Take a photo of a barcode or cover
caitcoy 's review for:
The Archived
by V.E. Schwab
I love reading YA but unfortunately sometimes it seems like it's the same recycled storylines and characters over and over again. This is particularly true of the science fiction and fantasy genres. So when I find a young adult novel in those genres with an original premise and good writing, it makes me very excited. The Archived is one of those books.
The story centers on Mackenzie Bishop, a teenager who is struggling with finding her place after the death of her younger brother in a hit and run accident. Her family moves into an old hotel that has been converted into apartments. Mackenzie is a Keeper, which makes her responsible for making sure the dead stay asleep. In her secret world, once you die, you go to sleep in the Archive, where you are cataloged and shelved by Librarians and are known as a History. Histories are meant to sleep forever, but when they start waking up, Mackenzie must find out what is going on before everything crumbles around her. And she must struggle with the insidious thought that maybe she could have her brother back.
I loved the characters, especially the complexity of Mackenzie. Watching her struggle to find her place in a family still not over a tragedy and balancing her responsibilities as a Keeper with an attempt to appear normal to those who can't know about it was compelling and intense. The romantic aspect was well done and not overly dramatic as YA tends to be. It was pretty heart breaking to see her struggle to deal with her brother's death and the idea that he might be one of the ones who comes back to life. The world building done by Schwab was so interesting and original that it kept me compelled from the very beginning of the story. This is definitely one my list of favorite young adult science fiction and one I'd recommend to any teen or adult interested in that genre.
The story centers on Mackenzie Bishop, a teenager who is struggling with finding her place after the death of her younger brother in a hit and run accident. Her family moves into an old hotel that has been converted into apartments. Mackenzie is a Keeper, which makes her responsible for making sure the dead stay asleep. In her secret world, once you die, you go to sleep in the Archive, where you are cataloged and shelved by Librarians and are known as a History. Histories are meant to sleep forever, but when they start waking up, Mackenzie must find out what is going on before everything crumbles around her. And she must struggle with the insidious thought that maybe she could have her brother back.
I loved the characters, especially the complexity of Mackenzie. Watching her struggle to find her place in a family still not over a tragedy and balancing her responsibilities as a Keeper with an attempt to appear normal to those who can't know about it was compelling and intense. The romantic aspect was well done and not overly dramatic as YA tends to be. It was pretty heart breaking to see her struggle to deal with her brother's death and the idea that he might be one of the ones who comes back to life. The world building done by Schwab was so interesting and original that it kept me compelled from the very beginning of the story. This is definitely one my list of favorite young adult science fiction and one I'd recommend to any teen or adult interested in that genre.