Here's another YA book. I always see a lot of praise for Victoria Schwab's books and I must say I agree her ideas are very good. The prose isn't exactly to my taste and I've read four books by her so I'm pretty sure it's just that the writing isn't my cup of tea and not a fluke.

The world in The Archived was interesting and the romance wasn't the type that really annoys me (aka instantaneous and without chemistry) but still, this had too much of the "normal" YA urban fantasy vibe for me, as opposed to other works by the author. 

Paradoxically, I wish the series had more books (I've read both by now), the entire mythos deserved more exploration, I must  confess that was the part that interested me. The why of the Archive and the who that created it.

3/5 stars for this one. It was a good read but it had very little to make it original when compared to other works in the genre.

This book was so amazing!! Schwab is master at creating an fantasy world inside the modern world. The whole ghost library where your souls go after you die- is so interesting. I loved the suspense in this book, and I was completely caught off guard at the end of the book. It was fantastic read! Engrossing and heart-wrenching too.

Victoria Schwab is an amazing writer. I was engrossed immediately into the world that she built. I loved absolutely everything about this book. The uniqueness. The emotion. The shocking twists at the end. If you haven't started this series yet you need to. Mackenzie was such an amazing character and I loved her whole story. It was awesome. I can not wait to read the second book.

My Thoughts: 
What I liked about the story is it kept my attention with imagination and action. Further, I wanted to know what her vision meant earlier in the story? I wanted to know more about what happened to her brother? Who is Da? So, I had several "things" that needed answers. 
Another important point is I wondered who are the bad and who are the good? In every story there are those kinds of people. In some stories there are surprises, not in this story. I can't say I was totally off by who were the bad ones. 
I know that I think logically, but why don't these people (History) want to move on? Why do they want to hang out in a narrow hallway? However, this is apart of the storyline. 
Mackenzie is a sympathetic character. She's a loner. She is not really involved in anything other than the "task" as a Keeper. She is grieving the deaths of Da and her brother. She and her parents don't connect. She's alone in her thoughts all of the time. She is a contemplative person. She's basically kind and wants to do the right thing.  
Later in the book Mackenzie is praying. What? Who is she praying to? Nothing alludes to any religious belief but she's praying. I'm not sure why this was added to the story at all. It felt like something pulled out of a rabbit and just for show. 

Am I glad I read The Archived? It is good for me to read something out of my ordinary interest in books. It's like using a different part of my brain. So yes.

What an incredible, unique story. I loved the concept and it was so well executed. The characters were great and the writing was beautiful.

So thankful for this sneak peek which made me infinitely more excited than I already was for the full release of this title! V.E. Schwab is one of my favorite writers.

I loved this sneak peek! Mac is such a complex, compelling character, and the idea of “histories” in a magical library is fascinating! I can’t wish to see where this goes.

This was a great read!   A bit slow to start.... But quickly picked up ,and I flew through the rest!  A great premise, I found the idea of these keepers of the archived ( dead) to be very fresh and interesting.  Throw in a mystery, and you've got a winner!  I enjoyed this very much, and can't wait to see where the author takes this series!  Loved Mac and Wes, I hope a romance blooms!

This was just a sneak preview. Based on this, I bought and read the book. Highly recommend. Victoria Schwab has become one of my favorite authors. At this point, I'll read anything she writes. I recommend her to anyone that loves YA or just really good books.

This story was amazing. Victoria's prose is gorgeous and atmospheric, and it was easy to lose myself in the story. She reveals the workings and mythology of The Archive in bits and pieces instead of info-dumping all at once, so when I started out, it took me a little bit to get my bearings. But gradually, without really noticing it was happening, I began to understand. And before I knew it, I was totally immersed in Mackenzie's world.

What I liked about Mac was that she was strong, but flawed. She constantly tried to do her best, but made some very bad decisions. She had been trained to be so secretive that she didn't ask for help when she needed it. She had closed her emotions to the point where she didn't notice warning signs and ignored her gut instincts. But what was amazing about this is that because of the way her character was developed, I understood why she was doing those things. I may not agree with them, but it made sense. I liked that she wasn't perfect and sometimes didn't piece together the clues about what was happening until it was too late.

I know I'm painting her as kind of clueless, and you may be wondering what's so appealing about a closed-off and ignorant character, but she was also smart, resourceful, and determined. She was just a very well-rounded and human character, which in a story with such fantastic elements, kept it grounded in the believable.

Then there was Wes, who I thought was fabulous. Although there's hints of romance between him and Mac, he's so much more than just "the love interest." Wesley has his own struggles and complexities. I loved how his approach to life not only differed from Mac's, but challenged her, and how while Mac is undoubtedly the hero of the story, Wes has his moments of heroism as well. I can't wait to learn more about Wes in the sequels.

The plotting and pacing of The Archived was excellent. I felt like I was constantly gaining new insight into the world while asking new questions. Victoria is a master at keeping the reader turning pages, giving enough information to appease, but not so much that you stop asking questions. She weaves small details into the early pages that you don't realize are important until the end, so that a savvy reader may be able to figure out what's going on...but probably won't. I like when plot twists are subtly foreshadowed, because it makes the payoff that much more satisfying.

Ultimately, I thought The Archived was a beautifully written, tightly plotted, brilliantly original story. I was riveted from beginning to end, and can't wait to see what Victoria has planned next for these characters.

I loved this sneak peak into Victoria Schwab's book, The Archived. It was an excellent introduction into the world she's building, and it definitely left me wanting more. I'll be picking up the full book ASAP!

With just a sneak peak, I can already tell this book will have everything I want to read in this new world. This series is going to be THE series to read.

Libraries? Intrigue? Mysterious building? Check, check, and check! This book was everything I hoped it would be when I picked it up.

This sneak peak definitely got me excited about reading the full title!

This book is beautifully written, but not to my taste.

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.

My review: 

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

This book was awesome. At first I was confused because I didn't realize that Mackenzie was a girl, but as soon as I got that all figured out, everything was settled. It was smooth sailing from there on. This book kept my interest the whole time, and was written in such a way that I couldn't stop reading it, couldn't put it down. I should have read this book a long time ago but I kept putting it off, Whatever. The second one is out now, I can read that soon! Mackenzie is something called a Keeper. There was no job information when she was being trained by her grandfather, her Da, Antony Bishop, ( He has many names ) She was accepted early, which doesn't happen very often, but her Da was going to pass away soon, and he needed someone to replace him. He chose Mackenzie. Being a keeper is no easy job, you're called at all hours to get these 'Histories', these copies of dead people back into the Library, the Archive. Because in this book, when you die there's a copy of you made and put in a shelf. Sometimes they escape and can 'slip', go crazy, and someone has to return them to their rightful place. Mackenzie is one of those people. Not the best job, you get covered in scars, but someone has to do it, right? The job is passed down through families, and no one but you and the other keeper can know. And of course, any other keeper you know. Which also doesn't really happen very often. Most keepers don't even meet another keeper outside of their family. This book was an amazing roller coaster ride, and I couldn't put it down for a minute. You should definitely check it out. 

Thanks for reading! I'll leave this link here. (;

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An interesting sneak peak at the novel The Archived, however, it wasn't really my cup of tea so I wont be going on to read the entire novel.

This sneak is approximately the first third of the book and I am intrigued. The concept is original, if a little creepy. The dead, their bodies, are stored in the Archives, a library. What's important is not the bodies themselves but the memories they retain. What, if anything, is done with those memories? We aren't told, not in the excerpt, and possibly not in the full-length book either. It may be that like a book library, the information is stored but unlike those libraries, the memories of the dead don't seem to be available except to the librarians.

Mac is a Keeper, she finds escaped Histories (the dead) and returns them to the Archives. Her family and friends don't know what she is or even that the Archives exist. That means she is constantly lying to them. You can imagine the strain that puts on her and her relationships.

I particularly enjoyed the flashbacks to Mac's time with her grandfather and the peek at Mac's rebellion against the rules set down by the Archive. I'll be getting the full book to read and find out what happens.

I received an eARC from the publisher for review.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview this book.

This sneak peak just made me want to get the book then and there! I love Victoria's writing and would definitely get a full copy of this book