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colorgardgirl's review against another edition
3.0
Cool premise, but the main character pissed me off. She must have come close to the Near Witch like 4 times and almost got caught and someone else killed each time before she finally committed to actually doing something about the Near Witch. This didn’t make any sense to me.
cooperca's review against another edition
3.0
I hate 1/2 stars..but I'm going with 3 1/2 stars for The Near Witch.
A solid story that brings up the old folk lore legends of witches. Set in a village surrounded by gloomy and haunting moors, the Near Witch has arisen and is seeking revenge on the village that brutally murdered her a century ago. As the towns children start to disappear without a trace, the village men folk blame a newly arrived stranger. Lexi, a strong and determined young woman, must fight prejudices and dangerous gossip to find the children before they're gone for good and the town explodes.
This is Ms. Schwab's first novel that Barnes and Noble has reissued. Seeing how Ms. Schwab has grown and expanded her writing (how she structures and develops characters) was probably one of the things I liked most about this book. Most of the story is told through Lexi's internal dialogue, and the pacing can be slow, but the story provided that personal connection of "what would you do if your child disappeared" .
If you're a fan of Ms. Schwab's, it's a good, quick read.
A solid story that brings up the old folk lore legends of witches. Set in a village surrounded by gloomy and haunting moors, the Near Witch has arisen and is seeking revenge on the village that brutally murdered her a century ago. As the towns children start to disappear without a trace, the village men folk blame a newly arrived stranger. Lexi, a strong and determined young woman, must fight prejudices and dangerous gossip to find the children before they're gone for good and the town explodes.
This is Ms. Schwab's first novel that Barnes and Noble has reissued. Seeing how Ms. Schwab has grown and expanded her writing (how she structures and develops characters) was probably one of the things I liked most about this book. Most of the story is told through Lexi's internal dialogue, and the pacing can be slow, but the story provided that personal connection of "what would you do if your child disappeared" .
If you're a fan of Ms. Schwab's, it's a good, quick read.
bribell89's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
veeisterror's review against another edition
3.0
this book is Schwabs rereleased debut novel and it’s a very… quiet? book. the characters were interesting for the most part and the premise was good but at times the plot seemed very backwards forwards and the ending also was very abrupt, but i did enjoy this book for what it was.
aritrigupta's review against another edition
3.0
This was rather underwhelming, but I suppose that was expected, given I started with Schwab's better and more famous works. Darker shades of Magic was so deliciously complex and layered, that the Near Witch's story fell slightly flat. However, it would be wrong to compare these two. It's an enjoyable read - Schwab always sets the atmosphere, and her language is so fluid that you can roll off her words in a smooth pace. A lot of the book's aspects left me wanting for more details, and some didn't seem very natural with the story's pace. It wasn't very engaging, but it was a light fun read.
charbowers's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
gravitysgrace's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
rachelannfrench92's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
kyajreads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is V.E Schwab's debut novel and I'd been looking for it everywhere so when I signed up to Titan Books' newsletter and got a gift of this ebook with it, I was stoked and started reading immediately.
I love how magic and witchcraft elements are interwoven into all of Schwab's books and you can see how important this book was to set that standard. The magic in The Near Witch flowed so naturally around the characters, often making you wonder if any other characters have hidden magic too.
It's pacing is great, the subplot of romance is sweet and warming and the main plotline tense and dramatic creating a nice balance. Not only were the main characters, Lexi and Cole multifaceted, but all the other side characters were well built with their own complexities.
The ending was a little too open-ended for my preference but I understand why it was used.
I love how magic and witchcraft elements are interwoven into all of Schwab's books and you can see how important this book was to set that standard. The magic in The Near Witch flowed so naturally around the characters, often making you wonder if any other characters have hidden magic too.
It's pacing is great, the subplot of romance is sweet and warming and the main plotline tense and dramatic creating a nice balance. Not only were the main characters, Lexi and Cole multifaceted, but all the other side characters were well built with their own complexities.
The ending was a little too open-ended for my preference but I understand why it was used.