The Archived by Victoria Schwab

ARC, 321 pages
Release Date: January 22, 2013
Published by: Disney Hyperion
The Archived, #1
Source: Received from the amazing blogger Molli
For fans of: Paranormal, Ghosts, Fantasy, Mystery, YA

     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.


*MY THOUGHTS*
     For some reason when I first heard about this book I didn’t jump to add it to my TBR pile. I remember the cover coming out and then deciding I wanted to read it. (Shallow right? smh) But I’m so glad I decided to read it! After reading the blurb and everything, I decided that it would be one of my most anticipated reads of 2013! And trust me, I was not disappointed. 
     In the beginning, we are introduced to Mackenzie and her parents. They have moved away to a different set of apartments (or really an old hotel) due to one of her mother’s “crazy projects.” They are still suffering from the deaths of their family members Ben and Da. As they move in, she meets Wes (who is super uber amazing) and the story unfolds from there. 
     First, I want to start with the mystery. The mystery was so good. I’m normally the type of person that can figure out the answer from the beginning, but this one, I had no idea. It really made me have to sit and analyze the situation and even still I didn’t know who to choose. 
     Then there was the emotion. While reading this book I had ALL THE FEELS. From love, to grief, to happiness. I felt everything while reading this, just as I imagine Mackenzie would have felt going through it. As they showed the flashbacks from Da and Ben towards the end, I was biting my nails and tearing up. It was so overwhelming. Mackenzie had to be super strong to endure that type of pain. Then the deceit and betrayal that was at the end of the book. Gah you guys, I’m getting rambly, but the emotion in the book is the best part. It had me hooked and wanting to stay with my head stuck in the book. 
     Lastly, the world building was great! One thing I love about fantasy novels, is the way the author can make up the world completely in their head. I also hate that fact about fantasies because they sometimes leave out certain details that the reader may need. But in my opinion, Schwab got it 100% perfect. She made a very imaginative world in her head and was able to deliver it to her readers in the book. As for me, I pictured The Archive as my actual local library. With me putting it towards something that I could actually relate to made the story that much better for me. 
     The characters are amazingly put together as well. Mackenzie is an amazing, kick ass MC, even if she does make some bad decisions. But who doesn’t? Then there’s Wes. My goodness, talk about book boyfriends. I loved him. He definitely was a great asset to the story. and my interpretation of him… I pictured him as a young Hook from Once Upon a Time with the guy-liner lmao (Don’t judge me.) 
     Overall, this is an amazing read and you will not regret picking it up. At the end the emotion left me breathless and the epic finale had me biting my nails. Schwab did an amazing job with this one, from beginning to end.