The Atlas Six is told from the multiple perspectives of six individuals who possess magic. They are recruited to join the Alexandrian Society, in which knowledge is preserved, but only for a select few. The story follows their one year “apprenticeship” with the society, at at the end of the year five of them will carry on into the society, and one will be eliminated.

The best thing about this book was the characters. They all felt so real, multidimensional, and nuanced. I was impressed that they all came from a diverse set of backgrounds, and didn’t feel like they were tokenized or simply used to further the plot. They were flawed in such unique ways, and capitated me each time a new POV began.

The plot of this book takes place over the course of a year, and relationships are developed between the six with alliances being made and lines being drawn in the sand. The result of the elimination? Absolutely well executed by Blake, leaving me itching for book two.

What a wild ride!

First of all, I don't think you can get more Dark Academia than six magically exceptional adults who are selected to potentially care for and study at the not-so-lost library of Alexandria. The Society are the official caretakers of the library, and with their invitation, these potential initiates- Atlas’ Six so to speak- have a chance to gain permanent access to the library’s wealth of knowledge and power. The single caveat is that only five of the six will join the Society, and it is up to the six of them to rule out one of their number prior to initiation.

Olivia Blake has created such fantastically compelling characters, which is important because the plot hinges on your investment in them. Callum and Parisa’s physical perfection and manipulative natures rub you in just the wrong way. Nico and Libby are fantastically powerful and coincidentally co-dependent (and completely platonic! what a refreshing change from the norm). Tristan is a cynical mess, and I adore Reina’s unmoving practicality in all things. Blake just does morally grey characters so well.

The plot keeps you on the edge of your seat, and I’m still a little stunned at the ending. I do think that the book’s conclusion was a little abrupt, despite huge revelations coming to light, but the author definitely has me hooked and eager to read the next instalment in this saga.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor for the eARC and thank you to fellow Black Bond bookseller Nicole for recommending it to me!

I love flawed characters and this book is full of them. I can't decide which of the main six I like the most, but I really don't like Callum. The powers these characters have are unreal, Olivie Blake is an incredible writer, if you like magical, charater-led stories, this book is for you. I had a feeling that things may not be as they seem, but throughout this book things were turned on their head a few times, to my complete surprise. The Atlas Six is completely different to anything I've ever read before, and I'm desperate to read more about these characters and the Society.

LOVED this book. It's been awhile since I've read something that feels unique and in a category all its own, but The Atlas Six did. The largest contributor to that feeling was the style of writing - the prose was lovely and lyrical, a real joy to experience. I also loved how each point if view felt distinct and fully developed. I absolutely cannot wait for book two!

3.5 stars. The storyline and concept is excellent and well written. The characters are also well written, even the ones you hate. My issue was the wordiness of the book. I found my mind wandering because of the constant babble. Otherwise, excellent read and I’m ready for book two.

I really enjoyed this book, and I found the construction of magic to be fascinating and original. It was complex, sometimes to the point of being confusing, but I loved it. The characters are all interesting, although I will say that for a multiple-POV book, some of the characters get more 'screen time' than others. I look forward to the second one.

This book is all vice and indulgence clothed in a dark academia aesthetic. The characters are all terrible and alluring people that I love to hate to love.

The plot is simple: six of the worlds most powerful medeians are chosen as candidates for the Society that guard the Library of Alexandria, only five are initiated, and they must each prove themselves worthy of making the cut. But, those looking for an action-packed magical competition will be disappointed. Save one big fight scene and dual, the battles are of wits, discovery, and betrayal. I loved every page of it, and those who enjoy philosophical issues and scientific anomalies will too.

Each of the six key characters are charming in their own ugly way (yes, even Libby). I love Parisa and Callum’s dynamic, it was really well established from the get go and developed smoothly. I also like seeing Nico and Libby’s rivalry from each of their perspectives. I find both Reina’s apathy and Tristan’s passion amusing but a bit of a drag at times. It’s clear they are all disastrously flawed, but what I wasn’t expecting was for all of them to be so…sexy. This book is brimming with sexual tension and some low level spice. I could have done with a little more of both.

The reason this edition gets a five star rating from me is that the ending was more drawn out. One might think this would kill the tension, but since this book is entirely character driven I found that having the extra details of relationships packed way more of a punch. I think the subtle changes to the magic descriptions also made a big difference. Not so much in clarifying the plot but in understanding the implications of the magic, Tristan specifically. If you were confused by the plot of the OG edition, I think this version might give you a bit more clarity. A bit.

I absolutely cannot believe I have to wait for the second instalment.

In 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙰𝚝𝚕𝚊𝚜 𝚂𝚒𝚡, each of the six magicians has their own unique power:

𝚁𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚊 is a naturalist who can draw upon nature’s language.

𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚊 is a telepath.

𝙲𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚞𝚖 is an empath.

𝚃𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗 can see straight through illusions.

Each power has its own distinct advantages as they work towards the ultimate goal of initiation but only five of the six will make it. This gave the story an edge and made it so much more compelling to read.

The world building and characters really made this novel. I LOVED the magic system which added to the dark academia aspect. The characters are all flawed in their own ways which made them more interesting and gave them added depth. My personal favorite was Reina. I would love to have a nature related power! I loved how strong she was as a character too. No one messes with Reina.

I didn’t expect but was pleasantly surprised to find there was some romance in this book. This really added to the complexity of the relationships as they battled it out in the lead up to the initiation.

My only slight criticism would be that I found this quite slow, even for my tastes. Readers who enjoy a slow burn will lap this up.

P.S I’m also excited to add that rights have recently been acquired for the Atlas Six to be adapted for TV!

Thank you so much to Pan Macmillan for my finished copy of the Atlas Six!

4⭐️

This is one of those indie published books that was snapped up by traditional publishers, and it is for this new version of the book that I read an ARC. Some mildly spoilerish notions ahead but I don’t name any names.

TAS was nothing like I expected. The beginning was a little difficult to get into because of all the POV changes, so it’s hard to settle, however I felt from the beginning that this was going to be a unique and interesting story. While it was certainly interesting with an oldy-timey whimsical prose, it wasn’t that unique. It’s reminiscent of an adult version of the Medusa series by Sophie McKenzie combined with The Umbrella Academy. From the beginning of the book, I was expecting something more akin to Ninth House.

I feel like I’m not sure what the plot was, it felt like this book was there only to set-up a world and a larger doomsday plot (which is a classic when it comes to time travel). It started out strongly as I mentioned previously, but I soon started to feel like there wasn’t very many inciting incidents to keep the plot moving.

I did enjoy the world building and the characters were all interesting, as well as the moral questions posed revolving around power, death/immortality and corruption – it read like a philosophical and ethical thought piece, which I hadn’t been expecting.

Overall, I did enjoy it but there were several drawbacks for me. 1. The inconsistency of a stable plot, rather the book was a set-up for someone who was a side character the whole time. 2. The predictability of the villain and the twist – it’s an age-old trope and I didn’t feel like it had been given a fresh take. 3. Lack of emotional depth. We bounced around between several characters but it felt like we didn’t stick with any of them long enough (and was kept at arms length with them) to really have personal stakes in their triumphs or losses. To summarise, this was an interesting book and it was relatively well-written. I enjoyed the writing style a lot. I don’t think I would read the sequel.

I get the hype now.

The Atlas Six is set in a world where the legendary Library of Alexandria still exists in secret, cared for by a secret society of super-powerful magic users. Every ten years, six new, powerful recruits are invited to join, by only five will be initiated. Who will it be, and what do they discover as they study together and contribute to the Library's knowledge?

These characters are truly tangled up with each other, with messy histories and alliances. Altogether, it created a lot of tension (especially the romantic kind) between them, and I loved watching how they tiptoe around each other with cautious eyes, ready to strike back.

I love how deep we get into the explanation of magic in Blake’s world, and it made sense to know a lot about magic in this book. Even though it's clear when we're getting expositionary details, due to the context surrounding the exposition, it's not at all annoying and made perfect sense. OH, AND THE IMAGERY ASSOCIATED WITH MAGIC; god, it almost felt like we actually had magic.

I predicted one particular (and major) twist in the book but was still surprised at the finer details of the twist and how it fitted into the large picture of this book. Because of this, I’m looking forward to the next instalment and how it impacts the rest of the story!

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan/Tor-Forge are providing me with the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm confused after reading The Atlas Six and I'm not sure what exactly happened....but also very invested in the plot and the characters of the book. Tristan, Libby, Nico, Callum, Parisa, and Reina are magic bearing individuals chosen by Atlas to join the The Alexandrian Society. However, they must spend two years learning and studying only for five out of the six to be initiated. Each character has a different magical ability that are supposedly some of the most powerful. Joining the the Alexandrian Society means high power, status, and money.

This book was told from 6 different POVs throughout the book in various parts. The plot and premise are incredibly well thought out and captures the readers in through its mystery and hidden secrets. I found myself quickly invested in the book and what the secrets each character held in addition to how they would interact with one another. The entire story revolved around the characters getting to know each other and less about the Alexandrian Society itself until around the very end of the book. Would I say this book is action packed? Kind of. But are the action scenes epic? yes, 100%.

The various POVs were confusing and made it difficult to follow. Also, it was difficult to understand the basis of the characters' powers and who they were as Meridians. I found it hard to grasp the concept of the world they lived in and how their powers worked. I left the book feeling confused and had difficulty understanding the plot as it happened. I felt myself grasping for answers that were left unanswered.

Overall, I would rate this book a 3.75/5 pushed down because of the confusing writing style. There was so much potential for diving deep into the inner workings of the Society and the magical powers, which the book lacked.

The Library of Alexandria was never destroyed, rather, its location moved by magic and its contents protected by The Alexandrian Society, a group of medians who protect the library and its contents at all costs. Every ten years six applicants are selected but only five will become initiates. Caretaker Atlas Blakeley selects a pair of duelling physicists, a naturalist, a telepath, an empath and illusionist as this year's applicants. Each applicant has something to prove, and something to hide. The longer they stay at the library the more their power grows, as well as the realization that their place as an initiative may be something worth killing for.

The Atlas Six is the mix of The Secret History/ The Night Circus/ Six of Crows that I didn't know I needed. I absolutely loved it and can't wait for the next book.

The premise of the Atlas Six is interesting and with the newfound interest in dark academia, this book is sure to be a hit amongst readers who enjoy character-heavy novels over plot-driven ones. It was slow to get into but again, not much happens while simultaneously, everything happens. I wouldn't hand-sell this title personally just because as much as I love when books are character-focused, there needs to be a plot as well. This book is for those who thrive on academic validation and constantly search for characters with that same zest for ego.

Actually, I had to DNF this book after 150+ pages and not being invested in more than two characters (Nico and Libby) and swiping from one POV to another. I just got too bored of the other main characters, Parisa was the most intriguing tho. Maybe I would give it a go in a few months, I guess you need to be in the exact mood to read 6 POVS and not seeing quite often your favorite ones.

This book was very hyped when I first joined booktok but now I see it's just been overhyped. I tried reading the first couple chapters and I'm so confused on the world. Im afraid to see what the world in the place they are going to is going to be like when I don't understand the modern current one in the beginning of this book. The magic system and world building systems make no sense and the author doesn't try to even help explain anything in the first couple characters. The writing style is definitely not for me. Which is why I won't be continuing this book. I got to 8% before I felt like I was reading an on going essay. The book has very long and on going sentences that do little to nothing to explain what's going on. I couldn't even tell why Libby's boyfriend being in management was a bad thing. The academic rivalry seemed interesting but not enough to keep me going. This book was not for me but from what I've seen from other reviewers you either love the writing style or hate it. I'm one of them who didn't enjoy it.

An intriguing story where six individuals with unique abilities are invited to compete for a spot in The Alexandrian Society, a prestigious group that protects the ancient knowledge of the world. Over the course of a year, they stay at the archives and learn more than they ever thought about each other, the world, and even themselves. This is a brilliantly written novel that is definitely worth a read.
First of all, I must take the time to appreciate the characters, since this is mostly a character-driven story rather than a plot-driven one. I loved how every chapter was from a different point of view and that it wasn't limited to just the special six, there were also pov's from additional characters who were important. Before going into this, it just has to be accepted that every character is way too smart and therefore the most pretentious person ever. But really that's what makes it so interesting because everyone's morals are so cloudy.
The dark academia vibes of this book are unmatched. Seriously, I don't know how it was able to perfectly encapsulate the aesthetic in book form. That being said some parts were a bit confusing because of the advanced learning of all the characters. Most of the "magic" used was theoretically based on science, which I didn't completely understand but just went along with. Plot-wise the first half went by much quicker than the second half but it was still good. The end made up for the relatively uneventful spots.
Overall this was such a fun read and I can not wait for the second book to come out. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an arc of this.

I liked the book, but I felt like there was so much information at some point, I just couldn't keep up with the story. It was hard for me to concentrate. I really enjoyed the whole vibe of the book and the idea is great, but it just wasn't the book for me.

What's not to like? Six all-powerful magicians, competing for five spots in a lifetime secret society? A royal rumble of a book that kept me guessing. Satisfying ending that wrapped up book one nicely with an appealing premise for book two. At times a bit overly complicated (especially the space/time discussions) and too vague and dramatic (especially when describing a character's inner struggles), but this is a small note in an otherwise enjoyable and compelling story. I read this in two days, happily, and would definitely recommend.

I can see why it’s popular, but I didn’t really love it as I didn't get a connection to the story. I think that there’s a lot that could have been worked on, especially as it's now going to be traditionally published and that would have been a great time to clean things up.

It definitely fits into the dark academia sort of sphere

I think a lot of the characters lacked strong personality and they got lost in the story, as I often couldn't remember who was who.

The Atlas Six is a moody and resplendent novel about a secret society and the six most recent candidates hoping to join its ranks. I gobbled it up, having first become enthralled by the richly developed characters, then sucked in by the many secrets (motives, insights, perspective-based 'truths') that slowly unravel as you make your way through the narrative.

Blake treats her readers intelligently; if you despise being hit over the head with foreshadowing or having everything spelt out to you in BIG BLOCK LETTERS--thankfully--you will find none of that nonsense here.

Both in tone and key themes (power, knowledge, elitism, human connection, magic rooted in science, manipulation) The Atlas Six reminds me quite a bit of director Christopher Nolan's films. Like his films, Blake seems to encourage her readers to mull things over long after they complete the novel. If you enjoy his films, I'd be very surprised if you didn't enjoy this.

This is easily one of my favourite novels of all time. And now I am frothing at the mouth for The Atlas Paradox. The release date cannot come soon enough.