Review: The Archived

The Archived (The Archived #1) by Victoria Schwab
Release Date ~ January 22, 2013
Hyperion ~ Disney Book Group
ISBN13: 9781423157311
ARC received from Hachette Book Group Canada

Goodreads Synopsis:

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.


Victoria's debut The Near Witch was a book so enchanting that I told myself I had to read anything she wrote afterwards. And luckily for me, The Archived is a book that appeals to my literary taste.

Victoria incorporates mystery, slight morbid curiousity, determined young woman, and an appreciation for the past in her newest release.

1. Writing style that perfectly sets the mood:
   
   I praised Victoria's writing in The Near Witch for its whimsical yet eerie style that accurately reflected the unearthly setting. Victoria utilizes this talent of hers and applies it to The Archived - Mac's voice is distinctively Southern and strikingly mature in some ways and young in others. Her familiarity with The Archives is notable, particularly when contrasted with her frustration at home with her family. The reader doesn't just read Mac's words, but feels them and experiences them as much as a reader can.
2. A ghost story...without ghosts?
   
   The Archived makes the comment a few times that Histories are not ghosts and explains the differences between the two. So while it may not be a story about ghosts per se, it has the distinct flavour of a ghost story and all the good things that come with one. It's very creepy at some points, and fairly dark.
3. Reflections on living & the past:
   
   Mac spends a significant portion of the book pondering the meaning of life and death and what it all means to the dead and those they leave behind. And this is where I can best describe this book as making me feel terribly homesick! I am personally petrified by the thought of losing those I love dearly, and this is one of the key themes of the book and one of life's most personal struggles. We will all experience it in one way or another, and as Mac tries to make sense of her grief, all it made me want to do was give my grandparents and sister and everyone the BIGGEST hug and hold them close. It's just so raw and painful - very, very real. 

It took me a little while to adapt to the world though, and the reader is very much launched into it with little warning. Mac gradually explains bits and pieces of her world and involvement as a Keeper, and while that works well for staying away from any info-dumping or lengthy explanations,  it also makes for a rather confusing beginning to a book. 

I was a bit split on my impression of the villain as well. For the most part I thought it was clever and surprising, but about half of it seemed thrown it without much background or any hints. It was ultimately less fulfilling than I had anticipated. 

A good book will resonate with its reader, and make you think and most importantly, FEEL. I can't stress how well The Archived accomplished that with my experience reading it. It delivered as a breath of fresh air in YA, and I can't wait to read the rest of the series as well as Victoria's other upcoming books. 

Kindred reads {1}

You know when you read a book with a plot that you really enjoyed and you wonder what else like it might be out there for you?

This post is for you!

These books contain similar elements, whether it's content, writing, or other themes found in the stories.

If you like...
The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

You might want to consider reading...

Entwined by Heather Dixon

Victoria Schwab has been praised for her lyrical writing and the fairytale atmosphere she created in TNW. Dixon's debut, Entwined, is striking in its own account with magical prose, some eerie twists and undertones, and fairytale vibes. While TNW only seemed to be reminiscent of folklore, Entwined is a more obvious retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, but a truly compelling and creative one.






Witch Song by Amber Argyle

Besides the obvious similarity of both Witch Song and TNW being about, well, witches, they also share a story of a young girl on a journey of self-discovery. Both main characters, both Brusenna and Lexi experience some extremely well-paced character development as they mature into young women (and save the world and all that jazz, too).






Are there any other books you find to be similar to any of these? Any books you'd like to see some similar recommendations for?

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
Released: August 2, 2011
Hyperion Books

4/5 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis:
The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.

If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.

And there are no strangers in the town of Near.

These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.
But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.
The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.
As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.
Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab’s debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won’t soon forget.

Victoria Schwab writing in The Near Witch reads like a seasoned professional. It's filled with lovely, descriptive imagery that brings Lexi's story to life and by the time you've finished it, you wonder if this is an old fairytale you've only read now for the first time. Yet it still brings to mind familiar stories, like the Pied Piper which lend it a sense of nostalgia most newly published books are missing.

The Near Witch is a classic, timeless piece and it is just as enchanting as older tales. The old stories which intoxicate Lexi so much to draw her in to the ancient mysteries of Near work just as well on the reader, if not better.

That being said, this novel is short, yet it didn't feel that way until I was finished reading it. Schwab's development is patient and well-timed, although I did find the first 50 pages or so to be slower than the rest in the buildup it took to create the setting of Near (which was well worth it).

I really did have some problems with Lexi's choices as well, but they stem from my experiene as an older sister. With everything happening in Near and Lexi's close proximity to the events, the last thing I would do is leave my little sister on her own, which frustrated me with Lexi as a character.

Besides that, however, The Near Witch is a stunning, captivating tale and Schwab does not disappoint. She lives up to every expectation, and will clearly develop excellent books in the future.