Review: The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

From 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.

My Rating: 4.5 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: Tightly plotted to slowly ratchet up the tension, The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab is a story set in an isolated town with secrets, where children grow up with each other and strangers are unwelcome, and where each night a child is strangely disappearing after being tucked into bed.

Schwab’s writing is lyrical, and was my favourite aspect of the book. With her words, the town of Near and the surrounding moor come alive and you can picture the hills bathed in moonlight, the grass gently blowing, and the wind whispering its enchanting song.

Schwab’s characters also came to life with her writing in spite of the fact that most of them weren’t described much physically. Cute, little Wren; strong and independent Lexi with her fierce determination to find the children of Near and keep her sister safe; mysterious Cole; and the wise, old Thorne sisters were all just so vivid in my mind’s eye. 

The only thing I didn’t like about The Near Witch was the romance. It wasn’t a huge focus of the book, but it seemed to come out of the blue and felt unbelievable to me.

An exquisite debut with a fairy-tale quality, The Near Witch was released by Hyperion Book CH on August 2, 2011. 

Comments About the Cover: The Near Witch’s cover just doesn’t seem scary enough or capture the beauty that you’ll find between the pages.  

In exchange for an honest review, this ARC was received from the publisher (Disney Hyperion) for free via NetGalley.