The Unbound (The Archived #2) by Victoria Schwab

The Unbound (The Archived #2)
by Victoria Schwab
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Format: ARC, Kindle
Published: Jan. 28th, 2014 by Hyperion
Genre: YA, Paranormal/Sci-fi/Fantasy

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"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.

Last summer, Mackenzie Bishop, a Keeper tasked with stopping violent Histories from escaping the Archive, almost lost her life to one. Now, as she starts her junior year at Hyde School, she's struggling to get her life back. But moving on isn't easy -- not when her dreams are haunted by what happened. She knows the past is past, knows it cannot hurt her, but it feels so real, and when her nightmares begin to creep into her waking hours, she starts to wonder if she's really safe. 

Meanwhile, people are vanishing without a trace, and the only thing they seem to have in common is Mackenzie. She's sure the Archive knows more than they are letting on, but before she can prove it, she becomes the prime suspect. And unless Mac can track down the real culprit, she'll lose everything, not only her role as Keeper, but her memories, and even her life. Can Mackenzie untangle the mystery before she herself unravels?

With stunning prose and a captivating mixture of action, romance, and horror, The Unbound delves into a richly imagined world where no choice is easy and love and loss feel like two sides of the same coin." -Goodreads

Review:

“I am Mackenzie Bishop. I am a Keeper for the Archive and I am the one who goes bump in the night, not the one who slips. I am the girl of steel, and this is all a bad dream and I have to wake up. How many Keepers lose their minds?” (loc. 1905)

After the harrowing events that unfolded in the first book, Mackenzie finds herself dealing with PTSD, maintaining her Keeper job, and a new school. A turmoil of nightmares, blackouts and paranoia has Mackenzie feeling she’s been punted into the rabbit hole. People are disappearing and with the lines blurring between what’s real and what’s a dream, Mackenzie fights with trust and control. The source? The Archive.

“Keep your worlds apart, warned Da. Neat and even and solidly separate. But everything is messy now. My fear follows me into the Narrows. My nightmares follow me out.” (loc. 61)

I love how the book plays off of the PTSD that Mackenzie has after the scare with Owen. He haunts her dreams, her thoughts and her life. This not only puts in question her faith in others, but it questions the Archive’s faith in her. With the Archive in control of her, will Mackenzie regain control of her life? Can she find control over the Archive?

“The Archive teaches us to break our lives into pieces and to keep those pieces secret, separate.” (loc. 445)

Mackenzie is constantly reminded that the Archive owns a piece of her and I love how, in a round about way, she may find a way to own a piece of them. The author does a wonderful job of creating suspense and mystery in the plot by providing mistrust, multiple threats and obstacles for Mackenzie to deal with, all while creating room for character discovery and growth. I’ve also seen growth in Wesley’s character, as we see another side of him in his public lifestyle. I’m very much looking forward to what comes next for Mackenzie, because I’ve feel like through all she’s been through, she’s become enlightened and empowered. Will she keep her job? Will she make crew? When everything is said and done, will there even be an Archive? The wait to find out begins!

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First Line: "My body begs for sleep." (loc. 13)

Last Line: "Maybe I am a bringer of change. But I'll decide what kind." (loc. 3804)

Quotes*

“Waiting for something to start is always worse than when it does.” (loc. 224)

“Da used to say mistakes were useless if you tried to forget them. You had to remember and learn.” (loc. 935)

“I never dream of monsters, not the kind with fangs or claws. I dream of people. Of bad people dropped into days and nights so simple and vivid that I never question if any of it’s real.” (loc. 1897)

“‘Change is coming,’ he says quietly. ‘Either the Archive will evolve or it will fall.’” (loc. 3516)

Galley provided by Netgalley via Hyperion and the author

*Quotes are from uncorrected advanced galleys and may change before going to press. Please refer to the final printed book for official quotes.