Bout of Books Book Review 1 | The Archived by Victoria Schwab

Well guys, I finished my first book during the Bout of Books 10.0! Take a quick peak of my review of the novel below!

The Archived by Victoria Schwab

"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 she 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"

REVIEW:

There is so much for me to say about this book, and trust me I will go further into detail in the future (aka when i'm not doing a read-a-thon). But, oh my goodness guys this book was so good. I had been so excited to read this book after hearing a lot of raving reviews on booktube. The premise of this book is so interesting and compelling. You are constantly wanting to know more about the world and how it works. I never found myself feeling bored with the exposition of the world or the background of the story. I think  that's a key aspect of a good book. If you can explain everything about this new world to me and have my entertained the entire way though you've already began to win me over. Furthermore, the characters in this novel were so fantastic. Mackenzie, the protagonist, is such a grounded and realistic character that you immediately relate to her. She's inquisitive, intelligent, strong, but she's also got flaws which force her out of the realm of being a perfectly packaged character to a seemingly real teenage girl. I even found myself being drawn in by secondary characters who did not have an overwhelming presence throughout the novel. The dialogue and interactions in this book were so solid and well paced that it all felt very natural. Schwab has a clear knowledge of the human condition and human interaction which can be lacking in some books. Overall, this book was a great book and I would definitely recommend it to fans of YA lit.

Goodreads Score: 5/5

Have you guys read this book? If so what were your thoughts?

Talk to me:
Twitter