*REVIEW* The Archived

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.

The Archived is a fabulous and AMAZING read. 5/5 STARS!! I was engaged and entertained from the very beginning to the end and I CANNOT wait to see where Schwab takes this story next. I literally squeed out loud when I saw on Goodreads that a sequel is planned. Just one book in this series would never be enough!

The Archived introduces us to Mac, a teenage girl with one hell of a secret-- she's a Keeper, following in her dead grandfather's footsteps, performing an essential job for The Archive. Keepers are tasked with finding and returning awakened Histories, a job that can be extremely dangerous because Histories begin to slip into madness not long after awakening, a madness that leads them to extreme confusion and violence. While Mac has been excelling at her job, recent events have made her job almost impossible...

Something is amiss at The Archive and Histories are waking up at an alarming rate. Mac's list of Histories to catch seems to be multiplying each day and she's beginning to have a hard time wiping the list clean. In addition to this, Mac stumbles across an old murder in her family's new apartment and when she investigates further, a disturbing fact comes to light--someone has been tampering with the memories of Histories, removing entire months and moments. It's clear someone is hiding something and as Mac becomes more entangled in the investigation, things become more and more dangerous.

Will Mac solve the mystery in time to save herself, and possibly The Archive itself? And will she trust the right person when it matters? The fate of The Archive rests on her shoulders. Just another day in the office when your job involves the dead.

*SQUEEEEEEEEE* This book is so, so, so good! Schwab invents such a unique and interesting world and the pacing and story-telling is RIGHT ON. I didn't want to put this one down and that truly marks a fabulous book in my opinion. And the twists... THE TWISTS!!! This book caught me completely off guard a couple times and that is rare and simply wonderful when it happens.

As if the story isn't engaging enough, there are boys in this one... interesting and intriguing boys. Mac has her hands full for sure! Seriously, this book has it ALL. I can't overstate my excitement about it and the fact that I recommend it for EVERYONE. It's just that good. Put it on your TBR pile now and be sure to grab it ASAP when it releases in January. You WILL enjoy every minute of it. Happy Reading! *XOXO*

Expected publication date: January 22, 2013 by Hyperion