The Atlas Six

Started so so so so so so so so so good but it fell flat by the end and i simply do not care what ended up happening.
Just a massive decline that bored me to death. I really loved the start too :(((

also too much smut. Needed more chapters focused on the story. I love sex positive books but there is such thing as too much and overdoing it

2.99/5 stars

This book wasn't awful but it was also full of so much wasted potential? I didn't hate it but I'm also more disappointed then my mother.

But tbh the problem is probably me. I found 90% of this book was so, so incredibly boring. There's 6+ main character and I don't feel attached to any of them. The magic system was either underexplained or I'm just too dumb for it (probably the latter tbh). There was random parenthesis in the middle of paragraphs to add in additional information that wasn't really relevent and it was the worst writing style I've seen since I read a book with no capital letters.

I read this book extra slowly to try to understand the plot but in two weeks, if you asked me about anything that just happened, I won't be able to tell you

Anyway, I won't be reading this book ever again and will not be continuing the series. Thank you and have a nice day.

What a bunch of nonsense.To be fair, when this book began, I was on board. From the very first line, The Atlas Six announces itself as absolutely up its own ass. And that's fine, that's great even, I love pretentious books about magic and libraries and borderline sociopaths. But by the time I found myself somewhere in the middle, I realized the overwritten dialogue and soulless characters had long overstayed their welcome. Six young magicians are chosen by the mysterious Alexandrian Society, the holders of the lost library of Alexandria, to spend a year proving that they are worthy of the library's secrets. At the end of the year, they must choose one of them to eliminate, and drunk with the possibility of learning the long lost secrets of magic and history, they agree, not thinking about what “elimination” might actually mean. Each of them are exceptional magicians in their particular skill sets, but four of them - Nico and Libby, the physical magicians, Reina, the naturalist, and Tristan, who has the least defined abilities but can see through illusions - find themselves caught in a game between the two psychics - Parisa, the telepath, and Callum, the empath. When it becomes clear what the stakes are, they have to choose who they are going to align themselves with - and who is going to die. Granted, it's not quite balanced as that. The group takes an immediate disliking to Callum over Parisa, probably because he can manipulate their emotions, whereas as far as they know, Parisa can only read their minds, not change them. But even if she doesn't have a magical ability to do so, that doesn't stop her from doing exactly that. She's also the certified Sexy Girl, and I would like to implore writers going forward - if you are thinking of writing a female character defined by her sex appeal, please for the love of god, reconsider. It's so, so, so boring.Probably the character I enjoyed the most was Callum. Even though his chapters probably had the most florid ruminating, at least it was fucking fun. He was doubtful that Tristan would be capable of understanding that, but the sensation of being liked was extraordinarily dull. It was the closest thing to vanilla that Callum could think of, though nothing was truly comparable. Being feared was a bit like anise, like absinthe. A strange and arousing flavor. Being admired was golden, maple-sweet. Being despised was a woodsy sulfuric aroma, smoke in his nostrils; something to choke on, when done properly. Being envied was tart, a citrusy tang, like green apple. Being desired was Callum's favorite. That was smoky, too, in a sense, but more sultry, cloaked and perfumed in precisely what it was. It smelled like tangled bedsheets. It tasted like the flicker of a candle flame. It felt like a sigh, a quiet one; concessionary and pleading. He could always feel it on his skin, sharp as a blade. Piercing, like the groan of a lover in his ear.Callum is the character that is the most in tune with himself and the most in touch with his magic. In his twisted way, he's the one that actually gives you a sense of thrill and excitement about it. In every other sense, magic is mostly seen as mundane, confusing or a nuisance. (There's something in here about attaching virtue to suffering, and how only villains are allowed to appreciate their power and enjoy themselves.) Reina resents her abilities because she is essentially a battery for plants, Libby can barely control her abilities, Nico pushes himself to the point of masochism (Nico's backstory/side plot in general is extremely overwritten, like Blake was desperately trying to make him sympathetic and interesting, and it's just really hard to keep him connected to the rest of the story), and Tristan doesn't even understand what he can do. The only exception to this is Parisa, who uses her ability well and consistently, but that gets kind of ruined because of this fucking Hot Girl Who Bones Everything In Sight absurdity. Each character though feels like they have a similar voice, a similar perspective, and that turns the rhythm of the story into a dull drone. I thought Reina might be an exception to the ethical vaccum that the rest of the characters represent, if only because she's so underutilized and the few chapters she had could have provided a reprieve. But no, she's just as callous and self-centered as the rest of them, and so when little nervous Libby suddenly tries to say, “Hey, isn't this wrong?” it feels completely meaningless.I realized something when I was thinking about the books that this reminds me of. The obvious seminal piece for this is, of course, [b:The Secret History 29044 The Secret History Donna Tartt https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1451554846l/29044.SY75.jpg 221359], but the books it reminded me of more were Taherah Mafi's [b:Shatter Me 10429045 Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1) Tahereh Mafi https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1310649047l/10429045.SY75.jpg 15333458] series. Aside from it also having a blond socipathic empath (not as novel as you might think, as The Bright Sessions does a similar thing with Damien), the Shatter Me books are characterized by over-the-top characters with over-the-top feelings and a lot of long chunks of dialogue of said characters talking about themselves, each other, and those feelings, with very little actual plot. This has a catnip-like effect on certain kinds of readers -evidenced by the extremely high ratings these books have-, who are really just looking for characters to ship in a coffee shop AU, rather than a tightly-wound story. Because what separates The Atlas Six and Shatter Me from The Secret History, a book that also has hyper-stylized hyper-real characters with rich dynamics and big feelings but is not only extremely popular but is arguably considered a modern classic, is that Donna Tartt's characters don't exist for you. They exist for the story. Henry Winter may sound like someone drawn up from a teenager's notebook, but he exists in his world, with his own secrets and motivations. He's not fan service.When Callum tells Tristan that Tristan is drawn to him because Callum reminds him of his father, yes, that's technically good character work, but you're not supposed to just say it! It's supposed to be illustrated through the story and the characters' actions. There is so much telling and so much talking in this book, that by the time it gets to the last couple of chapters, it's basically just word salad. Not to mention, the climactic reveal is mostly just confusing and overwritten in a way that makes me think that Blake didn't really figure that aspect of the plot out until the very last second, if at all.I am giving this two stars because, as stated, I like the premise and the world, but also...I got a whiff the catnip too. The meat of the relationship between Callum and Tristan is not really there - but that's not what Blake was really going for, was it? Again, it's about giving Big Feelings with Vague Circumstances, so that you can take that and run with it in your own head. Normally I would look at something like this and think - who greenlit this? But this strategy gets attention and makes money. Not a bad plan.

i love this book but it gave me a headache

It just was a lot and it dragged on. Like it emotionally dragged me down with all the petty characters and not in a way that would make me rave that the author knew how to take you on an emotional journey but in a way that was just bad and left me in a fog. I gave it three stars (maybe 2.5 stars rounded up) because I did want to find out answers instead of abandoning the book. Don't think I'll read the next though.

The more I think about this book the more I dislike it- dropped a star

jesus fucking christ talk about amazing. Just everything about it is intriguing and perfect. The magic system and world building is so well thought out and it always left me wanting more - much to the expense of my uni work.

The ending, oh my god the ending. I cannot wait to read more

I liked it and will definitely read the next one, but the book doesn't live up to the hype. The characters are a little too stagnant, and the plot a little too thin. It gave [b:The Magicians 6101718 The Magicians (The Magicians, #1) Lev Grossman https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1313772941l/6101718.SY75.jpg 6278977] vibes, but none of the characters were likeable or relatable.

Wow! This was really fun! I would like to re-read it!

3.5

I think this book built a love for the characters and potentially is more to set up the next one as honestly not a lot happened? yet i still enjoyed it

Who would you be if given everything, money, power, life, and magic?

There is an age-old saying first uttered by English historian Lord Acton, but it is now in common parlance that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. But, I think in terms of The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake, unlimited power, wealth, and magic doesn't corrupt per se, but it brings the chosen six more into who they already are. Weak, strong, or cruel the seeds were planted long ago amongst the students.

The story follows six advanced magic students with unusual or substantial magical gifts. They are those that float to the top as the cream of magical society.

“- Libby Rhodes and Nicolás Ferrer de Varona: inseparable enemies, cosmologists who can control matter with their minds.
- Reina Mori: a naturalist who can speak the language of life itself.
- Parisa Kamali: a mind reader whose powers of seduction are unmatched.
- Tristan Caine: the son of a crime kingpin who can see the secrets of the universe.
- Callum Nova: an insanely rich pretty boy who could bring about the end of the world. He need only ask.”

All so young, or beautiful and enchanting, or both. All, frankly, rather boring. A mysterious and powerful man invites these six people to a unique library where they can study and have access to the great collections of the lost Library of Alexandria, with a possibility of future advancement. Here they can further their skills if they work hard enough, except there is a catch. There is always a catch. Five, they are told, will be initiated. One will be eliminated.

“We are the gods of our own universes, aren't we? Destructive ones.”

In the blurb, it sounded fascinating. I love good dark academia. The darker, the better, as I am a little tramp for any that fall into this category. Plus books. Who knows what one could achieve if given access to these resources. The possibilities of where this plot could take me were endless.

But, nothing. Nothing really happens. Frustratingly so. Don't get me wrong; there is plenty of turmoil, relationship drama, and inner monologuing about “what does it all mean!?' The interpersonal relationship woes reminded me of a pseudo Dangerous Liaisons mixed with characters from the tv adaption of Lev Grossman's The Magicians. Especially Parisa as Margo Hanson and Callum as Elliot. While they are not carbon copies, the characters' attitudes reminded me of them.

“A flaw of humanity,” said Parisa, shrugging. “The compulsion to be unique, which is at war with the desire to belong to a single identifiable sameness.”

This is a darling of BookTok and gets talked about endlessly; much of what is hailed about The Atlas Six are the characters, but not so much the plot. Again, many of these characters have the depth of a teaspoon. So much so that I had a difficult time telling them apart. Libby and Nicolás Ferrer de Varona are easy to tell apart as they are unnecessarily swiping at each other because of “sexual tension.” Out of the bunch of characters, I enjoyed Nicolas the most. He had more depth than any of the other characters as we learned more about what was happening in his life outside of the competition.

Reina as a naturalist, was odd. I could differentiate her character by the amount of plant squealing and chatter she had to endure. Parisa was a seductress. I enjoyed her openness and freedoms, but it sometimes came off as forced. Tristan was a character that blossomed but got lost in the Libby, Parisa, and Callum machinations. Callum seemed like a sociopath.

The ending upset me so much that I stood in awe at it; either it is brilliant and above my intellect or, um, “what?” I don't even know what to say about it other than, “wow that came out of left field.”

Other than that, I have got nothing. There is a plot of something something, but it all gets lost in pretentious self-absorption.

I know this is a beloved book for many people, which is lovely! Not every book is for every reader, and this book was certainly not for me.

I'm not sure why, but I just didn't connect with any of the characters, and could care less what happened to them.

✨ holy shit ✨

2.5 stars
Books, Coffee & Passion

Sadly, this book wasn't my favorite. I went into it expecting so much more.

Let's start with the positive. The characters were interesting. All of them were morally grey and unlikeable, and I enjoyed some of the character growth. The magic system was intriguing and the atmosphere was probably the biggest strength of the story. The Alexandrian society and the mysteries surrounding it were captivating and kept me invested in the story.

However, some things bothered me: too much telling vs showing, inconsistent pacing, the time jumps were weird (the execution was poorly done and what was happening off-page should've been on page), and there was so much info dumping about the subjects of their research. At points, it felt unbalanced. Additionally, the author clearly favored some characters and that annoyed me. I think the story has so much potential, though. I'll read the next one because I'm curious and hopeful that it'll get better.

There wasn't as much plot and too much heady weird stuff. I enjoyed the world but it didn't delve into it enough. It was about 80 pages too long. 

Plotless and pretentious.

The dialogue here was less than great, but the premise and plot of the book itself was excellent. And what a cliffhanger to end on!!

4.5 stars. This book was a strange mixture of a lot of things I may not have liked in other books but somehow when it came together in this one, I found myself pretty entranced. This is, I think, a must-read for those who enjoy the dark academia trope/subgenre.

I'm not usually a fan when books name-drop other titles or authors to sell themselves, but I feel like it might be warranted in this case. This book reminded me strongly of A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik, The Secret History by Donna Tartt, and The Magicians by Lev Grossman. In short, basically everything dark academia. Now, I haven't had a really good experience with dark academia - I DNF'ed two of the above titles and didn't really enjoy the third - but for some odd reason, I was pretty sold on this one. I was engrossed from start to finish.

There was something about the writing style that was entrancing. It was sometimes confusing, sometimes infuriatingly opaque, but there was a rhythm and a style to it that I could get behind. Some may diagnose a mild case of purple prose, but for me it trod the line between annoying and lovely, and more often than not inclined towards the latter.

This sometimes worked to its disadvantage sometimes though. Blake has a tendency to leave things unsaid but in a way that feels like when someone starts a sentence and then stops halfway just before they got to the crux of the statement. Another thing I found that Blake tended to do was describing something happening out of nowhere, and then only explaining it later on (if ever). For example, halfway during a conversation, a character is described as blindfolded without explanation. We only realise a page or so later that they are attempting to play darts without seeing. On a smaller scale like this, it could already get annoying, but this also happens on much larger scales, on plot points that span many Parts of the book.

Two things stood out to me positively in this book: the characters and the magic system.

I won't say the characters are likeable. Honestly, I would be hard pressed to give you a character I even remotely liked, much less have a favourite. But they were all so wonderfully complex and you get such a deep character study into their mental states and how much trauma they've each gone through, both because of their unique powers and outside of it. All of the characters we have here are either annoying, morally gray, or both.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the magic system. Superficially, their powers would be considered pretty “basic” in the realm of fantasy: physical manipulation, telepathy, empathy, nature magic, and anti-illusion. However, Blake really leaned into fleshing those powers out to its fullest extent. So many of us have grown up with Professor X from X-Men but he doesn't seem to hold a candle to just how dangerous Parisa could be. Empathy has always seemed “useless” magic in combat but damn, what happens when it falls into the hands of an actual psychopath? So many possibilities here to explore and I loved everything that Blake did with it.

Also the ending was not in any way an ending! There was really barely any resolution and it felt like a lead-up to the sequel at this point, but I don't really mind. I enjoyed having all that time and space to really flesh the world out so I wouldn't mind if the plot spilled over to another book.

Overall, this book may not be to everyone's tastes and I can absolutely see why. I could wish that its storytelling was just a tiny tad simpler and less needlessly convoluted. Ultimately though, I thoroughly enjoyed myself, was engrossed by it, and I'm glad that it's getting a sequel.

I received a copy of this book at no cost from NetGalley.

I actually looked into buying this book when I was looking for An Interesting Book to read for my Adult Self, Not For Reviewing, Just For Reading, For Fun, Remember When You Used to Have Fun Reading? (To be clear I also have a lot of fun reviewing, but I am also frequently very stressed about it.) Goodreads, however, had a lot of top reviewers pretty unimpressed with it, so I ended up buying IF WE WERE VILLAINS by M.L Rio. I am about ten pages into that book and really enjoyed those ten pages. Maybe this month I will read another ten pages. Anyhow, I was really intrigued by the fact that this book went BACK into NetGalley and is getting like, republished because it went viral?? “Now newly revised”? Because it was republished traditionally? I'm intrigued. But you know what, Chai of @proyearner (who is credited here as a “viral book reviewer”??) says that “The Atlas Six is a fantasy novel that understands that what the people want is more dark academia stories with flawless vibes and aesthetics and hot morally fraudulent characters who are constantly on the verge of either killing each other or fucking each other. I'm the people.” So I guess I am extremely here for it??? (Also there is a great recommendation from Chloe Gong). Honestly, blurbs have never really mattered to me at all, but both of these are incredible forces in The Book World and also, honestly, of my heart?

ANYHOW. This book. Honestly? I feel like it has good bones. I feel like I would write good fanfiction of this book. It starts and introduces all these interesting concepts and characters and ideas, and it doesn't really do anything with them? The stakes are kind unclear, and I would kill for like, a description every now and again and honestly I don't often say that. Erin L. on NetGalley writes that “it's mostly hot people being mean to each other”, which is honestly its strongest and most interesting feature. Plus it's set in a dark academia vibes world! And there's a sequel coming!

I was extremely into “The 100”, the CW television show, which is about hot people and good ideas being destroyed by the apocalypse, and honestly that is kind of what this book feels like? I'm really glad that it's gone viral and is apparently very popular on TikTok, because I'm hoping that means it WILL become a CW show and I can read really good fanfiction of it instead. Or maybe the sequel will be better!

I don't know! I have confusing thoughts about this book! I feel both frustrated and intrigued! Three and a half stars, rounded up to four for NetGalley! 

This was amazing and I don't think I've been this excited about a series since I was a teenager. I loved everything about it, but especially how complex the characters were (I love imperfect characters, there's a little bit of everything among the six...from insecure to cocky, anxious to self-assured, righteous to morally grey...there's a full scope of personalities and emotions going on that constantly keep evolving according to the circumstances they're put under...it was really delightful to read). I was also surprised at how unpredictable I found some turns of events to be...which - as someone who reads a lot - doesn't happen very often. I'm so glad I ignored other people's reviews and just trusted my gut on this. AND that the final book comes out this month so I can jump right into the second one and not have to wait an eternity to find out how it all ends once I'm done with that one too. Fingers crossed that the next ones are as good (or better)! 

Callum can have my soul.

3.5 stars
I liked it, but I felt that it was so hard to concentrate on the story at some points, I had no idea what was going on and there was so much stuff being talked about. The book is not bad, but it's just not for me.

Nope

Fake deep, pop philosophy nonsense.

The only reason to finish this book is the gimmick that one of the 6 dumdums dies, I was secretly hoping a roof would cave in ridding us of the dull lot.

I lasted 5%. This book is absolutely AWFUL. No, honestly, it's just so bad I'm almost impressed by the lack of skill or good taste. And the thing is, it probably already has about 99.9999% of its flaws ahead of me and I'm already over my breaking point with this absolute TRASH. Give me books about books. I want to find some novel where the characters work at a library or deal with book and knowledge. Why are they all so bad, though? This was pretty much a possibly even worse version of [b:Ink and Bone 20643052 Ink and Bone (The Great Library, #1) Rachel Caine https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1418350512l/20643052.SX50.jpg 39934787]. The first thing that hit me was the prose. Using random, big words to create the clunkiest sentences ever doesn't make you witty. It makes the book annoying to read and it becomes a chore to find what the actual point is under all the ‘coalesces' and ‘intractables'. There is nothing wrong with a wide vocabulary. There is a lot that's wrong with breaking out your pretentious thesaurus for every. Single. Sentence. A bunch of times it doesn't even make sense! How do you “ravenously avoid each other”? RAVENOUSLY? What? That's the wrong word. It doesn't add anything to the sentence, just a sense of fauxtellectual bullshit. Then again, that plays into this fad of “UWU, soooo dark academia, yaaaas”. It feels like the fans of it think smart people are like those studious cartoon characters. This plays into that idea perfectly; sassy back and forths between overachieving sadcases, everyone's inner monologue sounding the same level of analytical and “witty”. Everyone is Le Depression. I bet my ass they will all fuck each other as well, because UHHHH, nothing matters, “I just want to feel something”. Another funny thing. One of the main characters, exceptionally smart and educated Libby... thinks the Midas touch is a positive thing. I'm not sure what to think anymore. How am I supposed to buy this is a smart book for smart people about smart people by a smart person when we get THIS? HOW???? A book about books, where a part of one of history's most read books is totally misunderstood the way only semi-literate people would do. I think I'm too old for this. Apparently, this is a Tiktok sensation, which explains a lot to me. It is the “lip sync to crappy music” of novels all right. And this is coming from someone who loved [b:The Magicians 6101718 The Magicians (The Magicians, #1) Lev Grossman https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1313772941l/6101718.SY75.jpg 6278977].

Interesting concepts, but I actively disliked all of the characters.

DNF/Opgegeven op blz.206 (55%)

Dit boek klonk helemaal als spek naar mijn bek, maar kon het helaas niet waar maken.
Ik wilde zo graag van dit boek houden, maar nadat ik mezelf letterlijk doorheen de eerste helft had geploeterd, besloot ik met spijt dat ik niet verder kon lezen. Ik legde het boek aan de kant op bladzijde 206 van 375, net voor deel VI begon (±55%).

De schrijfstijl was zo frustrerend.
Het was precies een oefening in hoeveel lange woorden kan ik in één zin zetten, zonder iets beduidend bij te dragen. Het leest pretentieus en onsamenhangend. Dikwijls zat ik eindelijk eens goed in een scene, maar werd die dan bruut onderbroken voor een infodump of een gedachtekronkel van één van de personages, al dan niet tussen haakjes.

De wereldopbouw is zo goed als onbestaand.
De ganse introductie wordt overgeslagen en ik had eigenlijk geen idee wat die Alexandrijnse genootschap nu eigenlijk is en waarom onze personages er graag deel van zouden uitmaken.

Er is magie in de wereld, maar wat die is en hoe die werkt blijft ook veel te vaag.
De magie is ook heel divers, gezien elk hoofdpersonage zijn eigen specialiteit heeft. De krachten variëren tussen macht over de fysieke wereld zoals zwaartekracht, tijd en natuur, over het lezen van gedachten tot het beïnvloeden van emoties. Al deze klinken super interessant, maar het blijft onduidelijk hoe die krachten precies werken, hoe diep die zijn en of er ergens een limiet op zit. Soms wordt dan eens tussen de soep en de patatten gezegd dat iemand iets kan dat ik niet direct associeerde met bijvoorbeeld een gedachtelezer, wat ook enorm belemmerend werkte.

Ook zijn er blijkbaar andere wezens dan mensen in deze wereld aanwezig, zoals sirenes en saters, maar ook dat blijft flou. De informatie wordt even opgeworpen en is er dan gewoon, zonder enige uitleg, alsof Duh! we dat maar moeten weten.

Zowel het tempo als de plot van het boek zijn raadselachtig.
De tekst leest enorm traag en er gebeurt tegelijkertijd van alles en niks. Het verstrijken van de tijd is onduidelijk, plotseling is er een melding dat er weken zijn verstreken, maar we leren niets. Ganse gebeurtenissen worden overgeslagen en in één zin samengevat, terwijl over andere triviale zaken gepalaverd wordt dat het geen naam heeft.
De motivatie van de personages is ook één zwart gat. Waarom willen ze zo graag deel uitmaken van die wereld, want wij krijgen alleszins niet veel aantrekkelijks of duidelijks te lezen. Ze worden zowat in een huis gedumpt en trek jullie plan, zonder enige duiding of uitleg.

Gezien de plot nagenoeg onbestaande was, is duidelijk dat de auteur vooral haar personages het boek wou laten dragen. Daar zou ik mee kunnen leven als die personages ook goed waren uitgewerkt, wat naar mijn gevoel dus niet het geval was.
De personages worden nergens echt beschreven, wat auteur misschien niet nodig vond gezien er tekeningen van hen in het boek staan, maar ik heb toch meermaals moeten kijken eer ik de juiste tekening bij de goede persoon had gezet. De enige beschrijving die we soms hebben van de personages zijn een paar nogal stereotiepe woorden: Libby heeft een pony en friemelt nerveus, Reina is Japans en heeft een neusring, Tristan is Brits, Callum is een blonde Zuid-Afrikaan, Parissa is mooi en heeft grote borsten en Nico is Cubaans.
Elk personage is extreem onsympathiek of heeft niets waardoor ik geïnteresseerd ben meer over het te leren. Ze zijn pretentieus, oppervlakkig, twee dimensionaal en zo onrealistisch. Elk personage is gewoon zijn één bepalende kenmerk.

Misschien moest ik het boek helemaal uitgelezen hebben om een klik te hebben met de personages of het verhaal, maar na bijna 55% gelezen te hebben en echt helemaal niks te voelen, vind ik toch dat er iets schort aan het boek en het niet voor mij is.
Voor mij was dit overgehyped en verwarrend. Het boek probeert zo hard om zo slim en verfijnd te zijn, dat het uiteindelijk zelfingenomen en frustrerend overkomt. Erg jammer, want mijn Fairyloot editie is echt een prachtstuk :-(