Sunday, August 19, 2012

Review: The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

Goodreads description:
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.


I really loved this story. Very creative, original, and so amazingly written. I don’t think Victoria Schwab understands how talented she really is. I follow Victoria on twitter (@veschwab) and so I know that pretty much all she does is write write write, and then edit edit edit. Her hard work has paid off in this 5-star novel.
Yeah. Five stars. On my goodreads starred reviews, I try not to give out 5 stars often, simply because giving the highest score is like saying there’s nothing wrong with the story. But The Near Witch? This book deserves the highest honor.
I’m still trying to figure out what my favorite part about the story is. The characters? Maybe. I really loved Lexi. She was strong and fought for what she knew was right. And Cole. *sigh* I definitely loved him. The cast of characters was small in this book compared to others, and I enjoyed that.
Was it the actual story itself that I was drawn to? Could be. The Near Witch is an old scary story told to the children of the village of Near (is that a real place? I’m too lazy to Google it..) But wait! The witch is a real person out for vengeance?? Scary!
OR! Possibly the writing was the absolute best part of the story. Anyone can come up with a story to tell. Some can manage to put the story on paper. Victoria Schwab was able to create the story, put it on paper, and then make it come alive in the reader’s mind. Miss Schwab, never stop weaving magic with words.
What on earth are you waiting for? Go read this book!

1 comment:

Ashley Prince @ The Bibliophile's Corner said...

This book sounds really good! Great review, girl. :D