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rnbhargava's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I quite liked The Atlas Six. The characters are mostly just the right level of “everyone believes themselves the smartest in the room but are they really,” for me. The character backstories and their behaviors, both in the Atlas Six and those overseeing them and/or friends/associates of theirs are all quite well executed. The personality contrasts between the characters and the way their abilities interact with each other creates so much intrigue throughout the plot. That said, at least one character gets the short straw in characterization. Also, the plot for this first book in a series of three doesn’t truly conclude itself. It worked well for me but I can see why some would really dislike these characters and dislike how this book concludes. I’m definitely continuing into book 2.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Much of the intrigue and conflict of this book is about idealogical differences, theoretically and in practice. There is questions about the morality of their abilities. There’s questions about what access to/denial of access to knowledge means. Is it right or not for a privileged few to have access to certain types of knowledge over others. Things are not always binaries too. If this doesn’t sound appealing, no harm in skipping this.saretta02's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Suicide, and Murder
Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, and Grief
amelianotthepilot's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I absolutely loved this book and think its now in my top of all time. It's a dark academia fantasy book that's got such heavy harry potter influences without being copy and paste it was delicious.
6 adults from around the world (literally) are chosen to be apart of the secret society that protects/uses the library of Alexandria. First off I was already impressed that the characters were actually diverse and from all over the world since most books seem to say things like 'you are the top most powerful in the world' and then they all come from NYC/the US which is definitely not realistic. This cast of characters comes from Japan, US, England, South Africa, and France. The story is told from all of their perspectives which is interesting and complex, giving you everyone's separate motivations, secrets, and personalities. Elizabeth "Libby" Rhodes is an anxious bookworm rule follower white girl from NYC and Nico de Varona is a Cuban wealthy privlidged golden retriever adhd sunshine boy from NYC. They are 'physicists' as they study physical magic (ie levitation, gravity morphing, etc) and have recently graduated from magical NYU lol. They are class rivals and love/hate each other but are also equally extremely overly powerful. Reina Mori is an emotionally repressed classicist booklover who works at a coffeshop from Osaka and is a 'naturalist' (can control plants) but she is more than just a normal naturalist she doesn't put any effort into manipulating plants, they just feed off her energy and emotions. Tristan Caine is a anxious low achieving son of a mafia guy. He has worked his way up to corporate ladder with his powers and by dating a CEO's daughter he plans to eventually marry her and inherit the company. He is an illusionist (can create illusions) but not actually...it's more accurate that he can completely see through any and all illusions without trying. Parisa Kamali is a slut(positive) she is beautiful and uses her beauty and body combined with her power of mind reading to infiltrate anyone and get what she wants/needs. She is from Iran but lives in Paris and lol this is one of my biggest problems with the book is that her name is Parisa and shes from Paris. It's the only lazy thing in the book. Last but not least Callum Nova is the character we don't know much about. He is wealthy and good-looking and from South Africa where his family owns a rich international cooperation. His magic is empathy...
Overall the worldbuilding is very interesting, a very small percent of the world is capable of magic but only simple things like prestigitation-esque (warming things, turning on lights, opening doors) and are called witches. Then an even smaller percentage of that population are qualified and magical enough to be called medians and attend magical colleges like magical NYU. Then an even smaller percentage are considered for the atlas six initiation. The Atlas Six are six people chosen from around the world to be inducted into the Alexandrian society that protects the library of Alexandria (which has moved around over the years and now resides in England as most stolen things go lol). The 6 must attend a year of within the society before collectively choosing 1 of the 6 to eliminate and then becoming initiates.
This book has it all truly, It's diverse, it brings up deep moral dilemmas such as who deserves to have access to knowledge, should everyone know everything or is that dangerous, would you kill for what you want most in the world, are evil and good so black and white, and the morals of fantasy elements such as mind reading and emotional control. It was truly delicious.
But what really had me even more full-throttle invested is the clear harry potter influence. Atlas Blakely, the man who chooses the 6 and the caretaker of the society, is clearly a Dumbledore character- he's older, aloof, reserved, and only shows up to inconveniently drop lore before unhelpfully disappearing, he clearly has an alternative perhaps evil motive. Then we have Nico. Nico is so obviously a James Potter it hurtssss meeee. Nico is an energetic golden boy who cares so deeply for his friends and will do anything for them. He so obviously gryffindor but is so obviously James in the way he is attractive and knows it, has curly black hair, taught himself difficult magic in order to shape shift and be able to help his best friend. Like guys its right there. And if that's not obvious enough, he has two roommates, one a shapeshifter who changes into a black dog and is annoying but everyone loves (cough cough sirius black), and the other a guy inflicted with a genetic problem who is not quite human and has horrible parents and a tragic past (see Remus J Lupin). And no these roommates arent copy paste wolfstar, in fact the romance doesn't seem to be between those two, but they are blatant enough for me and i ate that uppppppp. Furthermore, I think the 6 clearly fit in hogwarts houses (Libby+Nico in Gryffindor, Paris+Callum in Slytherin, Reina in Ravenclaw, and Tristan as Hufflepuff). Apparently the author used to write harry potter fanfic under the same name so I think these aspects are obviously purposeful.
I loved this book 10/10 loosing my minddddd at the end! I also don't get surprised very often by plots and this one really had me going. This is the first booktok book that I've actually thoroughly enjoyed and understand the hype.
6 adults from around the world (literally) are chosen to be apart of the secret society that protects/uses the library of Alexandria. First off I was already impressed that the characters were actually diverse and from all over the world since most books seem to say things like 'you are the top most powerful in the world' and then they all come from NYC/the US which is definitely not realistic. This cast of characters comes from Japan, US, England, South Africa, and France. The story is told from all of their perspectives which is interesting and complex, giving you everyone's separate motivations, secrets, and personalities. Elizabeth "Libby" Rhodes is an anxious bookworm rule follower white girl from NYC and Nico de Varona is a Cuban wealthy privlidged golden retriever adhd sunshine boy from NYC. They are 'physicists' as they study physical magic (ie levitation, gravity morphing, etc) and have recently graduated from magical NYU lol. They are class rivals and love/hate each other but are also equally extremely overly powerful. Reina Mori is an emotionally repressed classicist booklover who works at a coffeshop from Osaka and is a 'naturalist' (can control plants) but she is more than just a normal naturalist she doesn't put any effort into manipulating plants, they just feed off her energy and emotions. Tristan Caine is a anxious low achieving son of a mafia guy. He has worked his way up to corporate ladder with his powers and by dating a CEO's daughter he plans to eventually marry her and inherit the company. He is an illusionist (can create illusions) but not actually...it's more accurate that he can completely see through any and all illusions without trying. Parisa Kamali is a slut(positive) she is beautiful and uses her beauty and body combined with her power of mind reading to infiltrate anyone and get what she wants/needs. She is from Iran but lives in Paris and lol this is one of my biggest problems with the book is that her name is Parisa and shes from Paris. It's the only lazy thing in the book. Last but not least Callum Nova is the character we don't know much about. He is wealthy and good-looking and from South Africa where his family owns a rich international cooperation. His magic is empathy...
Overall the worldbuilding is very interesting, a very small percent of the world is capable of magic but only simple things like prestigitation-esque (warming things, turning on lights, opening doors) and are called witches. Then an even smaller percentage of that population are qualified and magical enough to be called medians and attend magical colleges like magical NYU. Then an even smaller percentage are considered for the atlas six initiation. The Atlas Six are six people chosen from around the world to be inducted into the Alexandrian society that protects the library of Alexandria (which has moved around over the years and now resides in England as most stolen things go lol). The 6 must attend a year of within the society before collectively choosing 1 of the 6 to eliminate and then becoming initiates.
This book has it all truly, It's diverse, it brings up deep moral dilemmas such as who deserves to have access to knowledge, should everyone know everything or is that dangerous, would you kill for what you want most in the world, are evil and good so black and white, and the morals of fantasy elements such as mind reading and emotional control. It was truly delicious.
But what really had me even more full-throttle invested is the clear harry potter influence. Atlas Blakely, the man who chooses the 6 and the caretaker of the society, is clearly a Dumbledore character- he's older, aloof, reserved, and only shows up to inconveniently drop lore before unhelpfully disappearing, he clearly has an alternative perhaps evil motive. Then we have Nico. Nico is so obviously a James Potter it hurtssss meeee. Nico is an energetic golden boy who cares so deeply for his friends and will do anything for them. He so obviously gryffindor but is so obviously James in the way he is attractive and knows it, has curly black hair, taught himself difficult magic in order to shape shift and be able to help his best friend. Like guys its right there. And if that's not obvious enough, he has two roommates, one a shapeshifter who changes into a black dog and is annoying but everyone loves (cough cough sirius black), and the other a guy inflicted with a genetic problem who is not quite human and has horrible parents and a tragic past (see Remus J Lupin). And no these roommates arent copy paste wolfstar, in fact the romance doesn't seem to be between those two, but they are blatant enough for me and i ate that uppppppp. Furthermore, I think the 6 clearly fit in hogwarts houses (Libby+Nico in Gryffindor, Paris+Callum in Slytherin, Reina in Ravenclaw, and Tristan as Hufflepuff). Apparently the author used to write harry potter fanfic under the same name so I think these aspects are obviously purposeful.
I loved this book 10/10 loosing my minddddd at the end! I also don't get surprised very often by plots and this one really had me going. This is the first booktok book that I've actually thoroughly enjoyed and understand the hype.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Child death
ssellwood's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
As a premise, the Atlas Six sounds amazing, dark academia fantasy, with 6 powerful mages being inducted into a secret society. The highlights include interesting magic theories, a broad mix of characters but I think what holds it together is the tension, both plot wise and romantic, with some good twists. However, I felt let down by the writing style. There is quite a lot of time spent discussing different broad themes like morality, knowledge and power, and while these are good themes, I felt the style was a bit overwrought and try-hard, with some chapters feeling very dense. Also, while I understand that mystery is a large part of this plot, it felt like a lot of some character's backstories and magic theories wasn't discussed so some characters were a lot easier to understand than others.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Minor: Medical trauma
black_cat_iiix's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Classism
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Gore, Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
erinamerritt's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Gore
Moderate: Child death
setsailforthestars's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book was alright. I do love the quote I read in a tumblr post about them that said something along the lines of “the atlas six are whatever the opposite of a found family is” which is so right. I did enjoy the messiness but the plot was bogged down by the vague descriptions of whatever they were actually doing that whole year. Truly I do not know other than having weird sexual situationships with each other. The Ezra payoff also wasn’t that satisfying. But overall a decent and enjoyable read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Sexual content, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, and Classism
joshtheman's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This book…
I almost can’t even. The characters are obnoxious, the plot almost trivial, and the pace is incredibly slow for what you get.
Not only do the characters never learn anything, they always seem to be sleeping with each other. No real rhyme or reason either. Often, they are not even attracted to each other, but still it continues.
This book was quite the disappointment for me. I’m sure it’s someone’s cup of tea, but not for me.
This book is for people more interested in reading about sex than having it. If that is you, power to you!
I almost can’t even. The characters are obnoxious, the plot almost trivial, and the pace is incredibly slow for what you get.
Not only do the characters never learn anything, they always seem to be sleeping with each other. No real rhyme or reason either. Often, they are not even attracted to each other, but still it continues.
This book was quite the disappointment for me. I’m sure it’s someone’s cup of tea, but not for me.
This book is for people more interested in reading about sex than having it. If that is you, power to you!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Gore, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Blood
thestarsaresad's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I BREEZED through this book. This is the first book in a long time that I haven't wanted to put down and that I've thought about when I had to do other things. I love the author's writing - all the detail, all the reflection - honestly, how do people even come up with stories like this?!?! The plot twists were crazy! Initially, I was skeptical about there being multiple POVs, but I really did grow to enjoy seeing things through each character's eyes. I definitely need to get the second book NOW.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Suicide
Moderate: Chronic illness, Gore, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Kidnapping
eve_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Overall Thoughts:
⁕ Did you know that this book is listed in the dictionary under Dramatic Irony? Just kidding... but seriously, the reader knows key information almost too in advance of the characters. It made the plot DRAG at points instead of building tension.
⁕ The magic system developed by Blake is so refreshing. The influence of physics and the differences between how each of the different mediums interact with the same concepts of time and space was unlike anything I've ever read before.
⁕ This book is stuffed with amoral, flawed characters -- each with their own juicy motivations and fears. They feel so distinct from one another across 6 different POVs.
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online/
For regular book-related content, follow my Instagram account: @eve_reads
⁕ Did you know that this book is listed in the dictionary under Dramatic Irony? Just kidding... but seriously, the reader knows key information almost too in advance of the characters. It made the plot DRAG at points instead of building tension.
⁕ The magic system developed by Blake is so refreshing. The influence of physics and the differences between how each of the different mediums interact with the same concepts of time and space was unlike anything I've ever read before.
⁕ This book is stuffed with amoral, flawed characters -- each with their own juicy motivations and fears. They feel so distinct from one another across 6 different POVs.
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online/
For regular book-related content, follow my Instagram account: @eve_reads
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Gore, Gun violence, and Violence