Fantasy

The Dark Vault

The Dark Vault

  • Downloads：3603
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-09-19 09:56:47
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Victoria Schwab
  • ISBN：1789090857
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

The two novels from The Archived Series appearing together for the first time。

Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books。

Each body has a story to tell， a life seen in pictures only Librarians can read。 The dead are called Histories， and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive。

Mackenzie Bishop’s grandfather first brought her here four years ago， when she was twelve years old， frightened but determined to prove herself。 Now her grandfather 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。

Download

Reviews

Sherry Steenkamp ，

This was so good！

Winna ，

You know how some people say they’d read anything a writer writes， even their grocery list？ Victoria Schwab is one such author for me; she’s officially awesome。 It’s been a while since I encountered a heroine as strong as Mackenzie Bishop， and the sequel is good， if not even better， than its predecessor。 That being said， the ending feels a bit rushed and I’d have appreciated more closure to the story - what about Mac’s nightmares et cetera。Off to read Darker Shade of Magic soon。

Hannah ，

The Archived: （6。2/10） - ⭐⭐⭐The Unbound: （3。8/10） - ⭐⭐Overall: （5/10） - ⭐⭐💫 Content warnings for The Archived can be found here， and content warnings for The Unbound can be found here The Dark Vault was the oldest unread book on my shelves at the start of 2021， and I'm glad I finally managed to clear it off the TBR。 I just wished I'd enjoyed it more。 The Dark Vault is made up out of two books， being The Archived and its sequel The Unbound。 Published in 2012 and 2013 respectively， they're both tr The Archived: （6。2/10） - ⭐⭐⭐The Unbound: （3。8/10） - ⭐⭐Overall: （5/10） - ⭐⭐💫 Content warnings for The Archived can be found here， and content warnings for The Unbound can be found here The Dark Vault was the oldest unread book on my shelves at the start of 2021， and I'm glad I finally managed to clear it off the TBR。 I just wished I'd enjoyed it more。 The Dark Vault is made up out of two books， being The Archived and its sequel The Unbound。 Published in 2012 and 2013 respectively， they're both true products of their time。 But where The Archived was mostly just a little dull for me， I actively detest The Unbound。 Not only did The Unbound lean heavily into the "I'm not like other girls， I have dark secrets"， "all the boys like me for no reason"， and girl on girl hate tropes so well-known in that publishing era， it also had some abysmal messaging in here。 There's a few examples I could give for this， but let's stick with the one that I broke my teeth on: there's a scene in here where a psychologist tells the parents of a girl suspected of harming herself that she does not think the girl intended to end her life。 And then the psychologist explains how she would've have done it had she been 'serious' （while the girl is right there）。 While Schwab tries to be cute about it by putting it in 'code'， it doesn't take a genius to decipher it， and I find the inclusion of suicide tips in a young adult book unforgivable。 It might not be unknown information to everyone， but christ on a bicycle， why on earth would you feel the need to include this？ It dragged whatever it had going for it way down。 Averaged out， it scraped together 2，5 stars， but let me be very clear here: I wouldn't recommend this bind-up to a single soul and sincerely hope she never gets a publishing deal for the rest of the series。 。。。more

Tatiana ，

Always love her writing style and character development

Konstantina T ，

At a glance I wouldn't of picked up the book， but give it a chance。 It took me a couple of chapters to really dive deep into the book which was so worth it。 The betrayal， lies， secrets and romance all contributed to a book you couldn't put down and kept you in suspense， what would happen next。 Victoria Schwab did an incredible job in making you feel like you were Mackenzie （the main character） totally transporting you into her world and mind， while she deals with this parallel universe， that she At a glance I wouldn't of picked up the book， but give it a chance。 It took me a couple of chapters to really dive deep into the book which was so worth it。 The betrayal， lies， secrets and romance all contributed to a book you couldn't put down and kept you in suspense， what would happen next。 Victoria Schwab did an incredible job in making you feel like you were Mackenzie （the main character） totally transporting you into her world and mind， while she deals with this parallel universe， that she is destined to protect。 DEFINETELY A MUST READ！！！！ 。。。more

Trigger Warning Database ，

Trigger & Content WarningsSelf harmDruggingBlood depictionPhysical injuryGrief & loss depictionDeath of a brother recountedMurderCar accident mentioned

Chen ，

A really engaging read， it was very easy to to be consumed with the story。

caitlin regan ，

the main character was annoying at times and oblivious to the two love interest’s feelings， but all in all it was a solid book

Luc Berthelot ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A fun and well written story with characters that pop， and V E Schwab continues to not miss。 I particularly liked the school setting in the second book。 The world building was really easy to get into and the twist at the end of the first book really worked for me。 The more I think about this book the more things that I like I think of。

Olivia Williford （LivTheBookNerd） ，

Finished July 22， 2021 🥰

Emma ，

The Archived - 5 starsThe Unbound - 4 stars4。5 stars out of 5 overall

Nola ，

damn victoria never misses。 it is a crime that this series was never finished。 a crime。 i am in so much pain。

Hilary ，

Brilliant。 Loved it。 Couldn’t put it down。 Read it all in 2 days。 Great characters， suspenseful， unusual concept。

Lena ，

I did not think I would become this invested when I started this。 This also just became my favorite V。 E。 Schwab book。 The Archived: 4。5 StarsThe Unbound: 5 Stars

Kia Andriade ，

How to read the archived？

lanen616 ，

3。5

Stephanie Reaume ，

This book is a beast。 Just like the archive！ Getting through it was easy， finding the way home， not so much。 After searching through doors it was easy enough to love the characters， good and bad。 Overall， great book， could have been split up into smaller ones though。

Taylor ，

An absolutely phenomenal pair of stories， quite possibly my new favourites from V。 The characters are compelling， the premise is captivating， and the writing is breathtaking。

embright15 ，

Realistically this was 3。5 stars for meI liked the idea behind the archives and the narrows。 But something about the execution was off。 I think the reader spends a lot of time inside of Mac’s head with her insecurities and not enough time out in her world。 Because of this it made the romance and the conflict just a little lack luster。 That bad guy just wasn’t bad enough and the romantic interest wasn’t swoony enough I guess （for me）。 The Dark Vault definitely deals with some more macabre topics Realistically this was 3。5 stars for meI liked the idea behind the archives and the narrows。 But something about the execution was off。 I think the reader spends a lot of time inside of Mac’s head with her insecurities and not enough time out in her world。 Because of this it made the romance and the conflict just a little lack luster。 That bad guy just wasn’t bad enough and the romantic interest wasn’t swoony enough I guess （for me）。 The Dark Vault definitely deals with some more macabre topics， which I enjoyed。 I think VE Schwab could have even gone spookier honestly！！I do think that had I read this as a younger person， I would have enjoyed it far more。 It’s a YA novel at its heart and I can see myself liking it was more than just 3。5 stars if I read this in high school。 So over all it was good。 It just wasn’t to my taste at this time in my life。 。。。more

Charlotte Shepherd ，

v e schwab could publish her shopping list and i’d read it

Amy ，

TW: attempted sexual assault， violence， death， blood， suggestions of suicideThere is just something about Schwab's writing that I absolutely adore and this book was no different。 I absolutely adored the plot and the world of The Dark Vault。 I felt utterly immersed in it from the first few pages and it never felt confusing or lacking for me。 I would personally say that the first half was slightly less enjoyable for me; whilst it does really well in establishing the world and the plot， I felt that TW: attempted sexual assault， violence， death， blood， suggestions of suicideThere is just something about Schwab's writing that I absolutely adore and this book was no different。 I absolutely adored the plot and the world of The Dark Vault。 I felt utterly immersed in it from the first few pages and it never felt confusing or lacking for me。 I would personally say that the first half was slightly less enjoyable for me; whilst it does really well in establishing the world and the plot， I felt that the character development was slightly lacking - for our main character Mackenzie but also all the wider characters who really just existed to prop up Mackenzie。 It's like Schwab heard my complaints though because the second half was ALL about character development。 I am so glad how the second book follows on straight from the events of the first book but really delves into the impact on Mackenzie's physical and emotional health。 We see Mackenzie deal with the ramifications of what happened to her and what she did and how she struggles to navigate following that。 I really like how much development we got of Mackenzie but I still felt the wider characters were lacking。The reason this wasn't a five star for me was because it felt like other characters had two modes; love Mackenzie or hate her。 They seemed to exist to have one of these moods， for really no explanation。 I just wish they had more personalities and development - and there definitely felt room for this in the almost-700 page book。 That said， I did absolutely fly through this book because the writing was absolutely amazing and just so easy to engage with。 I would for sure recommend this one and this is actually my last owned-but-unread Schwab book！ I'll have to go hunting for more。。。 。。。more

Danielle ，

Think this is my favourite book out of all the books I’ve read of Victoria Schwab’s。 Total binge read my way through it， couldn’t put it down。 It’s one of those books where you know you need to go to sleep but you keep saying “just one more chapter”。 Full of mystery， imagination， supernatural and even a little romance。 Definitely worth a read。

Alli Tripp ，

I finished this and I slowed down at end because I loved the characters so much I didn't want it to end。 I spent the last two days daydreaming the story keeps going。 Hopefully there will be another book with Mac and Wes。。 Maybe as crew？ I finished this and I slowed down at end because I loved the characters so much I didn't want it to end。 I spent the last two days daydreaming the story keeps going。 Hopefully there will be another book with Mac and Wes。。 Maybe as crew？ 。。。more

Magpie6493 ，

The concept in itself is very interesting I just got extremely confused as what was going on right from the outset。 I would have really appreciated slne clearer exposition or maybe even a break from the constant interruptions in the form of the flashbacks。 I can tell this is one of the authors earlier works and I might have enjoyed this when I was younger but im not entirely sure。

Karl ，

This is an omnibus edition of the first two volumes of The Archived series （so far） and a very sweet Bonus Short Story。

Ophelia ，

“What if I mess up？""Oh， you will。 You'll mess up， you'll make mistakes， you'll break things。 Some you'll be able to piece together， and others you'll lose。 That's all a given。 But there's only one thing you have to do for me。""What's that？""Stay alive long enough to mess up again。”The Dark Vault is， as expected， simply marvelously written， with a touch of uniqueness that’s so unmistakably V。E。 Schwab; she so effortlessly paints such vivid and atmospheric pictures of the characters， their surrou “What if I mess up？""Oh， you will。 You'll mess up， you'll make mistakes， you'll break things。 Some you'll be able to piece together， and others you'll lose。 That's all a given。 But there's only one thing you have to do for me。""What's that？""Stay alive long enough to mess up again。”The Dark Vault is， as expected， simply marvelously written， with a touch of uniqueness that’s so unmistakably V。E。 Schwab; she so effortlessly paints such vivid and atmospheric pictures of the characters， their surroundings， and all the events that unfold， that you’re made to feel as if you’re a part of the story itself。The Archived: 5 starsThe Unbound: 4。5 stars 。。。more

Readinftw ，

Bit of a case of protag holding the idiot ball near the middle of the sequel story but besides that v noice 👌

Jane ，

Wonderfully gripping in a typical Schwab fashion。

Monique Rosenbaum ，

This is such an amazing story！ I've read quite a few of her books and this set might be my favorite yet。 The Dark Vault combines the books "the Archived & the Unbound" plus has a short story told by Wes at the end。 It has death， grief， murder， friendship， mystery， suspense， self doubt， love， family， fantasy。 YA but anyone over 12 could enjoy it。 This is such an amazing story！ I've read quite a few of her books and this set might be my favorite yet。 The Dark Vault combines the books "the Archived & the Unbound" plus has a short story told by Wes at the end。 It has death， grief， murder， friendship， mystery， suspense， self doubt， love， family， fantasy。 YA but anyone over 12 could enjoy it。 。。。more

Amina D'Anima ，

J'ai eu un coup de coeur M-O-N-U-M-E-N-T-A-L pour cette duologie ！！！！！！J'ai été littéralement happée par cette histoire et je ne m'en suis toujours pas remise！ J'AI BESOIN D'UNE SUITE！ D'UN 3E TOME！ OU MÊME D'UN SPIN-OFF！ WES ET MAC <3ça faisait longtemps que je n'avais pas été aussi chamboulée par une saga fantastique YA et je dois dire que je n'avais pas d'attentes particulières après avoir commencé "The Near Witch" qui à l'inverse fut une déception malheureusement。 :'（ Bref， je décidais de me J'ai eu un coup de coeur M-O-N-U-M-E-N-T-A-L pour cette duologie ！！！！！！J'ai été littéralement happée par cette histoire et je ne m'en suis toujours pas remise！ J'AI BESOIN D'UNE SUITE！ D'UN 3E TOME！ OU MÊME D'UN SPIN-OFF！ WES ET MAC <3ça faisait longtemps que je n'avais pas été aussi chamboulée par une saga fantastique YA et je dois dire que je n'avais pas d'attentes particulières après avoir commencé "The Near Witch" qui à l'inverse fut une déception malheureusement。 :'（ Bref， je décidais de me plonger dans cette lecture au mois de février et quelle ne fut pas ma surprise d'avoir apprécier grandement cette histoire pas banale ô combien méconnue par rapport aux autres sagas de V。E Schwab。 Pourtant， elle mérite d'être autant connue que ADSOM et The Invisible Life of Addie Larue。Ci-dessous je vais vous expliquer pourquoi désormais cette saga sera à la même place que ADSOM dans mon coeur càd parmi mes sagas préférées de tout les temps :1） En ce qui concerne l'univers， je n'aurais rien à ajouter puisque l'histoire se passe dans le nôtre XD Enfin， à une différence près， il existe une société secrète "The Archive" où les membres y ont pour mission de veiller sur la mémoire des morts， rien que ça！ J'ai beaucoup aimé découvrir les mystères et les secrets de cet incroyable clan à travers les yeux de Mackenzie Bishop une des plus jeunes Keepers de sa génération。 J’ai également beaucoup apprécié les flash-backs qui permettent d'en savoir + sur Mackenzie et sur son intronisation dans les Archives。Les descriptions des Narrows et des Voids donnent à l'histoire tout son aspect brumeux et fantasmagorique。 Et puis le côté secret et mystère teinté d'un côté sombre avec une pointe de thriller/enquête policière ; je raffole du mélange des genres dans les YA car ça casse de manière ingénieuse les codes et les schémas narratifs （enfin à mon sens ^^）。2） Pourtant， je dois dire que l'intrigue n'avançait pas des masses， l'histoire prenait son temps comme à chaque roman de V。E Schwab。 Mais à la différence avec The Near Witch où je m'ennuyais ferme ici ce fut complétement différent : je voulais en savoir + sur les Archives， en savoir + sur l'héroïne principale， en savoir + sur son passé， en savoir + sur sa nouvelle maison， en savoir + sur le nouveau voisin etc。。。 V。E Schwab a su d'une main de maître suscité mon attention tout le temps sans que jamais je sois agacée ou ennuyée。 Le seul point noir que je pourrais retenir c'est que peut-être à poser trop de questions il n'y ait pas forcément de réponses pour toutes XD et ça c'est dommage。3） Passons aux personnages : Mackenzie et Wesley sont les personnages les plus intéressants， chouettes et complexes que j'ai eu l'occasion de rencontrer。 Mackenzie est une jeune fille intrigante， plus mâture que la plupart des jeunes filles de son âge， elle a les pieds sur terre。 J'ai beaucoup aimé la suivre dans ses questionnements， ses doutes， ses soucis， dans la récupération de ses blessures （physiques et psychiques） sa vie de tout les jours， etc。。。 Tout comme le personnage d'Aniata de LCDN， Mac a aussi un côté fragile que j’ai trouvé poignant et même déchirant par moment。 On sent sa détresse et ça nous fait mal au coeur car on sait qu'on ne peut rien faire et chapeau à V。E Schwab d'avoir réussi à transmettre avec brio les émotions d'une adolescente de 16 ans sans jamais tomber dans le pathos mais avec sensibilité tout de même。J'ai adoré sa relation avec Wesley Ayers， quelle alchimie ils ont ces deux-là， elle est indéniable : cette relation est précieuse， construite sur un respect mutuel， basée sur compréhension et la confiance et apportant à l'un comme à l'autre un soutien indéfectible！ Roland aussi est un perso qui m'a touché en plein coeur même si on le voit que très peu et qu'on en sait très peu sur lui :'（ （j'aurais voulu avoir + de détails sur sa vie antérieure）。 Eric aussi aura su brièvement me marquer par sa gentillesse et sa bienveillance <3Pour finir ma chronique， je dirais que cette histoire m'a ému profondément！！！ J'ai passé un excellent moment de lecture ！ Et malgré un rythme assez inégal niveau intrigue， les éléments suivants ont fait que j'ai largement apprécié ma lecture : une histoire avec une société secrète， des secrets， des dangers， des mystères， des illusions， des désillusions， de l'humour， des personnages adorables， des thématiques complexes bien traités （deuil， traumatisme， anxiété etc。。。） ， des clins d'oeil aux autres oeuvres de Victoria Schwab et des réflexions intéressantes。 Et puis， je dois avouer que comme dans LCDN je me suis attachée fortement aux personnages de Mac et Wes et sa bande （Cash， Gavin， Safia et Amber） : j'ai encore retardée ma lecture des derniers chapitres de The Unbound car je ne voulais pas les quitter。 :'（Et là encore， j'ai ressenti un déchirement après avoir fini The Unbound et le chapitre BONUS du POV de WES :'（ I NEED MORE OF WES AND MAC <3<3<3 MY OTP <3<3<3 J'espère les retrouver dans The Returned car beaucoup de questions restent encore sans réponses et surtout je veux retrouver ce fameux duo :D 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Dark Vault

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Dark Vault&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Dark Vault&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0