Book Review: The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

Title: The Near Witch 

Author: Victoria Schwab
Series: Standalone
Pages: 282
Publisher: Hyperion Children's Books
Date of Publication: 2nd August 2011
Source: Borrowed from Cicely at Cicely Loves Books
Synopsis from Goodreads: 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 got The Near Witch way back in July, from netGalley, but because it wasn't available on Kindle, I didn't read it because I hate reading on my laptop. So, I never read it, and it expired. I SO wish I had read it back then, because it is so good. So so good. I loved it.

I absolutely loved the plot line. It was so simple, yet there was enough mystery and suspense to keep me engaged and glued to the pages. Thinking back, not much actually happened, but reading it, it felt like there was so much going on that I HAD to keep reading. I loved the way that as each child was stolen, everybody in Near's feelings were getting more and more frustrated and angry, just as it would if such things happened in real life. I could feel the urgency rising as I neared the end of the book, and I flew through the last 100 pages, NEEDING to know what happened at the end, and if the children would come out safe and alive at the end.

I also really liked the characters. Victoria Schwab is REALLY good at creating very real and believable characters. I loved Lexi! I loved the way she was determined to find the children, protect the stranger AND protect her own little sister, all at the same time. She was incredibly strong and I thought that everything she did was admirable. I loved how she continued to push her way through everything that was against her, and time and time and again she managed to keep going and not give up when everything seemed to go wrong for her.

And then there was Cole... *sigh* He was pretty amazing, I must admit. I think, as soon as he was introduced, I loved him. I loved the mystery that surrounded him, and when Lexi wasn't sneaking out to see him, I was sitting there, hoping that she would some time again soon. I loved the way that he acted around Lexi, and he actually seemed rather considerate about everything that wasn't himself or Lexi. Sometimes, I find, guys in YA books can be a bit selfish and they only care about themselves and their girlfriends, but this is definitely not the case with Cole. He was very sensible and controlled, and I loved him for that.

My favourite character though, (or one of my favourites) was Wren. She reminded me SO MUCH of Prim from The Hunger Games, and when it came to Lexi and her love and protectiveness of her, she reminded me of Katniss too. It was great! Their relationship was amazing, and I'd like to think that if I ever had a sister, my relationship with her would be like that, though I'm nearly positive that it wouldn't be... ;)

Victoria Schwab's writing style is gorgeous. It hooked me in from the first page, and I loved the way that I could sit and read half of the book all at once... It's great to sit down and say you'll read for ten minutes or so, and then look up at the clock and realise you've been reading for an hour. It's a feeling I haven't had for a while so that made it even more awesome! ;)

Overall though, The Near Witch was an amazingly awesomely brilliant read. I enjoyed it so so much, and as I borrowed this copy, I may have to buy myself one to have on my shelf that I can read again and again... Not that I reread books usually, but with this one, I might have to. I would most definitely recommend this if you're looking for a mysterious, simply super sweet, amazingly awesome book that you can sit down and get lost in for a few hours at a time. Go and buy it. It will be SO worth it.

My Ratings:

I give it 5 Feet!

Challenges:
2011 Debut Author Challenge #30
2011 Paranormal YA Reading Challenge #52
2011 100+ Reading Challenge #101