Review: The Near Witch - Victoria Schwab

Where I got it: Library

Rating: 4.5 stars  

Cover Rating: 3.5 stars (I wish the cover wrapped around better. The moor is on the spine and back and the colors don't blend well with the front.)  

Genre: Young Adult

Publication Date: August 2, 2011

Publisher: Hyperion

Page Count: 282 p.

Buy it: Book Depository / Amazon

The wind is lonely. The Near Witch once loved children, but unfortunate circumstances saw her cast out of Near. A stranger comes in with the wind. There are never strangers in Near. The day after the stranger arrives children start to disappear. Lexi wants to know more about the stranger, curious of someone who isn't from Near. Her uncle leads the search for the children, which may lead him to the stranger too. Lexi needs some help unraveling the mysterious and long forgotten past of Near. If she can figure out what is going on she may be able to save the children and stop history from repeating itself.

This novel was pretty near perfect. If you are not a fan of fairytales though, you probably won't love it as much as I did. This wasn't a fast-paced novel, that kept your heart racing. It was a novel that slowly unveiled itself to you so that you can devour it one clue at a time. Though a lot of the story was pretty easy to assume and most of the outcomes were presented right near the beginning. One thing that did bug me is the chapter breaks. They seemed to be pretty random. Most of the time the story just continued on right into the next chapter with no gaps. I liked having a solid place to stop, but it seemed a little odd where the breaks were placed. The town of near had a The Village vibe going on about it. There was a Council and they ruled the town with fear of what could happen or what did happen long ago. Pretty strange. I loved that Lexi was a nice strong character, and that her father taught her well. Lexi was not a fool and did not automatically assume the worst in people despite how the town thought. I fell in love with almost all the characters, Victoria Schwab did an amazing job capturing so much emotion in the little details. She didn't go on and on with appearance descriptions, but rather crafted their personalities. I felt like I knew each and every person; the kind of person they were. The Near Witch was an utterly enjoyable read and I cannot wait to read more from Schwab. I will have to reread this one as soon as I go pick up my own copy. It is delightful and spooky and magical. I just really loved it and I bet you, dear reader, will too.

First Line:
"It starts with a crack, a sputter, and a spark."


Favorite Lines:
"The world beyond unfolds. Five hills dues east and...I see it. The forest."

This is the back cover, that continues on the spine.
There is too much color to go with the mostly white cover.