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deerisms's review
4.0
Initially I became interested in Archivist Wasp because I liked the cover, but what I found inside was a breath of fresh air in the crowded post-apocalyptic genre. The world building was extremely well done, and I loved how complex the characters were, especially Wasp herself. She was flawed, bitter, yet still had compassion even though it was never rewarded. The plot was solid, the tiny twists were interesting with no romantic bullshit forced in either. Nicole Kornher-Stace has a unique voice, and I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for what else she does with it.
Spoiler
like this world actually being Earthbeefthedwarf's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Archivist Wasp - 4.21
Archivist Wasp is described as a genre blend, and I definitely agree. Post-apocalyptic fantasy and sci-fi meld together in an impactful exploration of grief, connection, and finding purpose in life. What happens when a futuristic supersoldier dies and finds himself wandering in an abstract, labyrinthine world of the dead? What happens when a thousand years later, he finds a way to talk to a human again — a ghost hunter, ghost killer, from the world that grew from the ashes of his own?
I picked up Archivist Wasp as a recommendation for its aro-ace. In text, without word of god, no one is explicitly described as aro or ace. Instead, it just doesn't come up at all. It is truly refreshing to not have romance hovering over the story, even to point out its absence. I never had to feel tense, wondering if the friendship and trust budding between our protags would become a hamfisted endgame relationship. From a technical perspective, this also meant that the author had to convince us the characters cared about each other without using attraction — and succeeded, obviously. You’d think more authors could do this, but… bleh.
For about 75% of the book, I felt like a lot of stuff was “just happening”, but it later culminated in a big character moment for Wasp. Events led to feelings rather than other events. The surreal, abstract nature of the spirit world could dazzle readers or befuddle them in equal measure — it really just depends how much you enjoy “vibes” and things not being outright explained.
Exhaustive Review (spoilers):
World/System/Premise
Engagement: 5
Worldbuilding: 3
The world of Archivist Wasp is immediately interesting. Kornher-Stace feeds us bits of Wasp’s post-apocalyptic world through casual mentions and imprecations against her world’s constellation-based pantheon. She replaces commonly known idioms and metaphors for Wasp’s world’s equivalents, consequently teaching us what those ideas mean in this setting.
However, I feel like there were a lot of things about the ghosts and spirit realm that didn’t feel very well explained. A lot of this can be handwaved by the “abstract labyrinth” style of afterlife, or the fact that there are more books in the NKS Cinematic Universe that may delve into this further. Allegedly, the third book in the AW series will deal more with the ghosts and how they came to be! (source: Reddit AMA). BUT, since the ghosts and the spirit realm had such a key role in the dramatic resolution of the story, AND since NKS kindof-sortof started explaining the origins of the harvesting knife but not really at the very very end, I took a few points off of Worldbuilding. There are better ways to leave things (as of yet) unexplained without making questions feel unanswered.
It’s absolutely not a deal-breaker, though. Archivist Wasp’s world is still wonderful..
Writing Style / Prose
Spelling / grammar / formatting: 5
Vocabulary and Sentence Structure: 3
Internal / External Dialogue: 5
Emotional Impact: 4
I hate that I have to rate traditionally published books for spelling, grammar, and format errors, but here we are. Archivist passed with flying colors. I’m sure this has to do with the book being 8 years old. The quality of books post-2020 is just… euch.
However, NKS’s disjointed and choppy writing voice (not bad on its own) had its own complications. I often felt myself getting lost in the page, my eyes glazing over, trying to make sense of what was happening on the page. The dramatic scene of the dead Archivist severing Wasp’s thread completely lost its impact on me because I couldn’t for the life of me parse the miles-long sentence describing it.
Overall, however, important scenes succeeded at feeling important, and I found myself misting up at the end.
Plot Flow
Pacing: 4
Scene Structure: 4
Plot vs. Character Impact: 3
Approach to Climax: 4
Due to the abstract nature of the spirit realm, and the unexplained origins and behavior of the ghosts and harvesting knife, the approach to the climax + the climax itself felt a bit like… things happening, for no reason. However! Due to the fact that there are other books in the NKS-CU that currently touch on or will touch on these topics in the future, I chose to be generous with my rating.
The Ending
Satisfaction: 4
Resolution of loose ends: 5
Again, due to the promise of answered questions in future books, I chose to be generous with my rating. I’ll treat most unanswered questions as future plot devices.
It was satisfying watching Wasp complete her journey not to escape, and not to prove herself, but because there was finally someone she cared about enough to fight for. The downfall of the Catchkeep-priest was also -chefs kiss-, even if it felt a bit too easy. A complete religious schism would have been a whole ‘nother book, though.
Characterization
Personality, Goals, and Motivations: 5
Interpersonal Relationships: 4.5
I rarely split these ratings in half, but I made an exception here. On a technical level, the interpersonal relationships were a 5. We have Foster and the ghost, which were a sublime example of platonic soulmates, and the budding trust and friendship between the ghost and Wasp. But I kept desperately wanting to see more about Wasp and her interactions with other upstarts! I wanted her to interact more with Becca, or have an interaction with the previous Archivist that wasn’t just an ambush.
I feel like each character was carefully, exquisitely crafted, their desires and behaviors well thought-out and distinct. I liked the methodical way the ghost found Wasp’s vulnerabilities and exploited them, and how it felt to figure that out. It’s very rewarding!
~Vibes~
Connection To Readers: 5
Originality: 4
The Itch™: 4
If you have a little voice in your head that constantly tells you that you’re a hopeless fuck up that ruins every good thing you ever try to do, then congrats! Wasp is you.
I am shaking NKS’s hand because — oh my god. I barely ever see accurate portrayals of self loathing in media. A lot of stories show a bad character being mean to our protag and that protag letting that get to them. Not that this never happens, but… in real life, it’s not always so linear. Wasp knows the Catchkeep-priest is a loathsome little hater who’s just saying things to put her down, so his words alone don’t get to her, but we see how his abuse affects her in other ways. She constantly doubts herself, puts herself down for mistakes before she even makes them, is prone to frustrated fits of anger where she insults herself over and over — these are the signs of a teenager who was never raised with kind words. A+ characterizations, and I’ll be billing you for my therapy, NKS.
While I didn’t feel like AW was mindblowingly original or worthy of brain worms status, it handled its genre and plot beats with skill. It avoided being tropey or predictable, and came across as very authentic.
Average Score: 4.21
There’s No Accounting For Taste!
The bonus round where I arbitrarily add or take away points based on my own personal preferences.
Pros:
Characters of color — +1 (sure, most of them die, but it IS a ghost story)
Accurate depiction of injuries — +1
A pantheon (I’m a slut for pantheons) — +1
NO ROMANCE (air horn) — +2
Cons:
Dead puppies — -1 (not at -2 because I get it I GET IT they were important for the parallels between them and the Latchkey children and the upstarts!! But did NKS really have to make that comment about the bag of stones?)
Remember how I said I was being generous not deducting points for certain things because they might be explained in other books? Well since this is my NAFT segment, I’m charging tax on those points I didn’t deduct. — -2
5 for, 3 against.
Archivist Wasp is described as a genre blend, and I definitely agree. Post-apocalyptic fantasy and sci-fi meld together in an impactful exploration of grief, connection, and finding purpose in life. What happens when a futuristic supersoldier dies and finds himself wandering in an abstract, labyrinthine world of the dead? What happens when a thousand years later, he finds a way to talk to a human again — a ghost hunter, ghost killer, from the world that grew from the ashes of his own?
I picked up Archivist Wasp as a recommendation for its aro-ace. In text, without word of god, no one is explicitly described as aro or ace. Instead, it just doesn't come up at all. It is truly refreshing to not have romance hovering over the story, even to point out its absence. I never had to feel tense, wondering if the friendship and trust budding between our protags would become a hamfisted endgame relationship. From a technical perspective, this also meant that the author had to convince us the characters cared about each other without using attraction — and succeeded, obviously. You’d think more authors could do this, but… bleh.
For about 75% of the book, I felt like a lot of stuff was “just happening”, but it later culminated in a big character moment for Wasp. Events led to feelings rather than other events. The surreal, abstract nature of the spirit world could dazzle readers or befuddle them in equal measure — it really just depends how much you enjoy “vibes” and things not being outright explained.
Exhaustive Review (spoilers):
Engagement: 5
Worldbuilding: 3
The world of Archivist Wasp is immediately interesting. Kornher-Stace feeds us bits of Wasp’s post-apocalyptic world through casual mentions and imprecations against her world’s constellation-based pantheon. She replaces commonly known idioms and metaphors for Wasp’s world’s equivalents, consequently teaching us what those ideas mean in this setting.
However, I feel like there were a lot of things about the ghosts and spirit realm that didn’t feel very well explained. A lot of this can be handwaved by the “abstract labyrinth” style of afterlife, or the fact that there are more books in the NKS Cinematic Universe that may delve into this further. Allegedly, the third book in the AW series will deal more with the ghosts and how they came to be! (source: Reddit AMA). BUT, since the ghosts and the spirit realm had such a key role in the dramatic resolution of the story, AND since NKS kindof-sortof started explaining the origins of the harvesting knife but not really at the very very end, I took a few points off of Worldbuilding. There are better ways to leave things (as of yet) unexplained without making questions feel unanswered.
It’s absolutely not a deal-breaker, though. Archivist Wasp’s world is still wonderful..
Writing Style / Prose
Spelling / grammar / formatting: 5
Vocabulary and Sentence Structure: 3
Internal / External Dialogue: 5
Emotional Impact: 4
I hate that I have to rate traditionally published books for spelling, grammar, and format errors, but here we are. Archivist passed with flying colors. I’m sure this has to do with the book being 8 years old. The quality of books post-2020 is just… euch.
However, NKS’s disjointed and choppy writing voice (not bad on its own) had its own complications. I often felt myself getting lost in the page, my eyes glazing over, trying to make sense of what was happening on the page. The dramatic scene of the dead Archivist severing Wasp’s thread completely lost its impact on me because I couldn’t for the life of me parse the miles-long sentence describing it.
Overall, however, important scenes succeeded at feeling important, and I found myself misting up at the end.
Plot Flow
Pacing: 4
Scene Structure: 4
Plot vs. Character Impact: 3
Approach to Climax: 4
Due to the abstract nature of the spirit realm, and the unexplained origins and behavior of the ghosts and harvesting knife, the approach to the climax + the climax itself felt a bit like… things happening, for no reason. However! Due to the fact that there are other books in the NKS-CU that currently touch on or will touch on these topics in the future, I chose to be generous with my rating.
The Ending
Satisfaction: 4
Resolution of loose ends: 5
Again, due to the promise of answered questions in future books, I chose to be generous with my rating. I’ll treat most unanswered questions as future plot devices.
It was satisfying watching Wasp complete her journey not to escape, and not to prove herself, but because there was finally someone she cared about enough to fight for. The downfall of the Catchkeep-priest was also -chefs kiss-, even if it felt a bit too easy. A complete religious schism would have been a whole ‘nother book, though.
Characterization
Personality, Goals, and Motivations: 5
Interpersonal Relationships: 4.5
I rarely split these ratings in half, but I made an exception here. On a technical level, the interpersonal relationships were a 5. We have Foster and the ghost, which were a sublime example of platonic soulmates, and the budding trust and friendship between the ghost and Wasp. But I kept desperately wanting to see more about Wasp and her interactions with other upstarts! I wanted her to interact more with Becca, or have an interaction with the previous Archivist that wasn’t just an ambush.
I feel like each character was carefully, exquisitely crafted, their desires and behaviors well thought-out and distinct. I liked the methodical way the ghost found Wasp’s vulnerabilities and exploited them, and how it felt to figure that out. It’s very rewarding!
~Vibes~
Connection To Readers: 5
Originality: 4
The Itch™: 4
If you have a little voice in your head that constantly tells you that you’re a hopeless fuck up that ruins every good thing you ever try to do, then congrats! Wasp is you.
I am shaking NKS’s hand because — oh my god. I barely ever see accurate portrayals of self loathing in media. A lot of stories show a bad character being mean to our protag and that protag letting that get to them. Not that this never happens, but… in real life, it’s not always so linear. Wasp knows the Catchkeep-priest is a loathsome little hater who’s just saying things to put her down, so his words alone don’t get to her, but we see how his abuse affects her in other ways. She constantly doubts herself, puts herself down for mistakes before she even makes them, is prone to frustrated fits of anger where she insults herself over and over — these are the signs of a teenager who was never raised with kind words. A+ characterizations, and I’ll be billing you for my therapy, NKS.
While I didn’t feel like AW was mindblowingly original or worthy of brain worms status, it handled its genre and plot beats with skill. It avoided being tropey or predictable, and came across as very authentic.
Average Score: 4.21
There’s No Accounting For Taste!
The bonus round where I arbitrarily add or take away points based on my own personal preferences.
Pros:
Characters of color — +1 (sure, most of them die, but it IS a ghost story)
Accurate depiction of injuries — +1
A pantheon (I’m a slut for pantheons) — +1
NO ROMANCE (air horn) — +2
Cons:
Dead puppies — -1 (not at -2 because I get it I GET IT they were important for the parallels between them and the Latchkey children and the upstarts!! But did NKS really have to make that comment about the bag of stones?)
Remember how I said I was being generous not deducting points for certain things because they might be explained in other books? Well since this is my NAFT segment, I’m charging tax on those points I didn’t deduct. — -2
5 for, 3 against.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Animal death, Physical abuse, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Child death
Moderate: Abandonment, Gaslighting, and Animal cruelty
dexi's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
gmont's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
el_reads17's review against another edition
4.0
3.75 stars
Archivist Wasp is an ambitious genre-bending novel about self-discovery, love, and loss. It follows Wasp on her quest through the underworld to help a ghost find his partner. I didn't quite love it but I liked the characters and journey that they went on.
First, Wasp is a character you can really root for... A lonely but tough girl who is questioning her role in life. Her development throughout is beautiful. She's the heart of this book. Her journey companion, the ghost, is a mystery that slowly unravels. One of the highlights of the book is how their friendship develops from a reluctant agreement to trusting alliance.
I also enjoyed the underworld setting. Its surrealism is really well done. I liked how nothing was as it seemed. I had to go back and reread some parts because of its dreamlike quality, and I mean that in a good way. Underworlds shouldn't be straightforward!
The plot and pacing is where I had some trouble. I liked the journey a lot but it was really uneven. I found myself skimming in some parts. I also liked the general ideas of memory and relationships. But emphasis wasn't placed on the right parts... For example, Wasp trying to remembershould have been one of the most important scenes but it didn't feel like it. The story also felt weaker around the flashback scenes. I didn't like the connection between because it tied things up too neatly. I would have preferred the ghost's story to remain just as it is, without some grand reveal.
In my earlier update, I mentioned that Archivist Wasp reminded me of The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin and it still does. Both have characters who are equally needed and feared for their powers, mistreated by the people who put them in special positions, and find out what they were conditioned to believe in isn't the whole truth. Wasp's journey just has more closure.
Overall, Archivist Wasp doesn't quite reach what it aims for, but still has compelling character growth and an interesting world that's worth a read! Recommended if you're looking for something a little different.
Side note: what a beautiful cover!
Archivist Wasp is an ambitious genre-bending novel about self-discovery, love, and loss. It follows Wasp on her quest through the underworld to help a ghost find his partner. I didn't quite love it but I liked the characters and journey that they went on.
First, Wasp is a character you can really root for... A lonely but tough girl who is questioning her role in life. Her development throughout is beautiful. She's the heart of this book. Her journey companion, the ghost, is a mystery that slowly unravels. One of the highlights of the book is how their friendship develops from a reluctant agreement to trusting alliance.
I also enjoyed the underworld setting. Its surrealism is really well done. I liked how nothing was as it seemed. I had to go back and reread some parts because of its dreamlike quality, and I mean that in a good way. Underworlds shouldn't be straightforward!
The plot and pacing is where I had some trouble. I liked the journey a lot but it was really uneven. I found myself skimming in some parts. I also liked the general ideas of memory and relationships. But emphasis wasn't placed on the right parts... For example, Wasp trying to remember
Spoiler
her nameSpoiler
Latchkey and the first ArchivistIn my earlier update, I mentioned that Archivist Wasp reminded me of The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin and it still does. Both have characters who are equally needed and feared for their powers, mistreated by the people who put them in special positions, and find out what they were conditioned to believe in isn't the whole truth. Wasp's journey just has more closure.
Overall, Archivist Wasp doesn't quite reach what it aims for, but still has compelling character growth and an interesting world that's worth a read! Recommended if you're looking for something a little different.
Side note: what a beautiful cover!
marigale's review
4.0
I enjoyed this. I know it's a coming of age story, but I do wish the ending had been a little more detailed.
mcf's review
4.0
Pleasingly dark and uncompromising, and without a whiff of love story between the two main characters. Hooray! Plus, the women in it are strong as hell, and the final confrontation is, in some ways, primarily a declaration and claiming of female power, without it being cheapened by cliches or facile language. That said, the parallels between the Latchkey kids and the Archivists were way too on the nose for me from the moment they emerged, and I was frustrated by how heavy-handed they were in a book that is otherwise impressive subtle and complex (as with that final confrontation).
glitterkitter's review
5.0
Thoughts on a reread (non audio): I have no idea why I had this marked as only 3 stars before, because I remember loving it and I'm giving this five stars this time because I really want to start rec'ing it to so many people.
It's a (probably) post apocalyptic world, and a really interesting one not like anything I'd seen before. It doesn't really give any explanations for why the world is the way it is now, and despite being really really curious about it, it's not frustrating to not get answers. The story itself is a self-contained one in this world and it's clear that delving into parts of the wider world would only be a unnecessary distraction to the main story.
It's a (probably) post apocalyptic world, and a really interesting one not like anything I'd seen before. It doesn't really give any explanations for why the world is the way it is now, and despite being really really curious about it, it's not frustrating to not get answers. The story itself is a self-contained one in this world and it's clear that delving into parts of the wider world would only be a unnecessary distraction to the main story.