godheadjones's review
4.0
reading this book, i got major vespertine vibes. maybe vespertine got its idea from this but who knows. this book was so amazing, and while it only took about a week for me to read, i loved so much about this book
and the aroace rep, omg, it might not be written on paper but the author has confirmed wasp is aro/ace and i love it
and the aroace rep, omg, it might not be written on paper but the author has confirmed wasp is aro/ace and i love it
j9vaughn's review
5.0
I wasn't going to write a review yet (wanted to gather my thoughts after this second reading/listening) but then I was describing it to some folks and thought I'd include that here.
I LOVE this book by the way! Such an amazing story!
So it's a SciFi/Fantasy Hunger Games meets Maze Runner meets Sabriel book that's really well written. An interesting post-apocalyptic ghost hunting quest... somewhat Orpheus traveling into the underworld without the added, "gotta bring someone back" as she's helping a ghost find his partner. Trust and the power of truth vs blind belief are really strong themes here. I adore watching Wasp's relationship with ghost grow, even when it was painful... even when it was the worst thing for both of them because in the end it was the best. His journey becomes her journey, but we do not lose her in it. Without getting all spoilery, she finds her journey and her purpose within that journey.
I LOVE this book by the way! Such an amazing story!
So it's a SciFi/Fantasy Hunger Games meets Maze Runner meets Sabriel book that's really well written. An interesting post-apocalyptic ghost hunting quest... somewhat Orpheus traveling into the underworld without the added, "gotta bring someone back" as she's helping a ghost find his partner. Trust and the power of truth vs blind belief are really strong themes here. I adore watching Wasp's relationship with ghost grow, even when it was painful... even when it was the worst thing for both of them because in the end it was the best. His journey becomes her journey, but we do not lose her in it. Without getting all spoilery, she finds her journey and her purpose within that journey.
allisonfortier18's review
4.0
this book was so cool. technology seemed to evolve backwards and both wasp and the ghosts storylines’ line up perfectly. their relationship and how they learned to trust each other felt real and refreshing. i initially read this because i heard there’s no romance in it and i was thankful that there wasn’t. the world in this book was so odd and random, i never knew what to expect. the ending felt super right to me and i was satisfied.
gahhhh i really enjoyed this!! such a cool world, relatable and well designed characters, and a concise plot that kept me guessing at each turn. so awesome.
gahhhh i really enjoyed this!! such a cool world, relatable and well designed characters, and a concise plot that kept me guessing at each turn. so awesome.
briar_rose_reads's review
5.0
Wow. Just wow.
I have a hard time even coming up with words for this book. It's not like anything else I've ever read, especially in the YA genre. It is dark and violent and wrenching, and also ultimately beautiful and hopeful. I stalled out a bit in the first few chapters because it was so bleak and I didn't know where it was headed, but it picked up once Wasp's story intertwined with the ghost's, and I absolutely devoured the rest.
Dark and lovely and well worth reading.
I have a hard time even coming up with words for this book. It's not like anything else I've ever read, especially in the YA genre. It is dark and violent and wrenching, and also ultimately beautiful and hopeful. I stalled out a bit in the first few chapters because it was so bleak and I didn't know where it was headed, but it picked up once Wasp's story intertwined with the ghost's, and I absolutely devoured the rest.
Dark and lovely and well worth reading.
lazygal's review
4.0
I saw this in our New Books pile and thought, "hmmm". Then I started seeing reviews that said "this is amazing - read it!" so, well, I did. And am I ever glad. This isn't the easiest book to review, because it's such a genre mash-up, but the core is Wasp's journey (or journeys, since there's a emotional as well as physical one) away from being a solitary creature to being part of a community of sorts. The world she inhabits is dystopian, post-apocalyptic and primitive all at the same time, and while usually I'd complain about the world building being slight, in this case it makes sense: like Wasp, we end up wondering what is real, what has been made up and why that might have happened. There are so many questions left for us - and Wasp - and I have to say I like that part. How did the ghost's world become hers? What was the black goo the priest used? When did the Archivist position become so formalized? And so many more. There are clues, but not definitive answers. What is definitive is that Wasp, despite herself, learns to trust others, even if the "others" are the ghosts she's supposed to be studying.
Can't wait to recommend this to my dystopian fan students!
Can't wait to recommend this to my dystopian fan students!
snazel's review
5.0
The best and most brutal deconstruction of the Chosen One trope I have ever seen.
seconddaysea's review
5.0
Bro, I'm dead.
"Don't let go," she heard herself say.
"Do you see me letting go?" the ghost replied.
amachattie's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
futurememory's review
4.0
What a brutal story, in more ways than one. Some of the descriptions in here will really set your teeth on edge.
Archivist Wasp is a pretty fine novel, even if it does meander quite a bit. The journey that Wasp takes is almost YA in character, as we watch her grow into herself and truly realize her full potential. The reader is taken through some confusing bits, some poignant points, and some interesting turns. The internal logic of the world sometimes doesn't work very well; bits are oddly jarring instead of smoothly joined.
The ending is what really solidified the novel for me, though. Everything clicks together in the most satisfying way, especially after some bits that were a bit too deus ex machina (quite literally, in parts) for my liking. It reminded me of The Ghost Bride - might be the entire journey through the ghost world we take here - and I think I might have enjoyed that novel just a bit more.
Archivist Wasp is a pretty fine novel, even if it does meander quite a bit. The journey that Wasp takes is almost YA in character, as we watch her grow into herself and truly realize her full potential. The reader is taken through some confusing bits, some poignant points, and some interesting turns. The internal logic of the world sometimes doesn't work very well; bits are oddly jarring instead of smoothly joined.
The ending is what really solidified the novel for me, though. Everything clicks together in the most satisfying way, especially after some bits that were a bit too deus ex machina (quite literally, in parts) for my liking. It reminded me of The Ghost Bride - might be the entire journey through the ghost world we take here - and I think I might have enjoyed that novel just a bit more.