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nicolelieber's review against another edition
5.0
the ending of this book is just so insane it’s crazy
jeonhikari's review against another edition
1.0
The synopsis seemed interesting, seemed.
I decided to give it a try so I read it on ebook but I couldn't make it beyond chapter 5 so I tried to read it on audiobook and this decision has probably influenced my thoughts on this book in the worst way possible.
From the beginning, I couldn't really feel the characters and even after a few chapters, they felt like blank pages to me.
I know there's a lot of hype surrounding this book, but it's definitely not my thing and I didn't have many expectations, let's just say I wasted my time.
I decided to give it a try so I read it on ebook but I couldn't make it beyond chapter 5 so I tried to read it on audiobook and this decision has probably influenced my thoughts on this book in the worst way possible.
From the beginning, I couldn't really feel the characters and even after a few chapters, they felt like blank pages to me.
I know there's a lot of hype surrounding this book, but it's definitely not my thing and I didn't have many expectations, let's just say I wasted my time.
copenhag's review against another edition
2.0
This book was so underwhelming that I don't think I will be able to read anything else by this author because of the writing.
I enjoyed the idea of this book, but when push comes to shove, it fell flat. During the first few pages, Atlas Blakely, the caretaker of the Alexandrian library/society pops up, and is like, "Hey, wanna become super powerful and rich and all that jazz?" to all of the characters, but I'm still left wondering about exactly who he is, and even worse, who the characters themselves are.
Furthermore, it is also revealed that their education at this society will take a year, right? And then another year if they are selected. Personally, that seems like way to short of a time to become some OP wizard. I don't like Harry Potter, but they had seven years to do so, and that seems way more realistic. But what annoyed me the most about this book and the time crunches, is that when they did time skips, they never mentioned that they had passed. I actually only knew that they had happened because one of the characters offhandedly mentions how six months had passed.
Even after finishing this book, I'm left confused as to what all of the characters look like. Yes, you are given a general idea of what they look like due to where they're from, i.e. Nico is likely Hispanic because he is from Cuba (I think, or the Dominican Republic), Libby is some plain Jane who is the subject of every y/n fanfic ever. But I'm confused as to what Callum and Tristan look like. Personally, they seemed like the same person. And the same thing with Parisa and Reina. I know that one of them is of Japanese descent, and the other is middle Eastern, but I have no idea who.
Another thing to add to my disappointment of this book, is the fact that the ending just seemed rushed, and came out of nowhere. I'm not going to mention exact details as I want to keep this review spoiler-free. But, in short, a character goes missing, and everyone thinks that they're dead. It was as though I was reading a completely different book and then BAM! Major character death.
I did enjoy the drawings in the book, though. They did offer some imagination as to basic characteristics of characters even though they didn't have any names provided.
I enjoyed the idea of this book, but when push comes to shove, it fell flat. During the first few pages, Atlas Blakely, the caretaker of the Alexandrian library/society pops up, and is like, "Hey, wanna become super powerful and rich and all that jazz?" to all of the characters, but I'm still left wondering about exactly who he is, and even worse, who the characters themselves are.
Furthermore, it is also revealed that their education at this society will take a year, right? And then another year if they are selected. Personally, that seems like way to short of a time to become some OP wizard. I don't like Harry Potter, but they had seven years to do so, and that seems way more realistic. But what annoyed me the most about this book and the time crunches, is that when they did time skips, they never mentioned that they had passed. I actually only knew that they had happened because one of the characters offhandedly mentions how six months had passed.
Even after finishing this book, I'm left confused as to what all of the characters look like. Yes, you are given a general idea of what they look like due to where they're from, i.e. Nico is likely Hispanic because he is from Cuba (I think, or the Dominican Republic), Libby is some plain Jane who is the subject of every y/n fanfic ever. But I'm confused as to what Callum and Tristan look like. Personally, they seemed like the same person. And the same thing with Parisa and Reina. I know that one of them is of Japanese descent, and the other is middle Eastern, but I have no idea who.
Another thing to add to my disappointment of this book, is the fact that the ending just seemed rushed, and came out of nowhere. I'm not going to mention exact details as I want to keep this review spoiler-free. But, in short, a character goes missing, and everyone thinks that they're dead. It was as though I was reading a completely different book and then BAM! Major character death.
I did enjoy the drawings in the book, though. They did offer some imagination as to basic characteristics of characters even though they didn't have any names provided.
agathe_athena's review against another edition
2.0
Every ten years, the Alexandrian Society taps six promising young magicians for initiation. The new initiates are not told much other than if they are selected at the end of initiation, then they will have access to the Library, the greatest collection of magical texts, and secure whatever they want in life to succeed. They know that only five of the six will be selected after the first year, but as they work on their research projects and on improving their own magical skills, they start to suspect that they aren’t being told the full truth of what the Society does and what is contained in the library. They also start to suspect that the elimination might be very permanent.
This was an interesting premise, but the story-telling did not work. The prose is unnecessarily convoluted, the story flow is jumpy and slow, and the timeline is very squishy and inconsistent. The characters themselves are very flat, mostly just caricatures, have very little agency, and their magical abilities are inconsistent, sometimes disappearing altogether when not needed for the plot. Much of the story is told via internal monologuing, so it is very stream-of-consciousness and often non-linear because of all the flashbacks. Mostly, it’s a lot of very unlikeable and manipulative people all keeping secrets from each other, but then getting mad because the other people are keeping secrets from them. Almost all of the conflict revolves around people simply not telling each other stuff, so it feels like a parable on bad communication. I thought it was getting better towards the end, but then the mystery is explained in the last twenty pages by basically introducing a new character and a grand scheme full of holes, just to set up a major cliffhanger.
This was an interesting premise, but the story-telling did not work. The prose is unnecessarily convoluted, the story flow is jumpy and slow, and the timeline is very squishy and inconsistent. The characters themselves are very flat, mostly just caricatures, have very little agency, and their magical abilities are inconsistent, sometimes disappearing altogether when not needed for the plot. Much of the story is told via internal monologuing, so it is very stream-of-consciousness and often non-linear because of all the flashbacks. Mostly, it’s a lot of very unlikeable and manipulative people all keeping secrets from each other, but then getting mad because the other people are keeping secrets from them. Almost all of the conflict revolves around people simply not telling each other stuff, so it feels like a parable on bad communication. I thought it was getting better towards the end, but then the mystery is explained in the last twenty pages by basically introducing a new character and a grand scheme full of holes, just to set up a major cliffhanger.
missluciereads's review against another edition
4.0
Listen, I loved this and I’m just as surprised as you are. Given my loathing for the insufferably cerebral nature of books like The Starless Sea, one would assume that The Atlas Six with its pretentious and overconfident cast of characters would have sent me running for the hills, but I kinda dug it!
Most of the characters are awful people but that has never been a deterrent for me. In fact, some of my favourite books have been laden with characters I can’t stand (I’m looking at you, Feyre) or characters that are objectively questionable!
The whole lot and their pseudo intellectual bullshit sent me back to my undergrad days. Anyone with an English degree knows there is always a handful of people that reeked of condescension and an undeserved superiority complex. The real life Dan Humphrey was miles and bounds worse than the screen version and that’s saying something.
That said, something about how it was so outrageously accurate felt like satire. Maybe I misread this, but I personally feel like Blake nailed the execution on the perfect satirical cast of intellectuals with a chip on their shoulders.
I absolutely loved Parisa and Callum, both are quite possibly sociopaths but I enjoyed watching them play their twisted little games.
I also truly thought the society itself relied on their members to be this stunning level of delusional in order to buy into their ranks. The pursuit of knowledge must be sacrosanct.
Did this book exasperate me? Yes! But I am fully invested in how this whole web unfurls.
Side note: I fully consumed this book on audio, so I want to be aware of my blind spots. On audio, I often forgive stylistic choices that if I was forced to read I would hate.
So I will say this, on audio, Olivie Blake and I are vibing. Maybe I’ll read The Atlas Paradox physically so I can get a feel for her writing style. Then again, I had every intention of reading a physical copy of The Atlas Six, so don’t hold me to it!
Most of the characters are awful people but that has never been a deterrent for me. In fact, some of my favourite books have been laden with characters I can’t stand (I’m looking at you, Feyre) or characters that are objectively questionable!
The whole lot and their pseudo intellectual bullshit sent me back to my undergrad days. Anyone with an English degree knows there is always a handful of people that reeked of condescension and an undeserved superiority complex. The real life Dan Humphrey was miles and bounds worse than the screen version and that’s saying something.
That said, something about how it was so outrageously accurate felt like satire. Maybe I misread this, but I personally feel like Blake nailed the execution on the perfect satirical cast of intellectuals with a chip on their shoulders.
I absolutely loved Parisa and Callum, both are quite possibly sociopaths but I enjoyed watching them play their twisted little games.
I also truly thought the society itself relied on their members to be this stunning level of delusional in order to buy into their ranks. The pursuit of knowledge must be sacrosanct.
Did this book exasperate me? Yes! But I am fully invested in how this whole web unfurls.
Side note: I fully consumed this book on audio, so I want to be aware of my blind spots. On audio, I often forgive stylistic choices that if I was forced to read I would hate.
So I will say this, on audio, Olivie Blake and I are vibing. Maybe I’ll read The Atlas Paradox physically so I can get a feel for her writing style. Then again, I had every intention of reading a physical copy of The Atlas Six, so don’t hold me to it!
tsimone00's review against another edition
2.0
I loved the concepts.
It was so painful to get through and hard to follow along at some points because describing what was going on wasn't done much. One minute something is happening the next you're somewhere else from a different perspective but the connections aren't being made. If you've read this you will know what I mean.
I'm interested in reading the next book though
It was so painful to get through and hard to follow along at some points because describing what was going on wasn't done much. One minute something is happening the next you're somewhere else from a different perspective but the connections aren't being made. If you've read this you will know what I mean.
I'm interested in reading the next book though
ryleyhorner's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
corinazk's review against another edition
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed the worldbuilding and intrigue of this book. As you can imagine, this being an Olivie Blake book, the main six characters (and more) despise each other and will not cut anyone a break. And yet, everyone wants to fuck everyone. I'm all for non-Mary-Sue's, but Nico was really the only main character that I liked even a little bit. Out of six.
For me, magical libraries are always going to be an attractive fantasy setting, so I think all of the potential of where is this trilogy going to go?! is what made it such a page turner.
For me, magical libraries are always going to be an attractive fantasy setting, so I think all of the potential of where is this trilogy going to go?! is what made it such a page turner.
sage_elaine's review against another edition
3.0
The writing itself is beautiful but there isn’t really any plot so it felt simply too long. The only character in this book I cared about was Nico but that’s not bc the other character were poorly written I just vibed with him more. Libby never really does anything to anyone but the other characters are always hating on her like leave her alone?? might read the next book but I’m not really sold enough to be in any hurry to