Author: Victoria Schwab
Publication Date: 01/22/2013
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Pages: 324
Source: ARC (Thanks to Hyperion and Victoria at NYCC!)

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.

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.

Sometimes there are just books that you know are meant for you. Maggie Stiefvater's THE SCORPIO RACES was one of those books, and as soon as I read the tagline for THE ARCHIVED, I knew it would end up on a very small shelf of favorites, too. The narrative beautifully transitions from the present to the past, highlighting the moments that Mackenzie spent with her grandfather that lead her to becoming his successor as Keeper. Though we don't see much of him throughout the course of the book, we don't need to as the moments in which he's present his personality are vivid and commanding. These flashbacks highlight his importance in Mackenzie's life, their bond, and the rules that, as a Keeper, she must live by. Though the Archive and the outside world have a symbiotic relationship, it is precariously balanced, and it's Keepers like Mac that have to play by the rules for order to be sustained. Bruises, omissions, and absences in order to create peace for both.

The incredible thing about this book is the way Victoria effortlessly links the construct of the Archive into present-day reality. We open countless amounts of doors per day, we go to libraries for history and knowledge. Topics and genres mapped out on shelves for our perusal. But with the touch of a key Mackenzie has access to a library that makes her life so completely different than anything we can imagine. The Archive has history and knowledge on shelves, collecting first-hand accounts. Every time Mac stepped into the Archive I could imagine a sweeping great room with stacks higher than I could see, cathedral ceilings and a gilded desk neatly arranged with papers and writing utensils. And, of course, a sign. An information desk like any and none other.

In a book about information and what it means to have it, THE ARCHIVED's characters are equally nuanced. Just when I thought I knew something about someone, a layer quietly peeled back and revealed just enough of something else to be surprising but not too much so that it would be out of place with what I had already learned. Mac is a clever and strong girl with quick responses who struggles with how to relate her position as a Keeper to her life as a daughter and a normal person. She has to deal with extraordinary circumstances, yet her struggles are relatable and convincing. One of my favorite things about this book is that every conversation - every word - has a purpose without feeling overwhelming. My favorite character, Roland, is one you meet fairly soon into the story, though it's almost difficult to pick because the Archive is literally riddled with a small starring cast that shines.

THE ARCHIVED has something in it for everyone: strong characterisation, mystery, beautiful prose, and a narrative that includes a touching and believable romance. This is literally a book that I had to pace myself reading because I didn't want it to end. I will say, however, for those that tend to prefer stand-alone to series, I absolutely believe that it will stand on its own as a singular story without the necessity of reading on. Me, though? I can't wait to pre-order the second installment.

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event courtesy of Breaking the Spine that showcases much anticipated upcoming releases.

from goodreads: 01/22/2013

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. 

 Somehow Victoria Schwab has a way with words, not only stringing together the most beautiful and perfectly-chosen ones, but also creating them into a story that no one else would have dared to step into and create. I absolutely adored The Near Witch (r), and so when more and more snippets of what this new series would be about made their way into the world I was ecstatic.  Librarians, books, living and breathing and the people who guard their stories. There is no way that The Archived will be anything less than stunning and imaginative, and it's a journey I cannot wait to go on.

Author: Victoria Schwab 
Publication Date: 08/02/2011 
Publisher: Disney Hyperion 
Pages: 288 
Source: ARC (Gifted from whatchyareading.net)

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.
There 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.

It starts with a crack, a sputter, and a spark. The match hisses to life.

The book begins with these two lines and the beginning of a tale that's circulated Near for generations. Lexi lights the match, picks up her father's worn journal, and begins to verbally retell the story that she and her sister, Wren, know by heart. The town of Near is settled near the edge of a moor, which is the heart of the story of the Near Witch; a story that whispers in the wind and, true or not, has a resounding effect on everyone who abides there. During this particular retelling she spies something outside the window. The something is a someone, a he, and is no one she's ever seen before.

The next day the story of a stranger in Near has everyone abuzz. The day after that the children start disappearing. Fingers are pointed, and Lexi, curious, finds herself ending up in the middle of something she could have never expected.

This book will almost literally sweep you off your feet into a world that's as beautiful and poignant as any fairy tale you may have read in your childhood. The prose is as lyrical as the wind within and just as memorable. Victoria Schwab does not write with words so much so as she paints and conducts with them an image in your mind, a melody that leaves behind a story. One of my favorite aspects was that we aren't given the entire tale of the Near Witch straight off - it's something that is played out over time and as necessary, so when more bits and pieces crop up you slowly begin to unravel what's happening. Similarly, while we aren't given extensive character backgrounds for everyone we meet in the book, the words that are there are used in such a wonderfully succinct fashion that they speak volumes. Case in point: we don't need to know so much about the elders of the village, but the things offered up are stated in such a way as to make them relevant to the overall story and just enough to understand where they fit in in interacting with the townspeople in Near.

I also loved learning the history of the town and seeing the relationship between Lexi and everyone around her develop. And the play on words that she does to name a character is so perfect, and becomes even more so later as things pick up. Lexi's a firecracker of a character, and what's more, she acts justly for what she believes to be the right thing, not shying away from the hard decisions in fear of what the consequences may be.

While things might start off slow (not at all in a bad connotation) and explorative, they quickly build up into something fast and curious that I found incredibly difficult to set down. I read this book on one sitting and it left my mind reeling in awe of the writing style, word choice, and gorgeous character and story composition. This is not just a book for children; if you enjoy fairy tales or a well-crafted piece in general then please give this book a try. You won't regret it.