It’s been a while since I finished this book. And I’ve been meaning to write a review forEVER but somehow I just didn’t get around to it. It was almost easier to make a video review–because that was just like talking spontaneously about the book–other than the fact that I sound really awkward and talk in a strange way because I’m obviously unused to talking to a camera.
Okay, so, the book. I picked it up quite randomly. The gold on black cover was really catchy, and I thought that hunger-games type thriller thing it had going on–ONLY FIVE WILL SURVIVE–would be good to get me through a flight. I was pleasantly surprised by the writing–it was very good! I thought the world and the characters were very well fleshed out. The way the author approached the story, and the way they defined their characters helped them transcend what might have otherwise been considered a cliched plot.
Did I wish that the first half of the story had more development? Yes. Did I sometimes feel certain characters became a bit one dimensional? Yes. But would I recommend this book? ABSOLUTELY YES. Because, you’re going to find the world and the characters so immersive, they will suspend your disbelief so thoroughly that you won’t worry about these minor details. The real meat of the story, the part where your heart begins to thud-thud, happens in the last third of the book though. Which is why I am DESPERATE FOR THE SEQUEL. Tor Books please read this and send me an Arc :'(
–stop reading here if you don’t want to know more about the plot–
The story basically goes that a man called Atlas Blakely, who claims to be the caretaker of the super-secret Alexandrian society, invites six magicians of the highest calibre, to join the society and get access to their infinite library. These magicians are given no further detail and are asked to make the judgment call. They know only five will move on to the second year of study, what they don’t know is, one of them will be eliminated. (as in killed).
The best parts of the story IMHO were to do with the politics between the characters, the secrets that were starting to unfold, and the rivalry between different factions beyond the library.
All in all, I’m really looking forward to the sequel and will definitely be buying it. I would recommend this book if you’re looking for thrilling dark academia that you will not have to slog through. If you’re looking to get back into reading, this may just be the book for you! 4.5 Stars!
Oh, also, you can watch the video review if you wanna see an awkward version of me talk about the book 😉