novelheartbeat's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this one more than I thought I would! It was very different from anything I've read and I loved the world building. I'd say something more than that, but again, ALL of my notes got deleted. Will have to skim it before writing a REAL review.
cay_'s review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
paperlove's review against another edition
2.0
Dieses Buch ist ein älteres, wenn nicht sogar das älteste Buch(?) von Victoria Schwab, das auch bereits seit 2014 auf meinem SuB lag. Zwischenzeitlich habe ich einige ihrer neueren Bücher gelesen, die mir mehrheitlich gut gefallen haben. Dementsprechend hohe Erwartungen hatte ich auch an dieses Buch.
Der deutsche Titel klingt sehr schön, wobei die Story dem Titel leider nicht gerecht wird und der nüchterne, englische Originaltitel "The Archived" da schon zutreffender ist.
Ich muss ehrlich gestehen, dass ich bis zum Schluss nicht durchgeblickt habe, worum es in diesem Buch eigentlich geht. Die Protagonistin arbeitet in einer Art Fantasy-Bibliothek, indem die Chroniken(?) Verstorbener aufbewahrt werden, die aber immer wieder entwischen und von der Protagonistin eingefangen werden müssen - oder irgendwie sowas? Leider fand ich das "Worldbuilding" in diesem Fall ziemlich schlecht erklärt, und der Schreibstil habe ich als sehr schwerfällig empfunden - nicht aufgrund des Themas, sondern weil er sich sehr holprig liest. Ich habe deshalb bis zum Schluss weder zu den Protagonisten, noch zur Story einen Zugang gefunden und fand die Jagd nach entflohenen Verstorbenen schlicht und ergreifend langweilig und uninteressant. Ich weiss bis jetzt nicht, was uns Schwab mit dieser Geschichte sagen wollte? Und von der Idee her, hatte ich den Eindruck, dass es Schwabs neuerer "City of Ghost" Reihe sehr ähnlich ist, nur ist da das Storytelling viel besser gelungen.
Mich hat dieses Buch leider mit vielen Fragezeichen und dementsprechend enttäuscht zurückgelassen. Ich bin nicht überrascht, dass die Fortsetzung nicht mehr ins Deutsche übersetzt wurde. Aber immerhin kann ich an dieser Stelle festhalten, dass sich Schwab als Autorin definitiv weiterentwickelt hat und sich in ihren neueren Büchern stark verbessert hat! :D
Der deutsche Titel klingt sehr schön, wobei die Story dem Titel leider nicht gerecht wird und der nüchterne, englische Originaltitel "The Archived" da schon zutreffender ist.
Ich muss ehrlich gestehen, dass ich bis zum Schluss nicht durchgeblickt habe, worum es in diesem Buch eigentlich geht. Die Protagonistin arbeitet in einer Art Fantasy-Bibliothek, indem die Chroniken(?) Verstorbener aufbewahrt werden, die aber immer wieder entwischen und von der Protagonistin eingefangen werden müssen - oder irgendwie sowas? Leider fand ich das "Worldbuilding" in diesem Fall ziemlich schlecht erklärt, und der Schreibstil habe ich als sehr schwerfällig empfunden - nicht aufgrund des Themas, sondern weil er sich sehr holprig liest. Ich habe deshalb bis zum Schluss weder zu den Protagonisten, noch zur Story einen Zugang gefunden und fand die Jagd nach entflohenen Verstorbenen schlicht und ergreifend langweilig und uninteressant. Ich weiss bis jetzt nicht, was uns Schwab mit dieser Geschichte sagen wollte? Und von der Idee her, hatte ich den Eindruck, dass es Schwabs neuerer "City of Ghost" Reihe sehr ähnlich ist, nur ist da das Storytelling viel besser gelungen.
Mich hat dieses Buch leider mit vielen Fragezeichen und dementsprechend enttäuscht zurückgelassen. Ich bin nicht überrascht, dass die Fortsetzung nicht mehr ins Deutsche übersetzt wurde. Aber immerhin kann ich an dieser Stelle festhalten, dass sich Schwab als Autorin definitiv weiterentwickelt hat und sich in ihren neueren Büchern stark verbessert hat! :D
cloudycolour's review against another edition
4.0
So good!! I haven't heard much talk about this book by V.E. Schwab but I love it.
Guyliner. My king.
Guyliner. My king.
amarylissw's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars.
So I think I picked this book up a while back and never really got into it after reading the first chapter or so because it didn't really capture me. However, upon reading a few of the author's other books and loving them and reading the glowing reviews of this story, I decided to give this book another chance. Boy am I glad I did.
Yes, this was not a fast-paced story. That's not too say I was ever bored, though. The emotional undercurrents and the conflict of the plot were strong. It was excellently written, and although I did see the ultimate twist coming, it was still very enjoyable.
The characters all shined and were appealing and attractive in their own ways. Our protagonist and love interests (although I'm not really sure one qualifies as a love interest) were very well written. I usually have a very hard time connecting with protagonists and often they clash with me and annoy me. However, I bonded very strongly with Mackenzie and I felt like she was very well done. Wesley Ayers, our main love interest, was equally hilarious and heartfelt and lovable. And the iffy one, Owen, was interesting in his own way -- quiet and calm, intriguing and mysterious.
Victoria Schwab has a serious talent for writing and I have expressed in my reviews of her books before how much I love it. I'll say it again: I love her writing. It's so, so beautiful. She's proven to me once again how talented she is in how she builds the world (or perhaps worlds) of the Archive, the Narrows, and the Outer. The details are incredible and I can picture everything really well. I particularly enjoyed the Narrows, because I could feel all the tension and suspense.
The world-building in here was incredible, of course. I recently read one of her more recent novels, A Darker Shade of Magic, and that had a bunch of awesome world-building in it as well, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.
Overall, this was a superb book. I have already ordered the second one from the library!
So I think I picked this book up a while back and never really got into it after reading the first chapter or so because it didn't really capture me. However, upon reading a few of the author's other books and loving them and reading the glowing reviews of this story, I decided to give this book another chance. Boy am I glad I did.
Yes, this was not a fast-paced story. That's not too say I was ever bored, though. The emotional undercurrents and the conflict of the plot were strong. It was excellently written, and although I did see the ultimate twist coming, it was still very enjoyable.
The characters all shined and were appealing and attractive in their own ways. Our protagonist and love interests (although I'm not really sure one qualifies as a love interest) were very well written. I usually have a very hard time connecting with protagonists and often they clash with me and annoy me. However, I bonded very strongly with Mackenzie and I felt like she was very well done. Wesley Ayers, our main love interest, was equally hilarious and heartfelt and lovable. And the iffy one, Owen, was interesting in his own way -- quiet and calm, intriguing and mysterious.
Victoria Schwab has a serious talent for writing and I have expressed in my reviews of her books before how much I love it. I'll say it again: I love her writing. It's so, so beautiful. She's proven to me once again how talented she is in how she builds the world (or perhaps worlds) of the Archive, the Narrows, and the Outer. The details are incredible and I can picture everything really well. I particularly enjoyed the Narrows, because I could feel all the tension and suspense.
The world-building in here was incredible, of course. I recently read one of her more recent novels, A Darker Shade of Magic, and that had a bunch of awesome world-building in it as well, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.
Overall, this was a superb book. I have already ordered the second one from the library!
novallatah's review against another edition
5.0
iloved it .soooo amazing its just soo thrilling and beautifuly written
algadore's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
that_one_nerd's review against another edition
3.0
the romance in this book felt completely rushed and I know that the romance wasn’t the key focus of the story but still, it was pretty disappointing. one minute she was talking to the dude and then the next it was a full on make out session and it came out of nowhere and they had no chemistry at all. it was confusing