There's a lot to love about this book, but it wasn't the characters for me.
The Alexandrian Society are the guardians of lost knowledge from ancient civilisations, with every member rewarded with a lifetime of wealth, power, and prestige. Every 10 years, six of the world’s best magicians are offered the chance to join the exclusive organisation. The catch? There are only five positions available.
Recruited by society caretaker Atlas Blakely, each magician must study and fight to earn their spot throughout the year-long initiation. They’ll be lucky to survive the year without knowing what’s real and what’s a test.
The Atlas Six characters gave me strong Gossip Girl (2007 series) vibes, if instead of gossip, there were magic, and they were fighting for their lives. There’s Libby Rhodes (Blair Waldorf), a high-achieving cosmologist who can control matter with her mind but still lacks confidence in herself. Parisa Kamali (Serena van der Woodsen) is a telepath who can read minds and is unapologetic about using her looks to get ahead. Reina Mori (Vanessa Abrams) is a naturalist who can communicate with plants and is a sceptical observer of the rest of the group. Callum Nova (Chuck Bass) is a sociopathic empath who uses his abilities to manipulate the desires of others. Nico de Varona (Dan Humphrey) is also a cosmologist who deals with the pressure of getting into the society while keeping his home life together. Lastly, Tristan Caine (Nate Archibald) is unsure of his power and where he fits in amongst this group of elite magicians.
What’s most impressive about this book is that it was initially self-published before becoming a social media sensation; it is now a New York Times bestseller with an Amazon series to come! There’s a lot to love about this book, and it’s easy to see why it’s so popular. However, I struggled to connect with any of the characters. They are all believable and flawed, but I struggled to find something redeemable about them in order to create a connection. I didn’t find myself rooting for one over the other and I wasn’t really fussed over who made it into the society.
Falling into a common issue in the first of a series, there was a decent level of info dumping and character back stories, which slowed down the book’s pace. I appreciated the world-building and the intricacies of the magical system. Still, I found it hard to feel excited to turn the page when I didn’t empathise with the characters.
While I can see why The Atlas Six has become such a sensation, it wasn’t really for me. I will give it another go when the Amazon series is released, but it’s unlikely I would seek out Book Two. In saying that, if you enjoyed the characters from Gossip Girl and love magic, then you should love this book.
Reviewed by Jessica Anne
Twitter: @littlejadventur
Distributed by: Pan Macmillan Australia
Released: March 2022
RRP: $32.99
More News
