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.
The Archived is a story full of mystery, suspense, building love, and secrets that jump right out of nowhere. The story surrounds Mackenzie Bishop who is a Keeper. What is a Keeper? A Keeper is someone who is charged with keeping the Histories (dead people) from entering the mortal world. Mackenzie has been a Keeper since she was a little girl. She’s lived a life full of lies, death, betrayal, and without much sleep. But when Mackenzie and her family move to a hotel turned apartment, she is quickly overwhelmed with a massive amount of Histories in her districts. She doesn’t know what is bringing upon these Histories, but she does know that it needs to be fixed or there is going to be a big problem.
I cannot begin to tell you guys how thrilled I am that I ran across The Archived by Victoria Schwab. 2013 has started off very slowly with books. I’ve discovered some books that were good, but mostly I’ve just had horrible luck. I immediately got sucked into the world of The Archived. Victoria Schwab created such a interesting and wonderful world. I just want the next book in my hands right now.
One thing that I really enjoyed about this book were the characters. First, there’s Mackenzie. Mackenzie is strong and powerful in her own right, and she broke my heart at the same time. Mackenzie loses her little brother before the book takes place and that plays a major role in the book. I cannot imagine losing someone so close to me, and my heart just shattered for her.
And Wesley! Wesley, Wesley, Wesley. I find it really difficult to connect with male leads, but I adored Wes. I wish that he had a few more scenes than he actually did, but I loved how Mac and Wes were so hesitant to start whatever it is that they have. I hate books where the main characters jump at each other on the fourth chapter. That’s definitely not what happens in this book. It’s slow progression of confusion, interest, lust and chemistry.
Some people have had some problems reading this book, and I understand why. The first several chapters of this book are a little strange, but they’re not unreadable or even bad. The book is just so mysterious that it took awhile for my brain to catch up. I also had a problem during the very beginning because I didn’t realize that the “Da” was the grandpa, and I was really confused as to why her dad was still alive. My questions were answered by Victoria herself, but the book may have just started off slow for me because I didn’t understand who was who.
One problem I had with this book was that it was very repetitive. I felt that Mac was always in the Narrows and in the Archive, and I just wanted to see more of a mix. I didn’t want to see her just going to work everyday. Another thing was that the ending was very predictable to me. There was a small part that I didn’t guess, but I knew everyone who was involved with the scandal long before it happened. I’m one who usually guesses those things, though, so that might play a part in my judgment.
On a more positive note, I loved the mystery that surrounded The Archived. It kept me on my toes, and I was dying to find out what happened next. The book is great. The writing is fabulous. I just want to kidnap Victoria Schwab and have her write for me all day. I will definitely be picking up the next book in the series as soon as it comes out. And just so you guys know, The Archived is already out in stores! I saw the hardback cover at Barnes and Nobles today, and I felt this moment of just…pride…and it’s not even my book. Go pick this book up today!
Pages: 328
Publication Date: January 22nd, 2013
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Source: ARC provided by publisher
Rating: : 
Teaser Quote: “Because the only way to truly record a person is not in words, not in still frames, but in bone and skin and memory.”
This sounds really good, can’t wait to try it out.