The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab Series: The Near Witch #1
Published by Disney Hyperion on August 2, 2011
Genres: Fantasy YA, Horror & Ghost Stories, Paranormal YA, Witches, Young Adult
Pages: 282
Format: Hardcover
Source: Bought it
Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Goodreads
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.
THE NEAR WITCH by Victoria Schwab was a beautiful, slightly creepy read that I could not put down. It enthralled me completely. Victoria Schwab’s language was lyrical and lovely, and the story was a wonderful confection that was somehow both comforting, familiar and old while also being gray, mysterious and new. Because we have no sense of the time or place of this story, it seems to exist in that always-time of fables and fairytales, stories that are so old and lovingly worn as to be woven into our cultural conscious.
The moor on which the story is set was very atmospheric, and the village of Near seemed exactly the way it was described: small, tight-knit, isolated, and wary of change and new things. It was a great setting.
The characters, too, were great. Lexi was brave and smart and wonderfully sweet to her adorable sister Wren. Her uncle, Otto, was one of those conflicting characters who did things that made you scream but you always understood that his motivation was genuine and admirable. I enjoyed his character, and the way he interacted with Lexi, always butting heads with (at least one-sided) good intentions. Cole was a great character as well. Mysterious and wary, and then sweet and warm. I really liked him. His relationship with Lexi was great, but perhaps one of the weaker elements of THE NEAR WITCH, just slightly. Once it got going, it was wonderful, but it seemed to me to start a little out of nowhere.
Also, some of the secondary characters seemed a little flat, especially the “bad guys.” Bo and Tyler were there only to be big jerks. Tyler, at least, had a little more story with his trying to snag Lexi, who had been his good childhood friend. But then he turned into a back-to-school-special crazy boyfriend guy, jealous and physical. He seemed on a few occasions like he could unhinge at any time. And Bo seemed like he was already unhinged in a crazy person kind of way, always smirking and looking creepy. They were just bad with nothing redeeming, unlike Otto, who did unlikeable things but had depth and was often conflicted about things.
Overall, though, THE NEAR WITCH was fantastic. Well and beautifully written, with great atmosphere and history–I loved the folk histories and stories of Near and how tightly woven into the community they were. And the main characters were likable and well-rounded. I couldn’t put Victoria Schwab’s debut book down, especially the closer it got to its conclusion. Very well done and enjoyable.
[…] I WON a copy of The Near Witch, which I had gotten from my library and read already and LOVED (my review action), but THIS COPY is extra special because it has a narwhal stamp in it! […]