Thursday, August 4, 2011

THE NEAR WITCH by Victoria Schwab

Today I get to talk about THE NEAR WITCH by Victoria Schwab. I got my hands on this book several months ago, before ARCs were really out. I couldn't have been happier with what I read.


THE NEAR WITCH combines several of my favorite things: mystery, romance, and magic. I think that's like the trifecta of awesome for me.

Mystery: There's a new boy in town in THE NEAR WITCH, and that's not a good thing. And when children start going missing? Yeah, that's bad news. Lexi, the MC, has to figure out what's going on with the mysterious guy, and find the children.

I love a good mystery, and THE NEAR WITCH has one.

Romance: So the new boy in the town of Near is Cole, and he's mysterious and see-through (yes! See-through!) and kind and my favorite part: broken. I don't know, maybe I just really like broken characters (I do, there's no maybe about it. I like to feel when reading) that have something to lose or that have lost. And Cole does.

Lexi starts out suspicious of him, and then as she realizes that he's trying to solve the mystery too, their relationship grows. And the romance is incredibly well-done. Not too fast, not too slow. And achingly real.

Magic: Okay, so it's not magic like unicorn-haired wands and stuff. But there's often talk of a witch, and there are some spells and some fairy tales/legends that are told. It all weaves together to feel magical, and I really like magic.

And the way it's written is fab. Very sort of wispy and lyrical, while being utterly fast-paced. Here's what I mean: 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.


I LOVE the line, "The wind is lonely, and always looking for company." It possesses magic. Yeah. Magic.

If you haven't read THE NEAR WITCH yet, get your hands on a copy! And if you're lucky enough to live in the south, you might be able to meet Victoria over the next couple of weeks. She's on tour as part of the Ash 2 Nash book tour with Beth Revis and Myra McEntire.

What book has been magical for you?


Check out what the other Bookanistas are up to this week at the Reading Room.

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16 comments:

Unknown said...

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! Delicious! Captivating! Had you wanting more! Victoria was brilliant putting this novel together! I enjoyed it from beginning to end!!

Matthew MacNish said...

That is a beautiful line.

I too love magic that isn't all Tolkien, Harry Potter, or Dungeons and Dragons. Not that I don't also love those things, but they've been done.

Susan Aylworth said...

A good mystery, a sweet romance, a see-through hero -- what's not to love? Thanks for the intro, Elana.

Angela Kulig said...

I am excited about this book! I will be in my next book order.

Jessie Humphries said...

I love witches. I gotta check this out.

Lydia Kang said...

Sounds like a great read! I've been hearing a lot about it lately.

Heather said...

I'm so excited about this one! I can hardly wait to get my hands on it. And your review only made me want to read it more!

Christine Fonseca said...

I so loved this book! WOOT!

Carolyn V said...

Elana, you always read such awesome books. I'm going to pick this one up!

How's your summer going? (I just got back to blogging. Hope everything is awesome.)

Lisa_Gibson said...

Sounds like I better be finding a copy very soon. Thanks for the great review. :)
Lisa ~ YA Literature Lover

Katrina L. Lantz said...

The buzz has been going about this book from the very beginning, and with a line like that, it's no wonder!

Thanks for the awesomely helpful review. I'm adding this to my TBR. :)

Angela Brown said...

Your review of this book really makes me want to check it out. I'll have to add this one to my "gotta get it" list.

Kudos to the author.

Leslie S. Rose said...

I'm in. I love mystery/magic where the unseen force feels like fog wrapping around you.

Sweet Lily said...

Fantastic!
Thanks, Elana!

Cherie Reich said...

I can't wait to read this book and meet Beth, Victoria, and Myra on the Ash2Nash tour.

Anonymous said...

It's such an interesting cover. I think I'll have to pick up a copy for sure.

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