YA Review: The Unbound

The Unbound (Archived, 2) by Victoria Schwab, January 28, 2014. 368 pages. Published by Hyperion. Source: Library.

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?

First Sentence:

My body begs for sleep.

Sequels always make me nervous, especially when I really enjoyed the first book. Going in to The Unbound I had a mixture of excitement, to carry on where book one left off, and fear, as I had no way to know whether I would enjoy it as much as the first one.

So, the question remains, was The Unbound a good follow-up to The Archived...Absolutely!!! I know, in my review of book one, I said I liked Mac and Wes to stay the way they were...well, I was mistaken because I really enjoyed the new angle Ms. Schwab took them on and the way they compliment each other. I could seriously read many more books about these two characters and the trouble they get into as members of the Archive.
   There's just something so fascinating about the dynamic between the two of them that makes me want to continue reading about them and the world in which they live-it also helps that Victoria Schwab is a most excellent storyteller. While I really enjoyed them in book one, I really, really enjoyed seeing the other side of both characters, that of them blending or attempting to blend in at school. It was interesting to see the further  contrast in how both of them deal with effects of being around people.

I must say that I was not surprised by the big twist in the book. I know, I know, but I had a lingering feeling at the end of the previous book that it would happen. No, I am not going to tell you what happened or why I knew it would because that would be rude. Just know that my mind was thinking that direction as I finished the first book and thus was  not surprised to see that I was right. Although, I will tell you that it is quite important and the way it ties into the whole book was quite interesting.
    Now, I'm just wondering, and hoping like crazy, that Ms. Schwab will be able to continue telling the story of Mac and Wes and that we will not be forever wondering how the story plays out in the end (hopefully, in print) because there are so many things that I would like to see resolved.

Again, as with The Archived, I was impressed with Victoria Schwab's writing. I just really enjoyed her ability to create such an interesting story that I was absolutely pulled into. Her writing is very visual which brings that setting and characters to life in such a way that you feel you are right there with them. My heart hurt reading about the doubt and struggle that Mac was facing throughout most of the book and how she thought she was broken. If the writing hadn't been as good as it was, I probably would not have felt nearly so strongly about the characters and their current situation, so, yeah, I can honestly say that writing was one of the big factors for why I enjoyed it as much as I did.

In closing... READ THIS SERIES!!!!!

Final Verdict: The Unbound- A twisty, action packed sequel that is worth picking up! So much goodness in the real of reading to be found in this book.

The Unbound earns