Review: The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

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Awesome first novel from Victoria Schwab. So excited to read what is next from her. From the very first sentence I really loved the writing. It gets even better as the novel goes on. Schwab is able to make her characters come to life on the page. She creates amazing imagery with her words. You can actually see the world she created in you head down to the last detail. The story is about a girl named Lexi who lives in the town of Near. A stranger comes to town one night and no one knows who he is. Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children Publication date: 8/2/2011 Pages: 288 Synopsis: 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. My Thoughts/Review: Awesome first novel from Victoria Schwab!!! So excited to read what comes next from her. From the very first sentence I really loved her writing. You get hooked right away into the story and it is very hard to stop reading after you get through the first chapter. It gets even better as the novel goes on. Schwab is able to make her characters come to life on the page. She creates amazing imagery with her words. You can actually see the world she created in your head down to the very last detail.  The story is about a girl named Lexi who lives in the small town of Near. A stranger comes to town one night and no one knows who he is or why he is there. Then the next day children start disappearing. The town automatically blames the stranger and Lexi sets out on a course to find out what is really happening. The story is so simplistic in the telling of it. Schwab weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, danger, and love which has the perfect amount of magic.  I really loved going on this journey with Lexi. You actually felt like you were there with her trying to solve the mystery and of course since this book is called The Near Witch you know there is going to be some sort of mystical qualities added to the story, so that was super exciting. The town of Near has this small town feeling, how practically everyone knows each other and gets in everyone else's business. You will just have to wait and see how the story ends to find out what really is happening in the town of Near. Another thing I really liked was the names of the characters, like Lexi, Cole and Wren, short but unique and also the characters themselves. Lexi is the type of girl that fights for what she believes in and she doesn't believe that girls should have to do just girl-like things. That girls should be able to hunt, track, wield knives and wear dirty boots if they want to. She isn't going to let anyone boss her around or keep her inside doing girl-like things. I really liked that quality about her. I loved all the witches in the town of Near both Good and Bad. I also appreciated the love that slowly grew throughout the whole book between Lexi and Cole and how they fought together to the end to find out the mystery of what was happening in Near. There love actually seemed real and wasn't insta-love like in some other books I have read.  I have to say though I thought the ending was a little rushed and could have been drawn out a tiny bit more to be perfect. I feel like it could have been done more peacefully, beautifully, and magically and could have been written just a tiny bit better, instead of the quick way that it did end. All that said, I still really loved this book and the way that it ended. I wish that there could be a sequel added to this amazing book to be able to continue the story of Lexi. I was really invested in her and I really want to see what happens next with Lexi, Wren, Cole and the witches. =]  Definitely read The Near Witch. It is a must read. I recommend it to everyone and it really is perfect for just about everyone. It is a mystical, amazingly written, magical story about a girl and what happens in her small town of Near. Go read it now. I am mad that I waited this long. =]   Overall, I give this book: Spectacular, adventurous and magical is what sums up this awesome book. I am so happy that I got the chance to read this book before it comes out in April. Hippocampus really takes you on an adventure that you don't want to leave once the book ends. As you read you learn about Trey Atlas and what happens to him thoughout his journey. You get to learn all about the lost city of Atlantis and all the wonders it has to hold. The one negative about this book was that I  A mystical, amazingly-written, magical story about a girl and what happens in her small town of Near =] 5 out of 5 Stars Links to Check it Out: Goodreads Barnes and Noble Amazon Victoria Schwab's second book comes out January 22, 2013. That is LESS THAN SIX MONTHS AWAY. Really can not wait for it.=] Check it out: Goodreads Barnes and Noble Amazon Thanks for Visiting and Happy Reading. =] -Michael