Don't Miss: The Archived

The Archived

By Victoria Schwab

Hyperion

2013

321 pages



Brilliant, thoughtful and powerful, The Archived is a real treat for readers who love a captivating story, a feisty female protagonist and a charming, almost alarming and totally disarming, male love interest.



MacKenzie Bishop, aka Mac, is a Keeper. It is her job to capture and return missing Histories to the Archive where they can be shelved. The Archive is a special storehouse where the Librarians maintain the Histories of each dead person. Once one escapes into the Outer, the Archive is in danger.



After the death of her beloved younger brother Ben, Mac’s family moves to the Coronado, a massive old building that was once a beautiful and prestigious hotel. Its old grandeur can still seen in the marble floors and sweeping staircase, but history has taken its toll on the old building—it’s dusty, musty, and ancient. There are only a few residents who still live there, but Mac’s mother dreams of opening a coffee shop in the old building. Soon, strange things begin to happen at the hotel.



Mac meets Wesley, a boy who visits his aunt and cousin at the Coronado. Lucky for her, he seems to show up whenever she needs help, and being a Keeper is a dangerous vocation.



As Mac begins to investigate the strange deaths of several past residents of the Coronado, the Archive is in danger of crumbling. Roland, Mac’s favorite librarian, agrees to work with Mac to find answers, but he warns her to speak to no one else. Someone In the Archive is working from within to destroy it.



Readers will love the obvious smoldering hot attraction between Mac and Wesley, and Wesley is swoon-worthy and oh, so quick witted and smooth. The Archived is a darkly compelling novel oozing with gothic romance. Victoria Schwab excels at world building and this is one fascinating world I wanted to live in. The idea of a “library” that houses the “Histories” of each life and is maintained by “librarians” and cataloged with order is a novel one.



Highly, highly recommended for readers grade 7-up. Some kissing.



FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.



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