Saturday 22 September 2012

THEARCHIVED SNEAK PEEK BY VICTORIA SCHWAB COURTESY OF DISNEY HYPERION

ISBN: 9781423179108
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Pages: n/a
Formats Available: E-Galley

BLURB from NetGalley
Enjoy this sneak peek at The Archived as a READ NOW galley!

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 this e-galley from NetGalley, in order to give me a sneak peek into The Archived by Victoria Schwab. So I will start with the cover, I love the colour blue on the cover , it adds an air of mystery. The face, I think is Mackenzie peering through the darkness in the narrows perhaps. The key represents the key Mackenzie wears around her neck and uses to open the doors to the return, the archive and the narrows. I like the cover, it's pretty simple yet has a mysterious air about it that draws you to it, making you need to know more. I would definitely pick it up in a bookstore to find out more.
I will admit I do not normally read the "Sneak Peek's" as I get really frustrated by not being able to read to the end of the book straight away. I usually just wait until the whole book is available. So now I will be totally honest I actually requested this galley originally thinking it was going to be the whole book so I was disappointed as I began reading it, before I had any idea what it was going to be like.
It's quite a complex plot, in how The Archive works and who can become a Keeper etc. These things are explained within the story really well though. I can't say this is a light "fluffy" read because it isn't. This book is for book lovers, one to get your teeth into. The book is written really well. Its so descriptive you can actually imagine putting out your hand with Mackenzie and touching the wall searching out a cease to travel through to the Narrows.
This book has a strong family structure within it. Da is Mackenzies grandfather on hr paternal side. Mackenzie is very close to Da so feels it deeply when he dies. It is Da that chooses Mackenzie to take over his role as a keeper. Da feels his own son is not good enough to take on the role. The role is something that has to be kept a secret from others, you must never reveal the truth that you are a keeper.
Mackenzie has to come to terms with quite a lot of death within her family as her younger brother Ben has also recently died. Her grieving is not helped by her mothers failure to speak about Ben, and the fact that she has chosen to move from their old home leaving behind all the memories.
Part of Mackenzies gift is "reading" things she can touch an item and view memories that people have left behind on the item. Walls, floors and other such large items are really the best things to read. Makes you wonder about the phrase "If only those walls could speak what would they tell us?" 
I could seriously go on and on about this book, and its only the sneak peek I have read, which is a good sign for the whole book,but I don't want to give away spoilers. I will warn that you do learn quite a lot in this sneak peek, and it certainly has the effect of catching your interest and making you want to know much more. The finished book is definitely, firmly on my wishlist! The only downside to reading this sneak peek is that the whole book isn't released until 2013!
It's totally different to anything I have ever read before, it feels totally unique.
So would I recommend reading the book from reading the sneak peek? YES.
Would I love to read the whole book? YES please! Would I read more by this author?Yes.

Available at Amazon.co.uk on pre-order. Release date 22nd January 2013


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