So dang good! I can totally see how this book is not for everyone, but if you like opulent character studies in alternate realities this one is for you. I was nervous as this really feels like a love it or hate it book so I'm glad I loved it. Looking forward to the sequel.

I read The Atlas Six back in August 2021, in all of its self-published glory, so I was really excited to read the traditionally published version of a book I loved so much.

The Atlas Six is a fantastical dark academia following a group of six people, each with a unique magical ability, who are chosen to join the Alexandrian Society. However, only five will succeed. It's a story full of mystery, intrigue, and with plenty of twists and turns.

I absolutely adore any form of academic setting, even more if there's a magical/competition twist to it. So I was really excited to jump into this book.

Olivie Blake managed to approach these themes in a very fresh and exciting way, bringing a bit more of science to a fantasy setting, all the while keeping me hooked from the very beginning. The writing was immersive and I just couldn't stop reading, I needed to know what happened next.

And although the plot kept me enthralled at all times, I do believe the characters are the highlight of this story. Each one so nuanced and entertaining, even if I didn't necessarily support most of their actions, I still couldn't help but root for them. Since we get to read from all of their perspectives, we get to fully immerse ourselves into their heads and understand their motivations. The POV switches also makes for an incredible page-turner, with every chapter making you want to keep reading.

I was also really excited to see what changes were made when the book got published by TOR, but they were done so swiftly, I hardly noticed anything. The reading experience felt smoother in a way, which could be due to the revised editing or it could just be because it was a reread. All in all, I'm happy I also didn't notice any changes that made me like it any less.

I feel like if you're looking for an exciting read that'll keep you at the edge of your seat, you should definitely pick this book up. It's entertaining, fresh, high-stakes, and incredibly addictive. Once I finished, I couldn't stop thinking about it or longing for the sequel, which is why I decided to read it again in the first place. Truly have no idea where the series is going and I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens next.

This is one of the most boring things I've ever read.

I basically gave up at some point and started to skim read, hoping to find something I enjoyed in the plot but was unsuccessful in doing so.

I didn't like the characters and I'm not sure if I hated them because they were supposed to be unlikeable or they were just done poorly.

Basically I had a horrible time.

This book is absolutely riveting. The scenery is very luscious and detailed- it was very easy to be entranced. On top of that, the storylines kept me coming back for more. Will absolutely be adopting this book in my classroom.

Atlas Blakely is seeking out candidates for a most important task. For thousands of years, the Alexandrian Society have been the caretakers of the world's lost knowledge and magic. However, the members of this centuries-old society must earn their place. Those who succeed will obtain unimaginable wealth, prestige, and power; more than anything they could ever dream. Six people from different parts of the world have been chosen to compete for a seat in this society. Based on their individual strengths and knowledge, each candidate will try to earn their spot--if they survive that is.

As interesting as this premise sounded and as hyped up this book was on the book internet, I DNFed at 58%. I couldn't take it anymore. I was expecting dark academia and magic, but all I felt like I got was people being horrible to each other and extremely drug out sex scenes. While I have no problem with sex in any kind of book, this was just boring and unnecessary. There was hardly any magic. It just seemed boring and pretentious to me.

For me, the book has an amazing prologue that hooked me almost instantly. However, all my excitement vanished from chapter 1 until the end. At first, it was because I found it confusing to jump from that cool and grandiose prologue to the way the author started the first chapter, but then, as I continued with the story I found it very hard for me to keep track of all the information given to the reader. During the first half of the book we are introduced to all the main characters, we get to see their backgrounds, and important details to keep in mind for what is coming up next. The other half of the book is just amazing, you become immersed in the games, the schemes, the plots, everything! I feel that you just need to be patient enough to get to the best parts. I have talked about this book with some friends who read at the same time as me, and we all agree that patience is key for this one.

The premise of this book is fantastic, unfortunately I didn't think it fully lived up to the potential. It asked big questions and then shied away from really going after the answers. That being said, I did find the characters really compelling and well drafted. Overall, it was a fun read but I was left feeling like it had unfulfilled potential.

ONE OF MY FAVES OF ALL TIME!!!
check out my review on goodreads ;)

- thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an early review.

i think i saw too many good reviews about this book and was disappointed. i found myself only interested in libby and nico’s parts and i was hoping for more romance from their part. it was really wordy and overloaded with information and i just expected more from it

Love this first in a new series of dark academia, It had fantastic writing, great magic concept and good fleshed out characters. It was dark with lots of twists and turns and I cant wait fo this release of The atlas Paradox to see where this story will go.

Can't wait for the sequel to come out, the twist was well done in that it was partly guessable, but not entirely. None of the characters were particularly likeable, but I couldn't help but get absorbed anyway.

I first read this book when it was indie published and I really enjoyed it. The writing sucked my in from the beginning, I had never read a book like this before. There is character art throughout the book, its not necessary, but I loved it! I'm a sucker for art or unique formatting. We got 4 copies for our library and most of the time they are all checked out!
Full review on my goodreads!

I cannot say that I did not enjoy the book (I still gave it 4 stars) but it took me forever to finish it although I was never really bored. The plot is interesting but there is something that didn't convince me which I will try to explain.

I had the constant feeling that it was a somewhat 'forced' book, that it wanted to be a certain way at all costs. The characters are mean and unlikeable (ALL of them), the explanations are pretentious, and 90% of the book is made of monologues and soliloquies that are supposed to make the reader understand why the character is an asshole and make us love them.

I don't know how well it worked. In my case, it didn't because I didn't like any of the characters.

But as said the book is still interesting, which is why I found this "we're the villains everyone loves" stretch a bit unnecessary. The scientific explanations about magic were super interesting.

As for the queer aspect, let's face it, I would call it non-existent. There is some mentioned bisexuality with a very brief threesome due to alcohol but in general, we are pretty much just talking about subtext.

Super sexy and hot, full of magic with a scientific edge. This reminded me of a super grown up and edgier version of The Magicians. I found it to be darker and more violent than I expected and can’t wait for the sequel. Suspenseful and dark and full of twists. 4/5 stars

I both really liked, and really disliked this book at the same time. I love an unlikable character, but all of them were just kinda meh and mostly lacked any depth. The pacing was not the best. Seemed slow in parts but others were fast and there were large time jumps that felt jarring. The end of the book brought it up for me though and I am interested in what happens next

Love this book! This was a refreshing new fantasy series. I can’t wait to request this for our local library. Our patrons will love it

Did not love this. It was very very juvenile and took forever to get going. Lost interest and had to DNF.

This was a lot of fun! I wasn't sure how Blake would manage to balance the cast but she pulled it off wonderfully. I would definitely recommend this to fans of the Scholomance books.

I think this is a good story for folks who like multiple points of view and the grey character. This book was filled with a lot of unknowns as far as the characters and their decisions.

Pick this up if you are in a fantasy-magic sort of mood and enjoy the dark academia setting.

Definitely lived up to the hype! Well written, engaging, and full of twists. The world building is super intriguing!