The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
"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."- summary from Amazon

For me, this book didn't suck me in right away. It took a while before I got invested in the characters and engrossed with the prose. Once I got into it though, the pages did fly by. When stuff starts getting revealed and magic starts happening, it becomes a thrilling adventure.

I loved the whole concept and story behind the Near Witch that Schwab used. It was an interesting tale and the connection to the moor was really cool. I did like Lexi as a main character- she was really spunky and smart, and I enjoyed reading her scenes with Cole (i.e. the mysterious boy). I did really hate some of the characters in the town of Near, like Tyler and Bo. Like, seriously; I wanted to punch them in the face.

I don't really know what else to say about this book. It was hard enough writing a review. It's a good book, but I wasn't as amazed by it as others were. I will definitely keep Schwab as an author to keep up with though because I did see potential and her next book sounds really interesting.

FTC: Received e-galley from Netgalley. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.