The Near Witch
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The Near Witch
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Narrated by:
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Heather Wilds
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Written by:
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V. E. Schwab
About this listen
"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.
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.
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.
This new edition of The Near Witch also included the in-universe short story "The Ash-Born Boy" and a never-before-seen introduction from V. E. Schwab.
©2019 V. E. Schwab (P)2019 Blackstone Audio, Inc.What listeners say about The Near Witch
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Jamie @ Books and Ladders
- 2022-09-20
A Bit Disappointing
As a bonus to the audiobook, there was also the short story The Ash-Born Boy, so this is a quasi-review of both.
Lexi knows certain truths about the town she lives in: the Near Witch is just a story, the wind is lonely and looking for company, and there are no strangers in the town of Near. But a stranger appears out of the mist, and children start disappearing. Lexi knows he isn't to blame, that she can trust him, and as they search for the missing, Lexi discovers she needs to know more, more about the Near Witch might not just be a story, more about the calling wind, and more about the stranger without a name.
There’s a bit of magic in reading an author’s first book, especially when you know and love their later works. Guess what I discovered? Schwab’s ideas have always been original and her prose has always been impressive. This story is simple in scope (but not in a negative way). It‘s about a small village attacking one particular problem. It’s a mystery of sorts that kept me guessing.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t the book I was hoping for. Maybe my expectations because I've read all of her other books and loved them meant that I wouldn't enjoy this as much. Either way, I just didn’t feel the grip and excitement I was expecting.
It felt a lot like reading the Lament duology by Maggie Stiefvater - good but not their best work, and probably worse for wear since I had consumed so many other and more recent novels first. And in all fairness, it was originally published in 2011, so instalove and underexplaining were all the rage then.
I thought Cole was a little underdeveloped which made the romance stale to me, but having the short-story explain more about him and his past really brought him up in my mind. There was so much more I wanted from the romance there and the interactions that we didn't get. Instalove was way too real here and it made me roll my eyes. Not only did Lexi not know him, but he barely spoke the entire time he was on screen! Infuriating.
I think if you're interested in reading it and have been a fan of Victoria Schwab, you'll probably enjoy it. But otherwise it's a miss for me.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2024-12-14
Difficult flow
I can’t tell if it was the way the book was written or the way it was narrated but it was hard to follow because of its cadence. Like the whole book was read or written to some sort of beat and it just repeated that beat/ cadence throughout the book which took away from the story completely. I tired speeding the book up and slowing it down and that repetitive repetition make it so difficult to follow a lot. Lacked flow.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Jillianne Rachel
- 2023-11-28
Quaint story
It has all the aspects of a classic fairy tale but with darkness. I was engrossed in the story once it started but as it continued I felt like it was very repetitive with the scenes. Also the violence is intense.
I wasn’t too thrilled with the included story about Coal/William. It was very violent and made me sad.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Creaturiste
- 2022-04-03
Pretty darn good story and performance.
I really like the performers voice, but the audio could have been better recorded. It has a hiss and sounds a bit tin-y. it also sounds like it has been edited to try to limit these problems, as the silences between words don't have the hiss. It probably won't be very noticeable with average earphones or earbuds, but mine are good and I use an amplifier to drive them. I just lowered the volume a bit to listen. This should not discourage people from listening to this wonderful story.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rebecca
- 2022-04-07
Amazing Author, Robotic Narrator
I wanted to listen to the entire book, but the narrator was terrible. Herr cadence did not flow with the story and I kept having to rewind because I could not concentrate on the story. It was like listening to Alexa or Siri read the book and I finally returned it. I will have to go buy the hard copy because there's no way I can listen to this narrator.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Overthinking Bibliophile
- 2024-06-25
My first ever V.E. Schwab
I have been meaning to read Victoria Schwab's stories for quite some time now and wanted to try something that's currently not trending, so I picked this up when I saw it on Audible Plus.
It was an enchanting, dark, magical tale that reminded me of old folklore.
Spooky? Check. Gloomy? Check. Atmospheric? Check. Chilling? Check. Mystery? Check. Witches? Check. Ghosts? Check.
Do we really need any more reasons? I guess not. The only regret I have is that I didn't read it during Halloween. That would have been perfect.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- ColourMeGone
- 2021-12-11
The Narrator put me off but enjoyed story line
I really enjoy V. E. Schwabs audible books till now but Heather as the narrator with her staccato style reading put me off. I will look to get this from the library to read.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Macy GF
- 2024-05-14
The I love Wiccan themed book I didnt love this
This book was just okay, I wasnt in love with the narration. It was easy to follow and predictable. You almost now how the book ends from the beginning.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Erin
- 2024-05-29
Wierd and Painful Narrator
The narrator has a strange lift at the end of EVERY sentence. Its wierd and distracting and also annoying.
Like every sentence is a questions. I cant even get halfway through the book because I hate the voice so much.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2024-08-21
Monotone Narrator
I’m afraid although VE Schwab is a wonderful writer, the narrator’s voice was so monotone and oddly cadenced that I could not listen last the first chapter.
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