The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
Release Date: August 2, 2011
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 288


Summary: "The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children. "
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"If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company. "
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"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 wish I could find a witch story that I truly love, one that I fall in love with and want to keep reading hours out of the day.

The Near Witch took me about four days to read, which is a long time for me to read a book. It's not that it wasn't interesting, it was but it was just not my kind of story... again... I just can't seem to find witchy books that I enjoy. It's ironic because I love the tv shows The Secret Circle and Witches of Eastwick. I wish I could find books that relate to witches where I could get sucked in and not be able to stop reading until I finish the book.

We are introduced to Lexi who lives with her mother and sister Wren. Her uncle Otto lives right next door so he's around a lot. Her dad has been gone a while now, and Lexi still misses him dearly.

A new boy named Cole comes to town and he's a mysterious new stranger so nobody trusts him. It doesn't help that children start to disappear at the same time he arrives. As tensions get higher with the all children missing, the town starts to get suspicious and needs to find out where these children are going. The easiest solution is to blame the new guy Cole.

Lexi believes that The Near Witch is the culprit and she is getting her revenge on the town of Near. The Near Witch is a centuries old story that still makes its way around town and only few know the real story.

While Lexi and Cole are dealing with their own battle on the missing children, the town is also looking for them in all the wrong places.

What happens to the children? What happens to Cole and Lexi? What about the other two witches who live in Near? Read this book now to get answers! 

I hope someday to find a witch story that I truly deeply adore.  
Overall: I didn't go too into detail about this one because if you like witch stories, you’ll probably like it and I don’t want to ruin it. I liked Lexie but I felt like she and Cole fall for each other too fast. She was just infatuated with him because he was the new person in town. I didn't understand that. The Near Witch was a beautiful story, it was told in such a unique perspective, I'll be the first to say it had a certain beauty to it. It just wasn't the right book or story for me. I really do need to find a witch story that I love love love! The Near Witch was just an okay read for me.  I liked it, I finished it, but it won’t make my favorites of the year.

Cover: Love it! It's so plain without a lot of color but still real pretty.

What I'd Give It: