I enjoyed this, it isn’t my favourite Olivie Blake but it’s still beautifully written.

My main issue was the characters were so unlikeable, I know that’s kind of the point but without at least one to connect with it did make it a bit of a slog to get through.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for allowing me to read and review this eARC

As always Olivie Blake does not disappoint!
This was a salacious cross of Succession and The Umbrella Academy; darkly humorous and entertaining.

The pacing especially with handling three different character perspectives was really good. I also really liked the sprinkle of omnipresent narrator added throughout, I think it matched well with how each sibling had their own their way of dealing with the grief and circumstances they were given.

I think anyone looking for a family drama filled with wit and dark humour, sprinkled with some magic and technology, will enjoy this greatly!

While I did enjoy the writing, which is always so poetic, I couldn't see myself getting attached to the characters. I know they are written in a way that ensures a person doesn't like them, but there was something about them that wasn't capturing my attention. For the first 50% these characters annoyed me, especially because of how they acted despite the news that their father had died.

But that's also the beauty of the writing and why I kept on going, because I knew that Olivie Blake writes characters that will eventually have an impactful storyline. Their character arcs are not always improving, but there's sometimes an element of humanity coming into play at the end. And I am so happy I pushed through.

Things really started to get wild in the last 50%, and I was super invested in it all. I didn't care who got their father's business, I was more invested in the side stories, the little journeys the characters went on and how their relationships changed along the way.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC for my honest review.

This is very much a contemporary book with some magical realism sprinkled in, but still an entertaining read!

If you want a book with great family drama, character depth and a critical lens on social issues and the tech industry. Then this is a great book. However, if you want lots of magic, then this is less so the book for you.

But this book really sucks you in, with characters that were both loveable and hateable. Their lives are messy, but you can’t look away!

🩰🗳️💻

Premise:

Thayer Wren, CEO of tech empire Wrenfare, dies suddenly. The week following his death his three adult children come together at their family home, to reflect and most importantly, understand who will be taking over his empire.

But at the same time, they are all dealing with their own issues, which stem from their overarching desire to impress their father.

Meredith Wren is facing fraud allegations for her own tech company.

Arthur Wren is facing losing an election, whilst navigating his polyamorous affair.

And Eilidh Wren, the only one who seemed to love her father, just brought forth the apocalypse.

💻🗳️🩰

This is a truly character driven book, and all their stories are incredibly compelling.

My favourite dynamic was Arthur and his wife. Despite Gillian’s fear of physical intimacy, I absolutely adored their emotional intimacy! The way their communication developed and their cavalier attitude by the end towards public perception was just fantastic. Plus I loved Yves and the energy he brought to all his interactions!

Meredith on the other hand is incredibly unlikeable, but probably grows the most as a character. I think certainly seeing her through Jamie and Lou’s eyes certainly helps humanise her (oh to be adored how Jamie adored her!). And I love her bantering dynamic with Arthur. And by the end, her heart to heart with Eilidh, definitely warmed me to her. I did also love her attitude in the face of misogyny in her industry (and even getting angry about ancient curses specifying eldest sons!)

Eilidh is the most interesting in the sense of her apocalypse dilemma but at times perhaps didn’t have the most exciting story compared to the others, potentially because she was the only character actually grieving. But I enjoyed her personal reflection and strength she gained.

And the magic… I’m torn whether I liked it in this book. (I say, as an avid fantasy reader) Part of me feels the book could have held its own very easily without it. But certainly I understand how in part it was needed as a reflection of the characters and for Eilidh to take control of herself.

Either way, it was still a good book!

I would say, whilst I read this, I suspect it could be quite an entertaining choice for an audiobook listen, just due to the tongue in cheek nature and direct nature of the narration.

I cannot decide if I liked or hated this book. The characters are both deeply unlikeable but also you can’t help but root for them. This sorry had the most unreliable narrator I’ve ever encountered- but it was honest about that- and it was funny. I found the writing needlessly verbose in places and the ending felt really drawn out, I really don’t know what to make of this one

Olivie Blake has a really identifiable writing style that is very common in all her books- this really isn't for everyone and if i didn't consume her books via audiobooks then i don't think they would be for me- that being said, i do listen to them via audio and i honestly love everything she writes. For me she does complex characters really well and her books hinge almost fully on the character dynamics and journeys they take.

This particular story centres around grief and spoilt intellectuals and class divide. It gave me a lot of Fall of Usher vibes and the subtle magical system was really fun. I love stories that follow different character storylines that end up all coming together.
The narrator we find out later on in the story is hilarious and likeable- amongst some really unlikeable characters- however because we know they are part of the story fairly early on it gives the narrator unreliable qualities!

I really enjoyed this book- it took me a little to get into it but when i did i found it incredibly binge-able and couldn't put it down

𝘋𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭.

This was such an interesting, thought provoking read and one that I had to pace to truly immerse myself into the psyches of these flawed, yet intriguing characters that @olivieblake has created. I am floored by how she has written such awful and complex characters, but she had me rooting for them by the end of it all? 🤯

Like before Babel had fallen, some prior versions of themselves were laid in the same brick, sharing the same mortar, such that they’d always been able to speak the same language no matter what forms they took.

Meredith, Arthur, and Eilidh are each gifted in their own ways and have grown up privileged, under the care of their dad, the brilliant CEO of Wrenfare Magitexh. Except he has now passed on and leaves an incredible legacy as the “father of modern technology”. The three siblings are now forced to reckon with their long-festering rivalries, dangerous abilities and the crushing weight of all their unrealized adolescent potential. On the pipeline of gifted kid to clinically depressed adult, nobody wins. Yet as they gather to read his final words, which of his three telepathically and electrokinetically gifted children could inherit the Wrenfare throne?

THIS BOOK WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY. Especially if you enjoy the following:

The story blends dark academia, speculative fiction and sci-fi, with lots of intelligent banter. It is also extremely character-driven, and is the perfect read for those who like to spend time in the characters’ mind, understanding the way they think through their inner monologues and scrutinizing how they’ve come to be who they are through their relationships with others. It is also a brilliant critique of the current state of the world - the power dynamics of a woman (even as a leader) in a male dominated industry, the desperation to feel recognized by your parent, the question of if we can ever find true happiness, the dysfunctional dynamics between siblings, and how helpless one can feel when the everything around you feels uncontrollable.

This characters was messy and I loved it. There are some romantic relationships as a subplot - and yes, I was toxic enough to be rooting for them 🤡

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan MacMillan Publishers for this arc!

I’m no stranger to Olivie Blake’s writing so I went in with high expectations for this book and it met them. This story is about three siblings bounded by blood but completely fractured like so many families can be. The story is told through shifting perspectives of Meredith, Arthur and Eilidth and is completely character driven where we experience how people can grow up in the same house, have the same parents but experience entirely different versions of the people who raised them. The story is messy but painfully human with some sci-fi put in the mix and leaves you pondering. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can’t wait to see what Olivie comes out with next.

Olivie Blake is one of my favourite authors, so my expectations for this book were pretty high. I was not disappointed. If you loved her other books, you will also enjoy this one.

Gifted and Talented follows the Wren siblings, and the point of view moves between them. Blake once again created complex, messy, unlikeable and perfect characters that will now live rent-free in my head for the foreseeable future. This novel features dysfunctional adults, complex sibling dynamics, toxic ambition, the weight of parental expectations, the need for parental approval, and the drive to become better than one’s spiteful father. This all comes to the boiling point when Thayer Wren dies, and the Wren siblings are forced to face each other and their messy relationships.

It took me a few chapters to get fully immersed in this story, but after that, it was extremely hard to put down. I think adding Lou’s point of view was a brilliant move, as she is an outsider, but she’s close enough to the Wren family to know their secrets. I loved her style of narration.

Also, I listened to the audiobook of this novel and found it perfectly done. The narrator conveyed the sense of a luxurious and upper-class setting, as well as the loud, messy emotions the characters experience.

To sum up, I just loved this book.

Thayer Wren, brilliant CEO of Wrenfare Magitech, is dead. As the ‘father of modern technology,’ he leaves an incredible legacy. But which of his three telepathically and electrokinetically gifted children could inherit the Wrenfare throne?

I loved this book and didn’t want to put it down in s I started, there is something about Olivie Blake’s writing style that draws you in from the beginning and keeps you hooked.

The tag line for this book is “Where there’s a will there’s a war” and I think Blake does an excellent job of portraying the intricacies of human relationships and sibling rivalry.

I would highly recommend.

Olivie Blake is a once in a generation talent. No one, and I mean, NO ONE can write like this woman can !!

Her writing style is so effortlessly unique— it’s electric and whimsical, intelligently weaved together with such purpose and intent. With anyone else I would find the style a bit superfluous but there’s this quality to it that is so distinctly her that I always fall in love with her work. I loved the complex family dynamics in the book alongside the edgy sci-fi setting. Blake is really good at mixing genres (like Masters of Death) and executing the genre-mischief combination effortlessly rather than it feeling clunky and vague.

I’ll just read whatever she writes at this point :)

This was my first Olivie Blake book and while I do think it was a little bit of a miss for me, I definitely think she has so much talent!! I think this just wasn't for me but the writing was really unique and the characters and their bond so complex, I applaud Olivie so much for that!

Read this if you like:
-Contemporary Fantasy
-Character-driven
-Unique family bonds
=Complex characters

Thank you Tor for sending me an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

Gifted & Talented follows the lives of three siblings after their father dies.

Meredith Wren - unlikeable, terrible and willing to anything to get what she wants.
Arthur Wren - socialite first, congressman second. Wanting to be loved and love in return.
Elidh Wren - father's favourite, working for Wrenfare after a terrible injury that killed her ballet career.

Who gets their fathers throne? WELL - let me tell you, none of them will be happy regardless.

Olivie Blake writes unlikeable characters so well that you just love to hate them. Meredith is exactly that power hungry person that steps on everyone to get her own way, Arthur is just wanting to be loved at any cost and Elidh just wants her health and career back.

I adore this family dynamic, as someone with this exact dynamic, I can see how this works and how their relationships intertwine with one another. None of us have magic but the relationships seem all too familiar.

I LOVE the narrator, only clicking about halfway through who it is, gorgeously done. Well done Olivie Blake for yet another wonderfully pretentious and unreliable narrator.

Absolutely have told everyone I know to read this as soon as they can get their hands on it.

Thank you to Olivie Blake, Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for this ARC!

Gifted & Talented was a novel based on a rich, but highly dysfunctional family which was intriguing. The Wren siblings each have their own personalities and I enjoyed how there was a list of characters and three equally fantastic and brilliant siblings, Meredith, Arthur and Eilidh.

After their father, Thayer Wren dies, all three siblings fight for inheritance. Their fractured relationship made for great entertainment in this highly coveted book. It's a long book and is similar to the TV how, Succession. Despite having not watched the TV show, I like that this was also slated as the book-version of it were filled with ambition and greed and worth every single page.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an eARC!

4.5 stars
I've said it before, and I'll say it again... I'd read Olivie Blake's grocery list at this point. Her writing is so incredibly lush and laugh out loud funny, particularly when making commentary on the capitalist hellscape we find ourselves in.
Gifted & Talented is pitched as Succession with magic. Though I haven't seen Succession, I see the parallels and really loved Blake's take on deeply unlikeable characters vying for generational wealth and acclaim. Despite how unlikeable each of the Wren siblings is, I found my self rooting for them, wanting each of them to find (if not happiness) fulfillment in their baffling lives. This is not the first time Blake has taken a plot I'd otherwise be uninterested in and made it something deeply engrossing through beautiful, character-driven writing.
Would highly recommend to anyone who likes character studies and family drama, commentary on how we as a society treat gifted children, and criticism of late stage capitalism!

Olivie Blake’s writing is so stunning and so unique. This is a brilliant character driven, contemporary fantasy about success, greed and sibling rivalry.

It will make you laugh, cry and have your jaw dropping. It’s emotionally complex and it’s done so well.

Only Olivie Blake can you make you fall in love with the most obnoxious characters. It’s brilliant.

Olivie Blake is back. Three telepathically and electrokinetically gifted children stand to inherit their dead fathers massive company and fortune. except all three of them have a lot going on, so who stands to inherit it and what will they lose along the way?

I love how indepth and well written the characters are. You are fully immersed in their personalities and psyches and their highs and lows. they are not specifically good or bad people, they are just real people, withreal problems they are trying to solve and you may not root for them but you sure do empathise at times.

Of course Blake's writing is as strong and poetic as always, and doesn't just give you all the answers, you have to really pay attention to the nuance. but with some fabulous scathing sharp comments and satire thrown in the balance it out.

I could absolutely see this as a cutting-edge tv drama and i was hooked to find out what happens and what was being revealed about who along the way.

loved every second.

Thanks to Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for a review copy of this book. Olive Blake is not your usual fantasy writer. There’s definitely a “something more” to her books that take on qualities that often can’t be named easily. Literary is certainly one of those qualities and without a doubt she can come up with unique approaches to the genre. This book is definitely a “something more” with many quirks to it not found in the usual fantasy/urban fantasy book. It’s not an easy read initially and its structure, voice and style are all again, not your usual fare for this genre. There’s so much that would be classed literary in this book and I think sometimes it takes from the strength and the power of the book.

It centres around three adult siblings living in a contemporary world except magic exists as an accepted component. With the news of the death of their very powerful and wealthy father Meredith, Arthur and Eilidh scrabble to create the best impression of themselves as the debate about who will become heir to the business empire that their father built. Each of them have been recognized as gifted in different ways but somehow through the years those gifts have somehow twisted in on them and instead of making them shining beacons they each struggle as failures, both in their outward gifts and those slightly twisted magic gifts they possess that are ultimately dangerous to themselves and to the world. These struggles have left them lacking in ways that ultimately challenge them as they grapple with their father’s legacy.

The story shouts out “Succession” with magic in some ways and the siblings have many unlikeable qualities while at the same time Blake invites sympathy for them as the novel peels back some of the siblings’ history and motivations. Thayer, their father is not dissimilar to the father figure in “Succession” in my view, and there is no real sympathy evoked for him in his brutal first generation success story of seizing opportunities employing methods without mercy. Above all, though, the story is a social commentary on the ills of a society fraught with corruption, ruthlessness and no social conscience and the ill effects of those in power who manipulate society for their own benefit. The message is powerful and almost allegorical and the story is structured in a manner that has sections that are even labelled “God speaking” and paragraphs that punch through the fourth wall and speak directly to the reader, as if it was God or at least one of the angels acting as narrator and observer of events and emotions. There is some humour in the banter, some modern society inside jokes too sprinkled about that give it a bit of flavour. All in all it’s a read that will be set apart from other reads as Blake sets about to challenge both the literary style and messaging approach of the fantasy genre.

As usual, Olivie Blake makes you work for it, but it tends to pay off in the end! Gifted and talented is her most layered novel yet, reading like a family drama with just a bit of the supernatural mixed in. Could this have done without it? Maybe. But then it wouldn’t have been an Olivie Blake book-i feel like one of her signatures is this particular brand of mystical/subtle magic that adds to the *vibe* of her prose. I loved the intrusive narration here-it’s unusual but was really supporting the style.

This was such a great read!

Absolutely loved the sci-fi aspect including the different powers sibling had. It was definitely giving Umbrella Academy vibes which I ate up!

Normally I can struggle with the multiple POVs but I actually thought this was very well written and I didn't get lost at all! The jokes between Arthur and Meredith was entertaining and written like a true sibling relationship! T

Overall a great read and I would definitely recommend - I will always read Olivie Blake and she's done it again!

Thank you to NetGalley for Providing me with an eARC for an honest review!