As much as I tried, this book was not for me. It's likely mostly a genre problem on my end. I've tried through various books to get into dark academia, and it's not my thing. I will, however, gladly recommend it to my readers and patrons who do happen to like it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a solid second book. While it's mostly a set up for book three, but these books are really more about the vibes anyway. I do find some of the writing convoluted and not as easy to follow as the first book, but I still really loved it.

I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

This sequel was very much like the first....disappointing. There are too many things going on and too many characters and it just does not makes sense. The interesting thing was in the acknowledgments the author wrote something akin to, 'this is proof you can write a book while sleep deprived.' Ahem....can you though? This was so confusing and disjointed and NOT enjoyable at all. I thought I would get some answers but instead the novel took a weird turn into maybe we are gods and then time travel that didn't make sense. Just in general, this novel did NOT MAKE SENSE. It was awful and I will absolutely stay away from anymore sleep deprived, disjointed, wordy nonesense this author writes.

When I first got this ARC, I was really jazzed, and when I started reading it, I honestly couldn't remember why. I gave the first book three stars and had to reread it before I could really get into The Atlas Paradox because I couldn't remember enough about the plot of the first book to get into the second. Now this isn't necessarily a bad thing - I had to read Gideon the Ninth twice and Harrow the Ninth two or three times before I could read Nona the Ninth and I still didn't completely understand it and I had to literally make notes and consult the wiki, but it was fascinating and I didn't mind putting in the work. I kind of minded in this case. I was initially attracted to The Atlas Six for the same reason everyone was - a dark academia book, a great setting, a life or death contest, etc. But it just...didn't work. It was too complicated, the characters too unlikeable and at the same time, completely forgettable, and it ended up being just meh. Yet somehow, that hype stuck with me for two years and I sat down with this book excitedly only to find that it, too, was just meh. There's a third coming out and I don't know if I'll read it or not. I think the hype has finally faded from my brain.

Olivia Blake does not fail to disappoint with this second installment, though it definitely feels like an interlude between the first and third books.

Thank you netgalley for an ARC : )

With how the first book in the series ended, this one had a high bar to live up to. It did— in some ways. The tension and the conflict between characters was still the best part and it was fascinating to watch them deal with the pressure of their new situation. Libby fans will not be disappointed, her parts of the book make her an even better character than she already was.

Though the characters were strong, the pacing of the book did slow down (which was a problem given how slow book 1 already was) and the stakes felt like they were falling off a bit. After how intense the ending of the first book was, I was disappointed that this one didn’t maintain the same vibe to it. But the ending was yet another surprise, and I am absolutely dying to read book 3!

I've been waiting for this sequel for AGES and it absolutely did not disappoint.
This was amazing, all the stories crossing together never knowing who I could trust or whose side I was on? Loved loved loved. I love these characters, I love their dynamic, and I'm so excited for the next book. Being in the 'school' was exciting but it did start to feel claustrophobic. Very excited to see our gang out in the world making trouble.

Did I think it was possible for the sequel to be even better? No. Was it? Absolutely! I had high hopes and Olivie Blake delivered. The story continues from The Atlas Six and along the way answers a few burning questions that were left from the initial installment. I don't want to give any spoilers, but trust me, this is a must read. I can't wait for the third. This series has absolutely blown my expectations out of the water.

First, I would like to say thank you to Netgalley for granting me access to an eARC. While I did not love TA6, I was so ready to dive into TAP, which was a bit of a disappointment. I found the majority of the book to be tedious and unnecessary. The scientific and philosophical theories presented were interesting but too difficult to follow. The characters were exhausting, juvenile, and cagey.

I think that Blake is an imaginative writer, who can weave scientific methods and logic into her made-up world well. While this book was not for me, I think that it's a decadent escape for lovers of dark academia. I'm beginning to realize that this genre is not my cup of tea, but would I read another installment to this series? probably...

I found this sequel much more enjoyable than the original! The characters felt more believable and well rounded, and Rhodes didn't annoy me anywhere near as much as she did in the first novel. I liked that we got to see more of Ezra's perspective this time around. Can't wait to see how it all wraps up!

I was really hoping there would be more plot in this book. It really just is the characters brooding and simmering in their own self pity. The only interesting character was Libby. The writing was a bit choppy. I will still continue with the series but I am hoping for some more action in future books with some better writing.

Fun to be back in this world. Definitely out of comfort zone with this series, but I enjoy the character-driven narrative, the academic world, and the descriptive writing. Looking forward to part 3!

As per usual, Olivie Blake tends to write books that go WAY over my head. They're cerebral, philosophical, and I feel like my brain is going to burst. Atlas Six is the perfect example of this, and it continues in Atlas Paradox.

The brain breaking is a good feeling, though. I can feel the words teasing my brain, just out of reach of understanding then BAM! you get it.

I think Olivie's a super talented author and one to watch for.

Slow. I LOVED the first one but this was so ridiculously slow. I’ve been reading this for two months and am determined to finish it…but it’s hard. I want to love it but I’m having such a hard time with this one.

Blake has such a way with writing compelling characters. Even characters I disliked from the first book either get their chance to shine or pull a complete 180 in my mind and I end up loving them. Everyone is so fleshed out and realistic with clear motivations and goals that explain their choices and thoughts and they are amazing! I cannot wait to read the third book.

A bit of a disclaimer, I wasn't a huge fan of book 1. I found the characters unlikable and couldn't connect to any of them enough to actually care. That being said, The Atlas Six held my attention enough and ended in a way that I was eager to read book 2.

The Atlas Paradox starts out very slow. It was a bear for me to get through the first fourth of the book. After that, the story moved along pretty well. There isn't much of a plot as I strongly believe this is a transition book more than anything else. The dynamics between the characters are still there, but some of the tension is lacking. Where book 1 seemed to bounce between rage and lust, it doesn't have quite the kick in Atlas Paradox.

This is a very heavily character driven book. About halfway through I started to realize that the book isn't about what but who. The focus in more on the characters than anything else. As someone who loves a good strong engaging plot, I struggled with this. There isn't much revealed or even exciting moments in the overall story. Overall, it was an okay book for me. This has to do more with who I am as a reader than it does with the story or the author. I would recommend The Atlas Paradox to fans of the first book. A lot of the same mysterious elements are there.

It was worth the wait to submerge back into this world, but I hope the next book (and there had better be a next book) comes more quickly. Yes, it’s slow at times and the characters are not very likeable, but that just adds to the energy of the story. Definitely read The Atlas Six first.

Olivie Blake is such an intriguing storyteller! I needed to read it twice in order to capture the subtleties and complexities that were crucial to the plot, and it was such an enjoyable ride. It is the perfect continuation of The Atlas Six, and I really enjoyed how the characters were developed and how the world expanded in this next novel. It was a bit difficult to get into in the beginning, but I really enjoyed Blake’s style and how I was so enthralled with what was happening while being conflicted all throughout the book.

Oh, what a let down.

I am one of those people who found the Six a unique blend of thought provoking and story-driven. I just couldn't wait for Paradox. I was expected the book to pick up with the same intensity that the last end on.

Did it you ask? Well let's just say like a lead balloon flies. 🎈. What I got was a slow-moving story and when I say slow, I mean almost meanderingly slow. It turns from a plot-driven story into purely character-driven. Take Libby away from this group and the become rudderless; take her away from the main plot and the story become disjointed.

Because the author decided to include 2 more characters into the purview of this story, the waters become almost muddled with too many character stories. These backstories continually pulling the reader away from any forward progression they may have gained.

So while this book and series overall had potential, it lacked focus thus loosing any appeal it may have gained after the first book

** Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the opportunity to review this advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion **

The Atlas Six was a 4-star read for me, which is why I requested this ARC. I often don’t care for cliffhangers or obvious series starters, so it was significant that the first book made me excited to continue the Atlas series. Sadly, I will not be continuing it any further.

Here’s the thing. I THINK the story in Paradox was interesting. To be quite honest, I couldn’t totally follow all of it. I’m very confused about who is and isn’t alive (and not in a mysterious-maybe-death-event intentional way). I have little to no idea what order anything happened in. The beginning of the book was pretty good. The ending was interesting to read. However, everything in the middle was just, like, if you were standing near someone blowing bubbles, and the bubbles were drifting past you, and each bubble had a little scene from the past year playing in it sort of like that scene from Cinderella, and they didn’t come in any particular order or show anything particularly significant. We’re dipping in and out of banal conversations, some are repeated from different perspectives, they make reference to interesting events that have happened but that we the reader did not actually get to read, some of the conversations are even just memories that a character is recalling. The first few chapters introduce a bunch of ideas that I’m excited to see play out, and then we don’t hear anything more about them until the end when everyone is like “oh yeah I spent the year working on that.” The chapter narration takes so long to cycle through that I can’t remember what was happening with each character by the time I get back to them - especially because for some reason, nobody interacts with anyone else in this book. (This is a very slight exaggeration.)

Anyway, I find it hard to recommend this to people who enjoyed the Six. I guess if your favorite thing about it was the pondering about physics, then you will be pleased with Paradox.