A worthy sequel to the first with a slow ramp up to the action. As always, the vibes are impeccable and the characters are complicated and compelling. A very cool blend of science and fantasy, with some interesting food for thought on academia and elitism, though I wish the plot were a bit heftier. All in all, great fun.

Picking up immediately after the first book, this is a book written to be a movie. Not always a bad thing, but not my cup of tea. Good characters and pacing help a lot with the book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ms. Blake, and MacMillan/Tor for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

Wellllll. This is a mixed feelings moment, for sure.

Some things about tAP, I loved: I loved its cerebral quality, I loved the murky nature of intentions and the sly jabs at academia as a festering, cannibalistic, partially sentient devourer. Seems about right. I loved its beautiful prose and its ability to parse human nature.

...and some things, I did NOT love. I wish the characters had done less navel-gazing and more plot. Frankly, there was very little plot here. Lots of thinking, even DEEPER thinking, some short-lived experimenting, lots of snarking, general antagonizing, quite a bit of ennui, but little plot.

Most of the characters spent the bulk of the book sunk into something:
-Parisa: Dalton
-Tristan: existential crisis over not being useful
-Callum: alcohol
-Reina: arguably, an insanity spiral?
-Nico: sleep
-Libby: the past
-Dalton: himself
-Atlas: nefarious plots and hiding in the house
-Ezra: being Ineffective (TM)

... I just wish *someone* would have done something, a little more often. Objectively the book is absolutely beautiful. I saw another reviewer say "style over substance." I think that is an apt description here. I enjoyed it aesthetically but I was vaguely bored by the story itself. Bridge book syndrome, I suppose. Let's hope Atlas #3 will get things moving. All the pieces are in place, certainly. I'll look forward to it.

This is my absolutely favourite fantasy series currently. Blake basically writes magical heists books with lots of action and emotions.
I love the big questions: What do you actually see when you can see through every illusions? Can you see time? And can you control it?

In the first book Libby was my favourite character and that`s why I´m so excited for the next book.

Also didn`t see the plottwists commiing, gasped every time. Except for the love. I expected that and am not disappointed.

I recommend this fantastic series to everyone who loves imagination beyond things possiple.

Oh my god! What was that ???? There is no way the book ended like this ?? I’m shaking! My heart is beating so fast! (I finished the book 2 minutes ago).

everyone knows I had problems with the atlas six even though I enjoyed some of it but THIS! Olivie is a mastermind! This book is so chaotic and mind blowing. Everything is on fire. It’s insane. I always say that the sequels are better than the first book and again I’m correct. The book was 400 pages but nothing was slow. Everything is happening all at once but in a fun way. I loved seeing the characters forming alliances with each other and there this one duo that never in million years I expected them to work together. Nico is still my love. I love reading his thoughts and how *sobs* he feels lost without his other half *iykyk*. I can’t wrap my head around how Olivie wrote two characters who are rivals with intense chemistry but they are not in love ?? But they feel lost without each other ??

Now to Libby. My goddess. I’m so proud of her. It’s her reputation (Taylor swift) era and I can’t. I’m Libby Rhodes fan. Human second.

One of the characters that I found very interesting in this book was Tristan. I enjoyed watching him learn more about his abilities and his dynamic with Nico in this book was comedy.

I can write essays talk about how I feel about this book so let me summarize it: the plot of the book still seems vague but it’s more character driven than the atlas six which was great and made me love the book. Expect the unexpected. Things you think they will happen they won’t. it’s an epic roller coaster.

It’s official, Olivie Blake’s writing is like crack for my soul.
While this book had some issues, I truly don’t care. I am absolutely not waiting patiently for the next one.
I do think this sequel could have benefitted from higher stakes through the middle portion, or at least clearer ones, but I never felt bored as I thrive off the character interactions. I eat up every crumb of pretentiousness and penchant for drama that each of them exude. Everyone is even more unhinged and blinded by their own importance than before, and that’s the whole point. It’s illustrated perfectly through our new character Belen, who I better see on a chapter header in the future or I’ll be very disappointed.
Atlas and Dalton were the biggest mystery I was hoping would be solved in this book in order to create a larger and clearer picture, and by the end it gave me exactly what I needed. Villains are only ever people trying to do what they think is right. How will Atlas or Ezra’s plans change the fate of the world? No one knows, but those with the power to change it are going to find out, for better or for worse.
I was hoping the ending would end on a bigger climax like the first, but it has enough going for it where I can’t say it was underwhelming. I am so ready for Libby to keep blowing things up. Go get em!!!

A worth sequel to “The Atlas Six”. The first section felt a little slow but they action starts picking up. I think Blake’s writing style improved upon the first book.

Starts slow, but definitely picks up speed. I need to reflect on it more before I can fully make sense of it all, but it did what it needed to do.

Picking up exactly where Dark Academia sensation The Atlas Six left off, The Atlas Paradox begins with the new fellows beginning their second year with the Alexandrian Society. With Libby still trapped in the past, Nico and Tristan are desperate to bring her back, while Callum tries to drink himself to death, Parisa explores the secrets withheld from her, and Reina considers exactly how far her powers can be extended. The interpersonal dynamics are less claustrophobic than in the first book - each of the characters is on their own separate path and the interactions are less charged. Libby's path from anxious wreck to force of nature is compelling, while Parisa, Nico, and Tristan get comparatively shortchanged. Reina and Callum develop in an interesting direction that plays into the fears and ambitions of the Forum. Maybe it's the perils of being the second book after a tour-de-force, but Paradox feels somewhat underwhelming and unfinished, setting up a third book while implying "nothing to see here." Do yourself a favor and reread The Atlas Six first - you'll catch much more of the subtle detail work that makes Blake's novels shine that way.

This series needs to have an orgy. That’s the only thing I’m taking away from the second book. Nothing happens for a long time. Not much plot. Many of the pages are characters interacting and drawing conclusions about each other. There’s this odd tension between all of the characters that I feel would end in an orgy.

I still enjoyed reading it, but in the end, I had to think about what happened in the book.

This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

This series just wasn't for me. If I hadn't listened to it as an audiobook I probably wouldn't have finished. I felt like the majority of the 400 pages I just read was made up of fluff and nothing really happened. The first half of the book was incredibly boring with literally nothing important seeming to happen. The only things that happen in this book is finding out about Libby and finding what Atlas's plans are/ what he wants to do.

A sequel that kept me on the edge of my seat, much like the first. Wonderful insight to returning characters and a plot with as many twists and turns as you like!

This book was... a choice. After being "meh" about the first book, the second one really felt unneeded and I have no idea what the hype for this series or the author are. Its pretentious for no need and the entire book is giving "pick me" vibes. Pass.

I had been waiting for this sequel since the moment I finished The Atlas Six. With the first book ending on several cliffhangers, The Atlas Paradox picks up where The Atlas Six left off, but throws in more twists and turns. I was left with even more questions than the first book, which is right on brand for this trilogy. I loved the enhanced character development and the new characters. The plot sometimes got confusing with several different storylines going on, which left me eager for the third book to come out.

God. GOD. Olivie Blake is a master at weaving together the smallest of details, the most inconsequential of plots into something that leaves you winded.

I'll do my best to avoid spoilers since this is still a few weeks out from publication! Though I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as The Atlas Six - mostly because it is somehow even slower, almost like starting from scratch - I still greatly adore this world Blake has created.

In The Atlas Paradox, readers will find the story gaining layers of real-world application in-line with their studies and the opposing forces of Atlas, Ezra, and everyone else fighting each other to take hold of power. This book tackles creation myths and time travel and godliness itself. It completely breaks apart your understanding of these characters and their alliances, debuting so many new and interesting groupings that kept me enthralled even when it seemed that nothing was happening.

I do think it gets pretty messy in the middle and there is so much less of them working together or even against each other here that left me disappointed. For a character driven story, The Atlas Paradox is largely solitary, defined not by their interactions with each other but with the independent studies forcing them to reckon with themselves and their own belief systems. Even though it is a lonely read, devoid of most of the interactions I enjoyed in The Atlas Six, they are never not thinking of each other. And the moments characters do get together are the ones that really propel the plot and make that cliffhanger ending so worthwhile.

The characters I enjoyed most were a bit of a surprise. I greatly enjoyed Callum's perspective above all, which is such a shock! I'm so invested in what comes next for him. I also found myself really enthralled in Nico's, and I hope the end means we get a lot more Gideon in the next one. For so, so many reasons. :) Also, Libby's entire story is just off the walls insane. I literally cannot imagine how this all plays out but what a fascinating way to explore her character.

We also finally got the Dalton reveal which was NOT what I expected and seems like it'll be a pretty dangerous spark to whatever happens next.

All in all, even though it took me longer to really get through the first half, the second half was a homerun. I hope the next book brings them all together again because that will really make whatever chaos is coming the perfect storm!

To say that I was obsessed with the first book would be an understatement. I loved the plot, the characters, the world-building, the academia, EVERYTHING. All that said, this sequel was a huge disappointment.

The biggest problem for me was how tension was dealt with in the story. There would be a huge moment of plot that would be left in the air for six chapters while you were reading about random pursuits of other characters (and you read from EVERYONE’S point of view). It made me not care because I was never allowed an ounce of satisfaction.

Also if you loved how certain characters were set up in the first book, then you will be annoyed by this one because they will never speak.

I am sharing my thoughts on both the book and audio - between the two, I think I enjoyed the audio version best with its extremely well done full cast audio. It was nice also to read chapters on my own and give additional thought to the depth of Blakes words.

I eagerly awaited book two, The Atlas Paradox, by Olivie Blake after reading book one and being left on that cliffhanger. And while we didnt have to wait long, I wish I had reread book one again before starting this book.

From the authors blurb: The Atlas Paradox is the long-awaited sequel to dark academic sensation The Atlas Six—guaranteed to have even more yearning, backstabbing, betrayal, and chaos.

Six magicians. Two rivalries. One researcher. And a man who can walk through dreams. All must pick a side: do they wish to preserve the world—or destroy it? In this electric sequel to the viral sensation, The Atlas Six, the society of Alexandrians is revealed for what it is: a secret society with raw, world-changing power, headed by a man whose plans to change life as we know it are already under way. But the cost of knowledge is steep, and as the price of power demands each character choose a side, which alliances will hold and which will see their enmity deepen?”

There's alot to unpack in this Blake series - many characters with multiple POV, many super powers (each different), heavy science and philosophy (yes, this is dark academia at its best), characters locked in the past, struggles with powers and motivation and politics thrown in.

Book two does start off at book ones end - we return to the point where the students have avoided the obligation to murder a classmate by Libby being banished into a past timeline. (I have to say, this was brilliant). Ezra has dropped her into the past, hoping to save her or save the world or... gosh I dont really know - this is the magic of Blakes writings. We want to know and she doles out answers extremely slow and from multiple angles keeping us a bit lost. With Libby gone, the present and future for the group is forever altered. Libby was the moral compass for the group and change comes for the group and newly introduced characters..

While complicated, The Atlas Paradox is a story with so many hidden little details, from time to time I found myself urging the book to go faster. I am not sure if I tuned out and missed something in the moment when I felt deluged with detail after detail or if I got mired down in the magical theory. Sometimes, I just disconnected with the story and this is a book that you cant miss a single piece or you feel lost. Olivia Blake is an author that demands time and thought. And just like book one, we are left wondering what??? and left waiting for book three hoping that we will finally have answers we need.

Those who enjoy twisty mind blowing sci-fi/fantasy adventure will enjoy Olivia Blake. For me, I am firmly on team Gideon. I really enjoy seeing other reviews and noting people have favorite characters. This I believe shows the strength of Blakes character development.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Olivia Blake for a book that keeps you wondering what now??? By the way, I also listened to this on audio. Its full cast and very well done!

Sequels are hard. You have to win back the audience that was captivated with the first book and keep them coming on their toes. The sequel gives you time to spend fleshing out relationships and characters - to give them mor dimension and to make them come alive for the reader again.

Blake’s <i>The Atlas Paradox</> did not do any of those things. The first half of the novel literally read like stereo instructions. I was <b>so. bored. </b> The characters, who learn a bit more about {thanks to a stunt that literally served no purpose}, suddenly are all flat and boring. Their individual storylines are for lack of a better term - uninspired and boring. Time has no bearing (in one plane!) and MONTHA go by in the blink of an eye. Most of what happens in the first 60% of the novel had no bearing on the rest if the novel - at all.

Now, the book <b>finally</b> picks up its snails pace and the action is in FULL swing. For the last 10 percent. To end with a haltingly fast moment that literally felt like a scene from "Back to the Future".

As much as I did enjoy this book it didn't hit me as much as The Atlas Six.

I was waiting for more characterisation of certain people and it just got swept under the rug. One person's story I can imagine will be fleshed more in the third novel of this trilogy and if it is I'm sure I will find myself liking this book a bit more.

All in all it is a good bridging book, I just would have liked to see characters take a step forward before getting pushed two steps back.

Definitely excited to see where the trilogy goes though.

The Atlas Paradox by Olive Blake is a fun sequel to The Atlas Six. The story picks up shortly after the first book's events, and it is exciting to find out what happens next. I feel this book wasn't as strong as the first one, but I hope the third book will help bring everything together. I can't wait for the next book and to continue this adventure!