Scan barcode
A review by fihli
The Near Witch by V.E. Schwab
1.0
1 star
The Near Witch is a quiet and atmospherical story that is also, ultimately, very unexciting, especially when compared to Schwab’s later works. The plot is simplistic, predictable (just reading the blurb you know exactly how the story is going to play out and end) and at times contrieved, the writing nowhere near the level of her other works. The main character and the love interest have no chemistry, the stakes feel pretty low and the ending is too easyAnd of course Tyler ends up with Helena, because that wasn’t stupid at all .
As for the audiobook: I found the accent of the narrator quite grating, with her voice going up at the end of every sentence, resulting in the whole story being narrated in the form of questions. The accent wasn't too terrible, though,and also more of a me-issue and the audiobook definitely helped me getting quicker through this book, otherwise I porbably would have taken forever for a story that is less than 300 pages long.
So, would I recommend it? To young teens, maybe. I don’t think avid readers and adults will get that much out of this novel which is definitely one of Schwab’s weaker works (or, to put it in a nicer way: Victoria Schwab has developed a lot as an author, and I’m not quite sure how fair it is to compare her debut to books that are as great as, for example, A Darker Shade of Magic.)
The Near Witch is a quiet and atmospherical story that is also, ultimately, very unexciting, especially when compared to Schwab’s later works. The plot is simplistic, predictable (just reading the blurb you know exactly how the story is going to play out and end) and at times contrieved, the writing nowhere near the level of her other works. The main character and the love interest have no chemistry, the stakes feel pretty low and the ending is too easy
Spoiler
both in how easily the Near witch is defeated and in how the conflict around Cole as a stranger is resolved resulting in everyone getting a happy ending that is way too convenient.As for the audiobook: I found the accent of the narrator quite grating, with her voice going up at the end of every sentence, resulting in the whole story being narrated in the form of questions. The accent wasn't too terrible, though,
So, would I recommend it? To young teens, maybe. I don’t think avid readers and adults will get that much out of this novel which is definitely one of Schwab’s weaker works (or, to put it in a nicer way: Victoria Schwab has developed a lot as an author, and I’m not quite sure how fair it is to compare her debut to books that are as great as, for example, A Darker Shade of Magic.)