Hello, everyone! Today I’m reviewing The Atlas Complex by Olivie Blake, which is available now wherever you get your books. If you would like to see my thoughts on The Atlas Paradox, check out my linked mini review. I didn’t plan to review The Atlas Complex on the blog, but there’s no way that I can’t share my thoughts on this one. I’ve been (not so) patiently waiting for this conclusion to The Atlas saga, and it definitely inspired some feelings. lol. Let’s jump into it…

Only the extraordinary are chosen. Only the cunning survive.

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

Old alliances quickly fracture as the initiates take opposing strategies as to how to deal with the deadly bargain they have so far failed to uphold. Those who remain with the archives wrestle with the ethics of their astronomical abilities, while elsewhere, an unlikely pair from the Society cohort partner to influence politics on a global stage.

And still the outside world mobilizes to destroy them, while the Caretaker himself, Atlas Blakely, may yet succeed with a plan foreseen to have world-ending stakes. It’s a race to survive as the six Society recruits are faced with the question of what they’re willing to betray for limitless power―and who will be destroyed along the way.

This book… I’m at a loss for words. I’ve peeked at the Goodreads rating and some other reviews. I’ve seen that a lot of people really HATED this book. I think that is sort of understandable given how completely unhinged this story became. However, I also question how anyone could have expected it to be any less brutal or unsatisfying? If you’ve read the first two books, you should know that this likely wasn’t going to go the way most people wanted or expected. That was kind of the point of the whole thing.

The entire trilogy was a commentary on human nature and the intoxicating allure of power and knowledge. It was always supposed to end with betrayal, heartache, and tragedy because no matter how much knowledge and power one acquires, there will always be the desire for more. The only question is what someone will be willing to sacrifice to obtain it, which is what this story was all about. The Atlas Complex also tackled quite a few other moral quandaries and provided thought-provoking ideas about society’s status quo, especially the gatekeeping of resources and information by the hands of the elite. Ultimately, this finale was a satisfying conclusion of the overall story’s themes.

I’m a huge fan of Blake’s writing, and the prose in The Atlas Complex was just as good as everything else of hers that I’ve read. It was all very pretentious-sounding and philosophical. Although no one talks like this in real life, her writing always makes her characters seem way too smart for their own good, and I just ate it up. As in the previous books, there wasn’t really much movement of the plot, at least not for the first three quarters of the book. It was a lot of character work and intellectual discussions about the morality of their proposed actions. The end moved quickly, though, and I honestly wish more time had been devoted to it.

As for the characters in The Atlas Complex, I still loved them. Libby’s arc, especially, was one of my favorite things about the book. It wasn’t a fun journey, but it kept me riveted and had me feeling all sorts of emotions. The text exchanges between Tristan and Callum were also so on brand for them and had me smiling whenever they popped up. All of the characters had interesting bits to play, though, and there were plenty of moments that had my heart racing and/or breaking. One point, in particular, made my jaw drop and my tears fall, but I don’t want to spoil anything. So, that’s all I’ll say.

Will The Atlas Complex be for everyone? I’d imagine not, especially since the first two books were so divisive. Will everyone who has loved the first two books be satisfied with this ending? Probably not, as evidenced by the reviews I’ve seen on Goodreads. I think it will depend on what you’re hoping to get out of it. I thought this end was satisfying because it worked for the themes and drove home the particular points that were most important. Therefore, I rate The Atlas Complex 5 out of 5 stars. It wasn’t a perfect book, but I’m obsessed with this series and am already ready to read it again. 🙂

Have you read The Atlas Complex or any of the other Atlas books? What did you think? Let me know down in the comments. Please try to avoid spoilers, but if you’d like to talk about specific things, I’m always down for a chat over DM.