Mini Reviews of Sequels: The Unbound, Three, The Outside, & Split Second

The Unbound (The Archived #2) by: Victoria Schwab (Jan. 2014)
368 pages
Genre: Young Adult/Suspense/Thriller/Fantasy
Publisher: Hyperion
Source: Bought
Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon

Mini Summary: "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." After the traumatizing events of the last book Mackanzie Bishop is back. She must fight her nightmares, figure out why people are vanishing, try to keep her job as a keeper along with her memories, and all while being a normal average girl on the outside.

My Mini Review: Victoria Schwab never dissapoints, her writing is just as magical in the sequel as it was in The Archived. The Unbound may have been a little slow at times, but it didn't matter, my attention never wavered. The Unbound is a strong sequel, one of the strongest I have ever read, and the best part, there isn't a big cliff hanger at the end. I admire Mac, the MC, even more in this installment, I still love Wes, and I liked the minor characters, new and old. I was cheering on Mac like my life depended on it. I definitely want more and I hope the third one does end up getting published. The only part of this novel I wasn't a fan of... it needed even more Wes time.

Three (Article 5 #3) by: Kristen Simmons (Feb. 14)
384 pages
Genre: Young Adult/Dystopian
Publisher: Tor Teen
Source: The Library
Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon
**This review may contain minor spoilers of the previous books.

Mini Summary: Ember and Chase once again try to find safety and refuge in Three, the last book of the Article 5 trilogy. After finding the safe house destroyed they must find a new place to stay. Three finally is revealed and Ember will finally get the chance to really fight back.

My Mini Review: The Article 5 trilogy ended strong with Three. The first book was really good, the second book was okay, and this book left me feeling very satisfied. We get a lot more sensible and somewhat romantic interactions between Chase and Ember, which I enjoyed immensely. The plot was paced in such a way that I could just feel the tension rising between everyone in the novel and myself. There were also some very exceptional fight scenes and a great big rebellious stand. I don't regret reading this series. It's a young adult dystopian I enjoyed a great deal.

The Outside (The Hallowed Ones #2) by: Laura Bickle (Sept. 2013)
325 pages
Genre: Young Adult/Horror/Survival
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Source: The Library
Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon
**This review may contain minor spoilers of the previous book.

Mini Summary: Katie is kicked out of her Amish community and must survive with her two friends in a world dominated by a plague of vampires.

My Mini Review: I feel that The Hallowed Ones really deserves more attention than it is getting, and this sequel, The Outside, only reaffirmed those feelings in me. The book starts off strong and ends strong. I really liked the different relationships this story has to offer, maybe even better than the first. There is a lot of action to keep you entertained. Not to mention there are very unique vampires (nothing like what you have probably read before in young adult literature), and how people come to find a way to deal with the vampires is just as unique. Give these books a chance. They are superb.

Split Second (Pivot Point #2) by: Kasie West (Feb. 2014)
360 pages
Genre: Young Adult/Paranormal
Publisher: Harper Teen
Source: The Library
Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon

Mini Summary: Addie is having a hard time dealing with her life since her parents divorce, since she chose the path she had to take. Ever since then her world has become even more complex. Addie's ability has started acting up, she runs into a boy she feels like she should know, and finds out that her friend may be able to bring back her lost memories she so desperately wants and maybe even needs.

My Mini Review: Is it even possible for me to love Kasie West more than I already do? She once again wrote a story so enthralling and characters so real that I can't seem to get enough. If you loved Pivot Point then you will love Split Second, no doubt in my mind. Not only do we get some much needed and somewhat hilarious and painful Trevor and Addie time, we also get some Laila time. Did I mention we also get introduced to another wonderful boy besides Trevor? Well we do, and his name is Connor. (He is a love interest for Laila not Addie, calm down.) I couldn't read Split Second fast enough. It was full of good twists, great friendships, and a perfect ending. What are you waiting for?

Review: Vicious by: Victoria Schwab

Vicious by: Victoria Schwab (2013)

368 pages

Genre: Adult/Sci-Fi

Publisher: Tor

Source: The library.

Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository 

Goodreads Summary: A masterful, twisted tale of ambition, jealousy, betrayal, and superpowers, set in a near-future world.

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.

Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

In Vicious, V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn’t automatically lead to heroism, and a time when allegiances are called into question.

My Review

Victoria Schwab sure knows how to write a gripping novel. She was one of my favorite new author discoveries in 2013. Vicious is nothing like anything I have ever read before, in a very good way. Therefore, I was having a hard time putting how I feel into words, so I will keep this review short and sweet.

Vicious is dark and gritty and starts with a bang. The whole story reminds me a little of Batman and X-men. There is some scientific talk in this book and I was worried it would be so far over my head that I wouldn't enjoy it, but I was wrong. It wasn't a problem. The whole science take on Extra Ordinary people is unique and very interesting. 

The characters in Vicious are memorable and one of a kind. Victor and Eli are deliciously fascinating. I love that there isn't a good person or evil person, the line between right and wrong is blurred throughout the entire novel. I of course lean more towards Victor being nice and Eli being evil, but both are just really different, both have reasons for why they do the things they do, and both are crazy.

So there you have it, my very short review since this book was so shocking, intriguing, and different, that I just can't figure out what else to say about it. I can tell you to give it a try and read it, especially if you are in the mood for a dark book that involves super powers. But remember, this one doesn't have any “heroes,” and in my opinion this makes it all the more better.

Review: The Archived by: Victoria Schwab

The Archived by: Victoria Schwab (2013)

Publisher: Hyperion

336 pages

Genre: Young Adult/Suspense/Thriller/Fantasy

Goodreads Summary: 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

This book exploded on the internet and I was eagerly awaiting its release. So here is the big question with this one… did it live up to its hype?  I’m going to have to say yes and no. I think all of the hype from other bloggers made my expectations too high. So here it is, my four star review of The Archived. 

Let's start with the characters. I was really excited about Mackenzie Bishop. Her character starts off strong and promising, I really couldn't wait to read a book with a strong female lead. However, as I got farther into the book my love for her wavered.  I can’t go into great detail here because it would ruin some of the plot, but let’s just say that I expected a little bit more out of her. I will note that I was hesitant about loving Wesley, I’m not a huge guyliner black nail polish wearing fan, but his personality was so amazing that I didn't care. I however didn't like the fact that we don’t get that much interaction with this character, I wanted more.

I really enjoyed Schwab’s writing style. I love how she seamlessly incorporates Mackenzie's past relationship with Da into the novel to help us better understand The Archive. There were some scenes that were so well written I got goosebumps, and not just from the creepiness of this novel. Which by the way, I advise that you don’t read this book late at night when it is super dark and your husband is sound asleep. It gets scary.

The action in this novel was very fast paced. The plot moved forward so quickly that at times I think I got whiplash. Although I enjoyed that it was full of mystery and action, I was kind of hoping for it to slow down just a little. I would have loved to get to spend some more time with Mac being a keeper and her general life before the conspiracies and such popped into the story. I just wanted a little more.

I really did enjoy this novel. It was definitely different and full of suspense. I just can’t give it a five because, and I am sorry to say this, but I didn't love it enough. I am still recommending this book to others, especially those looking for a amazingly written creepy novel. Enjoy!

Rating: 4/5   BUY The Archived