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The Near Witch Review



Lockdown has led to some creative bookstagramming. I didn’t have a physical copy to hand so, hey, I improvised, and I kind of like it. I hope you enjoy my lockdown friendly bookstgramming too.

Before the review, I want to share a quote from the book I think you’ll appreciate:

‘He’s so wrestles, they all are. Not used to being shut inside while the sun is still up.’ V.E.Schwab tell me about it! I swear you don’t need a house witch; you have some witchy sense going on yourself.

Anyway, here we go.

Let me just say this book was enthralling. It’s a tale of old brought new life and it held the rhythm of a bedtime story, that happens to have witches and missing children.

Synopsis (paraphrased): ‘There are no strangers in the town of Near.

But when an actual stranger, a boy who seems to fade like smoke.

The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion.’

This is the first Schwab book that I have read outside of Darker Shades and I was surprised at how different it was. This has a completely different vibe and set of storytelling skills but both done so well.

Set in a village in the past, you really feel the oppression and superstition that comes with moving back in time. I could see the houses, the people, the way of life so clearly. You are firmly planted in this book to the point where you can practically feel textures.

It was interesting to see Schwab’s use of the environmental in this book. The wind became a character, the moors held secrets and that added immeasurably to the underlying feeling in the air of long ago held beliefs that the people that stick to the town’s folk like glue. Allowing their beliefs to run rampant later on in the book, adding drastically to the tension because I truly didn’t know how far they would go.

There were one or two clunky bits in the book in terms of dialogue and character that didn’t feel as smooth in places but overall, this book was a great read and gets ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me.


*Originally posted on Instagram* https://www.instagram.com/p/CANrzApArmy/


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