The multiple viewpoints and storylines continue in this thrilling page turner as we get to know side characters in more detail. Great world building and just the right amount of scientific jargon to allow me to suspend my disbelief. At points, I feel like I've stepped into a really well-run game of Mage. I'm looking forward to the third book. Kicking myself for not waiting until all were out to start reading. Enough detail that it would be worth a reread before the capstone work is published.

This book is the sequel to The Atlas Six Bestselling Book by Olivie Blake, it starts where we left off, please read that book first. This is a multicast narration, we got Alexandra Palting, Andy Ingalls, Caitlin Kelly, Damian Lynch, Daniel Henning, David Monteith, James Cronin, Munirih Grace, Siho Ellsmore, and Steve West. They all did a brilliant job portraying each character, I really loved both books. The story is original, and intriguing and keeps me reading it just to find out what is happening. So many mysteries to be unveiled and secrets to be discovered.

I instantly fell in love with Atlas Six, and I was so excited when I received a digital copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review. Thanks to NetGalley, Olivie Black, and the publishers for the opportunity!

First off, I want to say that the narrators did a STELLAR job. I'm always a fan when there's different narrators for different characters.

It took me a bit to get into this book, but once I did, I was taken on a wild ride. It's incredible the influence powerful people (whether they believe they are or not) can have on the world. This book was heavier on philosophy than character arc, although we do learn some interesting things about all the characters. At the end of both the audiobook and the B&N Edition, there are short stories (different for each copy), and I loved reading more about the world. An excellent sequel to Atlas Six

Overall, I just love the world Olivie has created so much and was so happy to be back with my problematic faves once again, and as such, I really enjoyed this!!

This follow up to the sensation that is The Atlas Six was cerebral, gritty, and character-focused. The best way to describe this is cerebral: it’s introspective and you learn so much about each individual character’s thought process and how that drives forward a LOT of their decisions. Honestly I’ve rarely read anything like Olivie’s work and while there were some unexpected twists I really enjoyed this! Aka: the last 25 pages!! I am shook! happy! screaming! Can’t wait for book 3! (Also, that cliffhanger!?)

Callum, as ever, remains my absolute FAVORITE character in this series. A witty ‘villain’? And Reina, my other favorite, is on such a tightrope of barely restrained rage, I just loved getting into her head more. And no spoilers but they kinda team up to solve some society drama and I LOVED IT almost as much as I LOVE all of little chmura’s newest illustrations!!!

I listened to the audiobook arc and enjoyed listening to the full cast audio again with some delightful new voices! Thank you again to @torbooks and Netgalley for the advanced audiobook copy! This did not affect my review in any way.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Olivie Blake for providing me with an ALC of this book. This is my honest review.
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Where do I even begin with this book? I absolutely loved the Atlas Six and the Atlas Paradox was an excellent follow-up. Olivie Blake has me firmly in her clutches and I’m not mad at it! How she manages to write such beautiful prose while also cracking asshole jokes is beyond me. While it took a while to build, its meandering pace felt very purposeful.
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The Atlas Paradox maintains the same balance of philosophy, science, fantasy, and introspection as its predecessor. Maybe a step up on the introspection? In between the Libby goose chase and magical shenanigans, we spend a lot of time getting to know the core group on a more intimate level. This book is filled to the brim with moral quandaries and personal growth. More than ever, it becomes painfully obvious that this is as much about them individually as it is about them as a whole. There’s still magic and science, but at its core this book asks you fundamental questions. In the face of omnipotence, what is important to you? Who do you turn to?
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This was made even more poignant by the audiobook’s returning full cast. They embody the Atlas crew so well! At least for me, the audiobook enriched my experience and made it more immersive. That is, until the ball really started rolling and I switched to physical reading because I simply had to finish. It got too good! Audiobook speeds were insufficient 😂
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I’m as enamored by the Atlas Paradox as I was by the Atlas Six. It was beautifully written and wonderfully executed. I love these characters with all my heart. I can’t wait to see them again in book 3!
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The Atlas Paradox is the second book in the Atlas series. It is available for purchase in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook formats.

Wow, what a sequel! Eeeek this was absolutely amazing and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it! Highly recommend!

I really tried with book 2. I tried so hard to love this series but it was just to bogged down with so much inner monologue from the characters. I didn’t feel like the book moved. I did enjoy the narrators. They were fantastic but unfortunately the story itself fell flat for me.

Special thanks Macmillan audio and Netgalley for the ALC.

For most of this book I was extremely bored. It took me almost a month to read because I kept picking it up and being bored and putting it down and reading a different book. For the first half the book the only thing that keep me going was Libby’s chapters and I thought everything else was dull. I loved getting to hear from Gideon more #king. This is a very character driven book/series as a whole and I spent about half the time trying to decide who I disliked the least. This was definitely a filler book and while end was wild and got me excited for book 3 this book will end up being my least favorite of the series.

First things first, this cover. STUNNING!!! I love it just as much if not more than book one in this series, The Atlas Six. I read The Atlas Six and then read The Atlas Paradox right after and I’m so thankful to have had an early copy to do so thanks to Netgalley and the publisher. The Atlas Paradox starts immediately where we left off in book one. Was it a SLOW start, yes. However, when it took off, it took off and I couldn’t stop listening to this one. The overall suspicions of the society’s agenda and Atlas Blakley keep me listening. Where was this story going, all relationships seem to be upside down and now who to trust and who to be in alliance with is the even bigger question.

One more word … NICO!!! I’m in love with some Nico. He can’t do any wrong in my book. Overall, not much happened in book two, but I am enjoying this series, the world, the characters and can’t wait for book 3.

Again, a huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance listening copy in exchange for my honest review. I enjoyed the narration and plan on listening to book 3 the same.

Book two, Atlas Paradox brings us back to The Society of Alexandrians where we left off. We learn about where Libby is after the last book and get an update on what the other 5 have been doing in her absence. I found this book a bit off. We didn't really get to anything new in the story. I felt as though this book is more about the positioning of characters in the story. Though we got an idea of what motivates each character it didn't feel like we got any clear answers. I wished there was a chapter on Atlas. He is still mysterious, honestly, most of these characters are the same. I don't get why they are still in the school. It's been a year and they had one assignment and there are barely any tests for their skills or any real skill development. I don't even understand Ezra's whole point and for him to change so quickly. I don't get it. It's barely developed. I will continue reading this story out of curiosity but I'm not sure why nothing happened in this book.

This was one of my most anticipated sequels of the year and it did not disappoint! This series has my heart. I adore the characters and I honestly never really know what direction the plot with take and I love that so much. This was the perfect book to read this fall and guess all there is to do is sit and wait for the next one! The narration was fantastic and I loved how the tone and inflections added an extra dimension to the story.

{3.5 stars}

I’m not gonna offer a synopsis for this one… Because there’s too many spoilers for the first one… And holy cow it’s a lot to encapsulate.

I feel exactly the same way about this one as I did when I reviewed the first one. Solid premise. Intense characters. But it’s really all talk and postulation without very much action… Until the end. And then you get too much action and a cliffhanger all at once.

I still think there were a lot of unneccessary sex scenes. Literally none of them added anything of value to the story. I get that some people like steam for the sake of steam but this is not a romance novel...

I did this one on audio, I loved the performances except I found the slinky voice for Parisa so annoying.

I still find the story compelling… and enjoyed listening to it for the most part, but I’m really hoping the last book will pull everything together in the series will have been worth it.

Thanks to Macmillian Audio for access to the audiobook. All opinions above are my own.

I will admit I did not like this book as much at the first. There were a few things that made me lose interest and have to come back an revisit it. Over all it was good and I will definitely be continuing with the series! I do love the magic system and have started to like some of the not so nice characters more and more.

The Atlas Paradox is about what we would do for knowledge and our own power. My favorite character in this one has to be Libby. I feel like her character journey in this was unparalleled and I'm dying to chat about it with someone. But I think the main reason I feel like this separated itself from The Atlas Six is in the science and thought provoking-ness. The ways in which it examines and explores human ambition and our society on an almost meta level. To look at the cycles of humanity and of what we will do on a micro and macro level.

That's all I can say without spoilers, but if you like science and magic intersecting - you have to read The Atlas Paradox immediately. I was also able to listen to some of it on audiobook which helped me because I had to continue listening and so I could listen while knitting. I loved that it has a different narrator for each POV - which gave it a very cinematic feeling. So if you look for audiobooks that do that - like I do - then add it to the list! I felt like some of the accents felt a little less cohesive, but that wasn't a breaking point for me.

As one of my most anticipated reads, this book did not disappoint. The book started slow and slightly confusing, remembering where folks left off, taking the first 25%. It quickly picked up, not merely focusing on what 'year two' looked like at Alexandrian society but what Ezra is up to and where Libby left off.

The moments I loved were the quick tidbits where Blake made it clear the story was far from over. We have yet to have the puzzle pieces laid out perfectly by the author, nor will that likely ever happen. If you're looking for another adventure and something worth buying the book to flip through pages for answers, this is another read for you.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the audiobook ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a great follow up to The Atlas Six and it left me wanting more. I can't wait for the next book!

I found this second installment in The Atlas series to be a bit slow to get going and it took quite a while for the story to evolve. I listened to this one audio and for the most part thought the audio was well done, but as with the first book there is one narrator who speaks quite a bit faster than the other narrators so I did have to keep adjusting the book's speed in my listen which probably also distracted a bit from the story's flow.

This did end with questions that I look forward to having answered in book three and I will be looking forward to the final installment.

Much like the first book, The Atlas Paradox has some of the most dynamic characters I’ve read. Unfortunately, the plot and storyline move extremely slow. I can see that there was a heavier hand in the editing process with this book than with The Atlas Six. I was hoping that would save the series for me, but I think at this point I’m going to bow out. I adore character driven books, but I still need an engaging story.

3/5 stars!

Overall, I enjoyed The Atlas Paradox but I can't help but feel a little let down. While I didn't mind the pacing of The Atlas Six, I did have an expectation that this novel would be somewhat faster paced now that the world is a little more established.

Instead, the first 20% of this book was mind-numbingly slow with one of the longest initiation ceremonies of my life. Seriously, it was a little like sitting through an actual commencement ceremony. Luckily, things do pick up once you reach about the 25% point and I was sucked back into the plot.

My other primary critique of this novel was the lack of character development. No one really changed, they were all just in this constant state of stagnation for 400 pages - holding grudges (some deserved, some not so much), relying on vices and occasionally studying. In the first novel, I found the characters to be incredibly unique and intriguing, but they are starting to feel more insufferable than anything, as they refuse to grow or change.

I will still be reading the next book because I am genuinely interested in the plot and care about the characters (here's to hoping for growth!), but I do hope it is a bit faster than this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillon Audio for providing me with an audio ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

While I liked the first book in the series, I really liked the second book. It still had its philosophical flare and deep meaning (that I feel as if I wasn't smart enough to pick up on everything that was presented). But there was further character development. We got to delve a little deeper into each while having an overall plot of getting Libby back. There was also an added element of the dark academia to this book that I felt the first one was missing and it made this one much creepier.
There were parts where it slagged in the middle and it suffered a bit from "middle book syndrome" but I am intrigued enough to keep going.