Maybe it was the cover (hello! A skull???) or the author (Ivy Noelle Weir) or because I had heard of illustrator Steenz. But whatever it was, Archival Quality found its way on my TBR and my library finds. Turns out it is a little fun-spooky but also dealing with mental health issues, so it is not “just for the spooky crowd,” and therefore, it is a bit intense in places, graphic novel. After finishing, I was thinking it was one of the better reads I had done over the weekend, but also, it has issues that make it not the best read of the week.
Our main character has just lost her job at the library due to her mental health issues, she is at an odd stage in her personal life as well, and a mysterious and vague online job posting will lead her to an adventure she might not make it out alive from. The rest of the characters are wonderful people, but we don’t get as much information about them. They are wonderfully colorful, diverse and in the end, the best friends someone could have.
We follow our characters as they learn of the mysterious happenings of the past. The way mental and medical practices were less than ideal. We have secret societies, romance, and coming to terms you are not alone if someone is willing to listen and not profit from you not having a voice. It is not an easy read, but set in a way that it is not “lighthearted” but keeps it from going too deep or too dark. I think this is helped by one of the characters and her multiple colored hair that makes me think of hard Jolly Rancher candies.
