjoy the Hunger Games meets the Magicians.

This was a solid debut from Olivie Blake, but I'll be honest, I feel more confused after having finished The Atlas Six than I did at the start of the book. The middle 80% was honestly a drag and I found myself quite bored at the lack of plot. This is a very character driven story, but the characters felt so pretentious to me. It was like they were purposely written to be mysterious to entice readers, but it made me not care about them. However, you can tell that this book is setting us up for a greater climax in the sequel so fingers crossed it's more interesting then!

The first 80% of this book was like looking at a lake and imagining its great depths, only to step into 2 inches of water… The Atlas Six by Oliva Blake had so much potential, but didn’t even come close to achieving that potential until the last 20% of the book. So, 3 stars for the last 20%, but probably 2 stars for the first 80%.

Essentially, the book is about a secret Society that has access to the Alexandrian library. Every 10 years six candidates are chosen; 5 will be initiated and 1 is eliminated after a year of study. The novel follows the six candidates, and their adventures during their first year of study. I was extremely excited to read this book because a lot of captivating fantasy novels are YA, and these characters are in their 20s and 30s, but in the end, I mostly felt let down.

My first issue with the book is the premise of six candidates, and one will be eliminated. If you’ve ever read any kind of fantasy book where someone is mysteriously eliminated, you already know what’s supposed to happen… So, when Blake revealed, what I assume was supposed to be a plot twist, I certainly saw it coming. You probably see it coming, and you haven’t even read the book yet!

That being said, I will admit that, in the last 20%, there were some minor twists that were less expected. It was still partially predictable, but Blake put a spin on the reasoning behind the twist that was definitely unexpected in my opinion.

In addition, the characters were objectively well-developed, but somehow lacked personal connection. On paper, the characters are interesting, but I just wasn’t feeling it as a reader. I will say that the connections between the characters were probably more compelling than the characters themselves.

Likewise, sexual relations between characters is a significant part of the book. I would say that sexual desire can be an effective tool to convey deeper messages in novels, but I felt like a lot of the plot was lost to sex in the first half of the book. I generally don’t read a ton of books with sex scenes, and the ones in The Atlas Six were pretty mild in my opinion, but I felt like the plot was hyper-focused on sex, which was disappointing, and quite frankly, a bit boring.

Finally, Blake incorporates philosophy into the novel, but I feel conflicted about how successful that endeavor was. In the first 80% of the book, interesting philosophical ideas are introduced, such as free will, our experiences of reality, and recreating reality. However, other than simply stating these ideas, they weren’t really explored in depth. I will concede that recreating reality was explored in the last 20% of the book, but I felt like it was useless to have philosophical ideas in the book without really diving into them.

Also, a little pet peeve, because I was a philosophy major in college: two of the characters discuss The Trolley Problem, which is a widely popular philosophical thought experiment. I was kind of livid because Blake completely missed the point of the thought experiment. The original problem is that you are standing at a lever that can switch the track that a trolley is on. If you do nothing, the trolley will kill five people tied to the track, but if you switch the lever, it will kill one person on the other track.

I know I’ve gone off on a bit of a tangent here, but the whole idea of the thought experiment is to raise the question of whether it is morally permissible to actively kill one person in order to save more people. There is no right or wrong answer, but Blake does not use the thought experiment as intended. In the book one character asks another if they would kill one to save five, but the major issue here is that the person being asked is one of the five people. This effectively makes the thought experiment moot because someone would clearly have a different perspective if they were one of the five that would be killed.

Anyway, the last 20% of the book was interesting enough that I will probably read the next book. However, if I could go back in time, and simply not read The Atlas Six to begin with, I probably would. While there were some redeeming factors, it was largely disappointing as a whole.

This one didn’t fully live up to the hype for me, but I still ended up liking it overall.
I thought the writing itself was really well done. I liked the writing style and o found it to be very captivating. I loved that it was multi-POV and we got to read from the perspective of almost every single character in the story. This added to much to the plot development and really expanded on the world. I will say it took me a while to remember who was who, what their backstory was and what the magical abilities of the core six were.
These characters were all pretty much the definition of morally grey. They’re all very complex and I appreciated having a large cast of characters to read from.
The first half dragged a little bit for me as I was learning about this new world and characters but the end really picked up. I liked all the little reveals along the way and I’m really interested to see what happens in the next book!
This was an intriguing story that left a lot of room for future development of the plot and characters.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I will be honest - this book took some patience to get into, BUT it was worth it. This book has so much potential to be great, but the first part of the book just felt like it dragged on forever. However, I am so glad I stuck it out and finished it. The character dynamics were incredible and the author was able to create so many interesting relationships with her incredible writing style and informational texts as well. There was philosophical discussions and sex and it left me wanting more for book 2! If you’re a fan of dark academia, brilliant character development, and magic then this book is for you!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I loooved this book! I somehow hadn't heard about it when it originally came out, so I'm really happy I found it on NetGalley. Whip smart, dark, sexy, and compelling. Now I can't wait for the sequel. Highly recommend!

I loved this book so much! This new adult fantasy book had amazing dark academia vibes, diverse characters that I loved, and a beautiful writing style that had me highlighting this book like crazy. The plot twist was unexpected and I am so excited for the sequel to come out!

Rating: 4.5/5 stars