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The Archived Victoria Schwab Books

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The Archived Victoria Schwab Books

"A death is traumatic. Vivid enough to mark any surface, to burn in like light on photo paper"

Continuing my mission to read as many Schwab books as I can in the last half of 2018 has been a success so far. I have had this book on my kindle for far too long and I am honestly so proud of myself for reading it. Sometimes as a book gathers dust on a shelf (physical or kindle shelf) it can become daunting to read it despite knowing you'll probably enjoy it. I was a little hesitant about reading this series, despite loving Victoria Schwab's other books, because I know there was a whole thing about there not being a third book and instead there being a short story because of publication issues (I think?) and I was a little nervous about putting my heart into a story that maybe wouldn't get a proper ending. However, I was assured that the short story really helps tie the story together so I put it on my October TBR. And I am so happy I did.

Mackenzie was a pretty fun main character to follow. I enjoyed being in her head and I thought she was super funny and ambitious heroine. I found her to be witty and determined to figure out the mystery she stumbles upon when her family moves. However, I don't think we get any sort of description of what she looks like, which made it hard for me to picture her. I like it when authors have vague descriptions of their characters so the reader can fill in the blanks and have their own personal image of the character. But I don't remember much of a description of her at all, so it was hard to form imagery with her. Wesley on the other hand had a lot of imagery and was also a great character. I found his friendship with Mackenzie really great. I liked the way they bickered and with each other and essentially had each other's backs throughout the entire story. I really liked both Da and Roland. Some of my favorite scenes were the flashbacks with Mackenzie and Da. I loved that Da was her mentor and although he seemed strict in a loving way. I also really loved that once Da was gone Roland took over as Mackenzie's mentor.

"Everything is valuable, in its own way. Everything is full of history."

The plot was really unique and interesting. There are genuine moments where I felt spooked, especially when Mackenzie is in the Narrows. The whole concept of Histories and getting them back through their doors was something I really loved. However, I did find it a little difficult to fully image the Archive. I pictured the Narrows as this dark area with grey-ish doors. However, it was hard to picture the Archive. The descriptions of the old hotel Mackenzie's family moves into has really beautiful vivid descriptions, but as soon as she travels to the Archive it was just really hard to imagine the scene. The description thing aside, my biggest gripe with the story was the romance. I don't want to spoil it, but I felt like it came out of nowhere and there was no chemistry. I understand that the characters felt a connection to each other because they both had similar experiences of loss but the whole thing felt off.

I don't want this being a review where it seems like I am dragging the book. I really enjoyed so much of this book (hence the four stars) and I think if I read this book when it was released I may have given it five stars. I think now that I know the MAGIC Schwab is capable of in her stories and seeing her amazing writing skills be improved as she kept publishing, I just expected more. However, even Schwab's "not as good" books STILL gets a four star rating from me. Her style of writing, her characters, and her story lines are just amazing. I cannot imagine a life whee I'm not completely gushing over Victoria Schwab's writing. I don't think I've given any of her books less than 4 stars. It's impossible for me to dislike her books.

"The only way to truly record a person is not in words, not in still frames, but in bone and skin and memory."

Overall, I'd say I definitely recommend this book. I think her newer books are better but this was still a really fun time and I can't wait to continue and read the rest of the series. There are scarier moments in this story so if you're in the mood for a spooky story with a really unique premise I'd pick this one up!


Tags : Amazon.com: The Archived (9781423157311): Victoria Schwab: Books,Victoria Schwab,The Archived,Hyperion Book CH,1423157311,Fantasy - General,Romance - General,Dead;Fiction.,Future life;Fiction.,Supernatural;Fiction.,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9),Dead,Fiction,Fiction-Romance,Future life,JUVENILE,Juvenile Fiction,Juvenile Fiction Fantasy & Magic,Juvenile Fiction General,Juvenile Fiction Love & Romance,Juvenile Grades 7-9 Ages 12-14,Supernatural,YOUNG ADULT FICTION,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Fantasy General,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Romance General

The Archived Victoria Schwab Books Reviews

I saw this book years ago, wondered about it and it's cover, but never read it. You see, the cover is beautiful...but at the time, in 2013, I wasn't into serious reads. I wanted a book that told a good story...that's it. I didn't need strong writing; tightly plotted plots; and intriguing story lines. I just needed a book that was easy to read, not very long, and lovable.

Things have changed, thankfully, and I'm so glad they did!

My first Victoria Schwab book was "This Savage Song" and man-oh-man, did I love it! But after reading it, and only having a surface interaction with "A Shade of Magic", I wondered if me loving Schwab's writing was a fluke; I mean, I hadn't read enough of her work to see if she was consistent enough for me to fangirl for her, but this book has proven her talent!

In the world of "The Archived", the dead are never truly dead. The dead go to the Archive, where they are shelved away like books, along with all of their memories. In the Narrows is the place between the Archive, the area of the dead, and "the Outer", the area of the living. The dead, called Histories, sometimes get out and find their way to "the Narrows". When that happens, a Keeper, which our main character Mackenzie Bishop just so happens to be, is tasked with returning them to the Archive.

I have to admit that at the beginning of this book, I was confused. This story literally starts with action and world-building; nothing is hand fed to you, there isn't a prologue, and (most importantly), the author trusts the reader to eventually understand her world. This, among other things, is why I loved this book. The world of the Archived is so multifaceted that we simply have to wait for information, we can't endure information spills, and Schwab does just that.

Our main character, Mac (her nickname), is such a lovable character. She's strong and fearless, yet vulnerable and a tad immature. She recently lost her brother, is with her family who's barely dealing with the death of her brother, and feeling alone. It's only her job as a Keeper that keeps her whole, that is, until she discovers a mystery in her own bedroom; meets Wes (guyliner); and Owen, who was in the Narrows. From there, her story takes off and boy is it a good one.

Mac goes through common sense conflicts that blend well into Wes's own back story, the story of the hotel she's living in, and the overall idea of this book. I'm so pleased with the effortless execution of this book; not one page was self-conscious or half-stepped; every page is written with clean prose that's neither too wordy nor too diminutive. In a word, this book was so enjoyable and I highly recommend it.
"A death is traumatic. Vivid enough to mark any surface, to burn in like light on photo paper"

Continuing my mission to read as many Schwab books as I can in the last half of 2018 has been a success so far. I have had this book on my kindle for far too long and I am honestly so proud of myself for reading it. Sometimes as a book gathers dust on a shelf (physical or kindle shelf) it can become daunting to read it despite knowing you'll probably enjoy it. I was a little hesitant about reading this series, despite loving Victoria Schwab's other books, because I know there was a whole thing about there not being a third book and instead there being a short story because of publication issues (I think?) and I was a little nervous about putting my heart into a story that maybe wouldn't get a proper ending. However, I was assured that the short story really helps tie the story together so I put it on my October TBR. And I am so happy I did.

Mackenzie was a pretty fun main character to follow. I enjoyed being in her head and I thought she was super funny and ambitious heroine. I found her to be witty and determined to figure out the mystery she stumbles upon when her family moves. However, I don't think we get any sort of description of what she looks like, which made it hard for me to picture her. I like it when authors have vague descriptions of their characters so the reader can fill in the blanks and have their own personal image of the character. But I don't remember much of a description of her at all, so it was hard to form imagery with her. Wesley on the other hand had a lot of imagery and was also a great character. I found his friendship with Mackenzie really great. I liked the way they bickered and with each other and essentially had each other's backs throughout the entire story. I really liked both Da and Roland. Some of my favorite scenes were the flashbacks with Mackenzie and Da. I loved that Da was her mentor and although he seemed strict in a loving way. I also really loved that once Da was gone Roland took over as Mackenzie's mentor.

"Everything is valuable, in its own way. Everything is full of history."

The plot was really unique and interesting. There are genuine moments where I felt spooked, especially when Mackenzie is in the Narrows. The whole concept of Histories and getting them back through their doors was something I really loved. However, I did find it a little difficult to fully image the Archive. I pictured the Narrows as this dark area with grey-ish doors. However, it was hard to picture the Archive. The descriptions of the old hotel Mackenzie's family moves into has really beautiful vivid descriptions, but as soon as she travels to the Archive it was just really hard to imagine the scene. The description thing aside, my biggest gripe with the story was the romance. I don't want to spoil it, but I felt like it came out of nowhere and there was no chemistry. I understand that the characters felt a connection to each other because they both had similar experiences of loss but the whole thing felt off.

I don't want this being a review where it seems like I am dragging the book. I really enjoyed so much of this book (hence the four stars) and I think if I read this book when it was released I may have given it five stars. I think now that I know the MAGIC Schwab is capable of in her stories and seeing her amazing writing skills be improved as she kept publishing, I just expected more. However, even Schwab's "not as good" books STILL gets a four star rating from me. Her style of writing, her characters, and her story lines are just amazing. I cannot imagine a life whee I'm not completely gushing over Victoria Schwab's writing. I don't think I've given any of her books less than 4 stars. It's impossible for me to dislike her books.

"The only way to truly record a person is not in words, not in still frames, but in bone and skin and memory."

Overall, I'd say I definitely recommend this book. I think her newer books are better but this was still a really fun time and I can't wait to continue and read the rest of the series. There are scarier moments in this story so if you're in the mood for a spooky story with a really unique premise I'd pick this one up!