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zmeiat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Very strong debut that showcases V. E Schwabs compelling writting ability from the very start.
The Near Witch however, felt like it would have worked better if it was put to screen instead of in a book format.
The story itself was pretty straighforward, and could have been elevated further with the help of cool imagery and sound-design, making the basic plot more exciting.
The Near Witch however, felt like it would have worked better if it was put to screen instead of in a book format.
The story itself was pretty straighforward, and could have been elevated further with the help of cool imagery and sound-design, making the basic plot more exciting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia
Moderate: Misogyny and Death of parent
bootrat's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Violence, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
kathrynleereads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
While I really enjoyed The Near Witch, I thought the ending was a bit abrupt.
I wish she would've mentioned how long it actually took for them to get from the village to the grove of trees out on the moor. Once it was a half-day trek, then she ran all the way there and back.
It was also frustrating that they kept making it all the way out there, only to turn and return to the village before finding anything.
While children are being kidnapped it seems as if there would be a bit more of a rush than trying to fix the problem on three separate days.
Why not just hide from the men that followed them and then continue their search instead of trekking all the way back to Near to just start completely over the next day?
Also, as a tracker who should be fairly adept at listening, she sure did get followed a lot. And the men left to watch her and keep her from sneaking out of the house really just did not learn.
•
The first half of the book detailed only a day or two of Lexi digging into the mystery, while the second half of the book covers multiple days of action, seeming to flit from day to day a lot faster.
It felt like it should've gone in the opposite direction.
In the final scene, Lexi runs all the way from the clearing to Near with the basket of bones, only to not get there in time and for the Near Witch to come alive as she does at night.
Cole and Otto then run out from the stone wall (which is in the opposite direction of where she left them), seemingly having beat her there or caught up to her, despite the fact that they supposedly had a whole hashing-out of their issues (which couldn't have been quick), and the fact that Lexi ran the whole way back.
Then after beating Lexi up for a minute, the Near Witch sees her old garden and just kind of floats into the grave the sisters had conjured there and went back to being dead.
It felt a little lacking to me, like after all the build-up, the ending should have been a little more drawn out.
•
Character-wise I loved Lexi, her parents, the sisters, Cole, and Wren.
Mrs. Thatcher had some good moments and provided good insight into the mindset of the village.
Master Matthew seemed to be alright but then told the other council members where Lexi and Cole were going and what they were doing, despite saying that he believed Lexi was correct and the Near Witch was to blame.
Otto seemed like deep down he was a decent person, but he was a pushover and should never have been granted the title of Protector, because he honestly sucked at it. He was very well-written, though.
Bo was a truly awful human. I'm curious to know what happened to him, as it's never mentioned.
The character that is still stuck in my mind though? Tyler.
Sexist, misogynistic, piece-of-dirt pig.
He was not worth any redemption and deserved the same as Bo. He thought he deserved Lexi and completely ignored her protests and requests.
•
Besides the abrupt ending to the story, I thoroughly enjoyed The Near Witch, and was very enthralled by the story while reading it.
It was also frustrating that they kept making it all the way out there, only to turn and return to the village before finding anything.
While children are being kidnapped it seems as if there would be a bit more of a rush than trying to fix the problem on three separate days.
Why not just hide from the men that followed them and then continue their search instead of trekking all the way back to Near to just start completely over the next day?
Also, as a tracker who should be fairly adept at listening, she sure did get followed a lot. And the men left to watch her and keep her from sneaking out of the house really just did not learn.
•
The first half of the book detailed only a day or two of Lexi digging into the mystery, while the second half of the book covers multiple days of action, seeming to flit from day to day a lot faster.
It felt like it should've gone in the opposite direction.
Cole and Otto then run out from the stone wall (which is in the opposite direction of where she left them), seemingly having beat her there or caught up to her, despite the fact that they supposedly had a whole hashing-out of their issues (which couldn't have been quick), and the fact that Lexi ran the whole way back.
Then after beating Lexi up for a minute, the Near Witch sees her old garden and just kind of floats into the grave the sisters had conjured there and went back to being dead.
It felt a little lacking to me, like after all the build-up, the ending should have been a little more drawn out.
•
Character-wise I loved Lexi, her parents, the sisters, Cole, and Wren.
Mrs. Thatcher had some good moments and provided good insight into the mindset of the village.
Otto seemed like deep down he was a decent person, but he was a pushover and should never have been granted the title of Protector, because he honestly sucked at it. He was very well-written, though.
Bo was a truly awful human.
The character that is still stuck in my mind though? Tyler.
Sexist, misogynistic, piece-of-dirt pig.
•
Besides the abrupt ending to the story, I thoroughly enjoyed The Near Witch, and was very enthralled by the story while reading it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Grief, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
kaiyakaiyo's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was a delightful read! Comparing it to Diane Wynne Jones was incredibly accurate. The romance was a bit boring to me, mostly because it leaned heavily on the same descriptions over & over again. We get it, his eyes looked like wet rocks and it made her heart race lmao
not many complaints, though I wish the Near Witch had been a bit more nuanced
not many complaints, though I wish the Near Witch had been a bit more nuanced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Misogyny, and Sexual harassment
tales_of_1001_books's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
onemamareads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Read my full review here: https://onemamassummer.weebly.com/book-reviews/the-near-witch
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Child death and Death
andromeda_1998's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
The near witch is an other one of V.E. Schwab amazing books. It’s right in my ally. It has magic, amazing characters and together it forms a dark fairytale everyone should read. The near witch is lesser known then some of her other books and I think that it has something to do with the fact that it’s a young adult book instead of adult or middle grade.
The story:
The story focuses on Lexi who lives in the town of Near. She has never left her home town and she doesn’t particularly feels the need ago. She wants to stay in the house overlooking the moor.
In this little town a couple of things are sure:
1. There are no strangers in Near
2. The near witch is nothing more than an old wives tale
3. Don’t listen to the wind since the wind always looks for company.
These are the rules Lexi lives by and they have been told to her all her live. But everything changes when one day a stranger is seen around the village. The very next day children start to disappear in the night and the stranger falls under suspicion.
Lexi needs to find out the truth about the missing children, the time is ticking, since she has a little sister to protect.
My opinions (spoiler free)
I really liked this amazing story. The stakes are high and the story is a bit dark. I like these kinds of darker magical fairytales. The story his been written in a faster pace and the storytelling is amazingly done. V.E. Schwab has an amazing way of writing a story and she always delivers with her beautiful writing-style. Like always I cannot wait to read more from her.
V.E. Schwab knows her character building. She has again made some complex characters. The thing I liked less though is that you really need the short story “The Ash-born boy” to understand Cole’s character fully. I wouldn’t mind that so much if the short was included in all the different editions of this book but it isn’t. For as far as I know you really need the red edition by titan books to get the short included. (ISBN:9781789091144)
The worldbuilding has been done well but it only includes one little village and the moors around it. Something that isn’t bad but I would love to know more about the world she has created and I would love it if she would go back to write more story’s in this world 😂.
Favorite quotes:
“If the moor wind ever sings, you mustn’t listen, not with all of your ears. Use only the edges. Listen the way you would look out the corners of your eyes. The wind is lonely, love, and always looking for company
Other books you should read if you loved the near witch or if you loved these books the near witch is something you would like:
- Uprooted or Spinning silver by Naomi Novik
- The winternight trilogy by Kathrine Arden.
- Into the heartless woods by Joanna Ruth Meyer
- The enchantment of Ravens or Sorcery of thorns by Margret Rodgerson
- The bone houses by Emily loyd-Jones
The story:
The story focuses on Lexi who lives in the town of Near. She has never left her home town and she doesn’t particularly feels the need ago. She wants to stay in the house overlooking the moor.
In this little town a couple of things are sure:
1. There are no strangers in Near
2. The near witch is nothing more than an old wives tale
3. Don’t listen to the wind since the wind always looks for company.
These are the rules Lexi lives by and they have been told to her all her live. But everything changes when one day a stranger is seen around the village. The very next day children start to disappear in the night and the stranger falls under suspicion.
Lexi needs to find out the truth about the missing children, the time is ticking, since she has a little sister to protect.
My opinions (spoiler free)
I really liked this amazing story. The stakes are high and the story is a bit dark. I like these kinds of darker magical fairytales. The story his been written in a faster pace and the storytelling is amazingly done. V.E. Schwab has an amazing way of writing a story and she always delivers with her beautiful writing-style. Like always I cannot wait to read more from her.
V.E. Schwab knows her character building. She has again made some complex characters. The thing I liked less though is that you really need the short story “The Ash-born boy” to understand Cole’s character fully. I wouldn’t mind that so much if the short was included in all the different editions of this book but it isn’t. For as far as I know you really need the red edition by titan books to get the short included. (ISBN:9781789091144)
The worldbuilding has been done well but it only includes one little village and the moors around it. Something that isn’t bad but I would love to know more about the world she has created and I would love it if she would go back to write more story’s in this world 😂.
Favorite quotes:
“If the moor wind ever sings, you mustn’t listen, not with all of your ears. Use only the edges. Listen the way you would look out the corners of your eyes. The wind is lonely, love, and always looking for company
Other books you should read if you loved the near witch or if you loved these books the near witch is something you would like:
- Uprooted or Spinning silver by Naomi Novik
- The winternight trilogy by Kathrine Arden.
- Into the heartless woods by Joanna Ruth Meyer
- The enchantment of Ravens or Sorcery of thorns by Margret Rodgerson
- The bone houses by Emily loyd-Jones
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Death of parent
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Confinement and Fire/Fire injury