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.

approx. 320 pages

Out March 12, 2019

MY THOUGHTS:

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! This is my first Schwab book.

Her voice is amazing giving substance to flowing and smooth storytelling. The setting is incredible, created with a great mystifying effect.  You are drawn into this world and held there by the author by her use of tension and building conflict.

The characters are beautifully sculpted with layers and layers of complexity, flawed and chiseled down to fine details that make them realistic, scary real. The book is atmospheric and sets up what is sure to be a fantastic series. Fantastical right down to the ground beneath their feet.

For my first V.E. Schwab book, I think it well-done and I can see why others gush about her. She has a quality to her writing that you don’t see too often.

Impressive and addictive.

I gave it: