Review: The Archived

Title: The Archived
Author: Victoria Schwab
Series: The Archived #1
Publisher: Hyperion
Source: ARC from publisher

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.

My thoughts: 

As soon as I read the synopsis for The Archived I knew that I would pretty much do whatever it took to get my hands on a copy! Luckily they were giving them out like candy at ALA so I didn’t have to resort to biting anyone to get a coveted copy; I just had to ask. I love the smoky mystery of the cover and a world where souls sit on shelves like books!

There were so many great aspects to this story! Discovering this world where the archived souls were housed was so interesting and figuring out how order and seniority worked with those who worked at “the library”. And then we get the mystery of the very old apartment building that she just moved into. And then the question of why another Keeper has been assigned to the same territory as Mac and why are there so many Histories running around? So many great questions are explored in this first installment of this very exciting new series!

I really loved the dynamics between the characters and their relationships with each other. Even though Mac is not close with her parents it’s evident that she is devastated by the death of her grandpa who also trainer her. Every time there was a flash back to one of their conversations I found myself getting chocked up and moved by their relationship.

 
Some of my favorite parts of the book were when Mac was doing a little detective work and trying to figure out the mystery of what happened in her apartment building many years ago. I love reading about other times, especially being able to see past memories. 

This is such a great book and I think it will appeal to many readers! It has a great adventure and an exciting mystery that did not disappoint me!