"The Near Witch" Reviewed

Well, I finally found time to write this review at least. The Boyfriend has gone back for another month of Army things and now I have time on my hands again. When he's here I tend to...not do anything productive unless it includes cooking recipes I find on Pinterest. We're crazy like that. I wrote a review (not a very long or opinionated one) for The Vanguard about The Near Witch but it hasn't been printed yet. So, I'm going to write another one. Yay!

I was lucky enough to win a copy from @BookReverie with a signed bookmark. I love blog contests. Really, I do.


I read The Near Witch in about two hours. That's a good thing. I couldn't put it down. I think I may have even missed dinner. I can't remember. All I can recall was the sheer awesomeness of the story.

Schwab is a GENIUS. I love fairytales in general, and The Near Witch is like reading all of the Grimm tales but BETTER. Magic, witches, dark mystery, spooky setting, and a romance that doesn't end with someone being sacrificed. Or does it? Muahaha.

In addition to being a great storyteller, Schwab also has magic writing fingers. The words seem to flow and sing like the wind on the moors, a wild and inspiring thing. When a book is this aesthetically and visually pleasing, then you know you have something special. Reading becomes a joy and the words envelop you in...in...words. Well, that was deep.

Let me explain. It goes without saying that I like to read books that are well-written. Let's all say, "Duh!" Books that are the mental equivalent of eating broken glass or hearing nails on a chalkboard usually don't get such glowing reviews. Or if they do, the reviewer is obviously insane or lying. Or both.

What was I saying?

Oh right, good books. I like them. A lot. But what I really like is when a book is made with the best of ingredients. Word choice is a big player in this dynamic. The right word or selection of words can make or break an image for a reader. You can be reading along without a care in the world and then BAM! you run face first into an awkward phrase or something equally disturbing, like a misplaced/missing comma (Okay, I'm projecting my own issues with grammar usage onto this topic). That book is now tinged from that encounter.

In moments like that, I usually heave a large sigh and wish that I could somehow edit every book before it went to the printing press. However, that's not going to happen (although it would be my dream job) so I just have to content myself with making a tally and holding the bitterness I feel towards those problems deep inside. repress repress repress

Sometimes though, a book has the It factor. All of the qualities that make up a well-written book meld with the story itself to create a book worth reading. And that is what The Near Witch is.

Would you look at that? I managed to tie that rambling stuff up there into a conclusion that also related back to the original intent of this post. Success!

Until next time...