Thank you @torbooks & @macmillan.audio for the free book & ALC. ♡

*ೃ༄*ੈ✩‧₊˚ This book did make me happy.

This may be the most bizarre of my write-ups to-date.

Weirdly this book has almost all the characteristics of books that I usually despise: vibes > plot, slow plot progression, a whole lot of daddy issues, long & drawn out character studies, a magic system that is woefully under explained and follows no logic, and some of the most unlikeable, entitled characters I’ve seen in a while. However somehow, it just worked and was utterly devastating and flawlessly executed.

I blame the beautiful prose, the deeper subtexts, the witty banter, and the narrator “God” who provides a third person running commentary throughout the book. The main characters all suffer from various forms of brilliant idiocy, selfishness, lack of self-awareness, stupid amounts of money, and a lack of understanding what love looks like.

We get a character study of the 3 poor-little-rich-kids — completely dysfunctional Wren siblings: Meredith - a mind bender, Arthur - a walking electrical hazard, and Eilidh - the bringer of the apocalypse.

Thayer Wren is arguably a terrible father, husband, and businessman, who in death solely determines who the Wrenfare empire goes to. Fair warning: it will take 80% of the book for his will to be read.

Other thoughts:
❥ Somehow the book is also deeply romantic. A love story.
❥ At almost 500 pages, this was objectively longer than it needed to be, but somehow I didn’t mind.
❥ This book has a dozen-ish beautiful full page illustrations throughout the book, as well as mixed media format.

‧₊˚🎧⊹ I don’t think I’ve listened to any other books narrated by Eunice Wong, but she was *spectacular*! I highly recommend this on audio if you have the chance.

The first half of this book was five stars and the second half was two stars. It started out so whip smart and the writing throughout is excellent. But I feel like the story really fell off in the last part of the book and it became tedious. I read the ebook and listened to audio. I definitely recommend listening to the audiobook because the narrator is excellent!

Almost immediately, this book was giving me Umbrella Academy vibes. And I freaking loved that show. Siblings with extraordinary abilities who are honestly deeply flawed and unlikable, yet Olivie Blake had me zoned in watching the turmoil unfold.

This is definitely a character driven story so keep that in mind. At times, I wish the pacing moved a bit faster, but the sarcasm and dry humor kept me going.

Thank you to Tor for the early copy!

Olivie Blake is an author that is so hit or miss for me, and as excited as I was for Gifted & Talented, it was a miss. I just struggled so much in the beginning and never really got invested with the characters.

***Thank you to Tor Books for providing an advanced copy of the book via NetGalley. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***

I’m not quite sure what to say about Gifted & Talented. Obviously, I enjoyed it. It is an Olivie Blake book after all. Do I think everyone will love it? No. It was very character-focused with a meandering, almost non-existent, plot. However, none of that changes that the story was absolutely brilliant.

The character work in Gifted & Talented was nothing short of spectacular. Blake has a real knack for writing messy characters and making unlikeable characters relatable. These people had PROBLEMS, and I loved every second of sinking deeper into their troubled psyches. They were pretentious, self-absorbed, and completely caught up in the expectations of greatness that surrounded them. Those lofty expectations were a major ingredient in their dysfunction, in addition to their tumultuous family dynamic and past traumas. The journey of their internal selves was surprisingly cathartic for me as someone once classified as gifted who has dealt with the overwhelming fear of failure that often accompanies that label into adulthood.

The writing in Gifted & Talented completely sucked me into the narrative. It felt smart and witty and held no punches in its commentary and dialogue. I loved the stream of consciousness feeling to it and the unique structural choices used to tell the story. Blake utilized her craft to really dig into a vast variety of timely topics. Some that come to mind include motherhood, the evils of capitalism, the nature of politics, and what it means to be ‘happy,’ among many others. There was no shortage of profound philosophizing and thought-provoking content weaved seamlessly into the character work.

I don’t want to say too much more because I think Gifted & Talented is best experienced with as little foreknowledge as possible. However, I do want to point out the one thing that felt a bit like a weakness to me. The book is classified as a fantasy, but there weren’t many fantastical elements to the story. Furthermore, the ones that existed weren’t explained very well. For example, I never really got a clear understanding of technomancy. Was it really magical? Was it just another way of describing modern telecommunications? I honestly don’t know. I would have loved to get a better idea of how the magic of this world worked.

Overall, Gifted & Talented was exactly what I’d expect from an Olivie Blake book. The characters were all messy and complex. The writing provided a deep probe into their internal worlds and highlighted the subtle personal growth experienced over the course of the novel’s events. If you are looking for a great character-focused story with lots of family dysfunction and timely commentary, then you’ll probably enjoy this one as long as you don’t mind a slow plot and vague fantasy elements. Therefore, I rate this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.

4.5 stars, rounded up. Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

TL;DR: This book started out weird and I was super lost but decided to stick with it because the premise itself seemed interesting, and I'm glad I did. While it does get pretentious at parts, the characters were great. And if you've read my other reviews, you know my affection for character-driven novels.... Especially when the characters are remarkably complicated and morally grey.

So. The plot of this is weird and yet somehow predictable. The three main characters are dealing with the sudden death of their father. While there's a slight mysterious element to this, and some fantasy tie-in with subtly referred to magic, basically that's the story. I would hesitate to call this a mystery or fantasy. It's a contemporary fiction story with literary overtures. And honestly, big parts of the "plot" were predictable.

But the characters sell the story and kept me engaged. Meredith and Arthur were fascinating. Their younger sister, Eilidh, was more likable although less interesting in my opinion. The narration is hilarious and heartfelt in weird ways. I was laughing at certain parts, and other parts I highlighted and was intrigued by and felt were brilliantly stated.

There are some twists in this. And if you need to like the characters in order to read a full book about them, this is not the best choice for you. Truly all three Wren siblings have aspects of them that make them remarkably unlikable. But they also have aspects that make them wildly interesting to read about. Parts of the storytelling and narration felt a little over the top and unnecessarily erudite, but it worked for me. If you're looking for something funny and thematically relevant, with lovely prose and unique characters, this is a great pick! It's not really a fantasy, though, and if you're wanting to root for the heroes, skip this one.

I wanted to like this book so badly! Succession mixed with powers sounded so exciting to me. I felt like I was trying extra hard to read this book. The writing was not for me. It felt overcomplicated, unclear, and it was hard to follow. I'm sure this is an unpopular opinion and I really really wanted to like this book. The cover is fantastic. Thank you, NetGalley!

this was my first olivie blake book & i dnf’d at 8%. i didn’t jive with the format or the characters but i did however enjoy some of the snarky sarcasm. but in a 500 something page book i need something that grips me in the first 10% and it just didn’t do that for me unfortunately!

Succession meets magic family tech corp drama, following three siblings as they deal with the fall out of their father's death, the company, the scandal, and of course, their future. Thayer Wren is the genius CEO of Wrenfare Magitech, and any of his three telepathically and electrokinetically gifted children could be the one to inherit his company. Meredith is the eldest daughter who headed her own biotech company but her journalist ex-boyfriend is going to expose her for what she really is : a fraud. Arthur the middle child, is the second youngest congressman in history, is married to a woman who doesn't want him to touch her, and is in a thrupple that he keeps a secret... and he might be losing his re-election campaign. Then there is Eilidh, the world's most famous ballerina who was put in a life-altering injury and now spends her days as the marketing executive of her father's company... and remains his favorite child all along. All of them are forced to come together for his funeral and to see what will happen to his fortune all the while the story dissects societal pressures, clinically depressed adults, and family drama. This was really interesting because on one hand it would make a really fun tv show, but as a book it kind of loses the plot a bit. It's a constant whiplash of "what is happening" and going through various POVs and going back and for between past and present. I thought it was a fun read because I loved Succession and this was a fun twist of a story that had a similar vibe, but I think it gets a bit muddled. Definitely read it if you love family drama and rich people problems.

Release Date: April 1, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group | Tor Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Gifted & Talented by Olivie Blake delivers a chaotic, character-driven narrative that combines satire, famiilial dysfunction, and the complexities of ambition and self-worth. In a storyline that feels like "Succession" meets modern fantasy, Blake crafts a page-turner that is both darkly comedic and deeply introspective.

When tech mogul Thayer Wren dies unexpectedly, he leaves behind his three troubled children, each with their own brand of dysfunction and a set of extraordinary abilities. Meredith, the overachieving eldest, faces the potential collapse of her own successful career after a scandalous revelation. Arthur, the middle child and people-pleaser, juggles political ambitions with the secret of his immortality. Eilidh, the youngest and most overlooked, possesses the dangerous ability to cause apocalyptic events when emotionally unstable. As they gather at their father's mansion to contest his inheritance, tensions run high, and the question of who will claim the throne of Wrenfare Magitech looms large.

The characters are undeniably flawed; sometimes insufferable, often self-absorbed. But Blake's brilliance lies in making these deeply unlikable figures so engrossing. Despite not really *liking* any of the characters, I couldn't stop reading about them. The sibling dynamics, filled with buried resentment, banter, and unexpected moments of humor, are the heart of the story. As the plot unfolds, Blake masterfully delves into themes of childhood trauma, the weight of expectations, and the ceaseless drive for success and validation. Perhaps this has something to do with being an only-child and naturally fascinated by those with siblings, but I was absolutely enthralled with the Wren sibling dynamics.

Though the narrative occasionally meanders, Blake's sharp social commentary and exploration of modern elitism make this a thought-provoking read. Her take on the world of the powerful and privileged is as exaggerated as it is insightful, offering a sharp critique of the societal pressures that shape these characters’ lives. Whether you love or hate the characters, one thing is certain; this book is addictive. I would recommend this most to fans of dark satire and character-driven plots. Gifted & Talented will not disappoint, though it may be best enjoyed when you're in the right mood to embrace its chaotic brilliance!

Thank you to Tor via Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and are not influenced by any third parties.

This is my first read from Olivie Blake, and I can tell this one goes out to all of the HBO Succession and Netflix Umbrella Academy fans out there. This is not going to be for everyone, this is not a light read - the amount of details littered throughout requires your attention. There is not a single character that is a "good" person, the siblings we follow have led privileged lives and exhibit entitled behavior. All three main characters are starved from the approval of their deceased father, and all three will do anything to inherit his Wrenfare Magitech corporate kingdom. I was pleasantly surprised that there was magic and powers woven into this story, it brought an interesting aspect to plot events and characters, as did the many (unreliable?) narrators.

We follow the Wrens, a family with powers (gifted) and wealth, and all of Thayer Wren's children couldn't be more different. His oldest daughter Meredith is a CEO in her own right, but her shady business practices are threatening to be exposed. His son Arthur is a Congressman in a situationship. His youngest daughter Eilidh (a former ballerina) works at her father's company but cannot control her powers, and is admittedly the character I paid the most attention to. I think everyone will fall in love with Monster. If you like narrative change-ups, character studies, and dysfunctional family dynamics, I would recommend this book.

I look forward to release of the audiobook because I think upon an immersive reread I will pick up even more that I missed. Looking forward to picking up my own copy April 1st.

Thank you to Tor Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

SHE DOES IT AGAIN!! Mother how do you create something like this every time??

I am an avid fan of Olivie Blake and have read everything she has ever published (in some cases, multiple times). I was desperate to read this novel and am so happy to report that it's more Blake genius. Between the main characters of this book, EVERYONE can find something they relate to. It was raw and complex and deep and also HILARIOUS??? She wins.

I particularly loved the POVs of Meredith and Jamie - despite the narrator's persistence that Meredith is an "asshole", I found her refreshing. Their relationship also reminded me strongly of Masha and Dima from One for My Enemy, which I LOVED because I miss them so much.

I had the pleasure of reading this e-ARC while on vacation in Japan which just added to the magic. Huge thanks to Tor, Olivie, and NetGalley for a copy of this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. My purchased final copy will be waiting for me when I get home ✈️

📖arc review: gifted & talented by olivie blake
⭐️rating: 3.5/5
🌿genre: fantasy/science fiction?

💌my thoughts: thank you so much to tor publishing & olivie blake for this ARC via netgalley!

okay the prose in this book is unlike anything i’ve read recently & is very unique which at first made it hard to get into. i would say the first 30ish% i was struggling to continue to pick this one up but how witty (if you like dry humor and sarcasm you’ll love it — i was truly loving it) it was and how absolutely intolerable these characters are (in an intriguing way) made me continue and i’m really glad i did!

i am not typically fan of character driven stories, which this definitely is, but it was just so messy and each and every character was complex and flawed it had enough going on that was i got used to the writing i was drawn in and wanted to see how the relationships and quite literally everything played out. not mention the bits of magic sprinkled in which just add a whole other layer of complexity to everything!

by the end, i definitely found myself sympathizing with these characters, as messy and unbearable as they are, and i definitely think this story will resonate with anyone who’s felt the need to live up to expectation of being someone that is gifted.

overall, i enjoyed this one and i’m glad i read it, but it definitely takes a bit to get into with it being heavily character driven!

Synopsis: After the death of their CEO father, three siblings must face their demons and mend their relationships while waiting to find out who will inherit their father’s company.

Thoughts: While a unique and intriguing read, this one wasn’t really my vibe. I do think there are lots of people who will eat this up though! I did really enjoy getting to know the Wren siblings and their strange magical abilities; however, I was hoping for a more magical/fantasy vibe. Honestly the story wouldn’t have been much different had the magic been removed. The corporate intrigue and family drama elements are super entertaining and absolutely chaotic. As always, Olivia’s writing is brilliant. It was a bit difficult to get the five different POV’s straight in the audio version, but I think the narrator did an amazing job, especially in regards to giving the characters the appropriate air of “eliteness.”

Read this if you like:
💻 Succession
💻 rich people behaving badly
💻 tech
💻 magical elements
💻 family drama
💻 corporate intrigue
💻 multi pov

An family saga with a touch of magic that dives deep into the lives of three complex siblings—Meredith, Arthur, and Eilidh. Each sibling offers a unique perspective, with Meredith being an unpredictable and unhinged character. Arthur, sensitive yet sexy, explores polyamory, though the boundaries of his relationships are still unclear. Eilidh, the most grounded of the Wren family, provides some much-needed balance. At its core, this is a character-driven narrative about the siblings' quest for power and acceptance, with magic woven into the backdrop.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the story, I did find the pacing to be uneven at times. Midway through, the narrative slowed down unexpectedly, which made me want to take a break from the book. However, the overall story remained compelling, Fans of Blake’s previous work will certain enjoy this messy magical family drama.

This book is about three super-talented brothers and sisters whose powerful CEO dad dies. Now they have to fight over who gets his company, and they all have their own big problems already.

Meredith is a genius in science, but she's hiding a big secret. Arthur is a politician who might lose everything. Eilidh used to be a famous dancer but now feels like a nobody. They all want their dad's company for different reasons.

The book is good at showing how hard it is to be a super-smart kid who grows up. You feel bad for each of them and their problems. The idea of them having mind powers and electric powers makes things interesting.

Sometimes the story feels a little slow because it spends a lot of time inside their heads. You also might want to see their powers used more in the main fight.

Overall, this is a good and interesting book with well-written characters. It makes you think about family and what it means to be successful. Just wish it moved a little quicker at times.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this e-ARC!

Something about Olivie Blake writing sucks me in, be in the complicated love-to-hate characters or the supernatural magical elements splashed between the pages. Reading Gifted and Talented was magical. I never knew what are protagonists were going to do next and the best part? They are so beautifully functional and flawed you can’t help but fixate on Thai broken family.

Delivering many themes, over consumption, identity, society failings as a whole it was nauseating, but also hard to take your eyes off the pages.

I think fans of Blake will delight in this new novel, and wish for more as they reach the last pages.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I love Olivie Blake's brain, and this book felt like she effectively opened the hatch and let us crawl around inside it.

I can fairly confidently say that this isn't going to be the kind of book that will appeal to the masses, but (not to be too "not like other girls" about it), I'm delighted that I cannot count myself among them. From the very start, I ate up every page of this. This is very much a no-plot-all-vibes book, and if you are intrigued by the concept of what is essentially a 500 page character study of a cast so equally insufferable and relatable that you have no choice but to wonder whether you yourself are, in fact, actually the villain of everyone's story, then this book will be right up your alley.

I had expected this book to be more thematically similar to The Atlas Six since it was well-set up to explore comparable themes of who deserves power and whether it inevitably and inherently corrupts. However, I think this book was actually more on par with Alone With You in the Ether (one of my favorite books in the entire world, I might add) in the way it focused more on each individual character's internal struggles, failures, and general mental health crises. Add to that the fact that this book is so deeply exemplary of Olivie's particular writing style that even if her name weren't on the cover you could spot it as hers from page one, and this book was almost formulaically guaranteed to make my 2025 favorites list.

Granted, I can objectively recognize that this book was probably longer than it needed to be, and that there were a number of questions left unanswered, but I simply enjoyed being inside it far too much to care. I have a feeling that this is a book that I will end up loving even more on reread because I think taking as long to finish it as I did threw me out of what had otherwise been a complete and blissful immersion into the innerworkings of these miserable, idiotic geniuses' heads.

I think if you already know you enjoy Olivie's writing style and sense of humor, then you should drop every other thing on your TBR to consume this next. If you've read her other books before and didn't gel with them, then this one almost certainly will not work for you since it's pretty much an amalgamation of all the things people feel most strongly about in her books, then dialed up to 11. As a near-unconditional fan of everything she writes, I am completely and utterly thrilled at whoever gave her the go-ahead to turn up the volume.

GIFTED AND TALENTED was a really interesting novel because it wasn’t what I was expecting. I was thinking it was going to be very science fiction heavy book almost, which wasn’t the case at all. Instead, this is a close examination of the interworkings of family dynamics and relationships between people on a large scale, with billions of dollars on the line and some light sci fi elements. Overall, I enjoyed it, but it is a heavy read that very much focuses on the characters themselves.

The writing in the book is excellent. The narration style was different, in a good way. It was snarky, and self aware, almost like Deadpool but in a book about unlikable children of an insufferable tech billionaire. It had a voice and a style that I enjoyed.

And, honestly, each character was a bit unlikable in their own way, which was also cool. I started rooting for them, even though I was over them also. It was an intricate character analysis in some of the best ways.

But, the plot does meander because of it. This was a 512 page book and it could have been maybe 100 pages left and I still would have understood what was going on. And the sci fi elements? Their powers? That wasn’t even a large part of the book honestly. Truly, and this is me putting my English teacher hat on, it feels like the powers are there to signify something deeper, like Gatsby and his green light. Interesting and cool, but not what I needed or wanted

Overall, this was a good book that I did enjoy. It’s not one you can fly through or one that is light. Read this if you like extremely character driven novels, good and unique writing, snarky commentary, and unlikable charterers.

Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thayer Wren the CEO of Wrenfare Magitech we learn is dead. The story right from the beginning quickly introduces us to his three children who are telepathically and electrokinetically gifted. They truly believe they are up to inherit the Wrenfare throne with their father having passed on.
The three adult children are named Meredith, Arthur, and Eilidh.

Olivie Blake, who I have read before always does a great job at fleshing out interesting driven characters who you are equally horrified and impressed by. You constantly alternate between rooting for them, and waiting for the choices to blow up in their faces.

I did choose to not finish this book at around 15% due to not being able to connect to the storyline, characters, or author’s writing style. In the future I would give this author another chance since I loved other books by her such as the Atlas series and “Alone with you in the Ether”.