briananana's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
i am so confused… literally had to watch a recap on youtube after finishing this to make sure i wasn’t missing anything but what???? some parts were insufferable to read bc it literally did not make sense in my mind but overall it was okay.. was 100% expecting so much more but ig that’s a sign that i need to lower my expectations🤨🤨
kendalln's review against another edition
5.0
this took me on a WILD ride. First of all, I have a crush on (almost) all the characters. I love the complexity of the material - I can tell the author did a lot of research to write this book. The plot twists really got me. My only issue is I’m probably too dumb for this book as I was confused what was going on at the end lol
Reread: IMMACULATE. So glad I took the time to reread because now I understand the ending
Reread: IMMACULATE. So glad I took the time to reread because now I understand the ending
bethie7's review against another edition
3.0
this book was slightly disappointing.
the beginning of the story and introduction to the characters/premise was very intriguing and well written, as was the final chunk of the book, where most of the actual plot-relevant events happen.
almost everything in between was boring, pretentious, and repetitive.
the six candidates were introduced amazingly, hinting at interesting dynamics, rivalries, and relationships, and promising intelligent discussion of academic subjects.
unfortunately, all of that falls flat due to olivie blake's inability to follow through on the incredible things she set up.
by writing this book alternatingly through the perspective of all 9 main characters, olivie blake set herself a huge challenge and suffered from it. the actual characterisation of all six of the candidates seems to vary greatly depending on whose perspective you're reading at that moment - to the point where characters are genuinely dislikeable or likeable depending only on whose perspective the chapter is written in, making the characterisations feel inconsistent and flat.
furthermore, after the setup is complete, and the candidates are settled into life at the Society, it becomes very clear that there is absolutely nothing interesting for olivie blake to tell us about. almost nothing noteworthy happens for a huge chunk of the book.
despite all this, the concept of magic and its relation to science and society within this fictional world is fascinating, to say the least. olivie blake deserves huge credit for the powers attributed to each character and how they use them, as well as the dive into the way a modern populace would react to a hoard of knowledge and utilise magic if given the opportunity. goddamn, it's cool.
the atlas six isn't a bad book, but as much as I wouldn't describe it as an amazing one either, it's clear that olivie blake knows how to build a world and intrigue the reader where necessary.
I'm excited to see where she goes with this world next.
the beginning of the story and introduction to the characters/premise was very intriguing and well written, as was the final chunk of the book, where most of the actual plot-relevant events happen.
almost everything in between was boring, pretentious, and repetitive.
the six candidates were introduced amazingly, hinting at interesting dynamics, rivalries, and relationships, and promising intelligent discussion of academic subjects.
unfortunately, all of that falls flat due to olivie blake's inability to follow through on the incredible things she set up.
by writing this book alternatingly through the perspective of all 9 main characters, olivie blake set herself a huge challenge and suffered from it. the actual characterisation of all six of the candidates seems to vary greatly depending on whose perspective you're reading at that moment - to the point where characters are genuinely dislikeable or likeable depending only on whose perspective the chapter is written in, making the characterisations feel inconsistent and flat.
furthermore, after the setup is complete, and the candidates are settled into life at the Society, it becomes very clear that there is absolutely nothing interesting for olivie blake to tell us about. almost nothing noteworthy happens for a huge chunk of the book.
despite all this, the concept of magic and its relation to science and society within this fictional world is fascinating, to say the least. olivie blake deserves huge credit for the powers attributed to each character and how they use them, as well as the dive into the way a modern populace would react to a hoard of knowledge and utilise magic if given the opportunity. goddamn, it's cool.
the atlas six isn't a bad book, but as much as I wouldn't describe it as an amazing one either, it's clear that olivie blake knows how to build a world and intrigue the reader where necessary.
I'm excited to see where she goes with this world next.
petitaaalex's review against another edition
DNF. It was okay but it didn’t capture my attention much.
molly_greenshields's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Ugh, I *really, really* wanted to love this book... but it just didn't live up to the hype for me, unfortunately. The concept was cool and there was so much potential but, I'm gonna be honest, I didn't find myself truly rooting for any of the characters and there was ultimately just way too much philosophical babbling. Still, I enjoyed what little plot did emerge out of the essay-ed depths and I do have book 2 on my list, so that must say something!
bananeemylk's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
artisticauthor's review against another edition
1.0
Jesus fucking Christ this is absolute garbage. Definitely a book written by someone who doesn't read, for people who don't read. Not to mention how deeply antisemitic it is.
I tried to give it 2 chapters but could only get 8 pages in before abandoning it. It's the definition of a bad YA novel: the most insufferable, romanticised characters that are absolutely boring with no depth, more dialogue than anything (that seems to have come directly from the Riverdale writers) and a bastardisation of actual history. There was absolutely zero description of anything, just telling: this character is smart, this guy is really hot, this society is important.
It makes me genuinely mad to see so many of my friends struggling to get their genuinely brilliant work published when shit like this is lapped up.
Big fucking yikes.
Pro tip: if a book is popular on Tik Tok, stay as far fucking away from it as you can.
I tried to give it 2 chapters but could only get 8 pages in before abandoning it. It's the definition of a bad YA novel: the most insufferable, romanticised characters that are absolutely boring with no depth, more dialogue than anything (that seems to have come directly from the Riverdale writers) and a bastardisation of actual history. There was absolutely zero description of anything, just telling: this character is smart, this guy is really hot, this society is important.
It makes me genuinely mad to see so many of my friends struggling to get their genuinely brilliant work published when shit like this is lapped up.
Big fucking yikes.
Pro tip: if a book is popular on Tik Tok, stay as far fucking away from it as you can.
mahima_jain's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
charlotte_742's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
inertia_ash's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing. This was an absolute delight to read and I need more immediately