The Near Witch
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The Near Witch
Buy Now for $25.99
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Narrated by:
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Heather Wilds
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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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Charlie
- 14-10-2024
loved it
two great stories great narration and i enjoyed the comments and history of the book by the author at the beginning
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 06-02-2023
Loved this!
So glad the story wasn’t ruined by the narrator.
I enjoyed everything about this and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes this author
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Sharon from Brisbane
- 27-03-2024
great story, let down by the narration
as much as I loved the story, and have enjoyed this author's stories so far, the narration was far too stiff and formal for the story. I hope that one day they will redo these wonderful stories with a narrator more sensitive to the style of writing, genre, and mood of the book.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Jahsim-Ali Sayegh
- 28-01-2024
Story ok but narrator not
The narration was really hard to get past. It was like they were reading the news. I had to listen on 2x speed in the end as the story was interesting
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Ella
- 28-10-2024
Awful narration makes following or enjoying the story a challenge.
I’ve been devouring Schwab’s books lately and was keen to listen to her first book (The Near Witch) to see where it all began and what a 19-year old Schwab was capable of. It’s a good book when those factors are considered.
However
The narrator is AWFUL. I mean, TERRIBLE. she reads through the entire book with inflections every 6-8 words as though she’s reciting a poem, not reading prose and it disjoints the flow of what the character is describing. I’ve managed SIX chapters and given up trying to listen. I’m going to have to read the book instead and hope this narrator doesn’t show up in any more books I download to listen to.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- R.S.
- 08-12-2023
Can't get past the narration style
I've only managed to listen to half an hour but I think the story is good. I can't handle the narration style though, so I've given up. Strongly recommend listening to the sample in full before purchasing!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Aurora
- 26-01-2024
Problematic Narration
I struggled with the narrator’s monotone delivery and singular pace. It lacked a varied delivery that I’ve come to expect from others. There was no build up or expression to match the events in the book. The exception was when she used good expression and varied her pace and prosody for the witches voices but it wasn’t near enough.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 28-01-2024
A fairy tale I can't believe I'd never heard before.
I enjoyed the story very much, however the narrator's cadence was difficult to follow and took some time to get used to.
If I hadn't already loved another book by the same author I would have given up after a couple of chapters.
I'm glad I pushed through. This story is like a reworking of a Grimm's Fairytale but completely new. The folk lore deserves a place amongst the greats.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 11-02-2024
Maybe read the book instead
As others have said, the narration is very difficult to get through. She puts a hard emphasis on every 5th or so word, you feel like you are on a dull relentless march. It’s really distracting. I was stubborn and wanted to finish, so I preserved. Speeding it up helped a little. I liked the story well enough, very atmospheric and brooding. If you like that kind of thing I would recommend buying a physical copy of the book instead.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Catherine Webb
- 21-03-2024
A secluded village, elemental magic, mayhem
This was an absorbing tale, with clever shades of light and dark. Well written with natural, rather than over-extended, use of suspense. The characters are glimpsed in snatches, leaving the reader to make them whole
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