* No spoils.


Fantastic. Superb. Had I been in possession of the rest of this book, I would have devoured it and forgone sleep.

I was lucky enough to score the first 9 chapters of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. While my review will be honest to a fault, I may be slightly biased, as I can really relate to the MC and what she’s going through.

I lost my grandmother one month and 2 days ago. While my life doesn't crumble every day, my heart does, for a few minutes at a time, at least once a day, every day. I allow myself that pain, because I know grieving is a process and I know that a process is a series of actions or steps taken to achieve an end. In the end, I hope to come to terms with the circumstances surrounding her death and I hope to find the strength to accept her absence. Because of my loss, The Archived really resonated with me.

Mackenzie is grieving, too. As the blurb states, she’s lost both her grandfather and younger brother. The portrayal of her sadness is very well done. Schwab really hit the nail on the head, which leads me to believe that she is no stranger to loss.

There’s a quiet desperation to Mackenzie that tugs at your heartstrings. I often found myself wanting to give her a hug to console her. She leads a lonely existence, despite having people in her life who love her, and that’s also an accurate portrayal of what life can be like for someone who is lonely/depressed/emotionally unstable/grieving, etc.

Schwab doesn’t shy away from the darkness and I love that in my books. Keep that in mind if you’re the type who likes sunny, happy books. This is not sunny. It is realistic and dark, but not overly so. The worldbuilding is fantastic and very original. There’s even a bit of the “creep factor”.

Aside from Mackenzie, the side characters are really intriguing. Her parents (who incidentally also remind me of my own parents) are very interesting. I’m curious to see where Schwab will take them.

There is a boy and hallelujah – he is atypical. I’m also happy to say that there was no insta-love (so far). I can only keep my fingers crossed that their relationship will progress normally.

In summary, all of these things just work for me. This book happened to come at a perfect time for me. My only complaint is that I didn’t have the rest of the book on hand to read. Thankfully, the hardcover is out today and the ebook is out on January 29th, so I won’t have to wait long.

I’ll be diving in as soon as I get my hands on it.




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Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher I got this sneak preview of the book! Wish I had the entire thing :)

Very beautifully written, somehow it feels very adult while still "speaks" to the younger (teen) crowd.

The story is about a teenager, Mackenzie, who has assumed her responsibility as the archiver of Histories. The Histories are lost souls, potentially dangerous? The Archives are a little creepy, but I think part of the charm in this book is the morbidity.

It a little difficult to be more specific as we only got the first nine chapters, but it feels like there was something about to happen. Rather sneaky of the publisher. I will definitely need to read the rest when the book is published!

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This was a sneak peek, the first 9 chapters, that I received from the publisher via NetGalley. I won't bore you with a synopsis since you can look that up by clicking the link. I will simply tell you this: I am SO happy that January is not that far away! What an interesting premise with tons of promise for a grand, if a tad scary, adventure.

Despite the description of warmth, wood, and sunlight, I see the Library or Archives as morbid. Afterall...the stacks aren't comprised of books but of bodies. And yet...how lovely to know that we are preserved in some way.

The sneak peek leaves you hanging with a glimpse of trouble (how did that one History get a weapon?!) and a glimpse of hope with Mackenzie discovering another Keeper near her age. Is he trustworthy? Guess I'm gonna have to get the whole book to find out!

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