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February 16, 2012

Witchy Thursday

On the iPod: What if the Storm Ends? - Snow Patrol

Hey there readers! Hope your upcoming three day weekend will be as awesome as mine (I'm reading Corsets and Clockwork, word)

And now; to the review part of today:  The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab



Goodreads says: 
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.
Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab’s debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won’t soon forget.

Oh my god, you guys! The Near Witch is amazing! Victoria Schwab's debut novel is one hell of a rare gem in YA! It's like a sleepy fairytale (until the end where it ramps up the awesomeness), that is best read while listening to the sound of torrential downpouring rain with tea/coffee/cocoa.

Our two main characters, Lexi and Cole, are a nice balance between each other, Lexi's not afraid to get down and dirty to help the town search for the missing kids. The catch?  She has to do it secret. See, the town is an old one, that girls are protected and men are manly. Boooring! But these standards were meant to be broken and that's how they're done in NW. Cole is a sad, sad boy, what with his own dark secret and being a stranger (think Invisible Man, you know, despite the fact that he's invisible, he's being talked about a lot in the story).
Lexi's dad had died (not early, but not too long ago), so she struggles with grief, but combats it by being a cool badass (and though she does have moments of wallowing in sadness, she's still a badass).

NW is a wonderful love story, because Lexi and Cole are attracted to each other, it's like a curious fascination with one another than the "whoa he's hot," or "whoa, she's not like any other girl I've met" (which is hilarious because that's exactly my entire thoughts throughout The Near Witch).
They're both shy and awkward which makes it out of this world because there's no banter.

You heard me, two YA characters that can exist without plentiful banter (though it is fun to read). The magic is legit, out of this world, EPIC! See, it's like the ancient old magic with chants and stuff and it's so cool and you just want to leap into the book and run/frolic in the meadows and forests.

Words cannot explain how wicked awesome this book is so go check it out, and then buy it. AND THEN LUFF IT FOREVER AND EVER UNTIL THE SPINE IS WORN. (it's already happening to mine, and I have a hardcover edition.)

Ciao bookworms,
Jaz
P.S as of a month ago, I've made the decision to not put stars in my ratings because a book shouldn't be judged on the number of stars it gets. It should be because it's mothereffing awesome. Like The Near Witch.














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