Listen free for 30 days

  • The Near Witch

  • Written by: V. E. Schwab
  • Narrated by: Heather Wilds
  • Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
  • 3.7 out of 5 stars (33 ratings)

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Near Witch cover art

The Near Witch

Written by: V. E. Schwab
Narrated by: Heather Wilds
Try for $0.00

$14.95 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $22.76

Buy Now for $22.76

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

"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 Ratings
Overall
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    12
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    12
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    13
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    13
  • 4 Stars
    6
  • 3 Stars
    8
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Quaint story

It has all the aspects of a classic fairy tale but with darkness. I was engrossed in the story once it started but as it continued I felt like it was very repetitive with the scenes. Also the violence is intense.
I wasn’t too thrilled with the included story about Coal/William. It was very violent and made me sad.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A Bit Disappointing

As a bonus to the audiobook, there was also the short story The Ash-Born Boy, so this is a quasi-review of both.

Lexi knows certain truths about the town she lives in: the Near Witch is just a story, the wind is lonely and looking for company, and there are no strangers in the town of Near. But a stranger appears out of the mist, and children start disappearing. Lexi knows he isn't to blame, that she can trust him, and as they search for the missing, Lexi discovers she needs to know more, more about the Near Witch might not just be a story, more about the calling wind, and more about the stranger without a name.

There’s a bit of magic in reading an author’s first book, especially when you know and love their later works. Guess what I discovered? Schwab’s ideas have always been original and her prose has always been impressive. This story is simple in scope (but not in a negative way). It‘s about a small village attacking one particular problem. It’s a mystery of sorts that kept me guessing.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the book I was hoping for. Maybe my expectations because I've read all of her other books and loved them meant that I wouldn't enjoy this as much. Either way, I just didn’t feel the grip and excitement I was expecting.

It felt a lot like reading the Lament duology by Maggie Stiefvater - good but not their best work, and probably worse for wear since I had consumed so many other and more recent novels first. And in all fairness, it was originally published in 2011, so instalove and underexplaining were all the rage then.

I thought Cole was a little underdeveloped which made the romance stale to me, but having the short-story explain more about him and his past really brought him up in my mind. There was so much more I wanted from the romance there and the interactions that we didn't get. Instalove was way too real here and it made me roll my eyes. Not only did Lexi not know him, but he barely spoke the entire time he was on screen! Infuriating.

I think if you're interested in reading it and have been a fan of Victoria Schwab, you'll probably enjoy it. But otherwise it's a miss for me.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing Author, Robotic Narrator

I wanted to listen to the entire book, but the narrator was terrible. Herr cadence did not flow with the story and I kept having to rewind because I could not concentrate on the story. It was like listening to Alexa or Siri read the book and I finally returned it. I will have to go buy the hard copy because there's no way I can listen to this narrator.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Pretty darn good story and performance.

I really like the performers voice, but the audio could have been better recorded. It has a hiss and sounds a bit tin-y. it also sounds like it has been edited to try to limit these problems, as the silences between words don't have the hiss. It probably won't be very noticeable with average earphones or earbuds, but mine are good and I use an amplifier to drive them. I just lowered the volume a bit to listen. This should not discourage people from listening to this wonderful story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

The Narrator put me off but enjoyed story line

I really enjoy V. E. Schwabs audible books till now but Heather as the narrator with her staccato style reading put me off. I will look to get this from the library to read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!