THE UNBOUND by Victoria Schwab (8 out of 10). Hardcover, 368 pages, Published January 28th 2014 by Hyperion.
I expect a lot from sequels. I need them remind me of everything I enjoyed in the first book, but not retread old ground. I need them to give me new likable characters, while allowing me to grow closer to characters I’ve already met. I need the events of the previous books to have consequences, and for the actions of the characters to have repercussions. I need higher stakes, deeper world-building, tighter plots, and more satisfying resolutions. Whether it’s the second or the third or the tenth book in a series, I need each sequel to continue upping its game to keep me invested in the series. It’s a tall order that is hard to fill, which is why I often wind up settling for less.
What I loved about The Archived was the imagination, the world-building, and the storytelling. The whole idea of a person’s History being stored on a shelf in the Archives, maintained by Archive Librarians and Keepers? Brilliant, and fascinating to explore. I was happy to discover that there was much more of this whole concept in The Unbound. In addition, there were new themes, new characters, and new places that all piqued my interest.
In the sequel to The Archived; the Unbound, Mackenzie is starting as a student at the prestigious Hyde School. Juggling her responsibilities as a Keeper with her responsibilities as a regular teen, Mackenzie is haunted by the past and even worse, Histories are being altered, and Mackenzie is the one being blamed. Together, she and Wes must find out who the real impostor in the Archive is… Before the Archive wipes her memory clean and locks her out for good.
Gorgeously written, this author finally does the standard “new girl in school” plotline right. There are plenty of twists and turns in The Unbound. I was never quite sure who to trust, and I enjoyed not knowing and not being able to guess. I liked all the new characters and that they each played a role in the story and weren’t just there for the sake of being there.
If you haven’t read The Archived yet, I highly recommend picking it up. Victoria Schwab is one of those authors whose work somehow catches me by surprise every time and has a knack for drawing the reader in, squeezing their hearts, twisting their minds, and leaving an unforgettable impression.