Olivie Blake, author of the bestselling The Atlas Six, returns with a strikingly different—yet spiritually kindred—tale in Gifted & Talented. The novel unspools like an elegantly tangled wire, charged with electricity, biting humor, and familial betrayal. At its heart, this is a speculative family drama nestled in a technomantic landscape, but it’s also a satire of late capitalism, a dissection of inherited trauma, and a wildly imaginative chronicle of potential gone awry. Blake’s latest work dives deep into what it means to be exceptional—and what it costs to live under that label.
Plot Overview: The Will to Win
When Thayer Wren, legendary technomancer and founder of Wrenfare Magitech, dies, his three gifted offspring—Meredith, Arthur, and Eilidh—are forced into a collision course of power, grief, and long-simmering resentment. Their gifts aren’t just metaphorical: Meredith is a neuromancer and tech mogul who has “cured” mental illness (or so she claims), Arthur is a congressman with unstable electrokinetic abilities, and Eilidh houses a literal parasitic entity with biblical apocalyptic potential. Their father’s death triggers a scramble not only for his estate, but also for validation, recognition, and legacy.
Each sibling is, in their own way, a genius and a failure. Their estranged relationship with their father—and with each other—acts as both ghost and gravitational pull. The plot weaves between their personal reckonings, flashbacks of adolescent trauma, and the growing suspicion that the world-changing technologies they’ve pioneered may be built on lies.
Blake doesn’t give us a straight line to resolution. Instead, she offers a series of controlled explosions: truths that feel like betrayals, victories that feel like losses, and moments of connection shadowed by dread. The inheritance here isn’t just financial—it’s emotional, magical, and metaphysical.
Character Study: The Wren Trifecta
Meredith Wren – The Ice Queen with a Cracked Core
Meredith is the epitome of the eldest daughter complex: overachieving, ruthlessly brilliant, and deeply insecure. Her company, Birdsong, is allegedly revolutionizing mental health through biomantic neurology, but behind her poised public façade lies a fraud she’s barely holding together. Meredith’s emotional arc is the most tragic. She’s haunted by Lou, a childhood friend (or voice of reason? Or ghost?) and an ex-boyfriend, Jamie, who threatens to publish the truth about her miracle app “Chirp.” Her guilt is toxic, her ambition unrelenting—and yet, Blake paints her not as a villain but as a product of impossible expectations.
Arthur Wren – The Politician Who Can’t Stop Shorting Out
Arthur, the middle child and youngest-ever congressman, is battling his own demons. His electrokinesis flares with his emotions, sabotaging his career and relationships. He’s a performative progressive who is aware of the optics but trapped by the machinery of politics. Arthur’s storyline, which includes a chaotic polyamorous affair with European aristocrats and a growing disillusionment with his role as a public servant, is both the most absurd and the most poignant. His power—literally shorting out tech—is a perfect metaphor for his inability to navigate the high-voltage space between authenticity and performance.
Eilidh Wren – The Fallen Star with a Demonic Tenant
Once a world-renowned ballerina, Eilidh’s promising career ended in a catastrophic injury, leaving her adrift. Now, she’s a marketing exec with a god-complex parasite curled inside her like a dormant storm. Her sections are some of the most viscerally written, often treading the line between horror and allegory. She’s reluctant to use her power, knowing the cost is likely apocalyptic. And yet, when a plane is crashing, she releases it. What follows is chilling, and Blake doesn’t shy away from the implications: sometimes, survival is the most violent thing you can do.
Genre-Bending Brilliance: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Satire
In Gifted & Talented, Olivie Blake masterfully combines elements of speculative fiction, political satire, and magical realism. This is not a traditional fantasy novel—there are no quests, dragons, or kingdoms—but the magic is real, raw, and deeply entangled with technology and trauma. Terms like “biomancy,” “technomancy,” and “neuromancy” may sound like genre clichés, but here, they’re deployed with sharp purpose and biting wit.
The satire is razor-sharp. From “Chirp” (an app that supposedly makes you happy) to congressional orgies to a plane ad reading “THIS APP WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY! :)” moments before crashing, Blake skewers the commodification of mental health, the myth of meritocracy, and the spectacle of performative progressivism. Her world is as recognizable as it is dystopian.
Writing Style: Wry, Witty, and Weaponized
Blake’s prose in Gifted & Talented is intoxicating—erudite and effervescent, peppered with irony, self-awareness, and philosophical asides. Her narrative voice oscillates between omniscient sarcasm and intimate vulnerability, allowing her to wield both literary gravitas and TikTok-worthy sass. She’s a maximalist with a poet’s ear, layering complex character introspection with biting social commentary.
Some might argue her style is too clever—there are moments when the prose risks self-indulgence, the metaphors stacking like Jenga blocks. But for readers who relish layered writing that’s as brainy as it is biting, Gifted & Talented is a feast.
Core Themes: Inheritance, Identity, and Implosion
- The Tyranny of Exceptionalism: The Wren siblings were all prodigies. But what happens when prodigies become adults? The book is a case study in burnout, imposter syndrome, and the haunting echo of “wasted potential.”
- Capitalism vs. Humanity: Technology here is both savior and scam. Blake critiques how innovation is often driven not by altruism but by branding, investment, and optics. Chirp isn’t just an app—it’s a lie wrapped in a TED Talk.
- Power That Destroys and Defines: Each sibling’s power is a metaphor for their deepest fear. Meredith’s manipulates minds, Arthur’s wreaks havoc on electronics, and Eilidh’s… could end the world. These powers are not blessings—they’re burdens, inherited like trauma.
- Family as Fate and Failure: Thayer Wren’s death doesn’t free his children; it shackles them tighter. The will he leaves behind isn’t just monetary—it’s a mirror, forcing each of them to see themselves as he saw them: not as people, but potential.
Critiques: Where the Spark Flickers
- Overindulgence in Prose: While Blake’s style is hypnotic, some readers may find it exhausting. At times, her ornate sentences beg for a breath. Simpler scenes—especially emotional confrontations—could benefit from clarity over cleverness.
- Pacing Wobbles in the Middle: The novel’s first third is gripping, and the final act is explosive, but the middle occasionally sags under the weight of its own brilliance. Some character arcs circle a bit too long before advancing.
- Emotional Payoffs Could Hit Harder: Though Blake builds intense internal worlds, the moments of catharsis—especially between siblings—feel slightly muted. Given how emotionally invested we become, we crave just a bit more combustion when things finally boil over.
Similar Books You Might Enjoy
- The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake – Her breakout novel of dark academia and magical elitism.
- The Secret History by Donna Tartt – For fans of brainy, flawed characters and moral decay.
- Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin – Another exploration of gifted children and what success costs.
- Vicious by V.E. Schwab – If you enjoy powered individuals with grey morals and darker motivations.
- Yellowface by R.F. Kuang – A literary sibling in satire and societal critique.
Final Verdict: A Powerfully Flawed Masterpiece
Gifted & Talented is Olivie Blake’s most genre-bending, emotionally ambitious novel yet. It’s messy, chaotic, searing, and—yes—gifted in its own right. It doesn’t promise comfort, and it certainly doesn’t deliver a traditional fantasy arc. Instead, it offers readers something rarer: an unflinching look at the ruinous glamour of brilliance, the corrosion of family legacy, and the kind of magic that unravels you.
Blake doesn’t just write books—she casts spells. And this one is particularly potent.
