Hello, 2023! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year!
I took some time off from the holidays from blogging to spend time with the family, but I’m back and ready for action! I did a TON of reading in December (14 books to be exact) to help me hit my reading goal of the year, finishing up book 100 on New Year’s Eve. Hopefully, you hit all your bookish goals!
I will do a reading recap for 2022 sometime soon, as well as recap some of my favorite reads of the year so keep an eye out for that!
And now, let’s take a look at my last reads of the year.
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.
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? With stunning prose and a captivating mixture of action, romance, and horror, The Unbound delves into a richly imagined world where no choice is easy and love and loss feel like two sides of the same coin.
Oh man. I still can’t believe I have to wait until January 2014 to read this book. The Archived was amazing, and I expected nothing less from Victoria Schwab. The writing and the story were captivating and I cannot wait to find out what happens next in this unique world Victoria Schwab has created!
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event highlighting exciting upcoming releases. It is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.
The Archived Victoria Schwab Publisher: Hyperion To be released: January 22, 2013
Summary (from Goodreads):
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.
In this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit, unbearable loss and hard-won redemption.
I cannot wait for Victoria Schwab’s second book. Her first book, The Near Witch was amazing and so beautifully written. I loved it so much, some other bloggers and I made the The Near Witch Rap. I cannot wait to read the Archived. It sounds unique and awesome and I know the writing will be beautiful. The world can’t end in December 2012 because I need to read this book first. Also, this cover is really, really cool.
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event highlighting exciting upcoming releases. It is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.
Wow. The Near Witch is such a lyrical, beautiful debut. I cannot even describe the awe I was in while reading this book.
The first thing about this book that will capture your attention and hold you captivated is the writing. The writing is impeccable. From the first line, the writing captivates your senses: “It starts with a crack, a sputter and a spark.” I found myself in awe of the beauty of the writing. Victoria Schwab is able to write such beautiful descriptions, I literally could picture everything There are so many beautifully written passages. I felt wrapped up in the story because of the writing. Victoria’s writing captivates the senses, literally making you think you can hear the wind and feel the breeze on the moors. It’s amazing the effect her writing has. There are just such beautiful passages and phrases. One of my favorite lines from the entire book is “The wind is lonely.” I think that is such a beautiful sentiment and makes complete sense. Wind is an extremely important element in this book and Victoria is able to capture the many different aspects of wind spot on. While the writing is so beautiful, it does not seem forced. Victoria’s writing seems so effortless, a fact a bet was not true, but it just flows so seamlessly and effortless, a skill some writers can never attain in their writing.
While I could continue on and on about how the writing left me in awe and literally gave shivers because it was so good, I will continue on to the other aspects of the book. I loved the character of Lexi. She is such a strong heroine. In a town were women are supposed to stay at home and take care of the children, Lexi is not afraid to defy authority or her family to fight for what is right. I loved that even though Lexi’s uncle would expressly tell Lexi to stay home and even force her to stay home, she would still manage to escape and try to figure out the mystery of the disappearances. Lexi always had the best intentions in mind, keeping those she loved safe, and would not be influenced by the towns irrational fear of outsiders. When Lexi knows something is wrong, she is willing to stand up a fight, no matter what the consequence. I really loved Lexi’s relationship with her younger sister Wren. You could really feel how much Lexi loves and looks out for her younger sister. Wren is what motivates Lexi to fight for the truth; she is willing to do anything to keep her younger sister safe. That type of love is hard to fake and their relationship immediately jumps off the page and is extremely relatable to any person who has a sibling, or loves some enough to do anything to protect them.
Then there is Cole. Cole is this mysterious enigma. Lexi knows little about him and so do the readers. He is a strange in the town of Near, an outsider, and instant scapegoat. He is a mystery. I loved how his role was unraveled and slowly the mystery behind Cole was peeled away. Cole was definitely a mystery that I liked unraveling. He was so secretive and very sad and I wanted to know why. I also sympathized with him because the people of Near automatically jumped on Cole as the culprit of the disappearance even as he was helping Lexi try a solve the problems. The length that Cole ends up going to help Lexi is extraordinary. You really end up sympathizing with him and hating the men of Near for what they do to him because they think that because he is a strange and arrived right as the disappearance occurred that he must be responsible and he is the only thing that could be responsible.
Once I started this book, I found it nearly impossible to put it down. I was engrossed in the story. The mystery of the disappearance was intriguing and had me turning pages until Lexi figured it out. I really enjoyed the sections of the plot that dealt with Lexi deifying what naturally expected of her and the conflict between herself and her Uncle Otto. Those scenes were some of my favorites. Towards the end of the book, the action really picked up and the last couple of chapters flew by until the book was over. I really liked how Victoria Schwab was able to wrap up everything in the end and I was satisfied with how she chose to end everything.
This book is a must read. It’s stunningly beautiful. I will definitely be picking up a finished copy to have one my bookshelf because it is just so beautifully written and captivating. It left me in awe and I felt I would never be able to explain how this book made me felt.
I’m a little late with this post but the past couple days have been crazy, but now it is time to celebrate ONE MONTH until the Near Witch. I cannot believe that there is only ONE MONTH until this wonderful book is released. I feel like I have talking about this book forever and now it is almost here for everyone to read and to share. It will be on actual SHELVES in actual STORES. This is super exciting!
So, in case you guys forgot, a few months ago a bunch of bloggers and I got together and recorded the awesome (and very embarrassing) Near Witch Rap. I suggest that while we count down the last 30 or so days until the Near Witch comes out that you watch this video to get you all excited. I know I will.
Since there is only ONE MONTH (I MEAN OMG THAT IS LESS THAN 30 DAYS) until the Near Witch’s launch, I’m doing another giveaway of a *SIGNED* copy of the Near Witch. All you have to do is fill out the form below to enter! And have no fear, if you do not win this copy, you can BUY your very own copy at the stores in less than a MONTH.
To be entered to win a signed copy of the Near Witch by the wonderful Victoria Schwab, fill out the form below and tell me your favorite childhood story. The contest is open to residents of the US only. The contest will run from today until midnight July 10. One entry per person, multiple entries will be deleted.
And don’t forget to visit my fellow Near Witch rappers blogs to enter their giveaway to win the Near Witch!
It is officially 2 months until the Near Witch by Victoria Schwab is out for everyone to read. 2 MONTHS!! That is so soon!! To celebrate this very special day, I am doing another giveaway of a *signed* finished copy of Near Witch. All you have to do is fill out the form below and you are entered to win. This prize, however, will not arrive until closer to the publication date since it is being sent out from the publisher and will not be mailed out until closer to August when the finished copies are available. This contest will run from today Thursday June 2 and end at midnight on Tuesday June 7. If you tweet about the giveaway please use #NWgiveaway
Also these following blogs are also doing a giveaway of the Near Witch:
Today is a very special day. Not only will you get to see me make a fool of myself, but also it is 3 months until a very special book called the Near Witch comes out. TheNear Witch is Victoria Schwab’s debut novel and it is AMAZING. If you don’t know anything about this incredible book here’s a little summary:
The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.
If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.
And there are no strangers in the town of Near.
These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.
But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.
The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.
As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.
Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab’s debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won’t soon forget.
Sound good right? So, recently a bunch of my blogger friends and I got together to work on a sekrit project to express how much we love the Near Witch. The lovely Danielle B. of Frenzy of Noise wrote us a rap to go along with the book thus the NWsong was born. Now, I just want to say all of us are in no ways rappers so be ready for the giggles.
Thanks to the lovely Erica (The Book Cellar), Gail (Ticket to Anywhere), Nikki (Wicked Awesome Books), Danielle B. (Frenzy of Noise) and Ariane for doing this rap together and thanks to the lovely Jen (The Secret Life of a Bibliophile) for filming it. Now we can all feel like fools together since everyone can see the video now. Just kidding. Making this video was so much fun and I’m glad we can show everyone how awesome this book and video is.
I had the opportunity to ask Victoria a few questions so here they are:
What books do you wish had been published while you were a teen?
I actually think I have been so incredibly lucky because I grew up with HP. Those books literally WERE my teen years, I was the right age, I grew up with them, and they shaped me.
What is your favorite cartoon crush?
Tuxedo Mask from Sailor Moon. Oh yeah. Old school.
For more questions, visit the blogs of the other members of the NWsong:
Gail – tickettoanywhere.net
And what would be a sekrit project without a giveaway. Victoria is doing an EPIC GIVEAWAY on her blog starting today and each member of the NWsong will be doing a giveaway as well, including some of Victoria’s favorite things. I will be giving away a copy of one of Victoria’s favorite YA books Fire by Kristin Cashore, a heat changing mug and syringe pen featuring Victoria’s favorite TV show Dexterand then a mystery item related Victoria’s favorite scent petrichor.
Along with giving away Victoria’s favorite things I will be giving away a *signed* finished copy of theNear Witch. This prize, however, will not arrive until closer to the publication date since it is being sent out from the publisher and will not be mailed out until closer to August when the finished copies are available.
To enter to win Victoria’s favorite things and a signed copy of the Near Witch, fill out the form below. The contest runs from today, Monday, May 2 until 9PM EST on Saturday, May 7th.
Don’t forget to visit the other members of the NWsong to enter to win some of Victoria’s facorite things along with a signed finished copy of the Near Witch. And don’t forget to check out Victoria’s blog for an EPIC Giveaway as well! And if you do not win this giveaway, on June 2 and July 2, all the NWsong members will be hosting more giveaways to win signed finished copies of the Near Witch.
The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.
If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.
There are no strangers in the town of Near.
These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life. But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.
The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.
As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.
Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab’s debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won’t soon forget.
I’m really excited for this book. Victoria Schwab just released the cover to the book last week and it looks so great. To bad we must wait until August to read it. Check out her vlog reveal of the cover below:
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event highlighting exciting upcoming releases. It is hosted by Jill atBreaking the Spine.
Overflowing Shelf 