The Archived by Victoria Schwab

The Archived by Victoria Schwab
The Archived #1
Release Date: January 22, 2013
Publisher: Hyperion
Source: Borrowed
Goodreads Stars: 4
Rating: Enjoyable

Buy the Book: Amazon UK

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 he 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. - Goodreads

There's been so much hype surrounding this one! I had been dying to read it ever since it was released, because it felt like every single blogger was talking about it. People still are talking about it, and it's been two months! So because of all that hype, I was excited, and my expectations for this were through the roof. I can honestly say that I did enjoy this book, but it wasn't as great as everyone had led me to believe.

The main draw of the book for me was the interesting world that Schwab has created here. I loved the idea of the Outer, the Narrows, the Archive, and everything else that came with it. It was dark, intriguing, and intense. I can't wait to learn more about it in the sequel, because there are so many secrets and lies and things. I'm sure the world is going to expand even more!

I really liked Mac, the main character, and her struggles. She was still trying to deal with losing her younger brother, and I loved that this was a main theme throughout the book. I hope it comes into play in the sequel as well. I think a lo of YA tends to skip over the theme of family, and how important it is to teenagers, so when I found out that the loss of a loved one was a big deal in this, I was thrilled.

Wesley is the love interest, and he's all right. There was some build up there before they became more romantically involved, which was nice, but I can't say that I adored them together. I think I like them more as friends, since they had a more platonic chemistry in my opinion.

I adored Roland, who is one of the Librarians. He has the potential to become a kind of stand-in for Mac's grandfather, and I hope the relationship between he and Mac continues to grow throughout the series. Mac could really use someone like Roland to help her, especially as she can't tell her parents about her role as a Keeper.

The twist at the end was interesting, and I definitely didn't see it coming! The hints were really well placed, and I loved that the reader - and Mac - was sent on a bit of a treasure hunt. You'll understand when you read it.

Overall The Archived was a really interesting book, but I wouldn't say it's anything outstanding. I am very excited for the sequel, though!