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catpun's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Inconsistent pacing but fantastic lore. Wanted more horror elements, but that could just be me.
Solid YA book, just not my taste anymore.
Solid YA book, just not my taste anymore.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death
sn8man's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: death of a parent mention, self-harm, child abuse
The Near Witch by V.E. Schwab is a YA fantasy about the dangers of belief and fear. It's also the first book Schwab ever published. I've read a bunch of Schwab books now, and it's clear this was a debut book. Although I enjoyed it well enough it doesn't quite live up to the quality of story I'm used to with her.
We follow Lexi Harris in the village of Near beside the moor. There are no strangers in Near, and witches are real. When a stranger is spotted in the night and children suddenly go missing the stranger is blamed. Lexi finds the stranger and makes him Cole. He's a witch with the power of the wind, but he did not lure the children away. Cole and Lexi must find the children and figure out what is causing the children to go missing before the villagers of Near decide to kill the person it's easiest to blame. The stranger.
We have a bit of a mystery here with the children going missing in the night with no trace and no clues. I love the way magic is weaved into the story. The sisters on the of moor are great characters. Two old witches using the craft they have to try to protect the children that are left. I like that nature magic aspect. I do think the story was a bit redundant in places. It felt like we were going in circles there for a while. A lot of things felt pretty vague as well. There wasn't much in the way of world-building, which is usually what I love about Schwab.
The edition I have also came with an extra short story telling us about Cole's past before he came to Near, so that was a nice perk. A decent story, but not my favorite from this author.
The Near Witch by V.E. Schwab is a YA fantasy about the dangers of belief and fear. It's also the first book Schwab ever published. I've read a bunch of Schwab books now, and it's clear this was a debut book. Although I enjoyed it well enough it doesn't quite live up to the quality of story I'm used to with her.
We follow Lexi Harris in the village of Near beside the moor. There are no strangers in Near, and witches are real. When a stranger is spotted in the night and children suddenly go missing the stranger is blamed. Lexi finds the stranger and makes him Cole. He's a witch with the power of the wind, but he did not lure the children away. Cole and Lexi must find the children and figure out what is causing the children to go missing before the villagers of Near decide to kill the person it's easiest to blame. The stranger.
We have a bit of a mystery here with the children going missing in the night with no trace and no clues. I love the way magic is weaved into the story. The sisters on the of moor are great characters. Two old witches using the craft they have to try to protect the children that are left. I like that nature magic aspect. I do think the story was a bit redundant in places. It felt like we were going in circles there for a while. A lot of things felt pretty vague as well. There wasn't much in the way of world-building, which is usually what I love about Schwab.
The edition I have also came with an extra short story telling us about Cole's past before he came to Near, so that was a nice perk. A decent story, but not my favorite from this author.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm
Minor: Child abuse and Death of parent
carina_dreamer's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I wanted to start my dive into V. E. Schwab's works with her first book so the experience keeps being positive as her writing improves.
This edition has both "The Near Witch" main work and the short story prequel to it, "The Ash-Born Boy".
The main story reminds me of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, since the children of Near disappear at night from their beds, lured by an entity that didn't leave a clue behind.
The feeling of this book being both a classic and a contemporary work kept following me through the pages. I didn't dislike it.
The story was good and had a strong showcase of mass hysteria from the villagers against what's different.
The romance is a sub-plot and feels insta-love. They kiss a lot too 😂
I liked the short story best, the characters left a bigger impression and showcased stronger personalities that the main story didn't as it felt repetitive and shallow.
I give it ⭐⭐⭐.5 overall, without the short story I would say it's a basic 3⭐.
This edition has both "The Near Witch" main work and the short story prequel to it, "The Ash-Born Boy".
The main story reminds me of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, since the children of Near disappear at night from their beds, lured by an entity that didn't leave a clue behind.
The feeling of this book being both a classic and a contemporary work kept following me through the pages. I didn't dislike it.
The story was good and had a strong showcase of mass hysteria from the villagers against what's different.
The romance is a sub-plot and feels insta-love. They kiss a lot too 😂
I liked the short story best, the characters left a bigger impression and showcased stronger personalities that the main story didn't as it felt repetitive and shallow.
I give it ⭐⭐⭐.5 overall, without the short story I would say it's a basic 3⭐.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Bullying and Murder
twonky's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
cl1cm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Great writing, great atmosphere. The plot was nice, but nothing special. I still enjoyed the book very much. It was just what I was craving this season.
Some of the side characters made me so angry though.
Some of the side characters made me so angry though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Death of parent
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
whiskeywoman79's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
3.5
Fiction / Fantasy / Romance / Magic
This was an interesting read. It felt like an old fairytale. If it is on your TRB it has great autumn vibes and would be a great read with a cup of tea or hot chocolate.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent
asriram's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Another fantastic novel by V.E. Schwab, The Near Witch (and the Ash-Born Boy, the short story accompanying my copy of this book) were lovely reads. The characters were mostly well-written and the plot was compelling. However, some of the language choices early in the novel were jarring, and I never got a real sense as to what sort of time period the novel takes place in. Also, some of the characters were more thinly sketched than others, and the bigotry in the story, while realistic, was a very frustrating thing to read/experience. Overall, a 4.5/5 stars.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
justmys's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting