The Archived (Archived, #1)

by Victoria Schwab

[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.