The Near Witch (edition 2011)

In the town of Near, children have always heard the stories about the Near Witch who one lived there. Lexi grew up hearing the tale, and she often entertains her little sister Wren with the same story. It has always just been a fairy tale. But when a strange boy appears in the town and then local children start to go missing from their beds, the villagers start to get suspicious. As the search for the culprit intensifies, Lexi races to find answers to her own questions: about the story of the witch and about the mysterious boy she calls Cole.

With The Near Witch, Victoria Schwab has crafted a twisty fairy tale about a small town panicked over the loss of its children and in denial about the power of a woman who once lived there. Slow to start, Schwab takes her her time building the tension and the action, allowing the story to reach a climax that will leave many readers on the edge of their seat. Strong characterization and an accessible voice in narrator Lexi make this debut worth reading.

Schwab is a good writer, and her stylistically strong writing creates a clear and somewhat eerie picture of the town of Near. What is interesting to note about Schwab’s story is the narration itself: Lexi’s voice is fairly contemporary, and yet the story seems to be set in some undefined part of the past. There is no technology, and Lexi spends time cutting wood and helping care for her little sister Wren, but there is still something modern about her voice. It is intriguing but not distracting, which is a delicate balance to manage.

For the most part, Schwab creates strong characters. Lexi is by far the strongest in her characterization: smart and driven but stuck in her town and by her circumstances. Wren, her little sister, is also well-drawn, containing the voice of a young child who in many ways idolizes her older sister. Lexi’s mother and her uncle play minor roles, but both are given consideration and are treated with care. It is only Cole, the mysterious newcomer to Near and love interest for Lexi, whose characterization I found lacking.

This book is both a fairy tale itself as well as a tribute to the tales it draws inspiration from. Although there is a love story present here, it is a quiet one, and the novel’s main focus is one of horror. Schwab successfully plays with that mood. As more children begin to disappear, the tension the villagers of Near feel is palpable. Creating that sort of tension, as well as sustaining it, is a rare skill, and Schwab does it well.


The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab. Disney-Hyperion: 2011. Electronic galley accepted for review via Netgalley. ( )

This was another book that I liked and felt like I should have loved. In this case, I’m not quite sure what kept me from loving it. Somehow I was expecting the plot to go a different route, though I did like what happened. And there was some insta-attraction, but the way it was handled didn’t leave me too bothered. And yet, somehow I was in the wrong mood or not engaged, or SOMETHING. [Sept. 2011] ( )

The Near Witch is an edge-of-your-seat, spooky fantasy that happens to have glorious writing. Not only is it a great story of witches and folklore, but also one of caution about how group-think can turn deadly.

Throughout the novel, Schwab interjects amazing rhymes and stories about the Near Witch of Near's past - the stuff that is now legend and child's play. The stories and rhymes are haunting and gorgeous, so well written that I actually Googled whether or not this was a retelling.

I very much enjoyed Lexi. She was strong and independent, but recognized that there were people/things she should respect and heed. I thought her relationship with the Stone sisters could have used a bit more umph. Or maybe I just wanted to see more of that relationship. Lexi was so curious about the two village witches but never really discovered much about them. I really would have liked to see that fleshed out a bit.

I highly recommend The Near Witch. There is a romance thread throughout, but read it for the lush description and haunting tales of the Near Witch. ( )

The Near Witch is the perfect blend of fairy tale romance, suspenseful urban legend and timeless adventure. Much like the wind at the center of the story, every word breathes to help create a eery setting and compelling plot.

Lexi is such a strong, likeable and believable heroine. She's comfortable in her own skin and never apologizes for her stubbornness, over curiosity or inability to following directions. Lexi's someone who feels as if she has to be the provider and protector of her family since her father's death, much to her uncle's dismay. She's not the kind of girl who would ever let the men do all the work or have all the fun. She just has such a fierce spirit and empathetic heart.

Then there's Cole. I adored everything about Cole as he's the perfect blend of wounded soul and dangerous warrior. He's certainly not the kind of character who goes searching for trouble but rather trouble finds him. He seems to be the shy, quiet boy but rather carries a calm, strength within him. I also love how there's nothing "bad boy" about him and yet he still feels quite dangerous. I really enjoyed Cole's interacted with the sisters (Magda & Dreska) since he really looks to them for guidance.

I really enjoyed all the scenes between Cole and Lexi because they were always so electric. You could literally feel the heat, curiosity and growing attraction between them and although I did instantly feel the connection, I do think that their feelings for each other grew incredibly fast. With that being said though, I never felt that their feelings weren't believable especially due to the heightened sense of danger and their growing isolation within the town. I also liked how they accepted each other at face value, never really question the others actions.

The pacing throughout the novel was perfectly done allowing a nice slow build towards the climax of the story. Starting only with a knowledge of a stranger within Near and a single missing child, the growing fear for the other children reaches a fever pitch making the town deeply paranoid and almost claustrophobic. This also allows every supporting character, such as Magda & Dreska, to play a pivotal role heading into the conclusion of the novel, something you don't often see.

The novel doesn't have a standard villain so even though some characters aren't as likeable, Tyler and Uncle Otto for example, everyone believes that what they're doing (to help protect the town) is the right thing to do. This also allows the actual villain to be much more sinister and a far greater threat.

I really enjoyed the way in which the novel is wrapped up since it definitely had a sense of finality to it which was not only refreshing but felt exactly right. Sure to please any fan of YA fiction, The Near Witch is a novel you shouldn't miss and much like a song that gets stuck in your head, its also a novel you won't soon forget. ( )

RATING: 2.5-ish? I am now convinced that no matter how much I tell myself (and everyone else) that I will not (or should not) put stock in all the raving, gushing reviews for certain books, I'll always end up being influenced by them. "The Near Witch" is another unfortunate example. I should have known that the book simply couldn't be as good as advertised... and it wasn't. Oh, don't get me wrong, I liked the concept. Even after reading the book and being thoroughly disappointed by it I still like it. If I didn't not even a gazillion positive reviews would have made me buy it. Unfortunately the concept is all that's good about this book. It starts and ends with the concept. Instead of the intriguing paranormal mystery I'd been promised, I got a book riddled with YA cliches from the insta-romance to the brooding male character and a 'Katniss-clone'; for Lexi, our female protagonist is very strong and can use a knife... oh yes. As if horribly stereotyped characters weren't bad enough, the world building was weak, weak, weak. The action takes place in Near, an isolated village in... we don't know. Is it in America? The Moon? Some fantasy land? We're never told. Oh, I reckon the author was trying to make everything oh-so-mysterious by not telling us where it was, trying to make it clear that Near was very isolated and all, but it was way too much. There is simply no context at all when it comes to place, time and culture in this book. For example we know women wear dresses and there is no electricity but when does the action take place? Again, we're not told. In the past? Future? Some medieval fantasy land? Who knows? Not the reader. It drove me mad throughout the book. No, really. That's too much myst(ery) thrown at my eyes, I think. Yeah, so world building? Bad. Very bad. As for the story, it was neither well developed nor nearly as interesting as the blurb made it out to be. The culprit was pretty obvious and the mystery insipid. Even the writing was annoying. I mean it would have been great if the characters were complex enough to match it, but since they weren't... ugh. Overall, a very disappointing read. Weak world building, annoying insta-romance and very badly developed plot. Nice concept, though. And great wording, the author was going for poetic, I suppose, to add mystery to the story. But that was only partially achieved, since the entire book was uneven and pretty random. 288 pages were insufficient to properly tell this story. ( )