#paradox trilogy

[tanoraqui]

having read a great deal of Rachel Aaron/Rachel Bach's bibliography in the past week, I've noticed a distinct trend. Her taste in hot guys/romantic interests is very distinctly:

dresses in all black

swift, efficient, ruthless and overall absolutely fucking lethal in combat

protective of protagonist (sometimes whether they want it or not)

mysterious backstory

initially very threatening but ultimately 110% in support of protagonist

beholden to major antagonist

with all that in mind, I'd like to congratulate CHELSIE HEARTSTRIKER on being the designated Hot Guy of the Heartstriker series!

[venividifettuccine]

you’re wearing his cardigan. i’ve struck a blood deal with his mob boss father, befriended and invested myself in the romantic life of his little sister, and am tormenting him with slutty 3am texts and sunglasses photos. we are not the same

[nope-nora]

Richard Siken, “You Are Jeff” | Donna Tartt, The Goldfinch | R.F. Kuang, Babel: An Arcane History | Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story | Benjamin Alire Saénz, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe | Maggie Stievater, Call Down the Hawk | Olivie Blake, The Atlas Paradox

[remusfinglupin]

The Atlas squad (in actually terrified to finish The Atlas Complex)

🎨: Little Chmura

[belle-keys]

Power is taken. Official character artwork by Little Chmura for The Atlas Complex by Olivie Blake, the final installment in The Atlas trilogy published by TOR Books.

[torpublishinggroup]

This advertisement is for The Atlas Complex—the heart-shattering finale to the dark academia series that began with Olivie Blake’s NYT bestselling The Atlas Six. 

WHAT’S IT ABOUT

An explosive return to the library leaves the six Alexandrians vulnerable to the lethal terms of their recruitment.

Knowledge Is Carnage

Old alliances fracture as those who remain within the archives wrestle with the ethics of their astronomical abilities. Elsewhere, an unlikely pair from the Society partner up to influence politics on a global stage while the outside world mobilizes to destroy them all. And as for the Society’s Caretaker, Atlas Blakely… He may yet succeed in his world-breaking plan. 

Destiny Is a Choice

It all comes down to this: The Society recruits must decide what and who they're willing to betray and destroy for limitless power. 

Power Is Taken

[sveetnemesis]

entirety of the atlas trilogy summed up :

[happygirl2oo2]

[rizeam]

"Oh. So it's like that?" Nico said.

"Yeah." It left Gideon in a rasp, but fuck it. It had lived in his throat long enough

"Good." Nico caught him by a fistful of his T-shirt tugging him in again. "Good."

[they-stare-i-ship]

I finished reading the atlas paradox

and now you're subjected to my SPOILERY thoughts.

Parisa Kamali: I love Parisa, I have loved her since the first book. I LIKE HER SO MUCH she's funny she's mean she's cool she's kind. She's incredibly powerful. She's so interesting and I really enjoyed how she slowly became "her royal softness". Whenever we have her pov it's so fun. I love how she's not scared of Atlas and how she challenged him. I can't wait to see what she does in the next book. I'm actually excited to see how Dalton has changed and how she reacts to them in the next book. Her relationship with Nico makes me so feel so nice. I also need her to be kiss Reina sometime in the next book.

Nico de Varona: he's been my annoying lil baby since the first book. I loved how he became more fleshed out in this book. I loved how lonely he got, his relationship with Reina and Tristan really intrigues me. HE'S SUCH A CHILD sometimes and I love him for it. Obviously I have spent the two books insane bc I knew he was in love with Gideon, I just knew it and they're just *chef's kiss* also speaking of his relationship with people, I think him and Libby will be stunning as besties, I truly cannot perceive them as romantic. They act so sibling like or even just asshole bestie like.

Reina Mori: when we started with this series I actually had more hopes from her. I feel like she didn't do much (especially in book 2) and my girl really doesn't understand communication. If she just talked to people sigh. But honestly her God thing, I am down. Go off, I'm excited to see her go off the rails bc people didn't talk to her the way she could have understood. I am low-key in love with how funny the duo of Reina and Callum is, tbh. I also get major ace vibes from her.

Libby Rhodes: honestly she was my second least favourite amount the six when we started. She desperately needed the corruption arc we got in the later half of the book. I think I will like her a lot more now. Her crush on belen was stunning to read. I can't wait for Libby to fuck shit up, literally fuck everyone up. And I genuinely truly deeply want her relationship with Nico to just be friendship. Friendships are equally as important and the fact that the universe made them parallel to eachother is my favourite thing.

Callum Nova: honestly I didn't really like him much during the first book, he was fine but we had more interesting characters. BUT DAMN CALLUM NOVA POST HEARTBREAK?? ~~ exquisite ~~ he's so fucking funny and hopeless and sad and pathetic. he is so desperate for love and so upset that he was denied it. He's my pathetic lil meow meow. Also I would LOVE to see him use his powers more in the future. As we keep learning about it, I keep loving him. Also I need Tristan to beg Callum to take him back.

Tristan Caine: actually I didn't enjoy his povs at all in the first book, I couldn't wait for them to be over. He is still my least favourite among the six but in the second book he was more interesting and fun. I'm a lil anxious of how Atlas is gonna use him and his powers. I don't care much of him but I want him to beg Callum or regret it for the rest of his existence. Also I hate LibbyTristan as a romantic permanent thing, they can fuck around and have fun but pls end at that.

Gideon Drake: I have loved him since day 1. He was the softer kinder balance to Nico's aggressive and abrasiveness. He is so interesting, his origin and his powers. I spent both the book wishing we had more of him. Now that we are out of the library maybe he'll get to play a more active role in the book. I am obsessed with Gideon (bc Nico is obsessed with Gideon) I love the tidbits we learn about Gideon like how Libby always liked him more or how max travelled with him for the rescue of the "prince". I want Gideon to have everything he wants, that's all.

Atlas Blakeley: I have been thinking of Giancarlo Esposito as Atlas the entire time. There's no explanation it's just vibes

Ezra: I'm glad he's dead 💖

[joseopher]

** spoilers for the entire atlas trilogy **

Is it just me or does it grind anyone else's gears when someone markets the atlas six as enemies to lovers? They are always talking about nicolibby which is a great ship but they don't become lovers??? There's cannon evidence they may like each other but they never kiss or date or become lovers??? Libby just kills him.

Again I have no problem with the ship but I feel like when book reviewers market the book as enemies to lovers people are going to go into the book with the wrong impression. BECAUSE THEY NEVER BECOME LOVERS. You can want them to become lovers, there is evidence that in some au they could become lovers, but don't market it as that because they never are lovers!

They aren't even enemies, they team up instantly and only harbour a mild dislike of each other, they are academic rivals, they are twin stars, and they are doomed by the narrative, by their own faults, by Atlas, by the universe to never become lovers in this timeline. Which is unique, wonderful and far more interesting! They shouldn't be boiled down to a trope that will give readers the impression they are going to get a romantic plotline with them that ends with them together. In Nico's last breath, they are still dating other people and he basically shut down any romantic chance for them.

The reason I hate this is that people are going to rate the books low when they find out:

a) this book is actually about philosophy and not romance

b) the supposed enemies to lovers spend the entire page time getting together with other people and never have a single scene where they are together

c) the supposed enemies aren't enemies and don't follow any of the tropes one would be hoping for with people who hate each other (tbh they have a much more complicated and interesting relationship)

These people are going to be expecting "knife-to-throat" and scenes where they are trying so hard to hate each other but give in to the growing sexual tension and all that stuff. Not a tragedy about broken people trying to exist in a broken system. LIKE I LOVE NICOLIBBY, I DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO HATE THEM BECAUSE THEY DON'T FIT INTO THESE ROMANCE TROPES THAT ARE BEING MISTAKENLY APPLIED TO A BOOK THAT ISN'T ABOUT THAT.

And note, I'm not talking about fandom blogs that post all the time about nicolibby, those guys are having fun and shipping! Good for them! (god knows I won't shut up about novacaine). I'm talking about when influencers recommend the book to their audience as enemies to lovers, cause that is just going to get the book bombed with one-star reviews.

okay rant over.

[jessread-s]

✩🕯️📜Series Review:

Core concepts

⋆ The Atlas Six - Physics

⋆ The Atlas Paradox - Psychology

⋆ The Atlas Complex - Philosophy

“The Atlas” series is so much more than dark academia or romance. This series studies what happens to human beings when they are promised access to infinite knowledge and power. It is about how quickly we turn on each other and abandon our own morals to gain. said knowledge and power. Each installment blew me away as I watched Blake’s six protagonists gradually find and/or destroy themselves. My mind was continuously expanded by her prose and it made me question my every decision. It’s a soul crushing read, but perhaps also a necessary one.

Cross-posted to: Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

@torpublishinggroup @olivieblake

[venividifettuccine]

best of: texts between supernaturally insane people

(& a bonus)

[mysticllamaturtleauthor]

THAT HIT DEEP

[chaoticmiserablelover]

The way you can feel the impending doom of the Atlas Complex while reading it breaks my heart.

[ao-ihinata]

Me reading the character introduction in the Atlas Complex and not remembering 90% of the last book