The Archived

Schwab has become one of my favourite authors in both the adult and YA field (this is . She seamlessly develops completely unique worlds and stories without the need for extensive exposition.
Her prose flows beautifully and naturally - making you forget you are reading a book.
Just another excellent read and another completely unique concept.

Llevaba mucho tiempo queriendo leer este libro, hasta que al fin lo conseguí.
La historia me parecía super interesante, y no cabe duda que lo es. De más está decir que Victoria Schwab escribe increíble. Es el segundo libro que leo de ella (el primero fue LVIDAL y me encantó).
Con este libro me pasó algo diferente... Si bien me parece increíble la historia y todo en sí,  por momentos lo sentí muy repetitivo, no lograba engancharme con la historia ni la protagonista.
Me costó bastante terminarlo, literalmente me obligué a hacerlo, lo cual claramente no fue la mejor decisión por que no lo disfruté como debería.
Pero estoy segura de que en un tiempo quiero darle nuevamente una oportunidad por que sé que seguramente lo voy a disfrutar. Quizás no era el momento...

Me quedo exactamente con una frase de este libro: “Las obligaciones arruinan hasta los mejores libros”. Sin dudas no hay otra mejor para mi en este momento.

This and my other reviews are on my site: Aspects of Me.

I read this as part of the #SchwabReadalong organised over Twitter/Booktube (twitter.com/schwabreadalong) and this was the first book of the schedule. I haven't read Schwab before but have seen her pop up with both her YA and adult fantasy books as a recommended author for me quite a few times so I decided now's as good a time as any!

The Archived was a good story exploring ideas of death, grieving, family, friendships and desire from the perspective of a 16 year old. The overall concept of a supernatural style library that catalogues the dead who in turn have a tendency to get up and wander off is one I've seen done elsewhere, nevertheless this book does a good job at exploring the idea.

It is well written for the target audience (YA) however I found some of it frustratingly simple at times; I also found myself getting annoyed at some of the decisions the characters were making and some of the martial expertise of the 16 year old protagonist seemed a little far-fetched. It was a good story but I am happy with leaving it at just The Archived personally, as opposed to reading the 2nd book.

4.5

Initial Thoughts: Literally read this in an afternoon because I am, as I've discovered, a hoe for Schwab.

Non-Spoiler Review:

Schwab, you've done it again, you've stomped all over my heart and I am on my knees thanking you.

If you're a fan of some of Schwab's other works this book will not leave you disappointed. This is a brilliant YA book with fantasy, paranormal and mystery elements with a plot that will leave you genuinely shocked at the twist and a world you will crave to know more about.

The protagonist Mackenzie is a likeable character whose extremely intelligent and brave, but like a lot of of Schwab's characters a sad one - but one you will love for it. Mackenzie will invoke a great deal of emotions in you and will leave you rooting for her even at the most desperate of times in this.

The other characters featured in this feel very real and all add something to the narrative, and you will want to meet them all again. None of them feel one-dimensional and as if they are only there to drive the plot or Mackenzie's arc forwards, they are all their own characters and brilliant ones at that.

Similarly, in every other Schwab book I've ever read whilst characters are a main focus point the plot never suffers for it. There is action and a mystery plot beneath the surface that is brilliant and ingenious, and as the reader you will be left gasping at all the little reveals you couldn't see before but make everything make sense.

The world building is fascinating and enthralling and sometimes you feel as if you are walking the corridors of The Narrows or The Archive at Mackenzie's side. You will be left wanting to know more about this world as not every inch of it is explored but it is still compelling even though you sometimes feel as if you're only scratching the surface of it.

This was published before Schwab's more popular works we all know and love and does sometimes read like that, the writing here is obviously less experienced and confident but is still recognisable as Schwab's and isn't bad by any stretch. It is also less of a criticism and more an observation.

Overall, a stunning YA novel that will suck you in and leave you feeling desperate to know more.

Spoiler Review:

Is there anything this woman can't write?

Mackenzie Bishop is a character I can't help but love, smart and brave but wrapped up in a sea of grief she can't seem to escape - that is my kind of character. The grief rolling off of Mackenzie feels real and I could almost taste it in the air when reading this. The way she coped with it and the range of emotions she felt all the time that conflicted with each other: the longing, guilt, frustration and anger makes the grief the first thing we understand about Mackenzie and perhaps the most important part of this book. It was so well done I'm not sure what else to say.

The romantic interests in this are also fascinating characters. Whilst Wes does read as a typical YA romantic interest at times he is a fun one, but he is also complex and clearly has his own problems and issues that whilst aren't ignored, I would love to see more of in the sequel. I understand why he wasn't a main focus of this book, as Mackenzie clearly isn't focused on romantic relationships as she copes with grief and the job of being a Keeper AND with the Archive falling apart, but I hope their relationship continues to develop at the same natural pace we saw in this first book and we get to see more of Wes as a character. I know people don't like to label Owen as ‘a romantic interest' but I am going to, as that is how Mackenzie sees him for a large portion of this book. Whilst I understand Mackenzie seeks comfort in Owen due to a belief of shared grief, I thought it was a brilliant way to undermine the reader's ability to see the plot twist with Owen later in the book but also to illustrate how brilliantly manipulative he is as a character.

Owen as an antagonist was a brilliant move, and it may only be me but he kinda reads as an early version of Eli from ‘Vicious'. I think of him like Eli because whilst he goes about it the wrong way and clearly is driven by selfish motives, he does have some criticism that could be seen as valid. The way Owen criticises The Archive does ring true sometimes, but he just goes too far with it in the wrong way and clearly has the wrong idea. He makes for a complex antagonist, one that is clearly intelligent but is driven to madness and therefore invalidates his whole argument - much like Eli I think.

Also, that plot twist was so magnificently well done I'm not sure what to say about it. I didn't see it coming, and I'm not sure if that's because I'm slightly stupid, but I don't think so. I think Schwab was just that good at writing it. It was a surprise but also helped everything make sense afterwards and so many things slotted into place.

The world building in this is also magnificent and I am left desperately wanting to know more about it.

You can read my full review here: https://moonlitbooks.home.blog/2020/04/13/thearchievedreview/

I LOVED this book! It's been a long time since I enjoyed a young adult novel as much as this one, but this book definitely reawakened my interest in that category.

This book was beautifully written, and unique. Plus a couple of the reveals in the end actually surprised me! Can't recommend this one enough.

I really liked this but there were a few holes in the premise. Hopefully the second book will answer some questions.

DNFing at 63%. I liked the beginning but not wanting to pick it up for months says a lot!

Lees mijn recensie hier

Very interesting book. I really enjoyed learning about the Archive and Keepers through the flashbacks with Da. Wesley and Mac are a great team as well.

I thought the end was a little rushed but still enjoyed the action and how everything was tied up in the end. I'll probably read the sequel.

By the time I finished the first chapter of this book, I had fallen in love with Victoria Schwab's writing and world building. The concept is very appealing to me and Schwab was able to develop the story, the characters and the world in a very interesting and compelling way.
 
As regards characters, I felt that all of them were very relatable and their reactions to the events that unfold throughout the book were very realistic. I connected with Mackenzie and her mourning right away and also loved how badass she could get. Wes and Rolland I keep picturing him as 10 were definitely my favourites.
 
The only thing I wasn't completely happy about was the love triangle. It could be said that it had to some extend a purpose for the story but Mackenzie's relationship with Owen seem rushed and unrealistic to me.
 
Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I had high expectations for it and they were all met. It had a good story, an interesting premise, well-rounded characters and quite a lot of action. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of Victoria Schwab's books, especially Vicious that sounds amazing!

I really, really loved the concept behind this book. Without ruining it for readers, I'll just say it is kind of fascinating. It is not an easy read and by that I meant there is quite a few layers of meat here that the characters have to wade through. The world building is supreme. And really, there are two worlds here. One is a creepy formally glorious hotel that is currently an apartment house for quirky people and the other world is a giant library that houses souls.
Mac, for all of her faults is lovable and the most dutiful worker on the face of the planet (despite letting her list pile up). She gets thrown by two boys, one who may be an equal and one that makes her feel “normal”. I'm not a fan of love triangles, but this one didn't bother me too much, and I have to concede that at least one of those stars in the rating has to do with how cool the librarians are in this story;)
That said, while I enjoyed it, the slow pace will not appeal to many readers and there are quite a few places where the story bogs down in details and the plot slams to a halt, other than that, it's damn near perfect.
One more confession: I was rather “meh” about the Near Witch, so I was not going to read this one, but I am very glad I did. It has a completely different feel from NW. Enjoy it for the quirky characters if nothing else.