Olivie Blake
The Atlas Six (The Atlas #1) by Olivie Blake
Released: January 30, 2020
Pages: 486
Publisher: Self-published
Overall: 4.5/5
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Setting & World-building: 3/5
Emotional Investment: 5/5
"We aren't normal; we are gods born with pain built-in."
I feel like I'm smarter just for finishing this book.
Quick Summary: What if the Library of Alexandria survived? What if they evolved into a secret society that is the caretakers of all lost knowledge and the most important magical academians in the world? Well, that's exactly what happened and they even have an initiation every decade, inviting six new magicians to join the Society if they can survive a year of training. The latest six include Libby Rhodes and Nico de Varona, a pair bound together to form a whole and two of the most powerful physicists with full control over every element of physicality. Reina Mori, a naturalist with the power of life itself. Parisa Kamali, a telepath that has the uncanny ability to enter all levels of a human's conscious and subconscious. Callum Nova, an empath popularly believed to be a manipulative illusionist that has the ability to influence emotions and intimate work of an individual's self. And finally, Tristan Caine with the rarest of all ability to see through all illusions to new realms and realities.
Omg, where do I even start with this book? The great and almighty Olivie Blake just wrote the most intellectually compromising and interesting book I ever read in a very very long time. The Atlas Six is about six people with powerful affinities told to learn and push the boundaries of what they think reality is to eventually join a secret society. I loved so much about this book, mainly how authentic it was. This had such a cool plot with intrigue at every corner and a beautiful cast of characters all being brought together through various motivations. It was also to top it all of, dark academia. Which is my aesthetic and the coolest, most surreal aesthetic, in my humble opinion.
I have to say despite how much I loved the plot this was very much a character-driven story. AND THEY WERE AMAZING!!
Elizabeth 'Libby' Rhodes is our recently graduated physicist with so much untapped power. I love this girl so much. She had anxiety and had such big emotions and I kind of adored her for that. I think through all of this she was the only one with the motivation to actually learn at the Society. She wanted to understand everything about her power and her passion was so fun to read about. Don't get me wrong she was annoying once or twice. She just jumped and escalated some things which were totally unnecessary and it pissed me off. Otherwise, she was great.
Now I cannot bring up Libby without discussing NICOLAS DE VARONA!! I have never loved a guy so much as this man. He had such an aloof, charismatic personality which should never fool anybody on just how strong this man actually is. Despite being a physicist, he also has a few other cards up his sleeve- all of which take an immense physical toll. He has the cutest friendships with his roommates. Literally every page with his roommates he was like an overbearing mom. He really said "your problems are mine" and expected no one to lose their mind. The highlight though was definitely how Nico and Libby's rivalry was so beautiful. They literally better live out my academic rivals to lovers trope because I swear to Jesus if the definition of soulmate was out there it would be Libby and Nico. They are two halves of a whole and bicker like an old married couple. They say they hate each other but literally would go feral if the other was hurt ;). My overwhelming support for them is exactly why half the quotes below are theirs. Like look at the quote below, my poor heart can't handle it.
"I know exactly what shape she takes up in the universe."
Reina Mori is so my favorite character. I think it's just her vibe and her personality. She has plants that talk to her despite her really not wanting that. She is an ever-giving source of life, like a battery. She is excellent at hand-to-hand combat, and lest we forget a huge book nerd. Also, she basically hates all of humanity. She is the most interesting person ever. Now she didn't have much of an active role in this book which kind of sucked but I'm hoping the next book lets her shine because she is amazing.
Parisa Kamali is the hottest woman I have ever had the pleasure of reading. But I don't know if I fear or love her. She is the most manipulative out of all of them but also the most confident (in a good way). She is just so comfortable in her body and knows exactly how to wield it to get what she wants. This woman can literally step on me and I would say thank you. She sleeps with everyone and is just so unashamed of that because it's her body and that is nobody else's fucking business. You know she is a powerful character when pretty much the entire cast says she is hot and literally tries to distance themselves because they are terrified of her. Parisa is always playing the long game and reading that was so entertaining.
"Really, there was nothing more dangerous than a woman who knew her own worth."
Tristan Caine is a character in which the verdict is still out. He seemed okay enough except for how much he didn't trust himself. He was so out of place and so uncomfortable and so willing to be manipulated because it was his normal. I do have to say a side note though, I have never read a character so influenced by daddy issues until I met Tristan. Like all of his relationship including the one with himself is tainted with issues that came from his father. He literally is attracted to Parisa because he has always been into powerful women who believe him beneath them. He wishes Callum to be cruel so they can form a friendship his because father was cruel. I think we briefly touched how amazing his power is but then they never brought it up again which I thought was upsetting. I think they might discuss it more in the future but still, time movement is dope.
"A flaw of humanity. The compulsion to be unique, which is at war with the desire to belong to a single identifiable sameness."
I saved the worst for last, Callum Nova. Now I know he is supposed to be morally grey but he literally spent the entirety of the book hating Libby because she has anxiety, therefore I hate him. He just was apathetic to everything. Like he had no purpose or ambition and everything was a game and honestly, his life seemed like a void. Also, his power terrifies me. Being friends with someone that has that much control and influence over the things I can do is horrible. Callum just doesn't care. Also, I could never believe a word he ever said because I could never know when he genuinely wanted to say something or when he was manipulating his words to make the other character do something. I just hated how superior he thought of himself despite literally being bested by Parisa. I have to say that the verbal spar/manipulation game scene between them was the best thing I have ever read. #girlboss #gatekeep #gaslight
Good lord, this book was so good. It touched on so many different types of thinking and how each character understands reality and information because of how they grew up. The science and philosophy of this book still fails to not amaze me. This book is the definition of deep and now I force everyone to read it.
Quotes
"You resent privilege in all its forms, including your own, yet you show no desire to unmake the present system."
"They had a knack for it from the beginning, a way of becoming the other's beginning and end."
"She was deadness taking root in fertile soil, resurrecting in the abundance of his loss."
"The day you are not fire is the day the earth will fall still for me."
"A uniquely upsetting curse, really, how little he knew how to exist when she wasn't there..."
"... they were binary stars, trapped in each other's gravitational field and easily diminished without the others opposing force."
"The problem with knowledge, is its inexhaustible craving. The more of it you have, the less you feel you know."