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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
If you enjoyed the TV series The Lost Room or Philip K Dick story and film adaptation The Adjustment Bureau, you will ADORE this.
The Archived centres around a teenage girl named Mackenzie who lives a double life where she returns the dead. When you die, a copy of your body and its history is sent to an Archive to rest, and these copies are called Histories. Except sometimes these Histories don’t stay down. Mackenzie is tasked with finding Histories who’ve woken up and gone AWOL, returning them to the Archive where they can be filed away and put to sleep once again. Unfortunately for Mackenzie, something is going catastrophically wrong with the Histories in her territory and the Archive is about to come crashing down.
Much like Schwab’s Monsters of Verity series, this is a concept that shouldn’t work and yet totally does. The Archived has such a bizarre mythology; reminiscent of The Lost Room, The Adjustment Bureau and Hades’ halls of the dead in Greek mythology, and yet it reads as totally unique. It gave me fantastical doorways to the unknown, a mysterious library full of secrets, a parallel world alongside our own, and a gripping storyline of an unknown force threatening to destroy it all. AKA ALL MY FAVOURITE THINGS.
Victoria Schwab has such an incredible, immersive, atmospheric quality to her writing. Everytime Mackenzie ventured in and out of The Narrows I could practically see the lighting change, shifting from the dusty bright Coronado Hotel to the dim, blue veil of The Narrows. I could feel the quiet of the Narrows and how it differed from the quiet of the Coronado, peppered with the odd creaky floorboard or noise of cars outside on the street. I could feel the physical jumps and starts Mackenzie had when exposed to someone’s touch, unable to drown out the noise inside her head. It’s so rare for me to completely lose myself in a book this way, I’d almost forgot it was possible.
The conflict was perfectly paced and you can feel the tension ramping up to eleven, almost as if a Tarantino score is playing in the background with violin strings winding tighter and tighter until they threaten to snap. I had guessed a couple of the big reveals,but the way in which it all unfolded was unexpected and had me stressed and physically gripping my book, desperately thumbing through the pages to find out how it all ends.
Put simply: Victoria Schwab fucking NAILED this.
I only have one minor criticism of this story, and that's the way Schwab uses technology and family/friends. In a lot of these stories where characters life a double life and have one foot in the paranormal world, they have absent family and friends and often aren't good with phones or computers. This enables them to pursue their paranormal missions without having family and friends actively worrying about them, and the author doesn't have to deal with someone's Facebook notifications pinging in the middle of a fight. I always feel as if the no-tech protag with no friends/parents is a cheap literary device and almost makes the characters less relatable for me. Sure, Mackenzie did have instances where she had to lie to her parents about her whereabouts, but I just want something more realistic from teenage protagonists in modern books.
Overall: Schwab’s worldbuilding and mythology is incredible, she creates concepts and universes that shouldn’t work and yet absolutely suck you in. She has such an immersive, atmospheric quality to her writing that made me feel as if I were physically travelling The Narrows with our protagonist, and once the mystery started to ramp up it was unputdownable. I am so glad I picked this up, and yet so emo to learn that the series may never be completed!
The Archived centres around a teenage girl named Mackenzie who lives a double life where she returns the dead. When you die, a copy of your body and its history is sent to an Archive to rest, and these copies are called Histories. Except sometimes these Histories don’t stay down. Mackenzie is tasked with finding Histories who’ve woken up and gone AWOL, returning them to the Archive where they can be filed away and put to sleep once again. Unfortunately for Mackenzie, something is going catastrophically wrong with the Histories in her territory and the Archive is about to come crashing down.
Much like Schwab’s Monsters of Verity series, this is a concept that shouldn’t work and yet totally does. The Archived has such a bizarre mythology; reminiscent of The Lost Room, The Adjustment Bureau and Hades’ halls of the dead in Greek mythology, and yet it reads as totally unique. It gave me fantastical doorways to the unknown, a mysterious library full of secrets, a parallel world alongside our own, and a gripping storyline of an unknown force threatening to destroy it all. AKA ALL MY FAVOURITE THINGS.
Victoria Schwab has such an incredible, immersive, atmospheric quality to her writing. Everytime Mackenzie ventured in and out of The Narrows I could practically see the lighting change, shifting from the dusty bright Coronado Hotel to the dim, blue veil of The Narrows. I could feel the quiet of the Narrows and how it differed from the quiet of the Coronado, peppered with the odd creaky floorboard or noise of cars outside on the street. I could feel the physical jumps and starts Mackenzie had when exposed to someone’s touch, unable to drown out the noise inside her head. It’s so rare for me to completely lose myself in a book this way, I’d almost forgot it was possible.
The conflict was perfectly paced and you can feel the tension ramping up to eleven, almost as if a Tarantino score is playing in the background with violin strings winding tighter and tighter until they threaten to snap. I had guessed a couple of the big reveals,but the way in which it all unfolded was unexpected and had me stressed and physically gripping my book, desperately thumbing through the pages to find out how it all ends.
Put simply: Victoria Schwab fucking NAILED this.
I only have one minor criticism of this story, and that's the way Schwab uses technology and family/friends. In a lot of these stories where characters life a double life and have one foot in the paranormal world, they have absent family and friends and often aren't good with phones or computers. This enables them to pursue their paranormal missions without having family and friends actively worrying about them, and the author doesn't have to deal with someone's Facebook notifications pinging in the middle of a fight. I always feel as if the no-tech protag with no friends/parents is a cheap literary device and almost makes the characters less relatable for me. Sure, Mackenzie did have instances where she had to lie to her parents about her whereabouts, but I just want something more realistic from teenage protagonists in modern books.
Overall: Schwab’s worldbuilding and mythology is incredible, she creates concepts and universes that shouldn’t work and yet absolutely suck you in. She has such an immersive, atmospheric quality to her writing that made me feel as if I were physically travelling The Narrows with our protagonist, and once the mystery started to ramp up it was unputdownable. I am so glad I picked this up, and yet so emo to learn that the series may never be completed!
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sim, aparentemente eu sou uma das poucas almas que não conseguiu gostar desse livro. Ele começou MUITO bem, a história estava absurdamente interessante, estava adorando o clima sombrio. Até que começou a ficar tão maçante, a protagonista tão idiota, foi uma queda livre e admito ter pulado páginas em vários momentos. Realmente não foi pra mim.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Těžké rozhodování, nakonec cca 3,5/5. Fakt příjemné překvapení!
http://bit.ly/Archiv_recenze
http://bit.ly/Archiv_recenze
El Archivo es la primera parte de una bilogía en la que tenemos a Mackenzie, una niña a la que le fue heredado un gran misión: regresar al archivo recuerdos de personas muertas que han escapado.
En general creo que la historia es interesante, es un mundo en el cual nos muestran que después de morir, los recuerdos de las personas van al Archivo, donde se les contiene y archivan.
Sin embargo Mackenzie se tendrá que enfrentar a una fuga masiva de estos recuerdos, así que tendrá que encontrar quien esta detrás de estas anomalías, mientras ella misma lucha por superar la muerte de un ser querido.
Mientras tanto, Mackenzie encontrará también una fuerte relación de los eventos sucedidos en el archivo y el edificio en el que ahora vive. Por lo que resolver el misterio y encontrar respuestas será imprescindible si quiere que su trabajo siga siendo un secreto.
A lo largo de la historia no solo tendremos los sucesos que Mackenzie pasa, sino que también tendremos pequeños vistazos al pasado sobre su niñez y la forma en como ella fue entrenada para ser una de los guardianes del Archivo.
Como lo dije, el archivo es un libro interesante, aunque desde mi punto de vista no es tan emocionante como otros de los libros de Victoria Schwab, pero cumple con entretenerte. Es un libro corto y fácil de leer. Podría decir que tiene un poco de thriller o suspenso, así que creo que pasarás un muy buen rato con esta lectura
En general creo que la historia es interesante, es un mundo en el cual nos muestran que después de morir, los recuerdos de las personas van al Archivo, donde se les contiene y archivan.
Sin embargo Mackenzie se tendrá que enfrentar a una fuga masiva de estos recuerdos, así que tendrá que encontrar quien esta detrás de estas anomalías, mientras ella misma lucha por superar la muerte de un ser querido.
Mientras tanto, Mackenzie encontrará también una fuerte relación de los eventos sucedidos en el archivo y el edificio en el que ahora vive. Por lo que resolver el misterio y encontrar respuestas será imprescindible si quiere que su trabajo siga siendo un secreto.
A lo largo de la historia no solo tendremos los sucesos que Mackenzie pasa, sino que también tendremos pequeños vistazos al pasado sobre su niñez y la forma en como ella fue entrenada para ser una de los guardianes del Archivo.
Como lo dije, el archivo es un libro interesante, aunque desde mi punto de vista no es tan emocionante como otros de los libros de Victoria Schwab, pero cumple con entretenerte. Es un libro corto y fácil de leer. Podría decir que tiene un poco de thriller o suspenso, así que creo que pasarás un muy buen rato con esta lectura
I really enjoyed this book. The concept is so unique and different. It did get a bit confusing with all the roles and places within this new world, but soon it got interesting again. I really liked Mackenzie Bishop. She was trying to find out a way to see her brother, Ben. Also, I really loved Da. I loved the way he treated Mackenzie.
He truly believed in her. Also, I really loved Wesley. I really liked Roland. I did like Owen, but the ending made me dislike him. I am really surprised by the book. I wasn't expecting to like it so much, but it totally worth the read. Overall, a great read.
He truly believed in her. Also, I really loved Wesley. I really liked Roland. I did like Owen, but the ending made me dislike him. I am really surprised by the book. I wasn't expecting to like it so much, but it totally worth the read. Overall, a great read.
I went into this book not really sure what to expect cause I haven't heard that much about it but I was pleasantly surprised.
The Characters
Mackenzie
This is one of the few female character's I did not ever get frustrated with and I just loved being inside her head. I loved how she described everything, her feelings and family and what she was going trough. She was very relatable for me, because she's a teenager and she has all these teenager feelings and her emotions were very strong.
The fact that she had to deal with the loss of her brother and then her parents acting like nothing was going on and on top of everything dealing with a secret world she couldn't tell anyone about until Wes came along. You could see it was very tough for her and I think if she wasn't so lonely she wouldn't have believed Owen as fast as she did but in the scenes with him you could see that she was alone and so was he so she took a shot even though it didn't really end well for them.
Wes
He was such a good friend/possible love interest in this book because he's a tad bit different and you could see he's much more comfortable with himself than Mac is. Also I loved their relationship how it built up and how he taught her things and visa versa. I knew he was a Keeper because the way he was kind of drawn to her revealed it.
His personality was great and I loved his confidence, the fact that he wore eyeliner with pride and was always cracking jokes and the way he spoke to Mac or to her parents. But I also really enjoyed when he softened up and got a bit sentimental cause that really set Wes for me.
Roland
I loved Roland's "big brother" character in this book. The fact that they showed from the beginning how he was standing up for Mackenzie and looking out for her no matter what mistakes she might've made. They have a very beautiful relationship, in the sense that they have to look out for each other, otherwise both of them will crumble.
He knew what the risks were but he still stood by Mac till the end and even though not everything he did was perfect he was a great friend
Owen
I always knew there was something off about him, basically cause of the obvious fact that he is the only History who doesn't slip. I didn't know if he was the bad guy or not cause the mystery and story was so tangled up it really could've gone both ways. But I liked how the mystery unraveled. The whole little fragments of his sister's stories and the desperation of wanting to bring her back no matter what the costs was painfully beautiful. What he did obviously wasn't right but I do understand him and why he did what he did. In the beginning I truly believed that he was good but as we went along I honestly started questioning everyone.
The World
I really enjoyed the whole Archive world and the explanation about Histories and Reading people and walls, it was very interesting and it had a hint of reality to it cause everyone has their own history, except in this book its explained in a more fantasy kind of way which I really really loved.
I really liked that the mundane world took place in a hotel that was converted into apartments, it kind of reminded me of suit life of zack and cody and all the different rooms and people living there. the mysteries and the little fragments of stories from Regina being hidden was a fantastic aspect and I truly enjoyed it.
I definitely recommend this book because its not too fantasy if you don't like fantasy, it has a nice balance and the characters and the way the story unfolds is just amazing
The Characters
Mackenzie
This is one of the few female character's I did not ever get frustrated with and I just loved being inside her head. I loved how she described everything, her feelings and family and what she was going trough. She was very relatable for me, because she's a teenager and she has all these teenager feelings and her emotions were very strong.
The fact that she had to deal with the loss of her brother and then her parents acting like nothing was going on and on top of everything dealing with a secret world she couldn't tell anyone about until Wes came along. You could see it was very tough for her and I think if she wasn't so lonely she wouldn't have believed Owen as fast as she did but in the scenes with him you could see that she was alone and so was he so she took a shot even though it didn't really end well for them.
Wes
He was such a good friend/possible love interest in this book because he's a tad bit different and you could see he's much more comfortable with himself than Mac is. Also I loved their relationship how it built up and how he taught her things and visa versa. I knew he was a Keeper because the way he was kind of drawn to her revealed it.
His personality was great and I loved his confidence, the fact that he wore eyeliner with pride and was always cracking jokes and the way he spoke to Mac or to her parents. But I also really enjoyed when he softened up and got a bit sentimental cause that really set Wes for me.
Roland
I loved Roland's "big brother" character in this book. The fact that they showed from the beginning how he was standing up for Mackenzie and looking out for her no matter what mistakes she might've made. They have a very beautiful relationship, in the sense that they have to look out for each other, otherwise both of them will crumble.
He knew what the risks were but he still stood by Mac till the end and even though not everything he did was perfect he was a great friend
Owen
I always knew there was something off about him, basically cause of the obvious fact that he is the only History who doesn't slip. I didn't know if he was the bad guy or not cause the mystery and story was so tangled up it really could've gone both ways. But I liked how the mystery unraveled. The whole little fragments of his sister's stories and the desperation of wanting to bring her back no matter what the costs was painfully beautiful. What he did obviously wasn't right but I do understand him and why he did what he did. In the beginning I truly believed that he was good but as we went along I honestly started questioning everyone.
The World
I really enjoyed the whole Archive world and the explanation about Histories and Reading people and walls, it was very interesting and it had a hint of reality to it cause everyone has their own history, except in this book its explained in a more fantasy kind of way which I really really loved.
I really liked that the mundane world took place in a hotel that was converted into apartments, it kind of reminded me of suit life of zack and cody and all the different rooms and people living there. the mysteries and the little fragments of stories from Regina being hidden was a fantastic aspect and I truly enjoyed it.
I definitely recommend this book because its not too fantasy if you don't like fantasy, it has a nice balance and the characters and the way the story unfolds is just amazing
Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.
In this story the dead are called Histories and their bodies rest in a place called The Archive. Each body has a story to tell, and only the archive librarians can read them. Recruited by her grandfather, Mackenzie Bishop has been been working for The Archive for just four years. The Archive is a secret place that not many people know about so Mac has kept it a secret from the rest of her family just as her grandfather did. After her grandfather dies, Mac becomes a Keeper. When Mac discovers someone is deliberately altering Histories and erasing essential chapters she sets out to find out who is doing it and why.
The Archived is kind of like Warehouse 13 with dead bodies. The bodies are copies of dead people that contain the history of those people. Or picture a library with stacks of morgue type drawers containing these bodies instead of books. Sometimes these bodies wake up and escape and it's the Keeper's job to return them to the archive. The younger the body, or the more recent the history, the more restless they are and the more prone to waking up they are. The older the history the deeper asleep they are. Most of the time the older histories do not wake up. I liked that the older histories were asleep and kind of forgotten; a lot like real history is to a lot of people. How many times do we really think about things that happened a long time ago? Mostly we think about more recent events.
I thought this was a pretty original idea. I liked the character Mac and I also liked Wesley, even if I could have done without the guyliner. Yes, he wears guyliner. The biggest weakness of the book to me is that there is no real reason given for why the archive exists, other than it's the Keeper's job to protect the histories. It's kept a secret from everyone but the people who work in it or for it, so who really uses it and why are all of those histories stored there? It just kind of seems to exist for no reason. Despite that I enjoyed reading this so I am planning on reading the next book. Maybe the reason the archive exists will be explained in it.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader
In this story the dead are called Histories and their bodies rest in a place called The Archive. Each body has a story to tell, and only the archive librarians can read them. Recruited by her grandfather, Mackenzie Bishop has been been working for The Archive for just four years. The Archive is a secret place that not many people know about so Mac has kept it a secret from the rest of her family just as her grandfather did. After her grandfather dies, Mac becomes a Keeper. When Mac discovers someone is deliberately altering Histories and erasing essential chapters she sets out to find out who is doing it and why.
The Archived is kind of like Warehouse 13 with dead bodies. The bodies are copies of dead people that contain the history of those people. Or picture a library with stacks of morgue type drawers containing these bodies instead of books. Sometimes these bodies wake up and escape and it's the Keeper's job to return them to the archive. The younger the body, or the more recent the history, the more restless they are and the more prone to waking up they are. The older the history the deeper asleep they are. Most of the time the older histories do not wake up. I liked that the older histories were asleep and kind of forgotten; a lot like real history is to a lot of people. How many times do we really think about things that happened a long time ago? Mostly we think about more recent events.
I thought this was a pretty original idea. I liked the character Mac and I also liked Wesley, even if I could have done without the guyliner. Yes, he wears guyliner. The biggest weakness of the book to me is that there is no real reason given for why the archive exists, other than it's the Keeper's job to protect the histories. It's kept a secret from everyone but the people who work in it or for it, so who really uses it and why are all of those histories stored there? It just kind of seems to exist for no reason. Despite that I enjoyed reading this so I am planning on reading the next book. Maybe the reason the archive exists will be explained in it.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader