Mackenzie Bishop is a Keeper: she captures and returns the restless dead, called Histories, to the Archive. Then her parents move to a new city after the death of Mackenzie's younger brother, and she discovers that someone was murdered in their apartment. Being able to 'read' the past in objects, she is determined to find out what happened, but by doing so she puts herself and others in danger.

I always enjoy reading V. E. Schwab's books – they're highly original stories with excellent world building, interesting characters and character development. The same is true for this omnibus edition, but I found I was less engaged this time round than, say, with her Shades of Magic and Monsters of Verity series. I believe this is in no small part due to the author's decision to use a first person narrative here. The reader is supposed to relate to and identify with the narrator, but what if that character makes some choices that the reader feels are out of character? I did have a problem with Mackenzie allowing herself to get close to Owen but refusing to trust Wesley in The Archived; she's definitely stronger than that. I can see why the author did it, but to me it feels incongruous, and the fact that it's a first person account makes the whole more problematic, compared to a third person narrative, which creates more distance between character and reader. However, at other times the first person narrative definitely works in the story's favour: Mackenzie's accounts of loving – and losing – her grandfather and younger brother are immensely affecting, and it was easy to feel her grief and sadness.

Luckily, things improved in the sequel, The Unbound, even though I felt that pace and tension still weren't quite what they could have been – too much high school exposure, perhaps?

In short, I was hoping for more, but this is still solid fantasy a cut above many other books I've read. ( )

Rating: 3.5/5
Title: The Dark Vault: The Archived and The Unbound
Author: Victoria Schwab

Synopsis:
Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.

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.

Mackenzie Bishop's grandfather first brought her here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now her grandfather 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.

Follow Mackenzie as she explores the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking, through these two timeless novels, now bound together in this thrilling collection. With stunning prose and a captivating mixture of action, romance, and horror, The Dark Vault delves into a richly imagined world where no choice is easy and love and loss feel like two sides of the same coin.

Initial thoughts:
Victoria Schwab is one of my favorite authors. I have read her Darker Shade of Magic Series, VIcious, and I am currently reading her Monsters of Verity series so I had very high hopes for these books as well. I had some issues finding it in the store though (I learned that they are going to be re-releasing these books as a set later on) so I ended up having to get it from my local library. I will be get it for my shelves later though. Before reading this series, I thought the concept of the dead being cataloged like in a library was very original. I loved the idea as I am a librarian myself and thought it would be neat to see how the lives of the dead were stored.

Plot:
What I liked:
The idea of Histories and hunting for them was very original. When I first read the book cover, I believed that each History was going to actually be written down in a book and cataloged within the archive, so I was surprised when the archive was more like a morgue with the sleeping dead within that happened to wake up within the archive. I found that very clever and well thought out.

This book was written in first person and sometimes switched over into an almost diary like tone where Mackenzie recalled something from her past which helped the reader understand things that needed to be explained as they happened. It was a very small cast in the first book and then blossomed as Mackenzie started to branch out a little more allowing her character to develop from the first book.

The character development throughout the series was really well put together. None of them felt too flat and all changed, showing different sides as the story progressed. One character in particular captivated my attention with this was Wes. I really did find myself enjoying his character.


What I didn't like:
There were a few things in this world that didn’t quite make a lot of sense and didn’t seem to be explained all that much. One thing I thought could have been explained better was exactly how the Histories get out into the Narrows especially when there are librarians monitoring the area and making sure that they do not escape.

I really did enjoy the series, but I felt that it was rather repetitive at certain points within the book. There were times where sequences were nearly identical to one another and it could be a bit distracting for me. Also, rather than move the story along, it was rather like each time something was repeated it was because the characters were in a standstill situation.

Characters:
Mackenzie Bishop: She wants to believe that she can take care of herself, and is too stubborn to really ask for help from others. I liked how she was independent, but something that threw me off about her was how she continued to push people away even after they had shown that they could be trusted and would understand what she was going through. Trust is a two way street and she only seemed to think that others should trust her without her trusting them.
Wesley: He was a really cool character. I loved his bubbly personality, but he was also quick to display his emotions. I really liked how he complemented Mackenzie.
Owen: Everytime he appeared within the book he made me nervous. He greatly paralleled Wes within the books.
The librarians: Some of them I liked and others I didn’t. They followed their rules and did what they had to to keep the Archive running smoothly.
Roland: I loved this character. I actually think that he was my favorite. He felt so relatable as a father like figure for Mackenzie when she needed it. He was firm with her, but was also willing to bend the rules some because he understood what she was going through with the death of her brother.
Da and Ben: Both of these two are dead at the beginning of the book so you don’t get as much of their characters as if they were still around, but it was interesting to see how their deaths and their pasts influences the character’s decisions through the series.
Mr. and Mrs. Bishop (Mackenzie’s parents):These two were not my favorites in the book, however I did sympathize with them. Both wanted to protect Mackenzie, but they also had their own agendas in a sense. Her mother seemed a bit scattered while her father seemed more put together, but still distant.

Overall:
Overall, The Archived and The Unbound were very fast paced and held a certain mysterious aspect to it that I enjoyed. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy a nice thriller mystery book series and On a side note, please go read some of her other books as well. Victoria is again one of my favorite authors. ( )

I purchased this book from Amazon to read with my bestie @mycornerforbooksand and @popthebutterfly readalong. All opinions are my own. 🌟🌟🌟🌟The Dark Vault: The Archived by Victoria Schwab. Mackenzie Bishop's family is moving into an old hotel to open a new coffee shop but the secrets she keeps may be her undoing. New friends in a new place make for a busy transition and History should just be left alone. Once you unwrap one piece the rest comes unraveling quickly. This book in the beginning was confusing for me but after a few chapters once the world is buildt the book immediately sucks you in. It's action packed, mystery unravels one piece at a time but so quickly, there is romance blossoming, and parents hovering, it's the perfect book for any genre reader. Now onto Book 2: The Unbound.🌟🌟🌟🌟The Dark Vault: Book 2 The Unbound by Victoria Schwab. When Mac finally settles into her two worlds colliding she begins to realize change is coming. The Nightmares are too real and her parents are smothering and her new friends at her new school are sarcastic and people around her keep disappearing and it's all too much until an old familiar face appears. That's when the world begins to unravel in a whole different direction. Will Mac be able to save Wes again? Will her memories and nightmare threaten her forever? Or will this be the biggest battle she's ever fought to prove her loyalty and love? Romance is sprinkled in every page while Mac fights Histories and fights for her sense of normal. It's not as action packed as the first book but it was still a page turner. Review also posted on Instagram @borenbooks, Library Thing, Goodreads/StacieBoren, Amazon, Twitter @jason_stacie and my blog at readsbystacie.com ( )