The Archived (Archived, #1)

by Victoria Schwab

"When an otherworldly library called the Archive is compromised from within, sixteen-year-old Mackenzie Bishop must prevent violent, ghost-like Histories from escaping into our world"--

• ISBN10: 1423157311
• ISBN13: 9781423157311
• Publish Date: 22 January 2013
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Hyperion Books for Children
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[Berls]

4.5 stars

Whew! So I was racing to finish this in time to for my May #TBRL review and I barely made it. But it wasn't hard to read it every chance I had because it was SO GOOD. Victoria Schwab (also VE Schwab) has a perfect record for me and I look forward to reading more!

As with her other books, The Archived has two major strengths: Engaging characters and a fascinating world.

MacKenzie is a 16 year old who's been carrying more than most adults could, for four years. She has a very important, very secretive job as a Keeper. On top of that, she's reeling from a huge loss - her little brother was killed not long ago. The pain that she and her family are trying to move on from was a real, tangible thing in this book. And her job has taught her to isolate herself -- the worst possible thing to be feeling when trying to recover from that sort of loss. MacKenzie is the only character you get to know deeply, with this being first person. But what you get to know of the others is enough to make you care for them - her parents, her grandfather - Da (he's also passed, but most chapters are punctuated with glimpses of memories with him), Wes (another Keeper), Roland, etc.

The world is... wow. How does she come up with these worlds? This is a world that answers the question of what happens when you die, in the most marvelous, unexpected and fascinating way. It's a bit brutal because of MacKenzie's job, but there's a beauty to it as well. Thsere's an undercurrent of sadness in the entire book, for me at least, because of the way death (and often of the very young) is a constant. But there's also a great mystery, cool abilities, action, and a tinge of romance.

Because I was trying to hurry and finish, I ended up picking up the audiobook version from the library and when I couldn't read I listened. The narrator, Piper Goodeve, was brand new to me but I enjoyed her narration quite a bit. I probably will continue with the series in audio, simply because I read so much faster that way and I am eager to continue.

[alindstadtcorbeax]

Star Rating: —> 4.5 Stars

RTC! So happy I finally got around to reading this!

[Nessa Luna]

Even though it took me almost two weeks to finish the book (due to me feeling a bit 'meh' throughout this month) I feel like I flew through this book. The premise was super interesting and I loved Mac as a character. By the time I got to the end, I was absolutely sucked into the story and I stayed up super late to finish the book. I'm happy I bought the bind-up of the series so I can continue reading the sequel asap (hopefully next month).

[Jack]

Wanted something "easy" to read before bed to wind down with after working all day. I enjoyed this before and now that the second book has been out for a long while I figured I'd read them both. I remember the world building was pretty cool and the prose is well done.



~Original Review~
Meh 3.5 stars. Loved it at first, then got bored of it. The ending was a cop out...Everything was resolved far to quickly. Specially the 'final battle'.

[Stephanie]

Waffling between a 3 and a 4 with this one, but either way, I liked it. For some reason, it was a little tough to get through in parts and I can't put my finger on exactly why. Maybe someone else can enlighten me.

[Linda]

The last 40% of The Archived is absolutely fantastic! And the worldbuilding was good from the start, but it took a while for the actual plot to get started.

Full review to come soon.

This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews

[leahrosereads]

One of these days I’ll get around to really sitting down and planning out how I want my reviews to look and read. I really should make them consistent, but it’s not happening yet.

THE ARCHIVED is the second book by Victoria Schwab/VE Schwab that I’ve read, and she’s definitely becoming an author whose work I’ll be on the lookout for in the future. The plot of this story seemed so freaking original and creative to me. I really don’t think I’ve read anything like it. The idea that the dead are lined up on shelves like books in a library is just really a cool idea.

I just really thought that Schwab did so much right with this book.

Mackenzie Bishop, our main character, is incredibly relatable to me, and I loved that she didn’t follow the rules all the time (even if it seemed like a dumb decision when she didn’t). I really thought that her focus on her recently dead brother seemed extremely honest. She’s 16, and losing her brother violently and completely unexpectedly must have been so hard, but working where she does and doing what she does, I can see where this all consuming desire to see her brother again in the Archives could take over her common sense with that type of single focused drive.

I really liked Wes. He’s also a Keeper, but he’s a lot lighter than Mackenzie. He’s more opened and honest, and I think he’ll be really good for her, if she can just let him in.

Really all the characters felt well thought out. I was intrigued about how the Librarians could live in the Archives, because to me, while the place sounds fascinating, I wouldn’t want to stay around the dead for long periods of time. I’d be seriously creeped out.

And then there was Owen (Mackenzie’s love interest), and I guessed what he was pretty quickly. I don’t know if that’s just because I felt like he had to be what he was, or just dumb luck on my part, but I wasn’t shocked when Mackenzie figured it out. I was creeped the hell out by their romance though. No thank you.


I loved that THE ARCHIVED had such a build-up before we got to the meat of the story and mystery. I was able to connect with the characters and really give a damn when everything started to get really crazy. I also finished reading this with an intense desire to pick up the next book from my library. So, that’s exactly what I’m planning on doing. I cannot wait to see where this story goes from here, and I really hope that Mackenzie and Wes continue to work closely together (maybe become Crew partners). Oh, that would be so freaking great.

[kimbacaffeinate]

Caffeinated Aspects:
• Schwab had me from page one with her prologue and flashbacks. I connected and wanted to know more about this secret world and the Histories.
• Schwab’s world-building was impressive and I loved the realm of the Archives, and the Narrows. The secret society that cares for it all was intriguing. The world is clearly drawn from the lowest level associate to the highest and I found it all refreshingly original and breathtaking.
• Mackenzie Bishop was brought into this world by her Da. She is the youngest “Keeper” in existence and it is her job to stop the Histories from waking up and crossing the boundaries between the living and the dead. I like Mac “Mackenzie” and Schwab did a great job using flashbacks and memories to introducing us to Mac and her secret other half. I found Mac easy to relate to and loved her take no prisoners attitude. She was tough, kick-ass and yet had elements of a typical teen.
• Wesley “Wes” intrigued me. I first thought he was this player but the more Schwab revealed the more I liked him. I loved his presence from the way he dressed to his interaction with Mac. I could see them as a possible couple or team.
• The mystery aspect, battles in the Narrows and the increase in awakening Histories was beautiful drawn together keeping in me suspense. I loved how tenacious Mac was in her search for clues.
• Schwab made me feel for the histories and the burden the Keepers, Crew and Librarian’s had.
• Archived would make the coolest movie. The special effects would be fantastic!

Decaffeinated Aspects:
• Mac references her grandfather as “Da” and this confused the heck out of me because her Dad is alive. At first I wondered if only she could see him..LOL
• The beginning may be slow for some, as the world is fleshed out and at times the flashbacks weren’t seamless. Having said that, I cannot tell you how much I appreciated how fleshed out this complicated yet simplistic world was.
• As charming and unique as Wes was we didn’t get much of a back history and I am hoping we see that in the next book.
• I loved Mac least when she acted like a teenager and there were some cliché moments and some odd kissing. I will give Schwab credit for making me understand why Mac acted this way.
• Lucian, Nix, Patrick, Lisa, Agatha, Roland and other secondary characters all intrigued me, and added to the tale but I wanted more details about them.
• The flow of Archived was not consistent and at times it was dreadfully slow or too fast.
Fans of unique fantasy, paranormal elements, secret societies and kick-ass characters will enjoy Archived and the world Schwab has created. I am excited to start, Unbound the second book which is currently available. The final book has not yet been titled.

[inlibrisveritas]

The Archived is a wonderfully written venture into a unique take on the afterlife. It follows a teenaged girl named, Mac who is charged with the job being a Keeper and the sudden dangers of the slowly crumbling Archive. If I had to choose three words to describe it they would be: Unique, beautiful, and thrilling.

The Archived has two new places for us to feast upon, The Archive and The Narrows. Imagine a huge library, with rows and rows of shelves and the layer of quiet that's almost eeriy, now instead of books replace them with bodies and you have The Archive. It sounds rather creepy but the way that Schwab handles it paints a picture of odd beauty, where everyone has a place and are protected by the Keepers. Unfortunately someone is disturbing the peace of The Archive and the Histories (the people housed there) are being altered. The Narrows to me seemed like the purgatory type level of Schwab's afterlife. You know that scene in horror movies where the character is walking in a hallway and it suddenly seems longer and darker than it did before, that's how I pictured The Narrows. It's creepy, dark and full of doors. I loved the unsettling way it was presented and it's such a great juxtaposition to the calming effect that The Archive has. Then of course we have the really interesting jobs that play a huge roll in keeping and maintaining the Histories and the Archive at peace. The plot takes a bit of building but once it gets started it becomes really hard to put the book down, I even found my self I bit surprised at times. There was only one instance where I found myself confused and that's because Dad and Da are two different people.

Overall I really enjoyed all of the characters and while some of them probably won't stick with me I thought they were handled great. Mac is one tough girl with some amazing fighting skills and her determination to keep up her work in the Narrows. However she's human and she's tired of the lying that is required of her and it's making her somewhat weak under pressure. She has a lot of weight on her shoulders and I liked that she wasn't completely invisible against it. She's dealing with a lot of heartbreak and the way schwab writes really makes that emotion real and raw. Then there is Wes, who becomes a sort of rock for Mac. He's rather upbeat despite his rather dour upbringing and really tries to help Mac the best that he can. I liked how goofy and real he seemed, which is great when you need a break from the cliche suave guys that come by the bunches in YA. I was a bit disappointed in how little we learn about him though and really thought that seeing a bit more of who he is would have helped me connect with him a bit more.

Without saying too much about it I do want to mention that one thing that brought the story down for me and that was the way a certain relationship of Mac's was handled. I knew what path it was going to go down and I had my hopes that it wouldn't. To me it felt a bit predictable and once it happened I had no trouble figuring out some of the other plot points a head of time.

However other than that I think this was one solid book and has really set the bar for the rest of the series. I can't wait to see more of Mac and hopefully get to know Wes a bit better. I really enjoyed the mystery and eerie beauty of the Archived and I'm looking forward to learning even more about it.

[Stephanie]

I cannot explain how excited I was for this book. I even pre-ordered it. The dead on shelves like books? I'm in! But then it sat on my shelf for 9 months before I finally decided to read it.

I'm not sure how I feel about this one. Schwab's writing is very beautiful. I can step back and appreciate her writing. But, beautiful writing can also mean that I was on the verge of being bored a lot. Her writing reminds me of Jodi Meadows or Maggie Stiefvater. For some reason, beautiful writing = bored Stephanie, at least most of the time. The Archived managed to mingle along the line on 'almost bored with this book', but it never managed to cross it.

The Archived was definitely something I wasn't expecting. Which was good and bad. I definitely didn't expect there to be such sad undertones to it. Because what isn't included in the summary is that Mackenzie's younger brother died a year ago (this isn't a spoiler, you find this out about 8 pages in). Her parents decide to move to start fresh and to open up a coffee house. So obviously, everyone is still grieving. It also doesn't help that Mackenzie knows her brother's History is in the Archived somewhere.

The cool thing was that her parents moved into this old apartment building that used to be a hotel, which was renovated into apartments later. I really enjoyed reading about the old apartments and the history there. The Archive and the Narrows was also very interesting to learn about. I really enjoyed the setting, every place had a dark history behind it, or just a darkness to it in general.

Another thing, this books kind of stressed me out. Mackenzie has a piece of paper that magically shows the names of the Histories that escaped into the Narrows and she needs to go return them to the Archive. Sometimes, Mackenzie would get a name on her list and ignore it, so all I was doing as I read was worrying about whether or not she would remember that those names are on her list. Am I the only one this happens to? Like when I character walks into a house, but there's no mention of them shutting the door, so I worry about that door being open. That's how I was about that Archive list! It stressed me out, thinking she was going to get in trouble for not clearing her list fast enough.

So, overall I liked The Archived, though I was a bit underwhelmed by it all. I may or may not pick up the next book The Unbound just because I don't feel an urgency to read it.