The Near Witch
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-11-05 09:52:54
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Victoria Schwab
- ISBN：1789091144
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
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。
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。
Reviews
Sabrina Byrne
，
I don't normally read stand alone novels but this one was great！ Loose ends tied up nicely and it wasn't easy to foreshadow。 I don't normally read stand alone novels but this one was great！ Loose ends tied up nicely and it wasn't easy to foreshadow。 。。。more
Olivia Miller
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Very witchy and well written， relatively quick and fast-paced stand-alone， too， which I appreciate。 Pls read a few weeks before Halloween/in November bc this book’s spooky fall vibes are the best 😌
Ha！zombies
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I found myself mildly annoyed throughout this whole book but I cannot pinpoint exactly what it was。 I think VE Schwab's writing is just not for me， which is unfortunate because everyone seems to love her so much and the plot summaries always sound like something I would love :（ I found myself mildly annoyed throughout this whole book but I cannot pinpoint exactly what it was。 I think VE Schwab's writing is just not for me， which is unfortunate because everyone seems to love her so much and the plot summaries always sound like something I would love :（ 。。。more
Whitney
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~4。0~book 1 of our schwab-athon。 done。 ahhhh VE SCHWAB！ I honestly cannot believe that I never read this until now。 I think that I enjoyed this book more than lizzie did haha。 I just love the cheesy romance so much！ ve schwab and cheesy romance is a book that i must read。 COLE。 that is literally all I need to say right now。 he is the love of my life and I saw his real name （i can't spoil it） but it just makes me love him even more haha。 he got that mysterious， broken， dark-haired boy vibe th ~4。0~book 1 of our schwab-athon。 done。 ahhhh VE SCHWAB！ I honestly cannot believe that I never read this until now。 I think that I enjoyed this book more than lizzie did haha。 I just love the cheesy romance so much！ ve schwab and cheesy romance is a book that i must read。 COLE。 that is literally all I need to say right now。 he is the love of my life and I saw his real name （i can't spoil it） but it just makes me love him even more haha。 he got that mysterious， broken， dark-haired boy vibe that all my loves have， so already， that is a check for me。 I thought that the story was very fun and adventurous。 I love that concept and I am so excited for the schwab-athon because I am able to see Queen Schwab grow to be the fantastic writer that she is。I was low-key depressed today because it was my last volleyball game EVER of high school and it was an emotional ride。 but just reading this book brought my spirits up and i would totally read again。 have a wonderful night everyone！ : ） 。。。more
Matthew
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Schwab is a phenomenal writer。 My plan is to read every one of her books。 This is number 2 and she does not disappoint。 She’s a master storyteller。
Nicole
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Listened to audiobook and struggled to get engaged with the story。 I loved the Thorne sisters but the rest of the characters weren't very intriguing to me。 The Ash-Born Boy story at the end was a nice surprise！ Listened to audiobook and struggled to get engaged with the story。 I loved the Thorne sisters but the rest of the characters weren't very intriguing to me。 The Ash-Born Boy story at the end was a nice surprise！ 。。。more
Julia Dickinson- Smith
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What a lovely romance。 What a poetic slide。 V。E。 Schwab writes books I want to read and adventures I want to experience forever。
Nat
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**3。5 stars
Signe Jørgensen
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Haunting and poeticThe Near Witch is beautifully written。 It draws you in with it's melancoly words of the moors and the wizdom of the witches。 Enjoy both the poetic language and the simple but compelling story。 Haunting and poeticThe Near Witch is beautifully written。 It draws you in with it's melancoly words of the moors and the wizdom of the witches。 Enjoy both the poetic language and the simple but compelling story。 。。。more
Laurel Smith
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I enjoyed the read， especially because I loved the autumnal， witchy vines for Halloween weekend。 I felt like it could have used more character building and relationship building， but the story was interesting。
Geraly
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This was a great book to me。 The creepy ambiance in the story really was my cup of tea and it kept me on the edge of my seat。 However， I didn't like the romance because it seemed like it wasn't based on anything。 Without the romance the book would probably have gotten 4，5 or even 5 stars from me。 Overall it was a fun read and I would definitely recommend it。 This was a great book to me。 The creepy ambiance in the story really was my cup of tea and it kept me on the edge of my seat。 However， I didn't like the romance because it seemed like it wasn't based on anything。 Without the romance the book would probably have gotten 4，5 or even 5 stars from me。 Overall it was a fun read and I would definitely recommend it。 。。。more
Celia
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La verdad es que el libro no me convence。 No me gustan del tipo misterio ligado con oscuridad （no se si me di a entender） el libro es muy lento haciéndome que me aburra y me cuesta muchísimo engancharme （más bien no estoy para nada enganchada）。Así que lo abandono。 No me desagrada el estilo de escritura de la autora， pero no me gusta lo suficiente como para seguir con el libro。
Anna Anderson
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Oh， it drives me mad that other reviewers have to mention this is Schwab’s debut novel， therefore it should be somewhat mediocre or lacking。 She is a stunning writer， with a poetry that so many authors fall short of， even on their tenth novel。 The Near Witch is great。 Perfect read for Halloween， if you’re like me and don’t care to read about gore/terror。 Perfect spooky vibes！
Zoë
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2。5 starsI think I once heard the author call this their "strange little book" and that's about as apt of a description as can be。I would say the value here is for fans of the author， as I can see seeds that show up in their later works:I see the beginnings of Luc; a hint of Cassidy; and a scene directly lifted from here and inserted into A Conjuring of Light （here， Lexi holds her hand to her window and looks out at the creepy weather， and fog circles her fingertips on the glass; in ACOL Lila ho 2。5 starsI think I once heard the author call this their "strange little book" and that's about as apt of a description as can be。I would say the value here is for fans of the author， as I can see seeds that show up in their later works:I see the beginnings of Luc; a hint of Cassidy; and a scene directly lifted from here and inserted into A Conjuring of Light （here， Lexi holds her hand to her window and looks out at the creepy weather， and fog circles her fingertips on the glass; in ACOL Lila holds her hand to the castle windows looking at Vitari outside and the same fingertip thing happens on the glass）。 As a stand-alone book， it wasn't for me。The Near Witch part read like a middle grade book but contained some YA romantic themes， and I was very confused as to who the audience was supposed to be。 Then The Ash-Born Boy part read very late-YA to me。 And I didn't like this new story that made Cole out to be a villain。 。。。more
Karen
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Me mantuvo bastante atrapada con todo el misterio de la bruja， me gustó el personaje de Cole aunque al principio me confundió no sabía que mismo pasaba con él。 Con Lexi tengo sentimientos emcontrados， me gusta su forma de ser， que sea tan luchadora y que hagavlo que quiera， pero al final si llego un punto en el que me hizo enojar su actitud y yo preguntaba ¿Qué estas haciendo Lexi？No llegó a encantarme el libro pero si disfrute leerlo
My Khanh Wright
，
Her writing and ability to tell a story is amazing as always！
Ashlynn Wagner
，
I love V。E。 Schwab let me just start with that。 I have read all of her books now I think and I consider her to be my favorite author。 I was really curious to read her first book and see how much she has grown。 I would say a lot。 This is my least favorite of her books， I felt that the pacing was a little off and that the relationship happened very fast and felt very strange。 I did like some of the other things discussed though and found this book overall very interesting。 Thank you！
Sarah 🐙
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this was the perfect october read。 i liked the fairytale-like atmosphere， and the way storytelling was woven into the main narrative， but i can also see that it was schwab’s first published novel （the romance is a bit shaky， there are a couple of expressions that are repeated a few times）。
Sue
，
Really enjoyed this。 I haven't really read any books about witches （since reading The Crucible at school）。 The heroine is a strong vibrant young girl determined to solve the mystery of the disappearing village children。 This leads her to tangle with good and bad witches。 Tension and mystery are maintained as you are never completely sure which witches are good until the end。 I will definitely try some more 'witch' themed books。 Really enjoyed this。 I haven't really read any books about witches （since reading The Crucible at school）。 The heroine is a strong vibrant young girl determined to solve the mystery of the disappearing village children。 This leads her to tangle with good and bad witches。 Tension and mystery are maintained as you are never completely sure which witches are good until the end。 I will definitely try some more 'witch' themed books。 。。。more
Taylor Hartsock
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At first， I was a little put off by the first-person narrative， but the story was so good I soon forgot my dislike for the first-person narrative。
Laura’s Little Book Nook
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This was honestly wonderful。 I adore Schwab’s style of writing in this。 I love the steady， easy rhythm of the writing and the beautiful imagery， describing the rolling moors and the howling wind and darkness of the nights。Lexi， our young hero， is a force to be reconned with。 She struggles to do what she feels is right due to the men of Near who overlook and belittle her， trying to control her。 This was in utter contrast to how she was treated by the women around her， and I loved how those who kn This was honestly wonderful。 I adore Schwab’s style of writing in this。 I love the steady， easy rhythm of the writing and the beautiful imagery， describing the rolling moors and the howling wind and darkness of the nights。Lexi， our young hero， is a force to be reconned with。 She struggles to do what she feels is right due to the men of Near who overlook and belittle her， trying to control her。 This was in utter contrast to how she was treated by the women around her， and I loved how those who knew her best encouraged her to be true to herself。Schwab’s story of Lexi’s hunt for the truth seems to effortlessly take us through a whirlwind of emotions; anger， fear， faith， love and desperation， to name a few， with the help of a well rounded supporting cast， including my favourites; Magda and Dreska， to my least favourite; Tyler。Covering a number of important themes， like prejudice， fear and belonging， Schwab sprinkles a little bit of magic to bring together this unique and lovely story 。。。more
Rachelr
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sadly i couldn't finish this。 while some of the prose was beautiful in a haunting way， the overall story just did not pull me in。 sadly i couldn't finish this。 while some of the prose was beautiful in a haunting way， the overall story just did not pull me in。 。。。more
Berna Rossi Case
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Me gusto bastante la trama。 Me fue muy facil imaginarme lo que sucedia porque tiene muchas descripciones。 La lectura es bastante llevadera y llegas a conectar con los personajes。Fue lindo leer uno de los libros del comienzo de la carrera de victoria y ver cuanto crecio y todo el recorrido que tuvo。 Es algo un poco diferente a lo que hace hoy en dia pero sigue siendo muy lindo❤️
Amy
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I enjoyed the story but can’t recommend the audiobook—the narrator was very distracting！ She does a great job capturing characters in different voices， but the narrative itself has no melody or line。 Every sentence is read as a statement。
Zoe Spence
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I absolutely loved The Near Witch！ It has everything that I love in a story; children going missing， witches， batty old crones， a jealous suitor， a stranger and some spooky songs。I will be cherishing this story， I think it was a wonderful， easy read and I was captivated throughout the whole thing。
sav。
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I very much enjoyed the story！ Every now and then a string of sentences would remind me I'm reading YA but。。 I moved past that。 I very much enjoyed the story！ Every now and then a string of sentences would remind me I'm reading YA but。。 I moved past that。 。。。more
jaeda。
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such a fun fantasy book， especially fitting for the fall/halloween season。
Bethany
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Actual Rating: 4。5 stars rounded upI had heard mixed things about The Near Witch and didn't go in with high expectations， so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it！ In some ways you can tell this is Schwab's debut novel- it lacks the iconic characters， settings， and worlds she created in her later works。 The setting is simple- a rural village in the moors。 That said， it's a very enjoyable story for what it is- kind of blending a Pied Piper retelling with a witchy ghost story。 And it Actual Rating: 4。5 stars rounded upI had heard mixed things about The Near Witch and didn't go in with high expectations， so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it！ In some ways you can tell this is Schwab's debut novel- it lacks the iconic characters， settings， and worlds she created in her later works。 The setting is simple- a rural village in the moors。 That said， it's a very enjoyable story for what it is- kind of blending a Pied Piper retelling with a witchy ghost story。 And it plays with some ideas we see in her later work as well。 The story centers a young woman who doesn't conform to what the oppressively patriarchal society around her expects， a young woman who refuses to have her agency taken from her。 It explores ideas of the "other" and how outsiders or those who are different are treated with fear and violence。 I liked it more than I expected to， just know this is not quite what you might expect from her later work。 。。。more
ελπίδα
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Ahh！ Ya de ya necesito otro libro de esta escritora💙 Me ha gustado mas de lo que me esperaba。 Literalmente no podia dejar de sentir que formaba parte de la historia， y aunque sea predecible no dejas de sentir esa tensión por que algo pueda salir mal。 Tampoco sé como está catalogado este libro， pero en mi opinión esta muy bien para leerlo en esta epoca del año😊
Laura
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I enjoyed it and will reread， I feel like there is more there。。。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Near Witch
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Near Witch&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Near Witch&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0