The Unbound

The Archived #2

by Victoria Schwab

Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures 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. When her nightmares begin to creep into her waking hours, she starts to wonder if she’s truly 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. 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?

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal, Mystery, Urban Fantasy, Romance, Fiction

360 pages, Hardcover

First published January 14, 2014

About the author

Victoria is the product of a British mother, a Beverly Hills father, and a southern upbringing. Because of this, she has been known to say "tom-ah-toes," "like," and "y'all."

She also tells stories.

She loves fairy tales, and folklore, and stories that make her wonder if the world is really as it seems.

Reviews

[Victoria Schwab]

Writing this book gave me hives. Finishing it gave me an ulcer. Revising it made me hypertensive.

I am pretty sure it nearly killed me.

Here's hoping it doesn't hurt you to read. At least not in the same ways it hurt me to write.

(And yes, there is a metric ton of Wesley Ayers.)

[B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am SO SOFT over this book!!! I loved this duology way more than I originally thought I would and I’m just so happy I picked it up 😭🖤 thank you Schwab for always delivering such amazing Slytherin girls and such soft boys!!

[Korrina (OwlCrate) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this even more than The Archived! It expands the world a lot, and I simply adored the new characters we’re introduced to. Also, Wesley is definitely new book boyfriend material.

I know this series was meant to have a third instalment, and I truly hope we get one someday. But I was very happy with how this book ended.

[Kai Spellmeier · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Smiling is the worst thing you can do if you want the world to think you're okay when you're not.”

So this could've been the perfect book but there was one big thing - or better, a character - which annoyed me to the point where I wanted to stop reading: Owen Chris Clarke. I thought this chapter was over and I hoped I would not have to see him again in the sequel, but I did. Much to my disappointment he had a huge impact on the plot. Apart from him, this book was awesome and flawless and Victoria Schwab at her best. I just hate Owen.

And now pretty please...what about a release date for The Returned?


Find more of my books on Instagram

[✨ Helena ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need book three NOW. Seriously, Victoria Schwab ... where is it?!?!

[♛ may · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buddy read #2 with the Knightess


The best feeling ever is when a book and its characters and its plot and its setting captivates you to a point where you’d rather live forever between its pages than return to real life.

And this book has done that for me.



The second book in the Archived series, Unbound continues a few weeks after we left book one. Mackenzie is about to begin school at the prestigious Hyde School and despite her very normal teen worries, her constant daunting nightmares are beginning to take its toll.

With pressure from the Archive and a steady case of missing people – who all happen to be linked to her – junior year in high school is about to get a lot more complicated.

“The world isn’t that black-and-white, is it? It doesn’t all boil down to with or against. Some of us just want to stay alive.”

This enchanting tale is mysterious and unpredictable and gripping all the way through. Schwab was able to build and construct the characters and the plot in such a beautifully profound way, I am absolutely astonished.

And Wesley Ayers, let’s not forget about this little sweet heart.

I MEAN,



ISN’T HE JUST



DARLING???!!???

Ugh, this boy has my heart, I swear, every time his name was mentioned, I was:


I really, really, really need book three !!! AND SOON!!! Please Victoria Schwab, I need this book to continue my life.

“Doubt is like a current you have to swim against, one that saps your strength.”



4.5 stars!!!

[prag ♻ · Rating 5 out of 5]

To all the people: who like me, thought A Gathering of Shadows was the best Victoria Schwab, or anybody for that matter could do?



I love everything about this book. Everything.

→ I love Roland.
→ I love Wesley Ayers.
→ I love Dallas.
→ I even like Cash, poor guy.
→ But above them all, I love Mackenzie Bishop.

You know why? Because as Roland would say, she makes things infinitely more interesting.

(Which reminds me, this was BR #2 with Joshua Templeman's biggest fan, who made things infinitely more interesting for me)

What always draws me to Victoria Schwab's books is the uncertainty They're never, ever predictable. I never know what's wrong, or what's right. I never know what's going to happen the next chapter, or even whatever the hell is happening right now. And that makes all the difference. Sure, she has a quirky writing style that is enchanting from the first page, and characters that are mesmerizing and lovable, but her plots and ideas are unique. You could give me a piece of hers out of nowhere, and as soon as I laid eyes on it I would probably be able to say with confidence: hey, this is written by Victoria Schwab. And it's amazing. That's the kind of style she has.

↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔

“Life is messy right now, Wes.”
“Life is always messy,” he says, meeting my gaze.
“It’s supposed to be.”

↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔

I am not afraid of nightmares, because mine came true and I lived through them.

↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔

To sum up: this book is everything.

↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔

Apparently the sequel will come one day but I'm pretty satisfied with this ending, I could live without one (this is not to say that I wouldn't read the sequel, bcause I totally would).

[April (Aprilius Maximus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

1.) The Archived ★★★★.5
2.) The Unbound ★★★★
*.) Leave the Window Open ★★★★

------------------------------
"I am not afraid of nightmares, because mine came true and I lived through them."

representation: symptoms of PTSD (undiagnosed), mention of side characters being neurodiverse.

[trigger warnings are listed at the bottom of this review and may contain spoilers]

★★★★

Such a great sequel! While I'm upset that the third book never got picked up, I'm glad we got closure with this story and that is doesn't end on a cliffhanger, because that would have been TORTURE.

trigger warnings: violence, gore, death, murder, PTSD (undiagnosed), attempted sexual assault, self-harm, mention of suicide.

[starryeyedjen · Rating 5 out of 5]

ALL! THE! STARS!

Wowsers! I mean, seriously, I didn't think it could get more awesome than The Archived, but holy wow, it SO DID! Lovedlovedloved it! And now I must devour every known work by Victoria Schwab. Every. Known. Work.

_______________________________________

I re-read The Archived prior to picking up my prized galley of The Unbound because, well...because of the Wesley Ayers. Among other things.  But, gawd, if I wasn't stoked  for the sequel before (and I was, I really was), then to say that giving that bad boy another read did unspeakable things to my determination to read The Unbound stat and without interruption would be an understatement.

I don't know about you, but I love an unreliable narrator.  And in this sequel, Mac becomes just such a narrator.  After the horrific things she survived in The Archived, girl is allowed a little mental breakdown, but when she starts to see Owen Chris Clarke, to feel his presence not only in her dreams but in her waking hours, too, something's gotta give, and for a good while, it looked like it was going to be Mac's sanity.  But it goes without saying that because of her questionable mental state, she might not be the most trustworthy source for information.  It might help if she'd actually talk to someone (ahem, Wesley) about what's troubling her, but you know she's not going to make it easy on herself.  Mac is tough as nails thanks to Da, and she will see this thing through, even if it kills her...but hopefully not.

And to add to the chaos of the situation is the fact that Victoria Schwab is boss as misdirection.  I had suspicions.  I had theories.  I felt at times that I was being pushed in one direction so that I'd get all turned around, like I were in those awful tunnels myself.  This sequel is all kinds of twisty, and I never knew who to trust, if anyone...well, except Wes.  I just can't not trust that guy.

Speaking of, if you were disappointed by the lack of swoons in the first book when it came to Wes and Mac, your patience will pay off in this book.  Though you should be warned, Mac's become a bit of a babe magnet as of late.  But fret not fellow Wesley fans, this is nothing compared to that awkward triangle-type thingy that happened in The Archived. Which, if I'm being perfectly honest, wasn't really there either since that was a case of Mac and OCC using each other for different purposes and really involved no feelings.  Anyway, back to my point:  lots of Wesley Ayers page time and you will see a side of him you've never seen before. And he's all kinds of adorbs, but that's to be expected.

New friends, new foes, old friends, old foes...this sequel isn't lacking for entertaining characters.  Roland is still a great counter to Mac's brash, impulsive personality.  I enjoyed the almost fatherly role he played in the first book, but he's an even more prominent ally now, which is perfect because Mac needs him now more than ever.  Even Mac's parents get more action in this sequel, though I can't say that it made me like them any better.  I empathize with their situation, but losing one child does not net you permission to be absent for your remaining offspring.  They seem to wake up a bit from their stupor and take notice, but it's all the wrong things they're seeing, and Mac can't say a word otherwise to dissuade them.

The interactions between Da and Mac still preface the chapters, but rather than being a present-tense memory where Mac is "speaking" to Da, this time around they actually feel like flashbacks, usually ones that precede some training aspect Mac is putting into action.  They still contain those nuggets of wisdom, but Mac is seeing the Archive and its actions in a different light, and she's starting to question what Da really knew and understood about the people he was working for.

Which is partly what makes this sequel so unbelievably good:  everything is in question and nothing can be taken for granted.  Also:  the resolution that should mollify all involved parties but likely will only result in inciting further rebellion...because it leaves room for more story, which I desperately need.  I could wax poetic about all the things I love about The Unbound, but there's only one thing that I'm disappointed in. And that's the fact that I can't find any info on a third book!  Grrr.

Check back for my stop on The Unbound Blog Tour later in January!

GIF it to me straight:

No words could adequately describe how amazing this sequel was.  Truly.

Thanks to Disney-Hyperion for the review copy!

This review can also be found at The Starry-Eyed Revue.

[Seda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Çok güzeldi🤩🤩 İlk kitaptan sonra daha ne olacak derken ortalık iyice karıştı. Elimden bırakmadan, soluksuz okudum. Arşiv’in başındaki durağanlıktan eser yoktu. Aksine bir dakika nefes aldırmadan üstüste olaylar geldi. Özellikle son sayfalarını okurken, gerilim kitabı okur gibi gerildim.

İlk yazdıkları böyleyse, yazarın diğer kitaplarını okumak için sabırsızlanıyorum.

[Sofii♡ (A Book. A Thought.) · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The funny thing about armor is that it doesn't just keep other people out. It keeps us in. We build it up around us, not realizing that we're trapping ourselves.”

Oh guys, I loved this book much more than the first one, so I'm very happy to have continued with the series, although I feel that it wasn't very smart of me, since now I want more and I've realized that there are no more books after this one for the moment and I'm just like WHY!?



4.5/5 Stars

You can find this one and more of my review on my blog A Book. A Thought.


Let's talk about this wonderful book, in this installment we'll see Mackenzie confronting her demons and being forced to make decisions that could change everything, including to The Archived itself. We see her battle against her own nightmares in which Owen appears to torture her and kill her inside them, but then Mack begins to have mental gaps and she start to wake up with wounds in his body; and with the Archive more and more over her everything begins to become more and more complicated


This time I feel that it has been much darker than the previous one, we have alot of suspense and mystery moments, where I was like: "What the fuck is going on?!", I loved that, I really enjoy that the story is layers of wrapping me of the form in which it did, then surprise me and take me completely off guard.
I feel that what differentiates this book from the previous one, is that in this one begins to questioning The Archived alot and the reason of its actions, which I found super interesting. I enjoyed the most of the book, I would have liked to have more Da during the story, maybe in flashbacks, but even so I can't complain, the whole plot is told in a brilliant way and I feel that I probably enjoyed this second installment more due to that I already understand more this world and how it works, so it was easier to get into it than with the first one.


Owen is the evil character, you know, the one who comes to create problems, and although we knew him in the first book as the good guy who earns the Mackenzie's trust, I think that this time, you see how he no longer conceals his evil and his true personality so I liked him more, it's a very good character. He returns with this idea of being something like a "revolutionary" to change all the rules of the Archive, and with his incredible dialogues with Mack has won a very important place in this book. I also feel that he plants many doubts, lies and mysteries throughout the plot and this makes everything have that creepy vibe that I love!



I'm very pleased with the Mackenzie's growth during The Unbound, I feel that in the end she has grown a lot and although I've always known that she's brave, this time she really has shown that she can fend for herself. I have been able to see her in a more human and sensitive way than she was before, I think this change is a good thing because it makes me feel even closer to her


I have to confess that Mack's relationship with Wesley isn't my favorite, I feel somewhat disoriented by the way they come and go, and eventually I get tired, I really don't get it lol. In this book I feel that Wesley is left aside and has been almost irrelevant, his presence wasn't indispensable according to my point of view and sometimes even I forgot that he was there, and although I liked him in the first book, I feel that definitely he's not one of my favorite characters


We have the integration of many new characters that contribute a lot to the plot, I feel that, as I said in the previous review of the first book, the secondary characters are splendid, I love them, I find them super diverse and entertaining, also their personal stories are very well told.


There's a lot of family drama in this installment, and I still don't know how I feel about Mack's mother, sometimes I don't understand her behavior.
Also we'll see how the world of the Archive begins to mix much more with the real world and although that makes that we see our main character lie even more, I feel that it has gone great and it gives much adrenaline and all this agreed with the creepy scenes was amazing !. I want to emphasize as always the Victoria Schwab writing style, so good!



It's a shame that there are no more books of the saga, I'm crazy to continue reading about this world, I also thought that the end has been too open and I think the story deserves a better closure

I highly recommend these books if you're looking for a fast, entertaining, dark and action-packed reading, also the characters are incredible

[Phrynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed The Archived so much I had to move on quickly to its sequel. There's always a danger that the second book in a series does not match up to the first but this one does. It actually reminded me a lot of Twilight since our heroine starts a new school and immediately gets herself into a bit of a love triangle. However the action outside the school quickly picks up and the last part of the book races to a dramatic and very satisfying climax. I am now in that awful position of waiting for the next book to be published. I knew I should not have started reading them until they were all out!

[Ronda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant!

2nd book and it's sitting right next to the first one on my 2017 favourite shelf!

Ms Schwab has done it again. I loved the first book, it was so different to anything I've ever read before. The fact that Histories are people that have died and they are stored like books in a library was one of the reasons this series caught my attention. The first book delved into the mysteries right away and the way the story played out had me anticipating the moves and getting them entirely wrong... An amazing read. Along comes The Unbound and it does the same again, gets me going, gets me thinking then when the plot thickens, I find myself thinking the totally wrong things. I was completely out of sync this time around and for me, that's what makes a great book.

The Archived is a fantastic series, I definitely recommend them to you all, Victoria Schwab is an amazing author and if you have read her other books, I'm sure these ones will appeal too.

I can't wait for the next installment.

[Zitong Ren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Out of the three books that I have read by V.E Schwab, I have yet to be disappointed. So far, this, The Archive and A Darker Shade of Magic have all been solid 4 star reads and I’m sure as I read more of her work, I’m positive that I’ll find some that are 5 stars as well. But yeah, so far, I’m a fan. The concepts of these books are great, I really like the worlds that she has created, the writing style and her prose are very pleasing to read, and she writes dope characters as well.

At the start of this book, for about the first 100-150 pages, I wasn’t sure if this going to work for me and based off the start, my rating very well could have been a 3, instead of 4, despite how much I enjoyed book 1 in this series. I just felt that nothing too significant was happening, and whilst I enjoyed the school setting and absolutely adore Wesley, the plot was sort of just slowly trudging along without any real excitement. Taking away the more fantastical elements of the book, it was almost like a contemporary than a fantasy, which was starkly different from the start of book 1, which took us right into the midst of the magical parts of the world. That being said, the second half of the novel was fantastic and really turned things around and I once again became really invested in what was going on in the novel.

Aside from the second half of the novel being incredibly exciting, filled with tense moments, another redeeming quality of this novel was the existence of the Wesley Ayers(and Mac, but mostly Wesley). Like, I’m a straight dude, but for some reason, I really like soft boys who are a bit broken inside and happen to be a bit mysterious with a certain sense of humour. I dunno why, but I do, so don’t judge me. Mac is also great as a character and I just find her to be really interesting and maybe it’s because I have a thing for sad characters wanting to fit in, but that’s also really why I really enjoy the relationship between Mac and Wesley as the two of them are great together.

I will say that some aspects of the plot were sort of predictable, but I suppose that comes with reading lots of books and you sort of know that the novel’s going to head in either this or that direction. However, I didn’t predict everything and there were parts that surprised me. Even though I did figure at how some things may go, but that didn’t stop me from being really engaged at all and still loved it so much.

There was significantly less worldbuilding in this, as most things had been set up in book 1, but this was also a completely different book in its overall feel and tone that it had. While book 1 was more centred on dealing with Mac’s past and the insecurities that she had, but also trauma from losing her brother. This novel rather deals with the experiences that Mac had in book 1 and it really changed her and messed her up and there was significant character development regarding this. So, while the latter half of the book had the same level of tension and brilliance as book 1 did, this is also inherently quite a different novel and dealt much more with Mac’s character than the worldbuilding, as that had largely been established in book 1.

For the most part this was fantastic and I had a splendid time reading it and I really need to check out more of Schwab’s books as well as finish the Darker Shade of Magic series because I really want to, but my local library not having it is a real bummer(oh well). 8/10

[Jananie (thisstoryaintover)]

I NEED THE RETURNED (THE ARCHIVED #3) LIKE NOOWWWW.
I thought this was a duology up until about five minutes ago when I finished the second book in tears and discovered online that the third book has yet to be released. Honestly, all I want to do right now it curl up in a ball in the corner of the room and cry about how amazing this series and Victoria Schwab's writing is. It takes serious skill to keep a reader interested through the magical AND the mundane and she does it all FLAWLESSLY.
PLEASE VICTORIA. PLEEEASE GIVE ME THE RETURNED. I NEED WES AND MAC LIKE I NEED AIR.

[Ferdy · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars - Spoilers

Not as good as the first book, it was mostly disappointing. The latter half of The Unbound was quite good, unfortunately the first half was a struggle to get through as nothing really happened except the main character whining non-stop about her life.

-What's what: Mackenzie is a Keeper, she finds Histories (escaped ghosts of sorts) and returns them to the Archive where they're kept.
In this one Mackenzie starts her new school. And then people go missing, she thinks it has to do with her as she was the last person to see them, naturally she investigates.
Also, Mackenzie deals with having non-stop nightmares about Owen (a History/sort of maniac love interest that betrayed her).

-The first half was slow paced and felt repetitive, a lot of it was just Mackenzie moaning and feeling sorry for herself. She acted like she was so speshul and unique in her suffering, and that no-one could possibly understand her, her 'woe is me' attitude was off putting. I didn't expect her to be chipper and upbeat after everything that happened to her but I expected some moments of lightness to break the monotony of her moaning. Pretty much all her thoughts were depressing, self-pitying, and dull… It made it difficult to connect to her.

-The second half was more interesting and action packed… I was glad to finally stop reading about Mackenzie's cheesy nightmares, her pointless blackouts, and her monologuing about how difficult her life was. She still whinged quite a bit but because there was other stuff going on it was easy to overlook her whining. I loved when Owen made an appearance and caused lots of chaos, the plot finally kicked in and Mackenzie took action and stopped being quite so insufferable.

-I rolled my eyes at finding out that the sweet Wesley from book 1 was actually a manslut and a super flirt. Yea, I didn't buy his connection or supposed love for Mackenzie when he was flirting around and seemed to have lots of past relationships. I was hoping that for once the hero would be a normal guy instead of some charming manslut who had girls falling all over him. Wesley stood out more in the first book, in this one he was just the typical, run of the mill, YA manslut hero.

-I didn't like Mackenzie's attitude towards her mother, there was a general tone of derision whenever it came to her mum.
That would have been fine if her mum was bad but she wasn't, she was loving and wanted the best for her. It pissed me off especially because it was clear that she worshipped her granddad and dad, no matter what they did. Her mum on the other hand she kept judging and looking down on.

-I found it unrealistic that Mackenzie barely slept for over three weeks because she was having nightmares… Even after one week of barely sleeping her body/brain would have shut down easily and let her have dreamless sleep for at least a few hours.

-Wesley kind of annoyed me, he said that Mackenzie had no interest in his life and that she never asked any questions about him, but then as soon as she did start asking him things he brushed her off and never shared anything with her. He was so pathetic the way he refused to share anything about his home life or past.

-Why did Sako dislike Mackenzie so much? I could understand her hating her at the end after she caused her so much trouble but before that Mackenzie had done nothing directly to her. I really didn't get why she had a problem with Mac when she didn't even know her.

-What was up with Safia? She had such an attitude problem. Did she like Wesley or something? I hope not, he already seemed to have every girl fawning over him, Safia fancying him would make him look like even more of a Gary Stu.

-I loved that there was no disappearing parent syndrome. Mackenzie's parents were very present in her life and they actually acted realistically.

-The ending was good with Mackenzie having the 'All' paper from the Archive ledger. No doubt she'll use that in the next book (if there is one).

All in all, I wasn't overly impressed - Mackenzie was hard to like and the plot was mostly boring until Owen showed up. Even though I enjoyed the ending it didn't make up for the rest of the book.

[Steph Sinclair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank goodness this didn’t fall victim to Second Book Syndrome. While I do think I enjoyed The Archived a tiny bit better than The Unbound, this was still up there as a tightly-plotted and well-written book. The best thing about both books is that the mystery is really solid. My mind was constantly trying to figure out who the bad guy was or how things would turn out in the end, but it surprised me. Also, more Wesley FTW! The thing that bugged me was Mac’s inability to trust Wesley. I understand why she held back, but I felt very frustrated when he obviously wanted to help. At the same time, he was holding back from her and it looked like a convenient and deliberate attempt to give the romance tension. Man, I hate when that happens. The worst part is that I’ll never know how it turns out since Disney didn’t pick up the third book. BOOOO, DISNEY! I really hope Victoria considers self-publishing it, because I’d totally buy it.

[emi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can Victoria Schwab be any better of a writer? This book was everything I hoped it would be and more. I just want to live in the world of the Archived.

[Sydneroo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: ALL THE STARS!!!!

This series is so unique, action-pack, humorous, and it keeps you on your toes. I wish more people would give this series a chance because this book it underrated/heavily slept on. Although, because not many have experienced this amazing book, I feel special for being a part of the small few :). But for real...
READ!!! IT!!!
NOW!!!

P.S. Wes is a very pretty excuse. Hehe

[Melodramaticfool · Rating 5 out of 5]

No sequel trauma here! What a knockout!!

Back with our independent heroine Mac, we start off with a new beginning, a new territory: school. Mackenzie is trying to cope with the trauma she experienced in the previous book with Owen, while attempting to take control of her life. Easier said than done in her case.

She finds it of course difficult since she suffers from morbid night terrors involving Owen that start to bleed into her waking life making her wonder if she's slowly going insane. What's especially difficult is that she can't show weaknesses right now since her job as a Keeper has been put on the line.

To add to the mystery and chaos of it all people are disappearing and their only connection is to Mackenzie.
Dun, dun, dunnn!

The Unbound round house kicked me in the face with awesomeness. We get more character development, more action, more mystery, and more layers of the "Archive" onion peeled away to reveal that there is more to this library of the dead than we could have ever hoped for...

For fellow Mac and Wes fans, I'm pleased to announce that they grow much closer in this book! (Finally!)
Once again, I'm left dying for the next in the series, because everything was raw and intense. You feel Mac's pain, anxiety, and terror throughout the book and the ending leaves such promise for the third.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ooooh is this the final cover! I like the matching theme!! <33 Not to mention I need more Wesley! D:

[Iris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. So much. This was a great sequel to a great book.

Short list of things to love:

- The world building was fantastic! (I mean, it's Schwab, so of course.)

- The characters not only are really likeable, but also had some GREAT development in this book! They felt way more unique in this one.

- The plot was murderous and exciting!

- The new side characters were fantastic too!

- THE BANTER!

- Literally everything.

[Andmorebook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mackenzie sana gerçekten gıcık oldum 🤔 kurgu yine güzeldi ama kıza gerçekten tutuldum 😳

[Suzan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 yıldızı sadece Wesley için veriyorum çünkü domuz Mac asla Wesleyi haketmiyor 😶 Owen meselesi çok sıktı çokta saçmaydı tek kitap yeterliydi buna hiç gerek yokmuş geceleri penceredeyi açtığımda bir wesley de bize gelse keşke 😅

[mina · Rating 4 out of 5]

buddy read with Laura
↠4.5

Schwab’s writing is magic, there’s no other explanation because I’m always swooped and captivated by her stories. I would blink, and see that I'm already halfway done with a book.

I like that we got to see more of Mac’s mental state after the whole thing from the first book. Also, it’s great that the world expanded from the Coronado to some other places in the city. And that the cast has also grown, adding some great new characters. One of the things I liked about this is that it felt real and relatable, and the romance was slow and sweet.

[MyTimeOutShelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series and I can't believe I don't hear talk of it more often!! Such a unique world! Perfectly dark and mysterious...and that's why Victoria Schwab is the QUEEN!!! Great ending...I felt like I wasn't left with a major cliffhanger but I definitely want more!!

[☆ Mira ✷ · Rating 5 out of 5]

6 stars. The good sis Victoria Schwab has somehow gone and done it again. I love how every sequel she writes is like its predecessor but more thrilling, sexier, and a whole new level of hell. Basically, book 1 on crack.

So, for the approximately 3 people who don't know, Victoria Schwab is the best fantasy author in the modern world. The Archived is a duology she wrote before making it big. I don't know why this one wasn't as successful as her later books, as it's amazing! The protagonist, Mackenzie, is a ghost hunter who spends most of her time in a massive library. If that doesn't sell you, idk what will. :[

✨ Mackenzie is fabulous. A ghost hunter who fights like a boss and has a bike named Dante—how much cooler can you get? After the trauma she experiences in book 1, she's plagued by nightmares, stress, and self-doubt. She finds it ever harder to believe in herself and her strength. Yet she keeps fighting and refusing to succumb to a million different things. [I know this is vague, but really, a million.] In that regard, she's incredibly strong.

And there are some scary things happening to her. With frequent spells in which she awakens from a brief blackout with blood on her hands and no memory of the last few minutes, she becomes an unreliable narrator, adding to the book's overall spookiness and unpredictability.

✨ Wesley sure is interesting. He is Mackenzie's friend who they both wish was a boyfriend. And he's basically Alucard Emery with less innuendo. He and Mac just go around bantering, reading The Inferno together, and forming a deep emotional connection [aka what I'm all about].

Wes hits the table. "You broke into a crime scene without me?"

"Be glad, Wes, or we both would have been caught."

"We're a team, Mac. You don't go committing a crime without your partner in crime. Besides, if I'd been with you, we probably wouldn't have been caught. I could have stood at the door and made wild bird sounds or something when the cops came back. And if we did get caught, our mug shots would look fabulous."

He sneaks into her room at night through the window just to help keep her nightmares away, and if that's not cute as hell then nothing is.

✨ Owen Chris Clarke is the scary ass villain. He is Victoria at the top of her antagonist game. His motives are incredibly well developed; we understand him and his specific actions. I wish that more fantasy villains were 3D like this [or more accurately, 4D]. He's also constantly wielding a knife and screwing with Mackenzie's mind/life/sanity. Ugh, so fabulously evil.

✨ The plot—wow. Thrilling from start to finish. I'm in awe. If I wanted to be an author, I'd just give up right here and now because there's no way my plot twists could ever compare to Victoria's. I genuinely didn't see a single twist coming, and there were a million levels of delicious drama and intrigue.

✨ The setting remains wonderfully aesthetic. Mackenzie lives primarily in a massive apartment building steeped in history and lots of interesting neighbors. And her family's newly opened bakery & coffee shop on the ground floor. [All the coffee being drunk in this book made my day.] But she spends much of her time stepping through the portal into the Archive, an enormous library where the dead rest on shelves like books. I wanna be a ghost hunter so I can go there, except for the part where I'd probably get killed 15 minutes into the job.

✨ The fight scenes are, since it's Victoria "The Secret MMA Fighter" Schwab, totally epic. I'm not always big on fight scenes that don't involve magic, but WOW. I'd fill up half of my Schwab reviews with discussions of the fight scenes, but then everyone would probably unfollow me, so let me just briefly say that I could pick a combat scene written by her out of a lineup. Apparently they're her favorite type of scene to write; she likes letting readers learn about characters through how they fight. And I believe it.

Apparently there's a complicated possibility of a third book, and I'd love that! There's a metric ton of potential for more action and drama. However, I'm satisfied with the way everything wrapped up, so if you're a Schwab fan, don't bother waiting for book 3 to come out.

Anti-complaint: In the beginning, there appears to be a possible love triangle and a Pretty Mean Girl in gym class who will be narratively punished for being Pretty and Mean. But don't worry; neither happens.

[oh, and can we talk about how that scene where Mac fights Wesley upon unexpectedly seeing him in the gym and they exchange frustrated banter as they wrestle gave me MAJOR flashbacks to Kell and Lila's first interaction in A Gathering of Shadows]

Bottom line: Awesome heroine. Twisty plot twists. Terrifying, 3D villain. Spooky thriller vibes. Signature Schwab greatness. You do want to read this series.

[Pinky · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The funny thing about armor is that it doesn't just keep other people out. It keeps us in. We build it up around us, not realizing that we're trapping ourselves.”

Another beautiful installment to this series, this book is the second book in the Archived series or duo-logy. (I hope it becomes a trilogy, please make it a trilogy!) This was just so good, I am so happy I read this book on Christmas because it made my day. After writing my last review, for the first book, the Archived, I get comfortable and went straight to reading this book. Although I had a few interruptions, I finished this book at 12:09 AM! I don't usually stay up that long so it was crazy!

This book..


This is my failed attempt to summarize the first book... Anyway, if you haven't heard about this series, it is about a girl named Mackenzie who is a Keeper. Keepers work for the Archive and Mackenzie is one of them. The Archive is a place where bodies are stored after someone is dead. The bodies store memories of the person's life and this body is called a History. But sometimes, the Histories wake up and try to go back into the real world, which is also known as the Outer. In order to get into the real world, the Histories have to pass through the Narrows, which is the place between the Archive and the Outer. In order to stop these Histories from getting back into the real world, the Keepers are responsible to take the Histories back into the Archive.

“You can't be two people. You end up being neither.”

I know, that was a horrible summary, I'm not really good at those... Anyway I really enjoyed this book, it had a perfect amount of everything. Romance, action, and the pace was perfect too. I was so happy to have read this book. I am so glad that I came across this book in the library, it was like the best day because the two books were there and it was like they were glowing and I grab them as fast as possible. And in my head, all I am thinking about is, "THIS BOOK IS MINE!"



There were more characters that were introduced in this book. It was really interesting to see how Mackenzie dealt with school and her other life. Wes is the best, I love him so much, he is so supportive! He is always there for Mackenzie and has her back! Both of them have a great bond and I was really glad that they met each other. Cash was okay, although he is super nice, I wasn't a huge fan of him. I HATE AGATHA SO SO SO MUCH, UGH! Amber was amazing and she had very powerful lines in this book, the life advice she gave might help me in the future.

“Having something and losing it, it's so much crueler than never having had it.”

Sometimes I used to question how Mackenzie would manage with school and being a Keeper. And this book showed us how much of an effect it gave her to work as a Keeper and stay in school. But even though she was under so much stress and pressure, she had awesome friends who had her back. It felt so real, when I was reading in Mackenzie's point of view. Whenever someone hugged her, I felt like I was being hugged. Whenever someone hurt her, I felt like I was hurt too. We had this strong connection and it scared me at times. Have you ever felt that way about a book character?

“I am not afraid of nightmares, because mine came true and I lived through them.”

Although this series MIGHT be over, I would really like to read more of this world and read more with Mackenzie and Wes. I know that I will be the first one to run to the bookstore to buy another book in this series. I highly recommend this series or duo-logy, MIGHT BE A TRILOGY, (I hope). Even if there was a good conclusion to this book, I really want more.

[Julie Zantopoulos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the plot points in this novel wrapped up a little too nicely (which is strange to say considering how bloody it was)...but it's Schwab so I feel like you know what I mean. Still, I enjoyed the heck out of this duology.

[h o l l i s · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE UNBOUND picks up a few weeks after the end of book one and things are both better, for having survived and having come out ontop of the villain from the previous book, and also worse because surviving, and winning, doesn't mean you come out unscathed. Family dynamics take an even messier turn over the course of this installment because of near misses and secrets and oh boy. I get the difficulties but these particular parentals were something. Additionally, Mackenzie is haunted both literally and figuratively by what happened to her but this time she doesn't have the freedom of movement or time because summer break is over and school's in session. It's a new school, too, which means new routines and new faces but maybe one familiar one.

"I'm not ready for this."
"You hunt down the animated records of the dead in your spare time. I'm pretty sure you can handle private school."

I'm always a sucker for an ensemble and while Mackenzie's new social group doesn't take up too much page time they are still very present and very fun -- and not without complicated histories (little h!) to navigate.

The walls between worlds used to feel like they were made of stone -- heavy and impenetrable. These days, they feel too thin. The secrets, lies, and monsters bleed through, ruining the clean lines.

And it's not the only thing to navigate. The Archive is coming down hard on her, in new ways, and while in some ways the villain from before is still present in this book, there's also a new baddie : one of the top members of the Archive is out to discover what Mackenzie is hiding, by any means necessary, but all for the good of the Archive. I did kind of question this insane zeal but it does kind of fit with the the mixed bag of feelings about the Archive itself; it has an important role but not everyone involved is on the level.

And speaking of important role? Wesley. That's all.

I don't remember this feeling as open ended as it clearly is but in the years since I've read this at least we know (?) there are plans to continue this series. Eventually. Maybe. That's reassuring. Plus I'd love to see where Schwab goes with these characters after all these years. I am definitely here for it. I'm not sure I liked this one as much as book one but as an overall arc? It works so well. Plus this just brought with it so much more Wesley and, as established, that's all I need.

One more thing? Don't forget to read this after you finish.

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This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prep school Wesley was a thing that I never knew of but holy hell, am I glad it exists.

You'll never get a real review from me. I put this book off for exactly a year. I just needed to know Wesley's real name. But instead I was hit by a truck of emotions. Apparently I was so caught up the first time that I didn't even rate The Archived. Why was past!Jess so lazy? Half the load of words that I've read in my lifetime aren't even recorded because I a) think too highly of myself and hence believe that I'm some queen of organisation who's done everything or b) goodreads fucked me over and removed the rating. Obviously because I love myself so much I think it's the latter (*whispers* I lie, it's probably the former.)