The Near Witch, by Victoria Schwab

Gasp. This, gasp, book, gasp, was so good!!!!!!!! It made me, gasp, and cry cause it was so well-written!!!!!!! Well, almost anyways. It made me, gasp, want to reread it even though I already finished it. Well, that's a given with almost any book I've read. Yes, I'm done gasping. 4 out of 5 stars!!!!

The Near Witch, by Victoria Schwab
Out now, so get it!!!!
4 out of 5 stars!!!!
Summary from Goodreads: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.

So. Beautifully. Written. That's what I really loved about this story. Most YA books aren't written like this, in a way that seems so elegant and different. But this one is. The writing is so wonderful and spectacular, definitely a must-read. If you like the writing of Cassandra Clare, you definitely will love Victoria Schwab's!!!!!!!

The characters. I loved Lexi's strength. She's a really strong person, not willing to take no for an answer. She wouldn't rely on others if she didn't have to. And she would follow her heart even if she ended up breaking the rules and risking the wrath of her uncle. She was so awesome! However, towards the end of the book, she started relying on Cole a bit too much. I mean, she could have done it herself, but oh well, she's still a bloody awesome character!!!!!

I liked Cole. You don't get to know that much about him, but what you do know, it drives you crazy!!!! You won't be able to believe his story and who he really is. It's really surprising, you have to read and reread those parts!!! Not that I minded. Plus... he looks good. Dark hair, dark eyes and pale skin. And mysterious. Ssssssssooooooo mysterious. I love my guys mysterious!!!! What's not to love?

The plot was awesome!!!!!!!!!! With a few surprises, well, make that a lot, it had me begging and begging for more!!!!! I absolutely loved it!!!!!!
However, I couldn't tell when it all took place. You don't learn much about the time at all. I mean, there's almost nothing to help you know about the time period. I'm not sure if I like that or not...

Not only that, but it's not in a trilogy!!!!! Most YA books are, but this one isn't. Isn't that awesome? You can get the whole entire story in one book and not have to wait for another book. So awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I loved this book!!!!!!!! So bloody amazing!!!!! Love, love loved it!!!!!!! It was definitely worth it!!!!!!!! And if you need more convincing, check out the YA Sisterhood's review of it here. Enjoy the book!