Throwback Thursday is a weekly feature & linkup here at I Heart YA Fiction
where we will be reviewing older releases and/or books that have
been on our shelves for awhile. Feel free to participate by reading from
the bottom of your shelf and adding links to your reviews of
older titles! We would love to read your Throwback
Reviews!
This week's feature?
Release Date: January 22, 2013
Publisher: Hyperion
Pages: 328
Source: Purchased
Pages: 328
Source: Purchased
ISBN-10:
1423157311
Rating: 5 Hearts
Book Description
"Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.
Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.
Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what she once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often—violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.
Being a Keeper isn’t just dangerous—it’s a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da’s death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.
In this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit, unbearable loss and hard-won redemption."
Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.
Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what she once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often—violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.
Being a Keeper isn’t just dangerous—it’s a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da’s death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.
In this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit, unbearable loss and hard-won redemption."
Review
Short and Sweet:
I am completely blown away by this book's awesomeness. There's so much great action that it was hard to put down!
To Elaborate...
Mac is a Keeper, someone who works to keep Histories where they belong in the Archive, a place where the dead are categorized and kept. Since her family moved to a historical hotel after her brother's death, more and more Histories have gotten loose, enough to make Mac suspect maybe someone in the Archive is helping them. She has to figure out exactly what's going on before chaos is unleashed everywhere.
I had heard so many good things about Victoria Schwab's books that I was so happy to finally pick up a copy of The Archived and read it. It absolutely lived up to the wonderful expectations I had. Schwab's writing is perfectly unique and full of insanely beautiful descriptions. There's a kind of mesmerizing and smooth quality to the writing that had me constantly turning the pages and not realizing just how lost I was getting in the story.
The Histories and the Archive were a little confusing at first, but mainly because I haven't read anything like it before. Mac lives in our modern world, but she has the task of working with the Archive to keep Histories in their place and out of the Narrows, or her own world. Histories are kind of like dead people but it's more they just have their human body shape while there actually 'filling' is their history and memories, their 'records' of their life. That probably sounds confusing, but it makes total sense once you really get into the story, and it's completely fascinating.
There is a touching romance/friendship with Wes going on, and I love how Schwab does it. The romance isn't a big focus at all, but there are some warm and fuzzy swoons that give it the perfect dose of potential shipping. I know that as much as I love a strong romance, I often find myself wishing for something that might have romance, but focuses majorly on something else like the action or mystery, and The Archived does exactly that.
Overall, this is such a beautiful and gorgeous read. I need to buy the sequel as soon as possible. I definitely recommend this one!
5 Hearts!!
Yay, so glad you loved this book!!! And the sequel is even better, if that's possible. Mac and Wes!!!!! You get to know a lot more about Wes in the next book. We have to show love and support because my understanding is that there won't be any more books after the second one unless more people buy the books. There's no cliffhanger or anything, the story wraps up, but I love this world so much and there's so much more story left to tell with these characters. Great review! ~Pam
ReplyDeleteThis has been on my TBR for a while. I think when I first wanted to read it, my library didn't have a copy, so it's just been sitting there. Maybe soon...
ReplyDeleteI don't know why I'm dragging my heels with this series. Especially since I adore Victoria's writing so much. I'm definitely dusting off my copy soon. :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, I've been trying to keep up on what the plans are for a third book. I think the most recent thing I saw was that there will be a 3rd book in some form, but it might not be for a while and whether or not it will be self published or published by a house is up in the air. Either way, I'm ridiculously excited to get a hold of the sequel, especially if it's even better. :)
ReplyDeleteI hope your library gets it! It's a really phenomenal story. :)
ReplyDeleteYay! Yeah, I heard so many good things about this series way before I read it, and I really wish I would've picked it up sooner.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I have to toe the line of creepy very cautiously, but I was very pleased with this one. :) It was weird enough to be a little mind twisty, but far from horror.
ReplyDeleteI think you will really like it! I've heard there is more romance in the sequel, but it's probably the farthest back burner in this one. Lots of things take high precedence before it.
ReplyDeleteOh Good! I haven't read any horror story yet and I don't think it would have settled well with me :P
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my most favoritest series EVAR! I really hope she gets to publish book three!
ReplyDeleteWow, I've heard really good things about this one and your 5 of 5 stars review means I really need to move this one up on the TBR list!
ReplyDeleteAnd very little romance? Sign me up for this one!
Thank you for your review, Samantha!