Victoria Schwab’s debut novel, The Near Witch, has recently been republished and given a new cover for UK readers. I was very kindly sent a copy from Titan Books to write my thoughts in this review.
Victoria Schwab (2011), Victoria Schwab
Themes: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
Reading Format: Hardback
Pages: 320
I have decided not to give this book a star rating because I wasn’t looking at this as I was any old story, I was looking at this as a work that started the ball rolling for one of my favourite authors. This story was written by Victoria Schwab years ago, before we all knew her name and when she had to make that name for herself. For this reason, I was reading it as a fan of her work not as someone who was judging where she started.
This book demonstrates exactly what it is to perfect your art. When you read this, you can see Schwab’s style as a writer, her creativity and her passion for words. But it’s a slow read, it isn’t fast paced and there isn’t much action at all, which you may have come to expect from her novels. But, Victoria Schwab writes character driven books, and it seems she always has. Lexi is the main character and she has been left without her father in a small town where strange things are happening. I don’t know if I liked Lexi so much as respected her and the decisions she made. She was a strong female lead who knew her own mind, I’d expect nothing less from a Victoria Schwab character.
This book has a mystery that needs to be solved, children are going missing and they town are turning on a stranger who arrives in town. This is a simple storyline and I like this, it’s easy to follow which means there is more time for the description of the characters and settings, which is what Schwab does best.
As far as the plot goes, this is where I can see this was a debut novel. I think it could have certainly been stronger and with more going on, but I also see this as a huge learning curve. If you’re a writer and you need a boost, reading this book will you show you how far Victoria Schwab has come. Not to say this book isn’t good, but just to demonstrate how much her writing has developed and how this is where she started.
I’d love to know your thoughts on this book if you’ve read it yet.
Sometimes it can be really satisfying going back to the roots of an author so you can see how far they’ve come. It sounds like this was a good first book for a writer who has just got stronger over time. Lovely review
I’ve been meaning to pick this book for a while since I love her others, must give it a read!
Lotte | http://www.lottelauv.blogspot.co.uk
You’ll have to let me know your thoughts!
I love going back to debut books of authors I love, even though they are probably not going to compare to their current works, it’s so fun to see where they started!
It’s like their own little origin story.