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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
It's a damn dirty shame that The Archived series doesn't get more recognition. This amazing story is beautifully told . . . amazingly beautiful. How's that for adjective usage?
After the tragic death of her 10-year-old brother, Ben, Mackenzie's parents move them to The Coronado, an old hotel converted to apartments in 1950. Once there, Mackenzie begins searching for doors that will lead her to The Narrows, where she can return Histories, and The Archive, where the histories are stored.
I'll admit that I was a little confused about the work of a Keeper in the beginning, but it was very easy to catch on to what Mackenzie did. I especially liked the second person flashbacks between Mackenzie and Da. These purpose of these flashbacks were threefold really. Victoria added depth to Mackenzie's character, allowed us to learn about Da whom was an integral part of Mackenzie and her past, and learn more about the world that Mackenzie inhabits.
It's a truly fascinating world at that. Once people die they are shelved in The Archive. Most people stay "asleep," but every once in a while they will wake up and break free. When that happens, Keepers return them through doors in The Narrow. There is also Crew, who tracks down Histories who escape the Narrows, and Librarians, who maintain The Archive. It's such a fascinating concept and helps to make The Archived extremely unique and enticing.
Roland is above and beyond my favorite Librarian. You can tell he really took over Da's role when he died. He protects Mackenzie, vouches for her, gives her advice, and is the perfect father figure for this part of her life.
There are so many twists and turns within this novel that there is no possible way to be bored. The mystery was equally fascinating and mind blowing - especially once everything came out. I never saw it coming - and that is a testament to Victoria's amazing writing and story telling. This is my first encounter with Ms. Schwab and I can promise you it certainly will not be the last.
After the tragic death of her 10-year-old brother, Ben, Mackenzie's parents move them to The Coronado, an old hotel converted to apartments in 1950. Once there, Mackenzie begins searching for doors that will lead her to The Narrows, where she can return Histories, and The Archive, where the histories are stored.
I'll admit that I was a little confused about the work of a Keeper in the beginning, but it was very easy to catch on to what Mackenzie did. I especially liked the second person flashbacks between Mackenzie and Da. These purpose of these flashbacks were threefold really. Victoria added depth to Mackenzie's character, allowed us to learn about Da whom was an integral part of Mackenzie and her past, and learn more about the world that Mackenzie inhabits.
It's a truly fascinating world at that. Once people die they are shelved in The Archive. Most people stay "asleep," but every once in a while they will wake up and break free. When that happens, Keepers return them through doors in The Narrow. There is also Crew, who tracks down Histories who escape the Narrows, and Librarians, who maintain The Archive. It's such a fascinating concept and helps to make The Archived extremely unique and enticing.
Roland is above and beyond my favorite Librarian. You can tell he really took over Da's role when he died. He protects Mackenzie, vouches for her, gives her advice, and is the perfect father figure for this part of her life.
There are so many twists and turns within this novel that there is no possible way to be bored. The mystery was equally fascinating and mind blowing - especially once everything came out. I never saw it coming - and that is a testament to Victoria's amazing writing and story telling. This is my first encounter with Ms. Schwab and I can promise you it certainly will not be the last.
UPDATED ACTUAL RATING: 3.5
Synopsis
Mackenzie "Kenzie" Bishop was twelve years old when she became a Keeper of the Archive. A place where Histories of people who lived are stored. Her grandfather passed his job down to her, and since then has come into her own. At age sixteen, her brother dies and the family is grieving. Moving to the Coronado apartments to start a coffee shop, Mackenzie isn't sure if it was for the best. She is leaving her friend Lyndsey, and the death of her brother stabs her deeply. It is only the apartment she moved into where problems start to occur. As a Keeper, Mackenzie hunts histories that have left the Archive and sends them back. Normally, it would take a few weeks to get even one, but each day more and more histories escape. Mackenzie finds out why the histories are escaping, why one Wesley Ayers wears guyliner and follows Mackenzie around, and if she truly has what it takes to make her grandfather proud.
Thoughts
Since I read Vicious by Victoria Schwab I knew she was going to go on my automatic read list. I borrowed this book from my local library, not sure if I would like this or not. The initial descriptions sounded interesting, but I wasn't sure if it was something I would like. In the end, I liked it but I'm not in love with it like Vicious.
This is a really hard book for me to review because it deserves more than three stars, but not quite four.
I will say something that might be shocking: I think Victoria Schwab should make the switch to adult permanent and stop writing YA. I say this because I think her writing is suited to write really good adult reads, and to not be limited with her audience. She can be very dark and twisted, which we do see in this book but it still feels light.
For the first half of the book, it was interesting but I wasn't in love with the world, characters, or even what was happening. The pacing dragged. It felt prolonged and stretched out, even for such a short book. I also found the use of "Da" in the beginning confusing, since she was talking about her grandfather and not her father. It would have been a lot better if this was told from the start to avoid confusion because it wasn't really clear to the reader. My creative writing professor once told me that why hold out if we need to know something in the beginning.
The second half gets much better.Characters, I initially rolled my eyes at certain characters..
I have no complaints about Victoria Schwab's writing, which is just the right amount of everything: description, dialogue, showing, telling, and all that good stuff.
This is not a bad read by any chance, but I expected a lot more from an author who made me fall in love with her when I read Vicious. I'm still going to read her next book in this duology, but I hope that her next installment is more complicated.
Synopsis
Mackenzie "Kenzie" Bishop was twelve years old when she became a Keeper of the Archive. A place where Histories of people who lived are stored. Her grandfather passed his job down to her, and since then has come into her own. At age sixteen, her brother dies and the family is grieving. Moving to the Coronado apartments to start a coffee shop, Mackenzie isn't sure if it was for the best. She is leaving her friend Lyndsey, and the death of her brother stabs her deeply. It is only the apartment she moved into where problems start to occur. As a Keeper, Mackenzie hunts histories that have left the Archive and sends them back. Normally, it would take a few weeks to get even one, but each day more and more histories escape. Mackenzie finds out why the histories are escaping, why one Wesley Ayers wears guyliner and follows Mackenzie around, and if she truly has what it takes to make her grandfather proud.
Thoughts
Since I read Vicious by Victoria Schwab I knew she was going to go on my automatic read list. I borrowed this book from my local library, not sure if I would like this or not. The initial descriptions sounded interesting, but I wasn't sure if it was something I would like. In the end, I liked it but I'm not in love with it like Vicious.
This is a really hard book for me to review because it deserves more than three stars, but not quite four.
I will say something that might be shocking: I think Victoria Schwab should make the switch to adult permanent and stop writing YA. I say this because I think her writing is suited to write really good adult reads, and to not be limited with her audience. She can be very dark and twisted, which we do see in this book but it still feels light.
For the first half of the book, it was interesting but I wasn't in love with the world, characters, or even what was happening. The pacing dragged. It felt prolonged and stretched out, even for such a short book. I also found the use of "Da" in the beginning confusing, since she was talking about her grandfather and not her father. It would have been a lot better if this was told from the start to avoid confusion because it wasn't really clear to the reader. My creative writing professor once told me that why hold out if we need to know something in the beginning.
The second half gets much better.Characters, I initially rolled my eyes at certain characters.
Spoiler
Owen because he was a love interest, or more an interest for Mackenzie to escape from her life. Wesley who was a goth who liked to joke, but I wasn't sure what his role was for awhile besides the interesting side kick motif. I thought there might be a love triangle too in this book. It did not turn out this way. It turned out that Owen used Mackenzie, which I did not see. I saw that Carmen was the librarian who went against the Archive though pretty early on.I have no complaints about Victoria Schwab's writing, which is just the right amount of everything: description, dialogue, showing, telling, and all that good stuff.
This is not a bad read by any chance, but I expected a lot more from an author who made me fall in love with her when I read Vicious. I'm still going to read her next book in this duology, but I hope that her next installment is more complicated.
This book saved me from a reading slump. It almost hit me right after the Bout of Books read-a-thon, but I persevered through thanks to this novel. Victoria Schwab has a beautiful writing style and, if you read the synopsis, you know that there is a lot of world building required for this novel. Schwab is able to build up this world amazingly without boring you. The entire book is action packed and always left me wanting more. I found myself reading for longer periods of time without noticing how far in the novel I actually got. I was too engrossed to notice.
There are so many characters in this book but Schwab is able to help you remember each of them and does not allow them to blur together. Not only did I adore Mac, but Wesley and Roland were amazing supporting characters as well.
This book revived my love for reading and I am giving it nothing less than 5/5 stars. Not only is this book amazing, but it is beautiful as well. I love the cover and the design on the inside of the hardcover is beautiful, too. It would be a great addition to your library as well as something that will look good on your shelf, too!
There are so many characters in this book but Schwab is able to help you remember each of them and does not allow them to blur together. Not only did I adore Mac, but Wesley and Roland were amazing supporting characters as well.
This book revived my love for reading and I am giving it nothing less than 5/5 stars. Not only is this book amazing, but it is beautiful as well. I love the cover and the design on the inside of the hardcover is beautiful, too. It would be a great addition to your library as well as something that will look good on your shelf, too!
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Originally posted at yAdult Review
This book has been on my TBR list for as long as I can remember. The fact that it took me this long to read it is more a reflection on me than the book, seeing I did not pick up this book until last week. This book did not let me down at all. I actually couldn’t put it down and the fact that I have to wait a year for the next book slowly kills me. Thankfully Schwab ends this book quite nicely. Thank you no cliffhanger!
Told through flashbacks and present day, this book is the story of Mac(kenzie) who works as a Keeper. She is a Keeper for the Archived, a place that collects the dead like they are books in a library. As a librarian I found this to be completely fascinating. Schwab worked through every little detail and let nothing go overlooked which made me fall in love with this book even more and look forward to book two, a lot. By use of flashbacks it was easy to understand how Mac got her job as a Keeper through her Da, who ultimately meant the world to her. It becomes clear from the very beginning that Mackenzie is not a typical YA heroine: she’s extremely close to her grandfather, she can kick ass, and she doesn’t like to touch people or animals. The later is because she can hear what she calls the “noise” from their feelings and thoughts and understandably that effects her.
Of course no one is allowed to know about The Archived. Which means her parents do not know, and yet they never question where she goes at all hours of the day. She comes up with extremely lame excuses and they are perfectly content and okay with said excuses. This is in part because she lost her brother Ben and they know she is still adjusting to life after, they all are.
The mystery and twist occurs when Mackenzie realizes there is someone else with this gift/curse along with the same time that someone is messing with the Histories and something bad is happening in The Archived. Through excellent storytelling Schwab has the reader waiting for more, me included.
This book has been on my TBR list for as long as I can remember. The fact that it took me this long to read it is more a reflection on me than the book, seeing I did not pick up this book until last week. This book did not let me down at all. I actually couldn’t put it down and the fact that I have to wait a year for the next book slowly kills me. Thankfully Schwab ends this book quite nicely. Thank you no cliffhanger!
Told through flashbacks and present day, this book is the story of Mac(kenzie) who works as a Keeper. She is a Keeper for the Archived, a place that collects the dead like they are books in a library. As a librarian I found this to be completely fascinating. Schwab worked through every little detail and let nothing go overlooked which made me fall in love with this book even more and look forward to book two, a lot. By use of flashbacks it was easy to understand how Mac got her job as a Keeper through her Da, who ultimately meant the world to her. It becomes clear from the very beginning that Mackenzie is not a typical YA heroine: she’s extremely close to her grandfather, she can kick ass, and she doesn’t like to touch people or animals. The later is because she can hear what she calls the “noise” from their feelings and thoughts and understandably that effects her.
Of course no one is allowed to know about The Archived. Which means her parents do not know, and yet they never question where she goes at all hours of the day. She comes up with extremely lame excuses and they are perfectly content and okay with said excuses. This is in part because she lost her brother Ben and they know she is still adjusting to life after, they all are.
The mystery and twist occurs when Mackenzie realizes there is someone else with this gift/curse along with the same time that someone is messing with the Histories and something bad is happening in The Archived. Through excellent storytelling Schwab has the reader waiting for more, me included.
This is a beautiful book.
The Archive is like a library, but instead of books the shelves are filled with bodies. Dead bodies. At least they look like dead bodies, they are actually Histories - a ghostlike records of those no longer alive. A collection of memories and experiences.
The Histories are supposed to remain asleep, safely contained within the Archive and tended to by Librarians, but sometimes they awaken and escape into the Narrows. Keeper, like sixteen year old Mackenzie Bishop, hunt down the run away Histories and send them back to Archive. It's a tough job, one that often leaves scars.
You can read more of my review on my blog:http://cobalt714.wordpress.com/2014/02/18/a-review-the-archived-by-victoria-schwab/
Or just go buy yourself a copy of 'The Archived', because it's a very good book.
The Archive is like a library, but instead of books the shelves are filled with bodies. Dead bodies. At least they look like dead bodies, they are actually Histories - a ghostlike records of those no longer alive. A collection of memories and experiences.
The Histories are supposed to remain asleep, safely contained within the Archive and tended to by Librarians, but sometimes they awaken and escape into the Narrows. Keeper, like sixteen year old Mackenzie Bishop, hunt down the run away Histories and send them back to Archive. It's a tough job, one that often leaves scars.
You can read more of my review on my blog:http://cobalt714.wordpress.com/2014/02/18/a-review-the-archived-by-victoria-schwab/
Or just go buy yourself a copy of 'The Archived', because it's a very good book.
an interesting premise; characters felt a bit weak/lacking at times. not the best I’ve read from this author, but certainly not a bad read. feels like a book that a promising author writes when they’re still rather green; good, but could be better with time and experience.
Mac is a Keeper; it is her job to patrol the Narrows and return awakened Histories to the Archive. Histories are people who have died (sort of like ghosts but corporeal); the Archive houses all the Histories (sort of like a cross between a graveyard and a library). The Librarians maintain the Archive and send assignments to the Keepers like Mac. Mac inherited her job from her grandpa, Da, who was a Keeper up until his death. She is the youngest Keeper in history and good at her job. Then her brother is tragically killed and her family moves to the Coronado for a fresh start. The Coronado is a dusty, crumbling hotel turned apartments and it seems the site of a tragic past no one wants known. Mac discovers that the history of the Coronado has been tampered with and Histories associated with the Coronado have been changed. Then there is the increase in escaped Histories, the cute, goth Keeper in her territory and the strange young man hanging out in the Narrows. Things do not add up and the more Mac digs the worse things become.
Mac is a tragic figure, full of pain and loss and misery. She lies constantly to protect her job, she misses her little brother and her Da, and she is scared to touch anyone because people are loud with thoughts and feelings that she can hear. I found this story intriguing. I liked the idea of an Archive housing the dead with Librarians able to read them. I'm not sure why this is necessary, but it was interesting. I liked Mac and Wes (the goth Keeper) and how Wes brought a lightness and a sense of fun to Mac's world. I did think the story moved a little slowly and/or could have been edited down. I liked the mystery but I thought it was drug out too long and the explanation/conclusion was hurried at the end of the book. There is a lot of world-building in this book and Schwab does a great job setting it up. This is the start of a series so I am a little intrigued about where she is going to take it from here.
Mac is a tragic figure, full of pain and loss and misery. She lies constantly to protect her job, she misses her little brother and her Da, and she is scared to touch anyone because people are loud with thoughts and feelings that she can hear. I found this story intriguing. I liked the idea of an Archive housing the dead with Librarians able to read them. I'm not sure why this is necessary, but it was interesting. I liked Mac and Wes (the goth Keeper) and how Wes brought a lightness and a sense of fun to Mac's world. I did think the story moved a little slowly and/or could have been edited down. I liked the mystery but I thought it was drug out too long and the explanation/conclusion was hurried at the end of the book. There is a lot of world-building in this book and Schwab does a great job setting it up. This is the start of a series so I am a little intrigued about where she is going to take it from here.
4.5 Stars.
Probably one of my favorite books I have read this year, and definitely my favorite YA book I have read in a while. Its an interesting concept, and it is executed well, and Mackenzie feels like a real character. She doesn't devolve into angst over boys or her life, and her difficulties and sadness seem real to me. I got really attached to her character, and I really related to a lot of what she experienced.
Mackenzie is 16, and she just moved, and she is having a hard time. Her younger brother Ben died a year ago, and she misses him. It carved a hole in her heart, and her family isn't functioning, and nothing is right. On top of that, she is a Keeper. A Keeper is someone who works with the Archive-a library of human memories. Every human gets put into the archive, and their memories make up a library. Sometimes they escape, and it is a Keeper's job to track them down and put them back where they belong.
Its a fascinating concept, and the author actually lets it live up to the potential. She thought through this, and instead of letting it get bogged down by YA tropes, she lets the concept and Mackenzie take center stage here. Yes, there are two romantic interests, but Mackenzie doesn't spend all her time ooohing and aaahhing over their perfect hair. It reminded me more of Unearthly, where it made sense why she would be attracted to each boy-because they represented different options. The real center of this story though is Mackenzie herself, as she struggles to make sense of her life and her lies and life without her brother. This is a story about memory and loss and moving on, and how to let go and remember the good and bad about people you have lost. Its about choices and history and death, and I think Schwab deals with it all really well.
There were a couple of passages that really stuck out to me, and I think Schwab deals with the loss and death in a realistic way, and she shows how difficult it is to move on and how it affects your life. I definitely didn't want to put the book down in the last half, and although towards the end especially the answer was kind of obvious, I still really enjoyed the book.
Also, points to Schwab for telling a complete story here. There is definitely room for a series, and there is more to explore here, but instead of being annoyed at yet another cliffhanger, I feel satisfied with this ending, and I am just excited to see how else she can explore the Archive.
I definitely recommend this, especially if you are a fan of YA lit. There were some annoying word choices (UGH STOP WITH THE SECOND PERSON PLEASE AUTHORS NO NO NO), but other than that, I enjoyed the world Schwab created, and I definitely am excited to see more by this author.
Probably one of my favorite books I have read this year, and definitely my favorite YA book I have read in a while. Its an interesting concept, and it is executed well, and Mackenzie feels like a real character. She doesn't devolve into angst over boys or her life, and her difficulties and sadness seem real to me. I got really attached to her character, and I really related to a lot of what she experienced.
Mackenzie is 16, and she just moved, and she is having a hard time. Her younger brother Ben died a year ago, and she misses him. It carved a hole in her heart, and her family isn't functioning, and nothing is right. On top of that, she is a Keeper. A Keeper is someone who works with the Archive-a library of human memories. Every human gets put into the archive, and their memories make up a library. Sometimes they escape, and it is a Keeper's job to track them down and put them back where they belong.
Its a fascinating concept, and the author actually lets it live up to the potential. She thought through this, and instead of letting it get bogged down by YA tropes, she lets the concept and Mackenzie take center stage here. Yes, there are two romantic interests, but Mackenzie doesn't spend all her time ooohing and aaahhing over their perfect hair. It reminded me more of Unearthly, where it made sense why she would be attracted to each boy-because they represented different options. The real center of this story though is Mackenzie herself, as she struggles to make sense of her life and her lies and life without her brother. This is a story about memory and loss and moving on, and how to let go and remember the good and bad about people you have lost. Its about choices and history and death, and I think Schwab deals with it all really well.
There were a couple of passages that really stuck out to me, and I think Schwab deals with the loss and death in a realistic way, and she shows how difficult it is to move on and how it affects your life. I definitely didn't want to put the book down in the last half, and although towards the end especially the answer was kind of obvious, I still really enjoyed the book.
Also, points to Schwab for telling a complete story here. There is definitely room for a series, and there is more to explore here, but instead of being annoyed at yet another cliffhanger, I feel satisfied with this ending, and I am just excited to see how else she can explore the Archive.
I definitely recommend this, especially if you are a fan of YA lit. There were some annoying word choices (UGH STOP WITH THE SECOND PERSON PLEASE AUTHORS NO NO NO), but other than that, I enjoyed the world Schwab created, and I definitely am excited to see more by this author.