The Archived Author: Visit Amazon's Victoria Schwab Page | Language: English | ISBN:
142317108X | Format: EPUB
The Archived Description
From School Library Journal
Gr 9 Up-Mackenzie was just 11 when her Da passed along the heavy responsibility of being a "Keeper": one in charge of returning Histories to the Archive. A History is a sort of ghost, but more like a copy of a dead person's life. Librarians keep every History on a shelf, in a complex and rigid order. But every once in a while one slips (becomes restless and crazed) and escapes the orderly Archive into the chaos of the Narrows-a lightless series of corridors filled with doors. A Keeper's role is to return the Histories to the Archive lest they escape into the real world. When her family moves to an old hotel turned apartment building called the Coronado after the tragic death of her beloved little brother, Mac's workload of wandering Histories begins increasing exponentially. Plus, she meets a strange-looking Goth guy named Wes who shocks her by confessing that he, too, is a Keeper, and she begins to bond with him. Soon the ordered quiet of the Archive is booming with the noise of escaped Histories, and there appears to be a saboteur. Mac uncovers a dark secret held in the walls of the Coronado. Something terrible happened there and great lengths have been taken to cover it up. Stranger still is Owen, whom Mac encounters in the Narrows, a History who is not on her list and somehow has not yet slipped. Schwab skillfully manages that rare accomplishment: a spine-tingling, supernatural, ghostly mystery that is fully believable. A writer to watch for sure-sequel please!-Tara Kehoe, Plainsboro Public Library, NJα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Booklist
Sixteen-year-old Mackenzie Bishop is a Keeper; she works with the Archive, where Histories (the bodies of the dead) are filed away in a huge library. Periodically, a History will wake and try to get back to the Outer (our world) through the Narrows, a maze of hallways with doors that lead into both the Outer and the Archives’ Returns. Keepers are charged with preventing them from reaching our world and sending them back to their sleep. The Archives are ruled by Librarians, who maintain order by sending Keepers to dispatch escaped Histories. Mac is torn between Wesley, a fellow Keeper, and Owen, a mysterious History who seems to understand her better than anyone. The nonlinear exposition includes the unexpected death of Mac’s little brother, Ben, and her beloved grandfather championing her training as a Keeper. Schwab gently but determinedly examines the impact of grief on a family, as Mac and her parents struggle to accept the death of a child. It’s an intriguing view of the afterlife, and the thoughtful exploration of death and our reactions to it will draw readers and promote discussion. Grades 8-11, --Debbie Carton
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
See all Editorial Reviews
- Series: The Archived
- Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: Disney-Hyperion; Reprint edition (January 7, 2014)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 142317108X
- ISBN-13: 978-1423171089
- Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
- Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Mystery. Hot Boys. Intrigue. All wrapped up in a cool setting. What more do you need? The Archived was a stunning sophomore novel from Victoria Schwab. Eerie and intense, The Archived is one of the best books of the year.
By page 3 I was already drawn into the expert world Victoria Schwab has crafted. It was interesting beyond belief and one of those that really makes you stop and think. The tagline for the book, “Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.” provides the foundation for the world and as soon as you begin reading, you are completely submerged. Two parts mystery paired with quite a bit of paranormal, and some action on the side sums up the brilliant world of The Archived.
The Archived is such an intricately woven story that just glows with the excellence of the prose on the page. The images Victoria Schwab writes are absolutely chilling; they are images that haunt you and will not leave you alone. I loved the format Victoria Schwab chose. Memories that are relevant to the story are placed alongside the chapters, showing more of Mackenzie’s past and how she has become the Keeper she is today.
The stakes are high! And they only keep getting higher. By The Archived’s end, it was a fast paced scene where one thing after the other simply flew by. Which all wrapped up to the absolutely beautiful ending Victoria Schwab reads readers with. I am very antsy to see where Victoria Schwab will take readers next, as The Archived was so bewitching and intense. I loved that The Archived is by no means predictable. Every turn came as a complete surprise to me.
The characters were wonderful. Mackenzie is such a complex character. She is juggling so much and really has been doing so since such a young age. Roland was a mystery.
The Archived wasn't something that I was sure I would enjoy. It sounded confusing and very involved. However, because so many other bloggers had been raving about it, I decided to give it a shot. It wasn't for me. Definitely not. The Archived had everything that usually makes for a great book: interesting characters, romance, unique story line. While it sounded promising, I'm not convinced that it delivered.
The plot was the biggest problem for me. What's hard about this is that the plot is both the best and worst thing about this book. What I liked about it was that it was unique. It's a brand new concept, unlike anything that I've read before. I was excited about this until I began reading The Archived, I was so confused. I wasn't sure that the world building was working for me, but I figured I would understand at some point. I didn't. I was confused the whole time. This is where the plot turns sour for me. There was just too much to it and the way that it was explained was too brief for me to grasp the full concept. I understood bits and pieces of the archives, the narrows, the outers, and all that stuff, but I didn't really know how the worked. I wonder now if Mackenzie knew how it all worked herself? I'm not sure. I think there were parts that she was unsure about, so I felt a bit better about that.
Not only did the world-building not really work for me, but the characters weren't clicking. I liked Mackenzie enough and I liked Wes. I was expecting some major romance there, but nothing big happened, which was kind of disappointing. It was even more disappointing when Mackenzie decided to start kissing the weirdest choice of love interest. I didn't get that. WHY?
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