I don't think this series is good, but it's addictive like potatoe chips. There's no long lasting full and complete sensation to the story, but you still want to keep consuming it.

I was so excited to dive into this ARC. Second novels are always harder than first ones, in my opinion. This picks up a few days after the ending of The Atlas Six, and it succeeds. The characters are both softer now and have more sharp edges. It's an impressive line of personal growth. Astoundingly, I don't even hate Callum anymore, that's how great the character work is in this. This follows the group's second year within the archives and their various independent studies. Blake's characters, plotting, and pacing continue to be completely outstanding. Now the long wait for the third book begins.

LIBBYYYYYYYYY! libby rhodes u have my absolute heart. no really. bc i LOVE HER.

ok legitimate review time. i struggled with how to rate this book because so much of it i wasn’t really interested in? like i didn’t really care about the other characters except for libby and/or gideon and nico (and reina a little bit). i of course read all of the chapters but i can’t say with total certainty i in any way understood the arcs of many of the characters this book. olivie blake has a unique writing style and i commend her for the wittiness and (when it works) lyricism of it. when it’s whittled down a bit, the prose shines, and i felt this was most evident at the end of the book, where things finally heated up (literally LOLZ). however, for most of the book, the plot was bogged down by complicated descriptions/writing and a disappointing amount of telling instead of showing. the book began with a needlessly long “initiation” that carried in for like five or six chapters and almost made me put down the book entirely. i think this wouldn’t have been the case were it not for the monumental amount of exposition added onto the fight scenes—it was impossible to concentrate on any one thing, and not in a good way. however, the story drastically improved/sped up once it hit libby’s storyline, which was BY FAR the best part of the atlas paradox. like DAMN. blake pulled this whole thing out of her ass and it’s SOOOO GOOD. so that’s probably why my rating is high here. libby rhodes is powering it <3333 n e wayz i ended up loving this book more than the original. AND MY SHIP GOT TOGETHER!!!!!!!!

An incredible sequel to The Atlas Six. Blake has a phenomenal talent for writing richly complex characters that you can loathe, love, and deeply empathize with in equal measure.