Reviews with content warning for Gun violence - The Near Witch

Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

The Near Witch by V.E. Schwab

10 reviews

celey's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Enchanting mystery, ya love story, exploration of witchcraft, and fairy tale about what it means to belong in a community all wrapped in a beautifully written box. I really enjoyed this book, and will be reading more of this author’s work.

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alhargrave1's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This book is FILLED with beautiful prose. Each character is well thought-out and fully formed. throughout it, I felt the main character’s range of emotions as though they were my own (a plus, for me). This book is beautiful and complex and exactly what I was looking for!

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black_cat_iiix's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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gardens_and_dragons's review

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I really loved the characters in the new year which, I only really gave it a three though, because it is strange and subtle, more of an atmospheric read than a complete story for me. Still worth a read if you like fairytale like stories.

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whenjessreads's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

The Near Witch is Schwab’s debut novel, and because of this I went into it with lower expectations, and a little bit of curiosity about where she came from and how her writing has grown. While I didn’t think it was as immersive and polished as her later books (which was completely expected - genius doesn’t spring from nowhere 😂), this book was still beautiful, whimsical and poetic. The focus on atmosphere over characters or plot made it feel like folklore; a creepy fairytale told to children in front of a fire.

Schwab herself describes this book as ‘strange and quiet’, which is so fitting in a way that I can’t really describe. There’s this common feeling of isolation and inherent creepiness in books set on the moors - think The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, or Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle.

Typical of Schwab, The Near Witch has a dash of horror, but in the way that fairytales often do: more creepy and suspenseful rather than grotesque. There isn’t a lot of world-building, but in a way this worked - the isolation and emptiness of the setting played a large part in the overall feeling of uneasiness and suited the haunting writing style.

In terms of the main character, Lexi… It was nice to read a female heroine without the sarcasm and the sword, strength in a way that seems more accessible to children and younger adults. But although she was the narrator of the story, I didn’t get the greatest idea of her drives - her feelings weren’t really dipped into, and instead it was more a play-by-play of what she saw and did. There was also a little bit of insta-love, but after all, this is a fairytale (and what is more representative of a fairytale than love at first sight?).

Overall, this was a haunting but beautiful story about acceptance, understanding and friendship, but also prejudice and loss. And VE Schwab is obviously some kind of word-witch.

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