The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab {18th]

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. 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.

Title - The Near Witch

Author - Victoria Schwab

Pages - 288

Paperback, Hardcover, eBook - Paperback (ARC)

Published & Publisher - August 2nd, 2011 ; Hyperion 

Source - Giveaway

Rating - 4/5

I honestly love stories that follow the lives of rebels. The Near Witch is a perfect example of that. This story is a whirl of mysteries. Plus, there is a love story thrown into the mix. Of course, you can't have a fairy-tale without a little romance. Thankfully, The Near Witch had that.  

Ever wonder what it would be like to live in a town where everything is the same and you know everybody and everything? That's exactly how the people of Near are. Until, the stranger came. Lexi seen him out her window, nothing more than a figure in her yard. No, that's not even the weird part. The stranger isn't all the way there. His body looks as if it was smudged in the night air. The stranger caught Lexi looking at her. When Lexi looked away for a quick second, he was gone. *Insert dramatic music* 

The rebel part kicks into play when Lexi's uncle repeatedly tells her not to go searching for the stranger. Except, she does. And when children start going missing and being taken from their beds in the middle of the night, the stranger is to blame because he suddenly popped up the night before everything took place. Everybody in the town of Near believes that the stranger, who is name-less, is the reason that the children go missing. Lexi understands that the town dislikes the stranger, but that doesn't stop Lexi and the stranger's secret meetings in the night.

Teen rebels nowadays, gotta love them. They brighten up stories to an epic proportion. Agree or Disagree?

For a debut novel, I give Victoria a *virtual* pat on the back. I can tell that her next novel is going to be a bestseller, if this isn't going to be. :)

First Line: It starts with a crack, a sputter, and a spark. 

"Cole, you're not a rock," I say. "You're not a tree, or a bunch of grass, or a cloud. And you're not just something to cast aside, or burn down, or walk over. Please tell me you understand that."