Title: THE NEAR WITCH
Author: Victoria Schwab
Released: August 2, 2011 By Hyperion Books
Pages: 282 Pages
Format I Read It In: Hardcover
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: While I was reading this book, I could not believe that this was Victoria Schwab's debut novel. The writing was so professional. It was very original and fresh as well, yet it rang of familierness. I forgot that I was reading a book, for I felt swept into the events in the town of Near as though I was witnessing them myself. The suspense in this book was perfection, never seeming to dry up, but never overwhelming the story either. The plot was well developed, though the beginning seemed at first to be a bit too descriptive, I soon realized that all the details were essential to the story line. Each of the characters had a strong voice, and the pacing was exquisite. Though from afar it seems that this is another children's fairytale, the events that occurred in the town of Near were so dark and haunting, that I shivered while reading it. All in all, I fell in love with the enchanting lyrical-like writing, and I am looking forward to other works that I will read by this promising debut author.
