“Everything changes. Everything changes. Nothing is ever the same (affectionate). Nothing is ever the same (threat).”


Review: I devoured this book and it devoured me right back. There are points where you love every single character. Where you love every single character. Where you admire, but don’t really respect every character. I saw pieces of myself in every single character. The good, the bod, the disappointing. When I met Olivie last year she told she believed a written in book is a well loved book, and if you couldn’t tell, I loved this book. I was constantly switching between the ebook ARC and physical ARC so I didn’t have to put it down. I was adding my ebook annotations to my physical copy in the school pick up line today. This book, for being about magical people, was so honestly about being human that it took my breath away at times. This book is Olivie and her character writing at their best.

This is a lot of book, and I can’t decide how I feel about most of it. The plot never really got going, but also maybe that was the point? The magic system seemed completely unnecessary, but Lou was also incredibly compelling? These characters were insufferable, sometimes, but at least I know that was definitely part of the point. I liked it?

This definitely is the most I've enjoyed an Olivie Blake book since The Atlas Six!! I loved how complex of a story this is.

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for this e-arc!!

If Olivie Blake writes it, I’m not only reading it, I’m eating it UP!!!

When Thayer Wren, CEO and father of three, dies unexpectedly, his family and lawyers gather to determine his will and last sentiments. Gifted & Talented follows Thayer’s children Meredith, Arthur, and Eilidh as they navigate (with a touch of magic AND madness) what it means to be orphaned in adulthood as rich (and crazy) siblings.

WOW I literally cannot believe I’ll never read this book for the first time ever again. Blake has honed her craft in creating such intricate and gripping characters while keeping her readers sat for plots otherwise unimagined. I loved AND hated all of these characters (except Arthur, my sweet idiot) at one point or another. And I love how big brained Olivie Blake is - this book was insane!!

Blake is so SMART and also SO DAMN FUNNY! I laughed out loud and I also cried (I always cry). Every twist and turn here had me on the edge of my seat. No other author makes me think so much while also always providing a good (fun, torturous, what’s going on?) time.

Also can we talk about unreliable narrator SUPREMACY - done so well here I will never not think of this book when this trope is brought up.

Gifted & Talented is chaos. It made me ponder human connection, what it means to be labeled one thing or another and to grow up (and out) of it. It made me laugh and cry and it has cold shoulder moments and also HUGELY tender scenes. I just loved every bit of this.

5 stars, definitely recommend this one!!!! Pick up 4/1 if you want a crazy ride with crazy characters!

Olivie Blake is a great writer! I have one of her other books and have not read it yet, I am excited to do so now.

I saw someone describe this as succession meets umbrella academy and that is what sold me!!!

I love a multiple POV and definitely between siblings. She created great characters mimicking real siblings that the reader can identify with. I found myself really intrigued by each sibling in different ways, as the eldest child and trying to be very put together I identified with Meredith, however Eilidh was the most fun to read for me!

Including magic and power in some way was a brilliant layer to this story and to the character development. Blake has a great way of including magical realism while not losing the reality of childhood trauma, character flaws, and hardship.

I really enjoyed this book!

Olivie Blake’s mind is truly a dark and beautiful place. She first caught my attention with Alone With You in the Ether and she’s held it ever since. Gifted & Talented was a fantastically original read! A little bit Succession, a little bit fantasy, and a lot of damaged characters trying to heal over the course of a tumultuous week. I really enjoyed everything about this story! The narrative is a bit all over the place as we follow different threads with multiple POVs and timelines but it comes together in a satisfying way. My favorite character was Lou, easily the only sane person in the whole book.

I would say if you loved Masters of Death, you’ll like this one. Audio was fantastic! Highly recommend to any lover of magical realism, complicated family dynamics, and characters to hate that you can’t help but root for.

Look, I think a lot of us were labeled gifted and talented in school only to let the pressure of it crush us in different ways. This book focuses on three rich kids whose dad sucked and now the kids are just kind of crappy adults. Really this book shows that maybe money can't buy happiness, but it sure as hell can ruin you as a person when you have pretty much no structure and no consequences.

I didn't really like this book, mostly because I'm not sympathetic to billionaires and it really seemed like maybe three therapy sessions could have solved a lot of the siblings' problems. Meredith is a self-proclaimed genius prodigy who just wants to be as good as or better than her father, Arthur just wants to be loved, and Eilidh doesn't know who she is and is very isolated. Also they all three have magical powers which is never really explained other than yes there is magic in the world. That really bugged me, there are several mentions to curses, spells, and the general occult, but they are thrown away comments. It felt like magic could have been a much bigger plot point or world-building element and it was just thrown away as a shrug.

I did like the overall themes of the book, of not feeling like you're really a part of a family and how expectations can crush you. But this really just felt like whiny rich kids who also had a bit of magic. The plot was too slow moving and I didn't really find anything in the book to be that interesting.

If you like books about family dynamics and finding yourself, you might like this book. It just wasn't it for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Another insanely woven story my Olivie Blake!
Her writing style is so unique and it brings the characters in her books so much depth. I liked all the details and divisive sibling backstories and drama, but there were times I was lost in the shuffle of what was actually being discussed.
The moments of actions kept pushing me through the story to allow us to learn all the ins and outs of why the family is who they seem to be. This is definitely a tale of how parenting can change everything for each individual child.
All in all, I enjoyed the story, but it lacked enough momentum for me at points in the story.

4.25/5⭐️

This book reminds me of a mix of Succession with a twist of The Umbrella Academy. When Thayer Wren, CEO and founder of Wrenfare Magitech, suddenly dies, he leaves behind his 3 successors who all had complicated relationships with him. Meredith, Arthur, and Eilidh must confront their past when legal complications delay the will's execution. It was the perfect mix of reality and fantasy. I really enjoyed the writing style and found the characters extremely entertaining even though they were being quite messy. I think if you're into business and family drama then this book is for you! This was my first book by Olivie Blake and I'm excited to read other works by her. You can tell that she thinks highly of herself in the writing and I find it hilarious. Really great book!!!!

Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book as an arc.

As much as I wanted to love this book I just couldn't get into the characters. They were unlikeable and I didn't feel myself cheering them on. It might just be a timing issue and I will come back to it later.

The good parts
*Beautiful prose
*Interesting plot and theories
* Love to hate characters

If you love Olivie Blake's writing style from The Atlas Six then this book is for you but if you don't like long meandering paragraphs you might want to be cautious of the book, unfortunately.

Unfortunately, this may be my last attempt for Olivie Blake. Far too pretentious. May give it another chance at a later date but wow I felt like my brain was melting from eye rolls. I won’t publicize this review.

This book combines one of my favorite shows Umbrella Academy and my sudden love of toxic, unlikable characters that are written to be nothing other than captivating. This book follows the three Wren siblings whose father, CEO of Wrenfare Magitech, has passed away and we are going to learn which sibling takes over his company.

It's like a trainwreck that you can't look away from in the best way possible, and it was a such a fun read. Meredith is so messy and I love her. The characters are complex and have a certain charm that kept me hooked. And this book reads more like a character study on these 3 siblings than anything else, super interesting. I do wish the magic elements went a bit farther in this book, but they were interesting enough, although I don't think they added much to the story.

Thank you for the ARC in exchange for a honest review!

Olivie Blake can do no wrong in my eyes. None.
And this book was no exception.

There’s this feeling I rarely get when I start a book when I just know it’s going to be a five-star read no matter what. And that’s exactly what happened to me within the first 10% of this book.

I loved it, but also I didn’t. What I feel for this book goes beyond a simple “I loved it.” It crushed me. It made me feel exposed. At times, it made me feel raw. At others, it made me feral. It became one of my all time favorite books. But yeah, I guess you could say I loved it.

Gifted and Talented is Olivie Blake at her best. This is, hands down, one of her finest works. If you’ve read a couple of her books, you know that her stories are deeply character driven. There’s little to no plot, instead, her books offer such a fascinating character study that I can never get enough of them.

In G&T, we follow three siblings who are so deeply flawed and complex that each of their POVs feels like an entirely different reading experience. Their voices are distinct yet incredibly engaging. One minute, you’ll be rooting for them, and the next, you’ll be hating them (as you should).

I don’t think there’s a single main character I didn’t love here. I got to know each of them deeply, which made it impossible for any chapter to feel boring. But I have to admit though, Meredith??? she was my favorite (if you’ve read the book DON’T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT OK?). Meredith is such a powerful character that I could never get enough of her. I know she’s a terrible person. I know she does terrible things. I know, I promise, I know. But the moments I spent inside her head were the most fascinating of the entire book. She’s the kind of character you hate but simply can’t look away from. And honestly, if you stripped away all the other POVs and left only Meredith’s, I’d still rate this book five stars. I can’t say the same for the others characters even though I love them. But yeah, Meredith ruined me.

And don’t even get me started on the subplot between her and James. When I tell you I was FERAL over them, I’m not lying. How can anyone write "I’m sorry you have to love me. I wish I could let you love someone better." AND EXPECT ME TO BE OKAY WITH IT?! I’M NOT OKAY.

Okay, unprofessional Meredith rant over.

This book also tackles a lot of fascinating themes—, some hit me harder than others, but overall, it’s an incredibly thought-provoking read. Throughout the book, you’ll find yourself reflecting on life choices, success, the need to be loved, morality, the direction the world is heading, the state of capitalism in the modern era, and so much more. Not only did I have the best time reading this, but it also made me think a lot. And we love a book like that.

Read it.

Olivie Blake is a literal goddess, and I can always count on her to deliver a story I’ll love. This was sharp, witty, and so much fun, especially the writing. It felt like Succession meets Arrested Development in a world where magic and technology have merged. We follow the 3 Wren siblings as they gather to mourn their late father and wait to learn which of them has been been gifted (or cursed, depending on who you ask) control of his multi billion dollar biotech company. All 3 siblings were somehow simultaneously so unlikable and painfully charming. As the narrator stated several times, they’re a-holes and need major therapy asap, but I loved them so much and wanted them all to finally be happy (especially Arthur). Speaking of the narrator, I loved the casual tone of voice, it made me feel like I was sitting down with her having drinks and gossiping about the latest escapades of the emotionally stunted Wren siblings.

I’ve never read an Olivie Blake book that I didn’t completely devour, and this was no exception. I’ve always believed her greatest talent is her ability to craft such complex and realistic characters, and this is further proof of that. The real treat of Gifted and Talented was the characters themselves and their relationships with each other, their father, and with themselves.

Fans of Olivie Blake and lovers of darkly comedic family dramas will surely love this.

Endless thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing group for an early copy of this book, all comments and opinions are my own.

This is basically Succession, but with biotech and existential dread. Meredith, Arthur, and Eilidh Wren all think they deserve to inherit their late father’s company, but instead of a cutthroat corporate thriller, Gifted & Talented is more of a slow-burn character study about ambition, privilege, and self-destruction.

The writing is sharp—Olivie Blake knows how to get inside her characters’ heads—but the pacing is deliberate, and the story is more about psychological unraveling than actual high-stakes business drama. If you’re expecting twists or big revelations, you might get impatient. If you’re in the mood for something slow, introspective, and character-driven, though, there’s a lot to dig into.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this one!

Olivie Blake is really hit or miss for me. I loved "Masters of Death," but the Atlas series was a serious miss for me. I was hoping this one would fall under the category of "big hit." It did not.

These characters are the worst - like - truly the worst. I usually enjoy a good rich people problems book, but I need there to be something redeemable about the people. At least a few characters who, while flawed, make me root for them. All three of these siblings are self-absorbed assholes who are unkind to each other and those around them, and there's nothing redeemable or worth rooting for.

The "magic system," if you can call it that, is weak and unexplained. It's just random happenstance that nobody can control - sometimes it makes an appearance, and sometimes it doesn't. It felt very much like a forced element of the story. This is a story about the toxic family dynamic of 3 siblings of the uber rich. The magic felt unnecessary and weird.

While Blake makes some really important observations about capitalism and the uber wealthy, they are merely a garnish on an otherwise unappetizing meal, and garnish cannot save a bad meal.

Overall one of Blake’s better books. It made you sympathize for the billionaires despite there not being such a thing as an ethical billionaire.

I’m one of those viewers who both recognized and appreciated the brilliant writing and acting found in “Succession” but who also struggled to enjoy the actual process of watching it. As a media consumer (books, movies, or shows), I’ve found that I struggle the most with stories where I can’t find a likable character to cling to. They don’t need to be perfect or strictly heroic, but just…likable. Jesse Pinkman from “Breaking Bad” is the perfect example of the sort of character I need to find to truly enjoy a story. So, when I saw that Olivie Blake was coming out with a new book and that it definitely was giving off strong “Succession” vibes, I was interested, but also a bit wary. That show was a slog at times of just hating everyone and everything they did. Would this book follow in its footsteps? Well, yes and no.

On the good side, I think some of Blake’s flowery, evocative style of writing worked really well with this sort of story. At best, everyone in this book is incredibly flawed, and Blake uses them and the situations they keep finding (creating!) themselves in to offer many beautifully crafted insights into the world as a whole. Commentary on power, ambition, and, of course, the complicated nature of siblings, with all of the competition and resentment that can be tied up in such a unique relationship. Here is someone who is the only other person/people in the world who truly understands your history, who’s seen it all, the good, the bad, the ugly. You love them; you can’t hide from them. I’ve struggled with Blake’s writing style at times in the past, but I think it paired really well with this sort of story.

That said, I am starting to put together the dots on the sorts of characters Blake has been writing lately. Namely, the kind that are found in things like “Succession.” In that way, she was perfectly positioned to write this sort book. But on the other hand, I’ve had a harder and harder time connecting with her books because I feel as if she always writes characters who I end up really disliking. They’re not just morally grey, they’re often rude, selfish, stubborn to the point of idiocy, etc. And while here these characters fit in well with the sort of story she was trying to write, I can’t say I enjoyed them any more for it. I kept banging my head against a wall, as I jumped from character to character who couldn’t help shooting themselves in the foot with terrible approaches to life and how they treat others.

I’ll also say that I question the necessity of the fantasy elements in this book. There are definite comparisons to “The Umbrella Society” (some were a bit too close, honestly, and made it feel less creative on its own), but, for the most part, the magic was so far in the background to the interpersonal dynamics that I’m not sure if it was serving much of a purpose. Other than staying true to the sort of books that Blake has written in the past and that her fans expect from her. But here at least, I think the book might have been better served to have remained a straight contemporary fiction novel. As it stands, I don’t think the sparce fantasy elements truly contribute much to the book itself. Those who are going in as hardcore fantasy readers will be left with a book that feels thin in this area.

Overall, this was an ok read. I will say, as a reader who has struggled with Blake’s style of writing in the past (sometimes it can veer into the land of pretentiousness), I think that the themes and subject matter of this book were well suited to her talents and the book shone brightest in its use of language to describe some of these darker currents. However, all of the characters were so unlikable that I can’t say I actually enjoyed my reading experience. Looking back, I think that’s been the difference for me with her books that I’ve enjoyed vs. those I didn’t. And it was unfortunate that this largely fell in the latter category. However, fans of Blake’s style should definitely check this out, especially if you’re the sort of reader who enjoys truly morally compromised characters!

Rating 7: Some poignant commentary on themes of sibling rivalry and ambition was held back a bit for me by a cast of truly unlikable characters.

Link will go live on April 12 on The Library Ladies

3.5⭐️3🌶️

Contemporary Fantasy
Magical Realism
Stand-alone
Multi POV
Sibling Story
🏳️‍🌈 Main Characters
Polyamory
Magic
Family Disfunction


Olivie Blake is known for her long, introspective paragraphs that dive deep into unlikable characters and complex plots.

The cover of this book immediately caught my attention. It gives off a disjointed vibe before you even open the book, and that feeling carries through in the writing. The prose mirrors the cover and the characters, with a fragmented quality that works surprisingly well. Blake shifts between writing styles and storytelling techniques, creating a dynamic reading experience that keeps the plot steady even while it challenges the reader’s expectations.

A sly nod to The Prince of Egypt had me laughing out loud—it’s a delightful touch of nostalgia.

However, I did feel that the focus of the story shifted midway through the book. What started as a compelling tale about siblings eventually became more about the challenges of mothering a toddler. By this point, my interest had waned, and I found myself struggling to stay engaged. The plot wasn’t advancing as I had hoped, and I found it harder to pick up the book and finish it.

Despite the book’s compressed timeline, with so much happening in a short period, not much actually seemed to take place. There were moments of tension, but they often felt overshadowed by the complexity of the narrative itself, which at times made it harder to connect with the story.

Thank you Tor Publishing for the gift of an eARC of Gifted & Talented by Olivie Blake. All opinions are my own.

Olivie Blake’s Gifted & Talented is nothing short of a masterpiece. With her signature clever prose and intricate storytelling, Blake delivers a powerful narrative that dives deep into family dynamics, societal commentary, and the complexities of ambition — all wrapped in a layer of magical realism that feels both whimsical and hauntingly relevant.

What struck me most was how much this story reminded me of Yellowstone — the layered family drama, power struggles, and unspoken tensions were so vividly portrayed that I found myself completely immersed. The characters are flawed yet deeply compelling, each navigating their own desires, insecurities, and conflicts in a way that feels achingly real.

Blake doesn’t shy away from tackling weighty themes like capitalism, societal pressures, and the corrupting influence of power — yet she weaves these elements seamlessly into a story that’s also deeply personal and emotional. Adding to the intrigue is the narrative voice — part observer, part participant — which brings a unique energy to the story. What starts as a distant “voice of God” slowly reveals unexpected depth, making you question how much control we really have over our own stories.

Gifted & Talented is gripping, intelligent, and deeply satisfying. Whether you're drawn to intense family drama, sharp social critique, or Olivie Blake’s signature magic-infused storytelling, this book delivers it all — and more!