Just finished reading THE ATLAS SIX by Olivie Blake.

A secret society for those with magical powers. Yes please 🙏. Still waiting for my invite 🪄 .

The Atlas Six follows 6 MC's from recruitment through to initiation into a very secret magical society, of which will only accept 5 new members every decade... Those who go on to become members will have access to magical books & a knowledge base, which will help improve their powers beyond their imagination.

The Atlas Six hooked me in from page 1, with the uniquely dark magical society, the deeply flawed sexy 🔥 characters, and backstories. What kept me hooked throughout was how they were forced to work together to keep the societies magic and knowledge a secret. With a messed up ending that will leave you so pissed off that you have to wait for book 2 to come out.

While this definitely won't be everyones cup of tea, I would recommend if you liked the sounds of any of the above. If any of that made sense 😅😂.

This book totally lives up to the hype! The multi-dimensional characters, the suspenseful pace, the dark academia vibes -- it's got it all!

Thanks to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book has been getting a lot of hype thanks to booktok, and I'd also seen some rave reviews from bookstagrammers who I tend to get a lot of my fantasy recommendations from, so I was really eager to read this one.

I loved a lot about the story - the dark academia vibes, interesting types of magic, and an entertaining group of characters. The world building was a bit slow, but very methodical, although at times I felt a bit lost and like things had been made unnecessarily dense. I was both confused and fascinated as the story went on, but thought the ending was really strong. I'm very curious to see where the next book goes.

This book mainly works well as a character-driven novel. The plot does sounds really cool, but it doesn't resolve in a super interesting way. I thought all of the characters were introduced well, and each initially felt that they would be a distinctive voice from the others. There are six total main characters, and each chapter is told from one of the six's point of view. I think it does alternate evenly between all six, but it doesn't necessarily feel that way. The way each character is introduced is through them individually meeting Atlas and Atlas extending an invitation to join this elite magical society, though it's a selective invitation in that they invite six but only choose five. You know that they're all going to volunteer for this opportunity if you've read the synopsis, so it's a bit of a slow start, but it was a good way to get to know all of these characters. After those first initial chapters though, it became evident that the author has clear favorite characters who are better developed and more important to the story. This is why I can't say for sure if there was an actual even distribution between all of the POV chapters. I definitely started to loose interest in half of the characters, and two of them I couldn't even really remember who was who (Tristan and Callum-- I know that each had a distinct magical power, but I couldn't remember which power went to which person). I definitely wish all POVs felt even and important to the story, but it doesn't resolve that way. The book is a first in a series, so it's possible that it will even out.

I also had some issues with the writing style. It was overwritten in my opinion. In one particular example, a character is having a phone conversation with her boyfriend, and instead of holding an active conversation with the boyfriend, it provides flashbacks of the day's previous events that the character is thinking about when asked a question by her boyfriend, but by the end of it, she isn't going to share since this magical society is secret. I would frequently forget that she was talking to him. Honestly I felt the boyfriend's frustration in being left hanging from an actual response to his questions. The style does fairly well for creating a character-driven novel because it can focus on the characters' internal thoughts and reactions, but I felt it was a little too much.

As for the plot, it sounds cool, but it isn't really focused on action or learning or performing magic. It's more centered around an aspect that is spoiled in the synopsis, and in the tagline for the book. I won't say more than that, but the book doesn't really sell the point or the atmosphere of becoming a member.

At the point, I'm unsure if I would continue on with the series. Again, I liked some of the characters (the ones that are well developed). I'm not the biggest fan of the writing style, and I'm unsure if the plot will get more interesting than what this was. I also thought the ending of this was predictable, at least in terms of the main point, but not necessarily all the nitty-gritty details. Left feeling lukewarm overall.

Thank you to the publisher for providing a free eARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

In a fantastic tale, Olivie Blake catches the reader’s attention with an engaging and original journey, centered around 6 very special and unique magical beings, as they undergo a fight to learn, and eventually survive.

The Atlas Six is not well-marketed. I thought I knew what this book was going to be about when I started it - a YA fantasy/mystery about protecting the Library of Alexandria. It was not quite that - firstly, it’s definitely new adult and NOT YA. It’s a select group of magicians chosen to learn extensive magic, with the added element of “competition”. This Magic system is messy and confusing. Some of the characters powers aren’t even really fully explained until near the end of the book, which makes it difficult to root for them. The character diversity was good.

I DNFed this book at 40%. I found the amount of characters overwhelming. I didn't connect with any of them and had a hard time keeping everything straight. I liked the premise and this it is a really great concept and wish I could have understood easier. I think it just wasn't for me. Unfortunately, I won't be finishing it.

I’m so sad that this is a DNF for me, but I want to stress that the premise of this book is fantastic! I just didn’t personally connect with the writing style, which ultimately removed me from the story.

I’ve attempted to read this multiple times because the premise sounds so good that I thought I’d love it if I just gave it another chance! Unfortunately that isn’t the case, but I would definitely still say to give it a go if it sounds intriguing, as the writing style might work for you. Writing style is a big thing for me, because if I don’t particularly vibe with it, I read the book much much slower which again decreases my enjoyment.

I have seen some glowing reviews of this, and I feel this is very much a ‘me problem’, so I would still recommend this based on what I had read of the book, and what the synopsis promised to deliver in what I hadn’t read.

I have so much to say about this book and I honestly feel like I am the only person who did not love it. Which is very sad because when I received an ARC of this book, I was SO EXCITED to read it. I thought this was the holey grail of ARC’s and I dove right into it.

Unfortunately, I did not love this book. To say that I even liked it would be hard for me to admit because there was just not a lot about the entire book that I enjoyed. I actually thought I should DNF it multiple times but due to the hype of it, I thought “ok finish it, maybe you’re missing something”. The ending was different than what I expected but at the same time not? As soon as we got close to the end I knew exactly what was happening. Maybe a few bits I did not know but it was nothing that made or break the story.
To start, I thought giving away the entire twist of the book in the description and even on some versions of the book sleeve was STUPID. This book would have had a much better impact if I did not go into it knowing one had to die. Like how stupid? That was the ENTIRE twist?! Maybe I would have enjoyed this more if I went into it blind.

I also felt like the author looked up every single “normal” word that she could have used and found the most ridicules word to replace it. It felt like the author was just trying way too hard to make this feel like a dark academia book with big words instead of details of the world its self. I didn’t really connect with any of the characters other than maybe Libby and Triston. I felt like Nico and Libby’s relationship was done ok, but also hated that we didn’t see more of her and Ezra. I liked Triston, even though we only get a small view into his back ground and I think readers would have been able to connect much more with him as a person if we had more information.

All the other characters fell short for me. I did not love them, but I guess I also did not hate them. They just all felt “blah”. I don’t think we got enough back ground story on any of them to feel connected to them. I did not like Atlas, at all. I felt like I knew what the author was trying to do but failed at portraying him accurately until the very end of the book. Which at that point, I was over the entire story.
As soon as the author added in a bit about Ezra talking to Atlas, I knew exactly what was happening and what happened to Libby. Especially after Tristin “running into him” on an alternate plane like come on…. How could you not guess what was going to happen?!

Overall, I wanted to like this book. I wanted to love this book. It fell very flat for me and I wish I had better things to say about it. I probably will not pick up book 2 but I hope that the author gives their readers more back ground on “the six” so the readers can connect with them more. I would give this a solid 2.5 starts but I cant so I gave it 3 stars.

Dark academia + elemental magic makes for one interesting read. It was a little confusing, but overall it was a really absorbing book with a host of fascinating characters. Everyone has their own sort of magic, and 5 people out of 6 candidates will make it in the secret society. But they have to eliminate one. Cue moral dilemma and delicious tension

I really wanted to love this book. I follow Book ok on Tik-Tok and this book was so incredibly confusing. I had such strong feelings going in to this and then I ended up not loving it. I think the author tried really hard to make you love all the characters. The magic was so confusing at times. I really was bummed. The writing was good I just felt like I really had to drag to finish this book. I can see how people would love this because if this genre is right up your alley you may love it!

I'm really sad to admit but I didn't 'love' this book. It was a super anticipated read for me because of SO many glowing reviews, but sadly it isn't one for my favourite's pile.

Unfortunaltey I think it was a mixture of quite a lot of repetition and too many character ARCs where absolutely none of them held any particularly interesting elements. I found they were all too similar and I predicted from very early in there was more to Ezra than the reader was lead to believe. (Probably the huge thriller reader in me).

I wouldn't discourage people from picking this up, but I would recommend people read around first because it wasn't quite what I was expecting so it fell a little flat for me.

Really enjoyed this book. Told from several POVs, the plot follows 6 initiates into an ancient society that provides lots of perks over s lifetime.. Each person has a paranormal gift that got them noticed. As a group, they’re given tests to pass during their year living together. At the end of year, they must kill one of them to complete the initiation. But who will they pick?

I liked the various POVs, got lost a few times when it came to the characters who could mess with reality and thoughts. But the stakes and interesting ploy kept me reading. Hopefully the next book will spell out the actual benefits of being in the society.

I am always down for a Dark Academia read and this one hit many marks of the genre that I love. The book was equal parts dark and mysterious with secrets and hidden agendas around every corner. I absolutely loved the multiple point of views offered throughout the chapters. I felt like I was able to truly get to know each character on such a deep level: their insecurities, their desires, the things they didn't know about themselves. Each character was both incredible and tragically flawed in some way which lent to the traditional Dark Academia group of unlikeable/lovable characters we have come to expect from this genre.

The story itself was medium paced in general but very slow in parts. There were times when I was so driven by the characters that I forgot what the plot even was. I appreciated the diversity of the cast of characters as well, since that is usually lacking from the Dark Academia genre.

However, as much as the story wrapped me up in a dark and fascinating alternate universe of magic and intrigue, the ending seemed a bit lacking. The "twist", so to speak, was something I had guessed early on in the book. And, while many of the genre's predecessors gave us horrific ends that left us shocked and horrified, instead the ending of this tale was a bit underwhelming. The depth of tragedy and heartbreak was missing.

Overall, I would say this book was enjoyable and a fun new addition to the Dark Academia genre. However, long-standing fans of the genre may find it's effect underwhelming.

Six young people with diverse psychic abilities are selected to take part in a special 2 year project. They are ledd to believe success with this could catapult them to a great future. They know that only 5 of them will ultimately be chosen after one year. What they aren't told is how the rejected student will be chosen and what his fate will be.

I found the premise interesting and the plot was suspenseful, but the story dragged in places.

A magical experience

Everyone had recommend this one all over social media when it was in the indie world.

The new cover is stunning and the story is beautiful and fun

this is the best fantasy novel since Harry Potter. I was captivated from beginning to end. A worthy successorr to xmen. I caannot twaitt for the film adaptation.

(ENGLISH REVIEW BELOW)

J'étais énormément hypée par l'histoire trépidante que promettait le résumé. Ce roman avait des airs d'ALL OF VILLAINS, un roman récemment lu et adoré...
Et qu'est-ce que j'ai adoré ma lecture ! J'en redemande encore !
¤
On se rapproche irrémédiablement du coup de coeur avec cette lecture. J'ai été entraînée par le récit et la manière dont l'autrice avait de capter mon attention du début jusqu'à la fin.
Dans ce roman, nous suivons plusieurs points de vue, ceux de nos 6 protagonistes qui vont se retrouver réunis pour participer à la plus sombre et grande des compétitions. Libby, Nicolás, Reina, Parisa, Tristan et Callum vont devoir cohabiter ensemble pendant un an, prouver leurs capacités, survivre afin d'accéder à cette fameuse société secrète qu'est la Société d'Alexandrie.
Avant de parler des personnages qui ont été, pour moi, un des points forts de ce roman, je dois avouer que je suis admirative devant le travail fait par l'autrice dans la construction de son univers. J'ai été très intriguée par cette Société d'Alexandrie où tout le savoir perdu des civilisations de l'Antiquité est gardé précieusement. Je raffole d'Histoire et de mythes alors me retrouver dans un tel lieu serait un vrai rêve. J'ai beaucoup aimé cette idée que seuls des élus peuvent intégrer cette société magique et que pour le coup, une compétition soit organisée pour sélectionner les élus.
L'histoire est sombre. Il y a de la tension. Entre secrets, trahisons et chaos, on ne sait plus où donner de la tête. Ce roman s'est lu tout seul et rapidement. J'avais envie de connaître la fin.
Les personnages m'ont beaucoup plu par leur complexité. L'autrice s'est efforcée de créer des personnages nuancés pour qui le lecteur peut autant ressentir de l'empathie que d'antipathie pour eux. Ils sont de personnalités différentes et c'était intéressant de connaître leurs pensées, leurs réflexions et de les voir interagir ensemble. J'ai trouvé que la psychologie de leur personnage était pour tous bien traitée et approfondie. Au-delà de leurs pouvoirs incroyables et uniques -l'autrice a fait fort dans ses inspirations-, ce sont les relations et les interactions qui m'ont beaucoup plu à propos de nos protagonistes.
Vraiment, j'ai adoré ma lecture. C'était frais, entraînant et dynamique. Il me tarde de lire la suite !

-------------
ENGLISH REVIEW

I was hugely hyped by the hectic story that the summary promised. This book sounded like ALL OF VILLAINS, a recently read and adored book...
And how I loved my reading! I want more!
¤
The Alexandrian Society is a secret society of magical academicians, the best in the world. Their members are caretakers of lost knowledge from the greatest civilizations of antiquity. And those who earn a place among their number will secure a life of wealth, power, and prestige beyond their wildest dreams. Each decade, the world’s six most uniquely talented magicians are selected for initiation – and here are the chosen few...
- Libby Rhodes and Nicolás Ferrer de Varona: inseparable enemies, cosmologists who can control matter with their minds.
- Reina Mori: a naturalist who can speak the language of life itself.
- Parisa Kamali: a mind reader whose powers of seduction are unmatched.
- Tristan Caine: the son of a crime kingpin who can see the secrets of the universe.
- Callum Nova: an insanely rich pretty boy who could bring about the end of the world. He need only ask.
When the candidates are recruited by the mysterious Atlas Blakely, they are told they must spend one year together to qualify for initiation. During this time, they will be permitted access to the Society’s archives and judged on their contributions to arcane areas of knowledge. Five, they are told, will be initiated. One will be eliminated. If they can prove themselves to be the best, they will survive. Most of them.
¤
This reading was almost a big fav! I was swept away by the story and how the author captured my attention from start to finish.
In this book, we follow several points of view, those of our 6 protagonists who will find themselves reunited to participate in the darkest and greatest of competitions. Libby, Nicolás, Reina, Parisa, Tristan and Callum will have to live together for a year, prove their abilities, survive in order to access this famous secret society that is the Alexandrian Society.
Before talking about the characters who were, for me, one of the strengths of this book, I must admit that I admire the work done by the author in the worldbuilding. I was very intrigued by this Alexandrian Society where all the lost knowledge of the civilizations of Antiquity is preciously kept. I love history and myths so finding myself in such a place would be a real dream. I really liked this idea that only elected officials can integrate this magical society and that for once, a competition is organized to select the elected officials.
The story is dark. There is tension. Between secrets, betrayals and chaos, we no longer know where to turn. This book read itself quickly. I wanted to know the ending.
I really liked the characters because of their complexity. The author has strived to create nuanced characters for whom the reader can feel as much empathy as antipathy for them. They are different personalities and it was interesting to know their thoughts and see them interact together. I found that the psychology of their character was for all well treated and deepened. Beyond their incredible and unique powers - the author was strong in her inspirations - it was the relationships and interactions that I really liked about our protagonists.
Really, I loved my read. It was fresh, lively and dynamic. I can't wait to read the sequel!

I am completely obsessed with this book. The Dark Academia vibes, the morally gray characters, and the amazing aesthetics will draw you right in and keep you hooked throughout. The hype surrounding this one is genuine.

This was not what I expected...
But in the best way possible! After all the hype online about the original, when I saw NetGalley was offering the newly edited version I couldn't resist.
I have heard a lot of negative opinions about this book but, by and large, it's been from people who read the original, not this newer version. I can't speak to the differences, but I can say this new version is quite good.
While it has a somewhat tropey and cliche setup, story, and cast of characters, throughout the book I was pleasantly surprised by the complexity, darkness, and originality of what the author was doing. There is a sort of nesting of mysteries that I found engrossing, and the depictions of moral qualms and dilemmas was more nuanced than I would have expected going in.
If you like dark academia, and you like fantasy with a school setting, then I highly recommend this. I certainly intend to pick up the sequel.