The Unbound by Victoria Schwab pulls readers into the aftermath of the Archive’s brush with destruction.

The Unbound, by Victoria Schwab, is the second installment in the paranormal YA trilogy, Archived. The first book in the trilogy introduced readers to Mackenzie Bishop, a sixteen-year-old girl who works as a “Keeper,” returning the reanimated memories of the dead to the mysterious human library called the Archive.

In The Unbound, Mackenzie must process the traumatic events of the previous book, while adjusting to a new high school. When people around her begin to disappear, Mackenzie is forced to confront the Archive, her parents, and the thing that scares her most – the possibility that deep inside, Mackenzie might be broken beyond repair.

‘The Unbound’ Review:

The Unbound picks up three weeks after The Archived left off, pulling readers back into Mackenzie’s world. Wisely, rather than retreading the Archive-centric path laid out in the first book, Schwab takes Mackenzie into the outside world.

Expanding the setting both adds a helpful degree of realism to the strict and mysterious setting of the Archive, and challenges Mackenzie in new ways. The tension she experiences in trying to balance high school with her duties as a Keeper will resonate with anyone who has struggled through academia.

Related: Interview – Victoria Schwab talks The Unbound and the importance of scars

Mackenzie’s point of view is as potent and compelling as it was in The Archived, though the intensity of her circumstances can make her perspective mildly claustrophobic at times. The traumatic events at the climax of The Archived continue to haunt her through The Unbound – in a fine echo of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Mackenzie begins to question her sanity even within the lines of her supernatural life. Though this development is not handled lightly, Schwab deftly walks Mackenzie through the difficult steps toward becoming whole.

Smaller developments are also made in the world of the Archive, as further characters in the mysterious hierarchy are introduced; similarly, Mackenzie’s relationship with Wesley deepens realistically as her situation grows increasingly difficult. Perhaps the intriguing development are hints that Mackenzie’s grandfather – the man who trained Mackenzie as a Keeper – may not be the man she worshipped throughout her childhood.

Dense, complicated, and thoughtful, The Unbound avoids retreading the original, and serves as a successful sequel to the strange and absorbing world of The Archived.

The Unbound by Victoria Schwab is available now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and your local independent bookstore!