The Near Witch by Victoria Shwab

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.

From Goodreads.com

This book introduces us to Lexie, a take charge kind of a girl that I instantly liked. I love having the main character who is not afraid to stand up for what she believes, which in this case is a stand against the whole town of Near. She has to defy the rules and beliefs of the town when strange things start happening. When Lexi meets the mysterious unnamed boy, she gives him the name of Cole, tall dark and handsome stranger in a town with no strangers. The chemistry between the two is wonderful and sweet. Together they push to save the children of the town of Near while they grow closer together. The Near Witch is a wonderful fairytale story that takes a look at a world beautifully created by Victoria. I enjoyed every character in the book, from the little sister Wren to the cocky Tyler, the story comes right off the pages (I enjoyed Tyler’s obnoxiousness tremendously). And I already mentioned that I loved Lexie’s nature. Independent, strong young woman with a dashingly handsome young man by her side; who can go wrong with that? Honestly, I always have to keep my reviews short and to the point or I end up giving too much away. Victoria is a sweetheart and a wonderful writer. 

This is a well written debut that I highly recommend if you like any kind of a fairytale. The Near Witch comes out August 2, 2011. 

Happy reading,

Valia

PS. Did I mention that I loved the fact that Victoria named her heroine Lexie? Yes, Victoria and I are ‘heroine buddies” Woo hoo! :)