I absolutely couldn't get into this. I am a fast reader, but this took me days to get to even 30%. And then I had to admit defeat. It felt like a blend of so many other magical stories like the Magicians but without any likable characters. Plus the whole trial by letting everyone try to break in and murder people felt very dumb. I had hoped for more.

This was an ok book, especially when you consider this is a debut novel, but I have to be honest and say I expected more. This was way overhyped for me. I went in with such high expectations so it might be a "me problem" this final rating of the book. I am for sure going to check out more book from this author when they publish.

The book was okay. It read to me like YA, but was tagged adult because it had alcohol & drug use and sex. Good concept, but it was just okay for me.

this book is all vibes, dudes.

i’m definitely not the first to be reviewing olivie blake’s tiktok sensation ’the atlas six’, the book that became so popular that it got purchased for traditional publication based on its indie success. it’s a magical version of ’the secret history’ set in a magical library, where six of the world’s most talented magicians compete for initiation to the elusive alexandrian society. the catch? only five will be initiated, and the other will be eliminated.

this book is beautifully written — blake definitely knows how to craft a story. the descriptions of the society and the library are stunning, and the creation of the magic system is great (though i didn’t entirely understand it, but i think it’s a case of just moving on from the specifics).

i think what this book struggled from was too many flashbacks, and too many character povs. with six different initiates, the book set itself up unable to fully develop them all, and i would have liked more dimension from parisia and reina specifically. as well, a lot of the book had the characters remembering things that happened in the past, which slogged down the present-day plot significantly.

will i read the sequel? maybe. i’m not in a rush to know what happens next.

The Atlas Six is an intense, mind-blowing, adult, dark fantasy book I savored to the last page. I had to read it in the sections it divided out and let those parts process as some of it needs time to be processed in your brain. The Atlas Six is a mix of analyzing how magic works and where it comes from, with a dark backdrop of having to murder someone to survive. I have never read a book like this one; nothing compares to the world-building, the character development, and the analytical thinking involved in this novel. Six unique individuals, two of which are joined at the hip, and a plot that is brewing that you don't even see until the very last few pages. The novel is paced slowly, but if you read the chunks laid out, then I think you enjoy it rather than barreling through it without taking time to process what you have been given. I am very impressed with this first book and can not wait for the sequel.

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

Although I am not part of the BookTok community, I heard about the hype of this book there and when I saw it on NetGalley I couldn’t resist requesting it. And let me tell you... in my opinion it is worthy of the hype!
A dystopian world with fantasy mixed in, well constructed and complex, at the beginning a bit hard to understand due to its complexity, but where we gradually submerge until we are completely involved and hooked, dark-academia vibes and a mysterious aura where nothing is what it seems! The characters are equally complex, each with their own peculiarities, which we unravel in layers that seem never to end and that contain constant surprises. We have throughout the narrative the 6 points of view of the main characters (with additional points of view of recurring characters that complement the story and help to better understand the whole at the final chapters of the book), in well structured chapters, that make me think of the Six of Crows duology, I feel that this group is an academic version of my beloved Crows and I couldn't have loved it more. 🤭 But Libby, Nico, Renia, Callum, Parisa and Tristan are constantly fighting against the fate that tries to bring them together, especially when they start to uncover some of the secrets of the society they are the initiate group in... This constant struggle creates interesting dynamics and lots of drama! Who doesn't love a good drama when you're not a part of it? 😂 Alliances are formed and broken, a game of lies and half-truths, a fine line between good and evil. After all who is the real villain of the story? This is an unknown until the real ending of the book, one of the things I loved most about this read. The ending of this book was really WOW! Something I expected but at the same time didn't expect, like a puzzle that I managed to put together some pieces but couldn't figure out what it portrayed, a puzzle that was still quite incomplete and left me with a huge yearning for the second book of this trilogy!
A completely mind-blowing and brilliantly written book that I will recommend again and again!

“We are the gods of our own universes, aren't we? Destructive ones.”

Plot | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ease of Read | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Quality of Writing | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Overall | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Review to be soon published on my bookstagram account @direadsomebooks!

This book was thrilling. It was dark and mysterious yet fun. I loved how the characters were relatable yet kept us on our toes. They all, I found, had arcs that felt complete and so so satisfying. Over all I really enjoyed this read and cannot wait for the sequel!

Very unique concept for sure. While I felt this book dragged on a bit at times I desperately wanted to finish it to figure out some of the plot twists I knew were inevitably coming. I feel as though this read more like contemporary fiction than fantasy because of the emphasis on conversations and individual thoughts/relationships rather than magic and world building. However, the ENDING??? Unreal. Absolutely fantastic and unpredictable plot twist. I can definitely appreciate the slow burn of this book more having finished it.

4.25/5

I enjoyed this book! I really stepped out of my comfort zone with the Atlas Six, but I had seen it all over the internet so I wanted to give it a go! The writing was sharp, the characters were great and the story flowed so well!! Overall I am happy I stepped outside of my usual zone to read this book and I am curious to know what comes next.

The Atlas Six is the first installment in Olivie Blake's The Atlas series. I wasn't sure what to expect from this book as I only looked at the cover and read the quote "Knowledge is carnage" and I knew I was in.

The Atlas Six is about the Alexandrian Society - a "secret" society of the best and most magical academians in the world. Each decade, a group of the most powerful, most uniquely talented magicians are chosen for initiation. We are introduced to this year's six: Libby and Nico - twin flames, if you will. They share the same talents and skills sets: controlling elementals with their minds; Reina - a naturalist - speaker of life; Parisa - a telepath that has an interesting set of skills she's managed to perfect over the years; Tristan - no illusion can fool this crime king's son; Callum - empath? Illusionist? Possible - Spoiled rich kids - definitely.

This book follows these six pieces of the puzzle for a year as they are allowed into the ever-so-secretive Society Archives where they will use their unique skill sets and attempt to be the best by contributing to the knowledge needed to keep the Alexandrian Society afloat. Six arechosen to begin the journey but only five will make it through to initiation. Just when you think you have it figured out - nope - twists and turns and what the heck's will slap you in the face. I wasn't expecting what I got from this book.

Overall, I will be waiting (not-so) patiently for the second installment later this year 2022.

It is billed as Sci-fi and Fantasy for adults, but I'd actually put this in Young Adult Fantasy. Maturity level was on par with Hunger Games. It was well written, and I enjoyed the multiple perspectives via third person omniscient. Would definitely recommend for high schooler to young adult. One star off for predictability. I'm excited for the next book, though!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for the ARC.

Thanks for the opportunity to review, even if I ultimately did not enjoy this book. I was a little worried that this book wouldn’t live up to the hype (I have never seen a book go from indie to a multi book trad pub deal so quickly). But I love magical libraries and secret societies so I figured it would still be fun even if it wasn’t the greatest book I would ever read.

Unfortunately, character-driven fantasy only works if the reader likes the characters in question. And frankly, every one of the Atlas Six is insufferable. From the first page, the characters proceed to be unfailing rude, and utterly convinced of their own self-importance (despite the book giving us no tangible evidence except the author’s word that these are the most talented and special people in existence).

I could have kept reading, but when the characters are mocking and backstabbing each other in pursuit of an undefined goal on page 50 (the world-building is as unsatisfying as the characters), it’s unlikely they’re going to get any better by page 400.

This one kept me interested, but all in all, I wasn't particularly satisfied with the book as a whole. It is hard to get to know so many different characters, and the author does a good job at fleshing most of them out, but there's so much left to be desired as far as character development and plot goes. But it was enjoyable, if a bit gratuitous.

An incredibly complex story, with amazing characters and plot. This book will either grab you and keep you there until you finished or have you questioning everything. Olive Blake is a remarkable talent!

This book is just very cool. The Atlas Six follows six magicians, all of different kinds of magic, as they train for a spot in the Alexandrian Society, led by caretaker Atlas Blakely. The six main characters Libby, Nico, Tristan, Parisa, Callum, and Reina are amazing. They all challenge each other, and their different magics are fascinating! I loved the chemistry of the groups and having all their POVs added so much. It was so cool seeing how their different powers worked together, and I loved the group dynamic and how the smaller relationships panned out. There genuinely wasn’t a character I didn’t want to know more about—although Libby was definitely my favorite. I do wish there was maybe a little more of the magic and some parts felt a little complicated, but there’s so much intrigue in this book, I couldn’t put it down! This dark academia was haunting and dynamic and just fun to read. It felt so original and unique, and I cannot wait for the next one!

Combine the mythical Alexandrian Society, some serious dark academia vibes, a bit of Hunger Games-style magical competition, the entire LGBTQ+ rainbow, and a whole lot of pretentious philosophical debate, and you’ve got The Atlas Six. SIGN ME UP! I can see why it’s not for everyone, but it was definitely for me. I read this entire book in 36 hours, including a late-night binge because I have no will power and I just couldn’t help myself.

Both the magical and scientific elements of this world-building so perfectly suit the dark academia genre, and even though it’s a very slow burn, I was quickly drawn into the mystique of the Society—the secret caretakers of lost magical and moral knowledge—and of its Caretaker Atlas in particular. The book is complex, unnerving, and gets under your skin, and I’m still contemplating the lengths we’ll each go for knowledge and power.

If you love (1) a character-driven read and (2) morally grey (or, more honestly, outright dark) characters, this one is for you. Honestly, every single one of the Six—and even those on the outside—is weirdly entangled with one another, and I still have no idea what truly motivates any of them (except maybe my gal Libby). Every single interaction in this book is a mental game of “f*ck, marry, kill,” except you have absolutely no idea what the outcome will be.

Libby is the poster child for perfectionism, high-functioning anxiety, and an unwavering moral backbone, and I LOVE IT. There are so many characters who I fall in love with in an aspirational sense, but I love Libby because I AM her. I see so much of myself in her, especially her weaknesses. And I cannot even begin to describe the extent to which I ship Libby and Nico—these two are DESTINED for enemies-to-lovers greatness, as soon as f*cking Tristan (ugh) gets out of the way. Parisa is a bad bitch and definitely grew on me, and Callum is just too brilliant and mysterious to be hated in the way a villain often is. And even if I’m not entirely sure how I feel about Reina yet, YOU BET I love her little plant children like they were my own.

I can’t wait for book 2 in this series! I have no idea where these plot twists are taking us, and I love how many unknowns are left among this plot, these characters, and their relationships.

★ ★ ★ ★ ½

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake @olivieblake
Huge thanks to Macmillian/Tor Books @macmillanusa @torbooks for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It took me awhile to figure out my feelings on this book. This book follows six different POVs from six different magicians who are recruited by the infamous Atlas Blakely to guard the long lost Alexandrian Library. (This is a vague summary. I leave the link for the Goodreads page below.)

This book reads mostly like a fanfiction which I wasn't mad about because it made for an easy read. The characters are well fleshed out and I found myself still thinking about them even after finishing the book. However, the plot in this story is weak leaving a lot to be desired. I felt the world-building was lacking and contained some holes that made it hard to get a full scope of the actual world. Also the magic system was confusing making it hard to fully understand. So between excellent characters and a lot lacking in other areas, it made for a difficult time sorting out how I feel about it.

I gave this 3.50 stars. Will I continue? I don't know. Maybe. We will see.

It took a lot of starting and stopping for me to actually get through this book. It follows 6 adults who have been approached by a magical secret society due to their excellent skills in diverse types of magic. Which is starting to become a pretty common trope, making it hard for me to be thrilled by how this was different. And, the switching between 6 points of view made it hard to be invested in any particular character at a given time. One or two fewer points of view would have helped.

But, with that said, I am interested in continuing to read this, and i may even reread it again to see if I better understand the beginning since i know where the plot is now going.

Unfortunately this one wasn't for me as it was too slow paced and had too many perspectives. I ended up not finishing this one even though I really, really liked the premise of it. I can definitely see the appeal for other readers, especially if you like character driven stories.

I'd recommend this to readers who enjoyed A Deadly Education or Six of Crows.

Six of the most promising young magical academics in the world have been gathered by Atlas Blakely, a caretaker of the Library of Alexandria, to compete for initiation into a secret society. Each decade, the chosen six compete for not only wealth, power, and privilege, but for increasing access to the library's secrets of magic. This year, the chosen are:
- Libby Rhodes, a cosmologist who can control matter
- Nicolás Ferrer de Varona, Libbry's academic rival and similarly gifted, though he has secrets of his own
- Reina Mori: a naturalist who can speak to plants and understands life
- Parisa Kamali: a mind reader who uses seduction to enter the minds of others
- Tristan Caine: the son of a crime lord who can see what others cannot
- Callum Nova: an insanely rich pretty boy whose manipulative powers are severely dangerous

The initiates must agree to spend one year together, studying magic and advancing their knowledge as well as the knowledge of the collective. However, only five are chosen to remain. One will be eliminated.

The novel focuses on the contemplative, philosophical nature of magic and what it means to wield such enormous power, but neglects to flesh out the particulars of the magic system. Readers are thrust into the setting with little contextual world-building, much as these scholars are thrust into the knowledge of the library, left to draw their own conclusions from their study and exposure to magic and each other. Characters contemplate the nature of their abilities and the proclivities they have to wield them in a cerebral manner.

Blake's prose is indulgent and sensual. While there is not much in the way of plot, characters are examined through a removed lens of clinical description. Moral ambiguity abounds within the Atlas Six. However, the lack of coherent plot leaves the twist at the end to fall flat. There is more confusion created than answers given in the finale. Overall aesthetically alluring, there is something lacking.