The Near Witch is dead. For hundreds of years. But now a stranger is here and kids are going missing…

About the Book:

Title: The Near Witch
Genre(s): Fantasy
Author: V.E. Schwab
Published by: Blackstone Publishing
Date Published: March 12, 20219
Format Read: AudioBook
Where I Got It: I borrowed this book from a library.
Stand alone or series Number: It is a stand alone book.
This book is a must read if you like: Unique magic, sweet romantasy, unexpected twists.

Snapshot: what do you need to know before you pick up the book.

Profanity: None.
Intimacy: Light, some young romance.
Violence: Light, Blood, intense situations.
Themes: Coming of age.

My Thoughts

This book is mildly dark, but in typical V.E. Schwab fashion has a streak of light running through. I loved this book because it has all the hallmark points of Schwab, in her youngest publicly available form.

On the surface it is a fabulous story, but it also deals with deep subjects such as mob mentality and gender roles.

I loved the character of Lexi. She is so pure and innocent dealing with such dark forces.

I would have liked a younger narrator to match the character or a character more different from the character.

Overall I really enjoyed this story.

Publisher’s Description

All-new deluxe edition of an out-of-print gem, containing in-universe short story “The Ash-Born Boy” and a never-before-seen introduction from V.E. Schwab.

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.

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.

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.

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