Review: The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
Published: August 2nd 2011
Publisher: Hyperion books


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.

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 thoughts:

I love love love Victoria's writing style!! It was so beautiful, haunting and gripping. The present tense point of view really worked for this book, especially when things got a bit tense. I think it definitely added to the fact that Lexi felt a bit isolated in her own village, being one of the only ones to believe the stranger wasn't responsible for what was happening. The characters were all well written; I especially adored Cole and Wren was very very cute. I love how Lexi's mother developed in this book as well and the sisters who lived on the outskirts were fantastic. 

The story itself was so original, part folklore part myth part paranoia and even part truth. I adored it, I adored the story of the near witch and of the interactions between all the villagers.  I loved the level of mob mentality that existed as a result of the children going missing, it was really interesting to see how they all reacted as one group (well, nearly all of them) and the extent they would go to to get the children back. 


The only negative I have for this book was that it felt a bit too long and slightly repetitive. The ending dragged for me, and I felt myself wishing it would just hurry up. I think Lexi went out to do the same thing three times, and I was just a bit frustrated by the repetition there. Despite that though The Near Witch is a fantastic and thrilling read and I give it 4/5.