[Book Review] The Archived by Victoria Schwab

Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.

Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures 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 that 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 may 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.

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"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! 

Thanks for reading!