Book Review: The Atlas Six

I have been curious about The Atlas Six for a while now and finally decided to read it after my friend Paragraphs and Pages read it and loved it. The blurb gave me big dark academia vibes (and I absolutely love this theme in books) and I was not disappointed (I read it in two sittings!). With its masterful execution of 6 points of view and addictive plot, The Atlas Six is sure to be one of the books that I re-read to figure out more about what actually happened. I do love books that blow my mind.

Star rating: 5 stars

The Atlas Six brings together six unique and powerful individuals as they are offered a chance to compete for positions in The Alexandrian Society, caretakers of lost knowledge all of whom lead lives of wealth in positions of power. The blurb summarises the characters better than I ever could:

Enter the latest round of six: Libby Rhodes and Nico de Varona, unwilling halves of an unfathomable whole, who exert uncanny control over every element of physicality. Reina Mori, a naturalist, who can intuit the language of life itself. Parisa Kamali, a telepath who can traverse the depths of the subconscious, navigating worlds inside the human mind. Callum Nova, an empath easily mistaken for a manipulative illusionist, who can influence the intimate workings of a person’s inner self. Finally, there is Tristan Caine, who can see through illusions to a new structure of reality—an ability so rare that neither he nor his peers can fully grasp its implications.

The Atlas Six, Blurb

I absolutely loved the structure of the multiple points of views, we not only get insight into how the characters view themselves but also in how they view each other (and therefore see where perceptions are inaccurate…or too accurate). This execution of the character dynamics makes for such a spectacular read, as new parts of the plot are revealed through different individuals who choose who they share the new information with, leaving some in the dark. The competition element is thrilling and the characters form and break alliances, working out who they can use, who has powers that mesh well, and who is outright dangers to them all.

The world-building itself is very unique, with the magical talents and abilities of the characters unlike most I have seen before. Every character in this book has a purpose, the reader is just left to work out what that purpose is. I found everything to be unpredictable despite having read similar books, which was definitely a pleasant surprise.

I can’t say I have a favourite character. In terms of their abilities, I was really drawn to Callum and Tristan, both whom have an air of mystery about them through intent or simply because they don’t know what they’re capable of. I related a lot to Libby, who appears anxious but steps up under pressure. Parisa is probably the character I wanted to know more about the most, and I am very curious where her story goes in the next book. That leaves Nico, who I admired a lot for his loyalty. The side characters are also fascinating, from Atlas the Caretaker, to Dalton a previous competitor and Ezra, Libby’s boyfriend.

Overall, a fascinating that is executed very well. If you like books like may be a bit confusing but still capture your attention throughout, then this is definitely something you should pick up soon. I actually can’t wait for the next book to see where this goes after a drama filled ending with plenty of story left to go!