Author: Victoria Schwab
Series: The Archived #1
Publisher: Hyperion
Release date: January 22nd, 2013
Genres: Young adult, Fantasy
Source: Bought
Add it: GoodReads | BookDepository
Source: ★★★★
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 violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for that 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 chapter. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.
My Thoughts
I dove into this story without any prior knowledge. This was something I regretted while I was reading the first couple of chapters. I had no idea what was going on and with most books that is the fun of reading, but the first part of this book progress very slowly. It therefore is hard to get into the story and to push through because I didn't know what was coming next. I had just given up on a book and I didn't want to do that so I decided to stick to the book and in the end I'm very happy that I did because I ended up really enjoying it.
Like I mentioned before, The Archived starts out pretty slow. There isn't much plot development or world building, it's more a vey long introduction. But as you can see I did gave this book 4 out of 5 stars and that is all thanks to the rest of the book. Right after a very inciting incident occurs in the book, the story takes off and doesn't stop. The main character, Mackenzie, grows and learns a lot and the plot develops at a pleasant pace.
I've got nothing but praise for this book, the characters and the writing style and when that is the case I find it somewhat difficult to explain why. It just fits into my what-I-like-shelf in my brain...
Memorable Quotes
"Free caffeine and sugar, a recipe for making friends."
"Ignorance may be bliss, but only if it outweighs curiosity. Curiosity is a gateway drug to sympathy."
"Lying is easy. But it's lonely."
Don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin', to like this post and to subscribe to my YouTube channel!
No comments:
Post a Comment