Review: The Near Witch

Title: The Near Witch

Author: Victoria Schwab

Publisher: Hyperion Books

Source: Friend

Pages: 288 (Hardcover)

Rating: 4/5

(Goodreads) Summary:

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 have been wanting to read this book ever since I first heard about it! I love witches so this book sounded like a perfect read. Although it wasn't what I expected, I still enjoyed this book.

The plot of this book was very original. The Near Witch was a fairytale in the town of Near until one day it came true. Did she attack people? Did she destroy things? No. She took children from their beds! Because this is so odd, I had to keep reading to find out why.

Lexi was a great main character. Instead of getting in the way or being whiny, Lexi was a strong and brave girl. My other two favorite characters were Magda and Dreska, the two ancient witches. Victoria did a fantastic job at making me dislike who I was supposed to dislike and love who I was supposed to love.

While I loved the plot, the book tended to be slow at times. Not a whole lot actually happened until the end and there wasn't enough about witches as I would have liked.

Overall, The Near Witch wasn't what I thought it was going to be but I still enjoyed it. I adored the writing style and originality and I'll be reading anything else that Victoria writes.