The Atlas Six

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When I originally added The Atlas Six to my TBR, I knew very little about it, other than the fact that it had been praised over and over by pretty much everyone. Then, as time went on, I saw more and more critical reviews, which lessened my enthusiasm in finally getting my hold from the library. More than once, I thought about removing my hold entirely, and just abandoning The Atlas Six altogether.

I'm glad I didn't.

While The Atlas Six isn't perfect, it is a wildly imaginative, delightfully twisty story. Nothing really happens in way that you expect it to. I saw more than a few people with this book on their One-Word Review Top Ten Tuesday posts this week — the one word I saw that sums it up best is betrayal. However, the betrayal I was dreading the most does not actually happen. I kept gearing up for it to, for something absolutely atrocious to happen by one character in particular, but it never did. Thank goodness. The reveal at the end...it had me hooked, I tell you. I WAS HOOKED.


That half star I've docked is because at the same time the book is twisty, almost nothing action-y happens for a good chunk of the book. The story is driven by the characters, and how they relate to one another. If you're looking for something that's full of battles, full of physical magical attacks, well, look elsewhere. You won't find it here. Around 70% of the way through the novel, I was a little bored. However, after a few chapters, things picked up again and it all caught my interest once more. There also isn't a whole lot about what they're doing at the Library. It's all just...almost hand-waved, or vaguely described. I wish there had been more about that, honestly.

The characters are what makes this novel as great as it is. Libby, Nico, Reina, Tristan, Parisa, and Callum are all vastly different, and they all have incredible personalities on the page. Without a doubt, Libby and Nico are my favorites. They twirl around each other, and are described as binary stars — always in orbit, one can't exist without the other. I love that.

I will absolutely pick up the next book in this series when it comes out later this year!