Utterly deranged.

I didn’t wholly understand what actually happened, but at least I still get the glimpses of it. The Wren siblings brought chaotic family dynamic and morally grey personalities to another level. In fact the grey was so dark it was almost black. So, morally dark-grey. Huh.

Olivie managed to make a magical realism story that’s borderline unhinged. It was hard to grasp the story at first, and I did consider to DNF early on but I was weirdly captivated? I was curious to see how it plays out. Turned out it was pretty fun (in a crazy way).

The narrative was so messy, felt like thoughts vomit with long sentences and trivial commentaries here and here. The “narrator” didn’t hold back a bit and I love to see that, especialy because the actual narrator was revealed later in the story.

What did I get from this? Idk. But it was sure a reading experience.

Olivie Blake has such a talent for writing multiple characters that have a lot of depth. Like her other works, this one heavily relies on characters to drive the plot forward. There is a lot of commentary between the characters, so readers should be prepared to be in the characters minds. I really enjoyed this one.

You know that feeling when you finish a book and just sit there thinking, “Wait… what did I just read?” That’s Gifted and Talented in a nutshell—in the best, most gloriously chaotic way.

Olivie Blake, reigning queen of eccentric brilliance, is back with a character-driven urban fantasy that’s sharp, strange, and full of superpowers. This time, we follow a group of siblings, each spiraling in their own uniquely dysfunctional way—think corporate fraud, political collapse, and maybe just a touch of the supernatural. It’s witty. It’s weird. And it absolutely skewers power, privilege, and the dangerous glitter of ambition.

The characters? Deliciously complex. You’ll love to hate them—or maybe hate how much you love them. The prose is trademark Blake: biting, brainy, and bursting with personality. If you're already a fan (hi, welcome to the club), this book will hook you all over again.

My only gripe? The pacing. It occasionally wades into muddy waters, but if you’re patient, you’ll find plenty of gold beneath the surface.

This isn’t just a book, it’s an experience, a ride through chaos, sharp wit, and unsettling family dynamics that leave you wondering what just happened. It moves fast, then slows down, then throws something at you that you didn’t see coming. It’s the kind of book that makes you pause, reread, and mutter, “Wait, what?” more times than you’d like to admit.

There’s no shortage of quotable lines, either. Some are funny, some are profound, and others just hit differently. If you go the audiobook route, do yourself a favor and speed it up a notch. It heightens the manic energy and makes the humor shine even brighter. Speaking of humor, it won’t be for everyone, but if it works for you, it really works.

The first few chapters are a jumble of confusion as Blake throws the reader headfirst into the tangled backstories of the Wren siblings. It’s overwhelming, but once things settle, the real intrigue begins. That is, until you realize you have no idea who Lou is and who’s telling this story. Let’s just say their identity is part of the fun. The reveal? Brilliant. And Lou’s identity? An unexpected twist that makes you rethink everything.

Now, about the world-building. The Magitech industry, with its roots in electromagnetic waves dating back to Tesla’s era, offers a fascinating backdrop. But despite being placed in the fantasy genre, magic isn’t really the driving force here. Sure, the siblings have their abilities, but this isn’t a story about spellcasting or grand magical battles. No, this is a story about deeply flawed people making bad decisions, tangled in dysfunctional family dynamics that steal the spotlight.

And let’s be honest: Gifted and Talented does not offer a single truly likable character. Some had potential, but you wouldn’t want to sit down to dinner with most of them; they’re either morally gray or downright terrible. That said, the morally gray ones would make for some fascinating conversation, but don’t believe a word they say.

This was my first Olivie Blake novel, and I completely understand the hype. It’s unpredictable, clever, and relentless. A book that lingers in your mind long after you’ve turned the last page.

I’m a simple girl - I see Olivie, I lock in. Thank you for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! I am working through my backlog, and will be momentarily posting reviews for the stories I have yet to get posted but have finished reading.

It's a bold choice to write a >500 page book that is pretty much no plot, just vibes - and I for one, approve of the choice, because I loved every second of it.

Gifted & Talented follows the three Wren siblings Meredith, Arthur and Eilidh, who could not be more different if they tried. Their father, a tech billionaire, is dead, raising the question of inheritance.

All three siblings have their own stuff going on, and as different as they are, they do have some things in common: complicated romantic entanglements, a failed career or career on the brink of destruction, a strained relationship with their father, and some sort of supernatural ability that is not working out to be in their favour.

The book centeres of the complex and, frankly, fucked up dynamics of the Wren family and the people around them - and most of them are assholes. It was a delight to read.
There's death, there's drama, there's toxic relationships, there's lies, but there's also love and joy and people getting exactly what they deserve.

The worldbuilding only just does the bare minimum. To the very end I was not entirely sure how the magic or the siblings' abilities really worked, or what their purpose was. Usually this would bother me extremely, but for this book, it somehow worked wonderfully. Can I say I really understood it, or caught the nuance? Absolutely not, but I loved it nevertheless.

Another aspect of the book that I usually hate but found very enjoyable here is the narration style - there is a seeminlgy all-knowing, omnipresent narrator that direcly tells the story to the reader, and occasionally addresses you directly or goes on a tangent. Usually I hate that sort of narration, as I find it creates an emotional distance between the reader and the characters, and it usually significantly lowers my engagement with the book, but here it somehow worked for me. Maybe it's because of the specific tone, or because the narrator is actually a character in the story, even if they are only introduced later.

I loved the characters. Sure, they are all assholes, but somehow I loved hearing about them and being in their heads. I think the fact that they were ALL assholes is what made this work, as I particularly enjoyed the dynamics between them all.
I did not realize this would be as diverse as it was - there are multiple queer characters (though sexuality is never discussed), and almost all important characters are PoC.

I really could not tell you how the story manages to fill so many pages, as there isn't really all that much that happens (as I said, no plot, just vibes) but it was so, so good. I was highly entertained the entire way through. While I absolutely adored the ending, and think the timing of it was perfect, I would happily read another 500 pages about these people.

This one’s for all the former “gifted kids.”

As teenagers, the Wren children were high achievers, succeeding at everything they set their minds to. As young adults, they’re floundering. Eldest daughter Meredith is the founder of a buzzy new mental-health app…but is about to be exposed as a total fraud. Middle child Arthur was elected as one of the youngest-ever members of congress—but a debilitating magical affliction has left him unwell and stressed. And youngest daughter Eilidh has gone from prima ballerina to mid-level marketing manager with a chronic back injury. Oh, and there is a literal demon living inside her trying to bring about the next apocalypse…

When their wildly wealthy father suddenly dies, the three siblings and their loved ones are brought together for the reading of the will. But which failed achiever will be the one to inherit his empire?

I am NOT a fantasy girlie but Olivie Blake is an autobuy author for me at this point. The great thing about her books is that they’re much more about relationships than magic, and the magical elements of this book are handled with an especially light touch. Think of this book as a gossipy family saga a la Crazy Rich Asians, with the addition of a couple of supernatural forces.

The close third-person narration breaks the fourth wall a lot (and you’ll learn why later in the book) with wry, snarky little asides, and it made me laugh out loud multiple times. All of the characters are well-developed, with rich backstories and distinct voices—even the very minor ones.

This book is a longer read, but it’s a completely fun one. If you haven’t given Blake’s work a chance yet, this is a great one to start with!

Thank you to the publisher for giving me access to an eARC of this book.

Succession meets magic and say no more! Blake draws you in and keeps you hooked with fascinating yet realistic magical world building and despicable but lovable characters grieving and coming to terms with their father's will. I have a feeling I'll be coming back to this one....

YUP! 5 stars
Marketed as Succession with magic, I wasn't sure what I was in for when I picked this up, which seems to always be the case with an Olivie Blake book.
Following the three Wren siblings after hearing the news of their father's passing- a man they all had complex relationships with, and the patriarch of the family company, this book tackles the topic of love (kinda) and loss (kinda) with no shortage of queer representation, and of course asshole representation as well because, well... it's an Olivie book!
I could definitely see this book being extremely polarizing, as it is wayyyy too long and also has literally no plot. Olivie's books are always more character focused, which I happen to love, as she does an amazing job at making me love those bitches. But when I say no plot- I mean NO plot. The novel takes place over the 7 days following their father's passing and it basically meanders through the days, serving as a character study.
It was laugh out loud funny while also being extremely dark (my favorite combo) and I can't recall a book in recent memory that I annotated more than this one.
Immediately going into my favorite of all time shelf!

Everything Olivie Blake writes is a masterpiece. Her depictions of the human condition is unmatched.

I can't recall the last time I read a book where so little happened over the course of so. many. pages.

Like, genuinely, the entire span of this book takes place over a handful of days between the moment the siblings learn their father is dead and then the event of his funeral. And yet every chapter, every POV, every singular moment is dragged out into eternity both by way of the spiraling every-thought-spelled-out narrative as well as the style of the narrative and who is telling the story. Which, let me say, might feel interesting and tongue in cheek in a fun omniscient way but it gets tired real fast.

The whole experience made me tired. Because nothing happens. I honestly don't know what or how these siblings made up because of the amount of on-page word vomiting that went on and truthfully I couldn't tell you why they didn't get on in the first page. But it sure was dramatic.

Oh, and if you wanted something The Atlas Six-y with the magic element? Nah, forget that. It's barely a blip. Even when it tries to grow into a bigger blip, maybe even a blob, it.. doesn't.

This might very well succeed for other readers ("it's like Succession but with magic!", I think was the hook that pulled me in) but it wasn't for me.

This certainly isn't the first Blake to fail for me but it's definitely reminded me just how successfully they can fail. And I now regret the other ARC I have in my possession but suffice it to say.. it might be my last.

1.5 stars

This is very much in the style of Olivie Blake, which I know is divisive, but I love it!

So that being said, if you’ve enjoyed her other books- odds are you’ll like this one too! But for those who haven’t enjoyed past books- her writing is the same!

Very character focused with a magic system that isn’t fully explained. A character study with no real plot. And vibes, vibes, vibes. Right up my alley😂

DNF-12%. Maybe it’s my mood. Maybe it’s just not the book for me? It’s very character driven and the magic is a bit confusing. It just felt like not much had happened. I know 12% doesn’t sound like that much but it is a LONG book. I might return to this one. I loved her book Masters of Death and some of her YA stuff. I’ve been trying to read this for a month.

Thank you Tor and I’m SORRY!

The three Wren siblings are dealing with their father's death before the reading of his will. Thayer Wren was a CEO of a huge tech company. He was well respected, but he definitely parented each of his children very differently.
Meredith thought by being perfect and always doing the biggest and best things her father would come to respect her. However fresh out of school with a small startup she wants to sell called Chirp, an app to make you happy. Thayer wants nothing to do with it and therefore she sells it to his main competition. The one person she has ever wholehearted loved has come back into her life to destroy her career and tell the world what a total fraud she is until she learns of her Father's death, and he is coerced into driving her to her family home to hear the reading of the will. Will the company be hers?
Arthur is currently on the campaign trail however he is also currently in love with his wife while currently cheating on her and expecting a child with his mistress. He has always wanted his father's approval and now it looks like he is never going to get it. And he doesn't know if he even wants to be reelected or if inheriting his dad's company might be something he would prefer to do. Will the company be his?
Eilidh is the youngest and the child Thayer really seemed to like the best according to all her siblings. She was a ballet dancer and had devoted her whole life to dancing until her body failed her. Then she really didn't do anything productive but work in a job her father gave her, with money her provided for her, and is returning for a mediative retreat when she learns about his death. Maybe she deserves the company, she could finally focus on something other than everything that has gone completely wrong, Will the company be hers?

A really entertaining sibling dynamic. Olivie Blake structured this story in such an entertaining way I was constantly excited to come back and hear more from the Wren's

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was not my favorite. It wasn't bad but it just didn't work for me. I think it was mostly how it was written that didn't work for me. I felt like there was barely a plot. I enjoyed the first 50% but as the book continued, it felt more and more disjointed. There were some humorous moments I enjoyed. Overall, I think Olivie Blake just isn't the author for me unfortunately.

I am a huge sucker for books about rivalries, so I was very into this concept from the jump. Three wealthy siblings deal with the death of their billionaire father and wonder which one will inherit his tech empire.

I loved how complex the characters were, and how the competitive sibling dynamic influenced their lives.

This book is marketed as a fantasy but I found the magic elements to be surprisingly minimal for most of the book. It felt more like magical realism. It was a contemporary story that would have felt pretty similar without any fantasy aspect.

This was as close to dark academia vibes as you can get to without a school - instead it's like dark rich people problems with light magic. Which, may not sound good, but it really was! This felt very much like Knives Out meshed with the energy of The Incandescant which I just finished reading. I could not more highly recommend it!

Magical Corporate Fraud with Grumpy Reflections
Olivie Blake, Gifted & Talented (New York: Tor Publishing, April 1, 2025). Fantasy: EBook. 512pp. ISBN: 978-1-250883-40-7.
***
“…The story of three siblings who, upon the death of their father, are forced to reckon with their long-festering rivalries, dangerous abilities, and the crushing weight of all their unrealized adolescent potential. Where there’s a will, there’s a war. Thayer Wren, the brilliant CEO of Wrenfare Magitech and so-called father of modern technology, is dead. Any one of his three telepathically and electrokinetically gifted children would be a plausible inheritor to the Wrenfare throne. Or at least, so they like to think. Meredith, textbook accomplished eldest daughter and the head of her own groundbreaking biotech company, has recently cured mental illness.”
This is an especially ridiculous premise. The term refers broadly to “health conditions involving changes in emotion, thinking or behavior”. Thus, it would mean stopping people from experiencing any emotional change, even after they experience a death in the family, natural disasters, and the like. It seems this author is just having fun by suggesting whatever speculative ideas come to mind without reflecting, or weighing if they are nonsensical. The author must have realized this is an absurd notion as in chapter 10, this concept is explained as a device that “monitors brain chemistry. It delivers the appropriate SSRI subcutaneously in response to whatever your brain chemistry is doing. It takes the guesswork out of treating mental illness.” This absurd claim is followed by the explanation that the device mostly triggers people to buy Demeter’s products by pushing “serotonin” when they are in Demeter’s stores “regardless of their actual mood.” If the author had stopped at claiming all mental illness is indeed curable; this would be a poorly-conceived opinion. But the short added explanation of its subversive application turns it into a potentially “right opinion” without pages of scientific evidence to support its assertions.
The blurb continues in reference to the mental-illness cure: “You’re welcome! If only her father’s fortune wasn’t her last hope for keeping her journalist ex-boyfriend from exposing what she really is: a total fraud. Arthur, second-youngest congressman in history, fights the good fight every day of his life. And yet, his wife might be leaving him, and he’s losing his re-election campaign. But his dead father’s approval in the form of a seat on the Wrenfare throne might just turn his sinking ship around. Eilidh, once the world’s most famous ballerina, has spent the last five years as a run-of-the-mill marketing executive at her father’s company after a life-altering injury put an end to her prodigious career. She might be lacking in accolades compared to her siblings, but if her father left her everything, it would finally validate her worth—by confirming she’d been his favorite all along. On the pipeline of gifted kid to clinically depressed adult, nobody wins—but which Wren will come out on top?”
Chapter 1 begins in an unusual way for this genre: the CEO has random negative thoughts about the various people she is facing in an audience as she prepares to give a speech. She calls several names without explaining why they offend her. Some she specifies are a “traitor”, or “dorks and despots”. Not much is clarified between the overflow of hate-talk. It is clear that she would prefer to eat “a whole sleeve of pistachio macarons” and to “never rise again” from bed. Some of this commentary is a bit funny or amusing. It is better than just using some cliches, or having empty dialogue.
There is only a single direct mention of the term “telepathy” in the body of the novel: in the second half. This mention appears after half-a-page is spent on going back and force to answer repeat of the question “And then?” Jamie finally complains: “You’re not answering my question”. To which the telepath replies absurdly: “Actually, I am. You’re just not listening”. Apparently, she is forcing this guy to love her with “telepathy”, as she is not letting him “love someone better”. If she can communicate telepathically, why would he be unable to hear what she is saying telepathically: this seems nonsensical.
In the first half, there is a mention of Arthur “being an electrokinetic menace”. There are a couple dozen mentions of “electricity”, such as the “pulse of faltering electricity” that “is jarring and epileptic”, as Meredith attempts to communicate with her sister despite Arthur’s “warning” by apparently electrocuting her.
This latter discussion and electric conflict take place in chapter 59, which is set as a play with blank lines between lines of dialogue, action paragraphs, and a list of “The Players” at the beginning. This seems to be an artistic experiment that reframes empty dialogue as artsy by changing for structural formula for how these same conflicts are presented on the page.
The note that the lead considers herself to be a “fraud” interested me. But little is explained about this, beside her generally being incompetent based on a lack of knowledge expressed in what she said throughout. There is a mention that she is guilty of “around a dozen counts of felony corporate fraud”. The preceding content does not really explain what exactly she did. There are brief mentions of semi-blackmail because she has been doing improper things with “clinical patients” that contradict published claims. She acknowledges the mental-illness-curing scam was “never actually meant to work.” Instead of explaining just what kind of research this blackmailer has done, and how the fraudster went wrong, the conversation focuses on Meredith swooning or worrying about avoiding being outed for whatever this set of frauds are.
The conclusion is absurd and nonsensical. Once again, the mother-son bond is exploited as a resolution to the emotional tensions in the novel. But this time, the child is called the Monster. It is portrayed as an animal (possibly non-verbal), and the Mother is in pain, but cannot escape due to love. It is very confusing just what is supposed to be happening: this is hardly the way to entice readers to enter this book. A reader might find some amusement, so one can try it if there is enough time.
Pennsylvania Literary Journal: Spring 2025 issue: https://anaphoraliterary.com/journals/plj/plj-excerpts/book-reviews-spring-2025

If you love Olivie Blake's writing you will love this book! I am aware that Blake's poetic prose and deep character studies are not for everyone, but they are certainly for me! Gifted and Talented in another great exploration in the complexity of being human. Here we follow three very rich, very annoying and self centered children of a famous CEO of a corporation, who has suddenly died. As the kids come together to bury their dad (and find out who he has left the company to in his will) we see how each of the three became who they are and how they relate to each other in disfunctional ways. I do wish that there was a bit more magic in this world, it is not that different from our own. Described as succession with magic, this is a fiar comparison in my view and reminded me of why I was also addicted to that show. (if you like succession you will also likely like this book!) However the star of this book is the narrator and the unique voice Blake creates in her storytelling. It creates an immersive reading experience where it doesn't matter so much what happens as it is how it is told, and here it is told in a masterfully satisfying way.

I have enjoyed Olivie Blake for a long time so I was excited to get an ARC of her newest book. Unfortunately, I didn't love it. The pacing felt a little slow, the characters unlikeable to the point I didn't want to read about them or cared what happened to them, and the magic felt like a bit of an add on. I'm really bummed, I was looking forward to this! But I'll keep reading Olivie, she's such a talented writer!