Book Review: The Archived by Victoria Schwab

The Archived by Victoria Schwab
Series: #1 in the Archived series
Release Date: January 22, 2013
Publisher: Hyperion
Pages: 336
Received: ARC from publisher
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads Page

Summary

From Goodreads:

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...

...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.

Review

I thought I was going to cry

I know I shouldn't build up all these expectations, because that rarely works out well. But I'm stubborn and a slow learner and I just can't seem to stop myself from building up all this internal hype and ideas about what I hope will happen.

So what did I expect from The Archived? Not what I got, that's for sure. At first I was really disappointed and worried that all my high hopes were going to come crashing down because The Archived was so different from what I was expecting.

But you know, different is not necessarily a bad thing.

This is not where I expected to be

I had no idea the setting would be the modern world. I was expecting a fantasy world, or at the very least an undefined medieval-ish fantasy-ish world like Victoria Schwab's first book The Near Witch.

At first I was pretty bummed about this because given the choice between the real world and a fantasy world, I'll pick the fantasy world hands down.

But, I coached myself to "just go with it" and I tried to forget my disappointment over the location and just settle into the story. It worked. Before I knew it, I was sucked into Mackenzie's world and I couldn't imagine setting the book in any other place. 

The fact that the Archive isn't known to pretty much anyone except Mackenzie and her fellow Archive employees didn't help things for me either. I hate it when a main character has to spend so much time and effort lying to her friends and family. It's exhausting! It also makes me sad to see that kind of isolation, and Mackenzie was so, so sad.

But, this turned out to be a good thing, too. Mackenzie wasn't the boring kind of sad. She was the interesting kind of sad, like Buffy living the lonely life of a slayer (and Buffy comparisons like that are always a positive). 

Which brings me to my heart breaking

So, yeah, I was kind of disappointed right off the bat, but I was also instantly hooked. I don't know what it is, but some authors are able to make me instantly feel for their characters despite the fact that I haven't even spent more than a few pages with them yet.

(In my totally non-authorish head I think of this as "character dust"—a magical substance only truly exceptional authors have access to and can use to sprinkle on their characters to make me fall in insta-love with them and want to shower them with all the gold stars and friendship bracelets I possess).

Erin Bow pulled this off when she had me sobbing in chapter one, and Victoria Schwab buried me in feelings for Mackenzie from the very beginning. All I wanted to do was hug her and make everything better.

Not only is Mackenzie alone and forced to keep her Archive secret, but the book opens with Mackenzie having already experienced two losses, her grandfather and her little brother. While she still mourns both of them, her brother's death has just occurred and Mackenzie is one giant raw wound.

Normally I would hate this so much because I have zero tolerance or sympathy for the "dead whoever" card. That plot point usually means a mopey main character and excessive harping on sad things. But Mackenzie doesn't allow her grief to paralyze or consume her. Her characterization consists of more than just her grief, and I think this is what helped me connect with her and feel her grief with her instead of impatiently wishing she'd get over it already. 

So what is this book about anyway?

Even though I felt for Mackenzie pretty early on, it took me a while to actually get into the book. For the first half or so I was prepared to give out a solid 3.5 because while I was enjoying it enough, I wasn't in love with it. Not enough stuff was happening and the plot felt a little wandering.

I mean, yeah, I felt bad and I didn't dislike Mackenzie because of the dead brother plot, but I was having a hard time loving the book because of it. Her whole family is reeling from this loss and while Victoria Schwab did a good job writing about all this, I still don't actually like that focus in my books.

It was dreary and depressing and I wasn't sure how such a central part of the story was going to tie into the whole Archive part. It seemed like I was reading two different books and I was worried the fantastical parts were going to be little more than gimmicky filler to trick me into reading an issues book.

But, oh my gosh, I can't even. The Archived is SO much more than an issues book, or a fantasy book. This really is one of those genre transcending books. It's one of those books that matter.

There's all these layers! Just like a cake. Or an onion.

Though it took me a little while to realize, The Archived is totally character driven, which is perfect for a character girl like me. I fell in love with pretty much everyone, including all the villains.

Who, by the way, are the most awesome kind of villain because they're both Very Bad and totally not bad at all. I can completely see their side of things and they make me wonder if I might do what they did if I were ever in their position. Victoria Schwab sets the bar high and gets ALL the gold star points for making villains like this. 

Most of the book is told from Mackenzie's POV in the present, but every so often there would be chapters or sections in italics that take the reader back to when Mackenzie's grandfather was still alive. At first I was confused by these parts since they come on suddenly and the narrative style switches to Mackenzie speaking directly to the memory of her grandfather about the times he trained her to be a Keeper.

Once I caught on though, these sections were great. I liked how instead of info-dumping about how the world of the Archive works, Victoria Schwab chose to explain much of this through these flashbacks (for lack of a better word). Not only was she able to build the world this way, she also deepened the relationship between Mackenzie and her grandfather and illustrated how emotionally taxing it is to be a Keeper. This whole thing added a layer of depth that really brought the book to a higher level.

It also made me sob like a baby.

But don't worry, I didn't cry the whole time. There's also a lot of action!

So, yeah, there's a lot of depth and feeling and important stuff like that.

But there's also a whole lot of butt-kicking.

Mackenzie's job as a Keeper is dangerous, and getting increasingly more so (for mysterious reasons!). Mackenzie spends a whole lot of time in this purgatory-like area between the Archive and our world trying to send wandering ghosts back to the Archive. And by "trying to send" I mean beating them up and shoving them through these creepy "walk into the light" doors that suck the ghosts back into the Archive.

Basically, Mackenzie was like Buffy wandering the graveyards looking to dust some vamps. Which is awesome! Reading these scenes was SO much fun. They made me feel pumped and like I could totally go out there and beat up muggers or something. (Except, not really, because walking up three flights of stairs leaves me winded so roudhouse kicks are pretty much out).

I was super caught up in her regular slayer-ish activities, but there's also a mystery! And, oh, it's a good one. It took a little while to get going, and I admit, I did get a little impatient, but I was totally hooked once it did kick in. This was one of those stories where I thought I had it all figured out, and while I was kind of on the right track, I was also really off base. My jaw pretty much dropped when all the pieces started coming together and I started to realize what was really going on.

Did you think I was going to forget to talk about the boys?

Yup, there are two. No, this isn't a love triangle. And, yes, I've fallen hopelessly in love with both of them (though guyliner? Really?)

One is snarky, funny, and supportive and pretty much a rock for Mackenzie to hang onto. I couldn't help grinning every time I'd read his lines. He's...infectious, in a happy way.

The other is mysterious and wounded without being lame, broody, or annoying. Also, lots of points for the swoony kisses!

Bottom line

I am so hooked. There is no doubt I'll be pushing this book on people and eagerly (note, I did not say patiently) awaiting the sequel.

There are levels and secrets and all sorts of internal politics to the world of the Archive and Mackenzie, being fairly low on the totem pole, is just starting to discover what's really going on. Now that she's nudged the door open, I cannot wait to follow her as she unearths all the secrets!

Also, the ending is pretty much a cliffhanger (see the "not patiently waiting" part).

Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key 

Do you have any questions about The Archived that I haven't addressed? 
Feel free to ask in the comments!

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Review Comparison: The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

Review Comparison is a feature where I pull out the pros and cons of the book mentioned in my review and other bloggers' reviews.

Add this book to you Goodreads list 

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. 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. 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.

Click for my original review:

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

The following bloggers kindly allowed me to include their reviews in this feature:

Read Me Bookmark Me Love Me: 5 of 5
Musings of a YA Reader: 4.5 of 5
Mindful Musings: 4 of 5 
Alison Can Read: 4 of 5
One Librarian's Book Reviews: 4 of 5
A Girl, Books and Other Things: 3 of 5
Bookworm1858: 2.5 of 5
Logan E. Turner: 2 of 5
Dreaming Dreams No Mortal Ever Dared
Everything To Do With Books 
Rainy Day Ramblings
Pica Reads
A Backwards Story
YA? Why Not?


Please click on the links to read their full reviews!

~Conclusions~

Reviewers were almost unanimous in their positive assessment of the writing, though some did not like it. Commentary on the writing style dominated most reviews.

Readers were also divided on the pacing, with some finding it too slow and difficult to get into and others stating they were sucked in immediately.

Main character Lexi was generally well liked, as were the supporting characters. Readers were again divided on the romance, though most liked the male lead.

~Writing, Pacing and Setting~

Writing:

• "...a creepy, Gothic setting with a dystopian-esque feel..." (Mindful Musings)
• "...my skin crawled from the creepiness of the descriptions." (A Backwards Story)
• "I loved the atmosphere of this fairy-tale story." (One Librarian's Book Reviews)

• "...[the writing] didn't strike me as anything special." (Bookworm1858)
• "...not a very plot-driven book...very atmospheric..." (Bookworm1858)

• "...beautifully written..." (Mindful Musings)
• "...an incredible writer. Her way with words is amazing." (Pica Reads)
• "...beautiful, full of stunning descriptions that make readers feel as thought they're actually there." (A Backwards Story)
• "...lyrical..." (Musings of A YA Reader)
• "The story is beautifully written and captivating." (YA? Why Not?)
• "The writing is absolutely beautiful, so evocative without being overly flowery." (A Girl, Books and Other Things)
• "...an elegant way of writing that I found beautiful and hypnotic." (Logan E. Turner)
• "Schwab's writing is dripping with detail, painting clear images in your mind, but without getting bogged down." (Logan E. Turner)
• "...beautiful, lyrical-literary quality...I was transported...the prose never overshadowed the story." (Alison Can Read)
• "...absolutely amazing and poetic writing style." (Everything To Do With Books)
• "...gorgeous...spellbinding and mesmerizing...honestly some of the most breathtaking and beautiful writing I have encountered." (Rainy Day Ramblings)
• "The writing was so beautiful and poetic...vivid descriptions...eerie and chilling tone." (Read Me, Bookmark Me, Love Me)

Pacing

• "...I didn't feel anything but boredom..." (Bookworm1858)
• "...the first 50 pages or so were slow to me." (Dreaming Dreams No Mortal Ever Dared)
• "...I did have [trouble] sticking to the story for long periods of time...I really had to push myself for a while." (A Girl, Books and Other Things)
• "...the story moved a bit slow for my tastes...the stakes never felt high enough for me to care about the outcome...I felt like I was fighting reading inertia, and that the more I read, the less I could actually continue to consume." (Logan E. Turner)
• "The story is somewhat slow and drags a little toward the end." (Rainy Day Ramblings)

• "The story was slow, but consistently held my attention." (Alison Can Read)
• "While not a fast-paced thriller, there is plenty of adventure...." (YA? Why Not?)
• "The pacing was steady--never brisk, but not slow either--with creeping tension building as the story progressed. The very beginning was a touch slow for me, but I was fully invested as soon as the children started disappearing." (Small Review)

• "...it kept me turning pages late into the night, and when I finally turned the lights out, I was kind of tempted to hide under the covers." (Mindful Musings)
• "From the first page, I was sucked into the gorgeous writing that creates each scene...intense" (One Librarian's Book Reviews)
• "...enthralling, drawing me in immediately and keeping me mesmerized until the very last page." (Read Me, Bookmark Me, Love Me)
• "Tightly plotted to slowly ratchet up the tension." (Musings of A YA Reader)
• "...builds at a steady pace, pulling readers in until it's impossible to put the book down." (A Backwards Story)
• "It starts off at a steady pace that kept me interested but then things started getting really intense and suspenseful and I was completely sucked into the story until the very last page." (Everything To Do With Books)
• "...sucked me in so completely...I couldn't put it down once I reached the climax..." (Pica Reads)
• "Tension is high with fear of the unknown, making the book impossible to put down." (Read Me, Bookmark Me, Love Me)

General

• "...creates her own folklore in a way that feels realistic...." (A Backwards Story)
• "...exquisite...with a fairytale-like quality." (Musings of A YA Reader)
• "...has a fairy tale quality..." (YA? Why Not?)
• "...the entire book feels like a fairy tale retelling." (Pica Reads)
• "It read like the fairytales of old." (Alison Can Read)
• "...an enchanting book that reads like an old fairy tale." (Rainy Day Ramblings)

• "...an amazing work of literary art." (Rainy Day Ramblings)
• "...left me breathless." (Read Me, Bookmark Me, Love Me)
• "...stoked my imagination, held my attention, and then left me with the satisfied sigh of a story well-told and neatly ended." (Small Review)
• "...a well-crafted, unique, and beautiful tale...[but] it fell a bit flat." (Logan E. Turner)

~Characters~

General:

• "I didn't feel any connection to the characters, to the plot, to the setting." (Bookworm1858)
• "I had a difficult time connecting with the characters...the atmosphere was so rich and so alive that I actually think it took away from the characters for me." (Small Review)

• "...all just so vivid in my mind's eye." (Musings of A YA Reader)

• "The interaction between the main character, Lexi, and her family was great." (Mindful Musings)
• "...I loved that [Lexi] had strong feelings about her younger sister..." (Bookworm1858)
• "...Wren - who made me smile from the start, she's such a well-written, adorable child." (A Girl, Books and Other Things)
• "Lexi's mom, she didn't play a big part in the book, but she was another favorite of mine." (Dreaming Dreams No Mortal Ever Dared)
• "I liked that Schwab took the time to develop the character of Lexi's mother." (Mindful Musings)

Lexi

• "Lexi is an admirable character, I guess. But she's so nondescript and typical of a YA heroine." (Bookworm1858)
• "Lexi's protective instinct didn't ring quite as true for me. I thought she was just nosy and curious." (Logan E. Turner)

• "So many times in YA books the girls of the story come off as weak, not Lexi, no way..." (Dreaming Dreams No Mortal Ever Dared)
• "I respected Lexi a lot as a character for not simply doing what she was told." (Mindful Musings)
• "I loved Lexi's character. She felt so real, with her own strengths and flaws...She seemed so rational...refreshing to read from her perspective." (Pica Reads)
• "I loved Lexi. She is persistent and brave...extremely well developed." (Alison Can Read)
• "I liked Lexi...she was the kind of person who always tried to do what was right and I admired that in her." (Everything To Do With Books)
• "I admired her strength and tenacity." (Rainy Day Ramblings)
• "Lexi is a brilliant protagonist as she is courageous, intelligent and not afraid to stand up for what she believes in and wants." (Read Me, Bookmark Me, Love Me)

~Romance~

• "I'd get caught up into Cole's windstorm any ole day!" (Dreaming Dreams No Mortal Ever Dared)
• "I absolutely adored Cole, he was mysterious and just really likable." (Everything To Do With Books)
• "I loved Cole without even knowing why." (Pica Reads)
• "Their romance was subtle yet sweet. I liked Cole very much...It's hard to put into words exactly what I liked about him. It was more of a feeling than anything else." (Alison Can Read)

• "I never fell in love with Cole, or even believed that Lexi truly had..." (Logan E. Turner)
• "I liked him as a character, but I didn't *love* him as a romantic interest...Since I didn't swoon for Cole, I found the romance distracting from the main mystery" (Small Review)
• "[Cole] remains in part, a mystery." (Rainy Day Ramblings)

• "...boy is it a good love story. It was developed perfectly at just the right pace, it made sense and wasn't instantaneous, the emotions between the two were realistic and the conflicts they faced were heart-wrenching..." (Read Me, Bookmark Me, Love Me)
• "...I actually liked Cole...but I felt that [the romance] fell victim to the stereotypical YA paranormal romance syndrome...developed a bit too quickly for my taste..." (Mindful Musings)
• "[Lexi] and Cole fell in love very quickly, much too fast for me to believe it was real." (One Librarian's Book Reviews)
• "The only thing I didn't like about The Near Witch was the romance...it seemed to come out of the blue and felt unbelievable to me." (Musings of A YA Reader)
• "...it bothered me that [Lexi] got so swept up in the new boy in town. I felt they had no chemistry." (Logan E. Turner)

~Ending~

• "The ending was pretty good, but what I didn't like was after all the build-up and the excellent story telling, it just kind of fell flat for me." (One Librarian's Book Reviews)
• "The ending felt a little abrupt...it leaves a few unanswered questions." (Rainy Day Ramblings)
• "..ended so perfectly and satisfyingly, the climax and conclusion executed very well. There were no abrupt endings, no empty feelings of incompleteness." (Read Me, Bookmark Me, Love Me)

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Review Comparison Submissions: The Near Witch

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The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab?

If you would like your review to be featured in an upcoming Review Comparison post, please fill out the form to send me direct links to your reviews!

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• I'll read your reviews and list some of the pros and cons you've mentioned about the book. 
• I'll link to your full review so readers can get a chance to see different views about a book.
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Please note:

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Book Review: The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
Release Date: August 2, 2011
Publisher: Hyperion Books CH
Pages: 288
Received: ARC from publisher, via NetGalley
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads Page

Summary

From Goodreads:

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.

Review

What it means to be a storyteller

Do you remember when you were young? Before quizzes and homework, essays and Cliff's notes entered into your world? A time before reviews and critiques and the concept of high or low brow books was ever a thought? A time when reading was storytelling and the words on the pages took you on journeys of the imagination?

For me, The Near Witch captured the innocence and wonderment of what it was like to be a child listening to a well-spun story. This was the kind of book that stoked my imagination, held my attention, and then left me with the satisfied sigh of a story well-told and neatly ended.

What genre is this?

The Near Witch defies genres. It takes place in "generic English-like medieval village," like many fantasies, and includes the richly imaginative elements of classic storytelling found in fairy tales. Also present is the thick and spooky atmosphere of a Gothic horror, complete with ghostly vibes, mood-setting weather, and eerie moors.

The mystery genre also makes an appearance, with the puzzle of the disappearing children keeping suspense levels high. The ever looming threat to Lexi's own adorably innocent younger sister left me gripped with fear every nightfall and wrung out with sickening relief each morning I discovered she had been spared.

But don't let what I just said be a comfort to you, because no one is safe in the town of Near. Peril follows everyone, with danger coming from multiple corners. The chilling atmosphere and tension are cranked up to 11, but what makes The Near Witch so frightening comes as much from the supernatural predators as from the very natural human elements.

It is this dash of psychological terror that adds a much appreciated depth to The Near Witch. Like the fog on the moors, obscuring edges and leeching colors so that everything is hazy and blanketed in gray, the heroes and villains of The Near Witch are equally blurred. While this works to add sympathy and depth to the villains, it also unsettled me further as I realized there was no safe haven for Lexi.

If I could change one thing...

Honestly, it would be the romantic lead. I know, disappointing, right? For me, I just wasn't feeling the guy. He was the "damaged, sad, and (really) shy" kind of guy, and that's just not my thing. I liked him as a character, but I didn't *love* him as a romantic interest. So that's where most of my 1 star comes off. I do think he will appeal to a lot of people though (especially fans of Sam from the Wolves of Mercy Falls series), so don't let me put you off.

Since I didn't swoon for Cole, I found the romance distracting from the main mystery. Lexi is so determined and brave as she tried to track down the cause of the missing children. I wanted her to stay focused on this 100%, but instead she splits her focus between this task and her growing feelings for Cole. Her feelings do grow at a very nice pace and they don't overwhelm the plot at all, so you don't have to worry about any silly insta-love or monopolizing romance.

My only other teensy, tiny complaint is that I had a difficult time connecting with the characters. This is sort of a backhanded compliment, but the atmosphere was so rich and so alive that I actually think it took away from the characters for me. Instead of identifying with Lexi and feeling what she felt, I connected with the melancholy mood of the atmosphere. It wasn't until I finished the book and had time to separate from the atmosphere and really let the whole story settle with me that I grew to fully appreciate all that I had read.

Bottom line

Definitely a keeper. The pacing was steady--never brisk, but not slow either--with creeping tension building as the story progressed. The very beginning was a touch slow for me, but I was fully invested as soon as the children started disappearing. What really stood out for me the most were the scenes in the woods and the climax. That was when I felt the most gripped by the story and, wow, that climax was so visually spectacular! It made the whole book worth reading just so I can carry around that haunting visual in my head.

The Near Witch is a standalone and I think it is the perfect length for the story it contains. Victoria Schwab's next book is called The Archived, and I'm already impatiently awaiting its release (oh 2012, please hurry up and get here). I hope Victoria has a long and prolific career as an author, because I'm hooked. 

Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key 

Do you have any questions about The Near Witch that I haven't addressed? 
Feel free to ask in the comments!

Looking for another book like this? 

You might like: 

Click on the covers to go to Goodreads.

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