My copy of The Atlas Six was gifted to me by Black Crow PR via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Secrets. Betrayal. Seduction.
Welcome to the Alexandrian Society.
When the world’s best magicians are offered an extraordinary opportunity, saying yes is easy. Each could join the secretive Alexandrian Society, whose custodians guard lost knowledge from ancient civilizations. Their members enjoy a lifetime of power and prestige. Yet each decade, only six practitioners are invited – to fill five places.
Contenders Libby Rhodes and Nico de Varona are inseparable enemies, cosmologists who can control matter with their minds. Parisa Kamali is a telepath, who sees the mind’s deepest secrets. Reina Mori is a naturalist who can perceive and understand the flow of life itself. And Callum Nova is an empath, who can manipulate the desires of others. Finally there’s Tristan Caine, whose powers mystify even himself.
Following recruitment by the mysterious Atlas Blakely, they travel to the Society’s London headquarters. Here, each must study and innovate within esoteric subject areas. And if they can prove themselves, over the course of a year, they’ll survive. Most of them.
So I really wasn’t sure what I was going to make of The Atlas Six, by Olivie Blake. I’d seen the hype, but I wasn’t convinced it deserved it, and it really didn’t sound like my kind of thing. And I have to say, now that I’ve read it, I’m still not convinced it deserves the hype. It must be said, dark academia is not my jam. I find the concept interesting, but I’ve generally found the execution to be lacking, and The Atlas Six was no exception. Which is a shame, because a book about six people plucked from their lives in order to become some of the most powerful people in the world sounds fascinating, especially when you add magic into the mix.
It started so well. I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed the first few chapters, meeting our characters and watching Atlas recruit them to the Society. It ended well too. The last few chapters were breathtaking and I literally couldn’t put it down because I had to know what was going to happen. The problem for me was the bit in the middle, which was just meh. Granted, it gave me enough investment in the characters and story for those last chapters to have an impact, so it wasn’t all bad, but there was just too much sitting around trying to sound clever for me to fully enjoy it. Only a couple of the characters seemed to show any growth over the course of the book, and I found the timeline confusing. It also features one of the most unlikeable characters I’ve ever come across in the form of Callum. I am not someone who thinks everyone needs to be likeable, but he had no redeeming features whatsoever.
I did like most of the characters, even if there wasn’t any growth, although some of the side characters (looking at you Gideon) seemed much more interesting than our main six. I liked Nico and Libby, although I’d have liked them more with less bickering and mistrust, and I found Tristan intriguing and actually, he may have been my favourite of the main characters.
As much as I found the middle something of a slog, I do have to admit that I keep thinking about the story and what happens next, so I guess I’m invested enough to read the sequel. I’m not exaggerating when I say those last chapters really grabbed me and didn’t let go, and I’m fairly certain at least a star and a half of my rating is due solely to them!
So would I recommend The Atlas Six? If you’re a fan of dark academia already then yes, this is probably right up your street. I’d probably receommend it if you’re on the fence about the genre, because it’s certainly going to help you come down on one side or the other. If you’re already not a fan though, I don’t think this book will change your mind. I’m glad I read it, and I’ll be looking out for the sequel, but it’s definitely not top of my recommendation list.
3.5/5
The Atlas Six was released in the UK by Tor UK on 3rd March 2022. Thanks again to Black Crow PR for the gifted copy.
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