By Victoria Schwab
Published By Hyperion Books
expected Release Date: August 2, 2011
*received from netGalley for review
Summary: 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: I really enjoyed the lyrical almost sing song writing of this book. The subject, setting and writing made me want to curl up and dig in right up to the end. I can definitely see myself reading this story again.
Part of the reason for this was two of my favorite new characters of this year. Lexi has this permissible rebelliousness about her that makes you want to see her come out on top no matter the odds. Trying to fill her dead father's shoes (literally) and remember the stories he taught her while trying to keep her little sister safe. Then there is Cole, the deeply, darkly, haunted stranger to Near. This character grabbed from his first mention and as his story unraveled it just drew me to him more. While there is romance between the two in the story it does not overwhelm the main story.
The rest of the characters are just as important. From the sisters who seem to be the only ones in Near who refuse to forget the past, to Lexi's uncle who is trying to do the right thing by his brother's family, just maybe not in the best way.
The action built from the beginning and while all the stories and rhymes may have seemed repetitious they were important come the final stand against the Near Witch.
Rating: 5
The rest of the characters are just as important. From the sisters who seem to be the only ones in Near who refuse to forget the past, to Lexi's uncle who is trying to do the right thing by his brother's family, just maybe not in the best way.
The action built from the beginning and while all the stories and rhymes may have seemed repetitious they were important come the final stand against the Near Witch.
Rating: 5
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