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The Near Witch

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The Near Witch

By: V. E. Schwab
Narrated by: Heather Wilds
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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. Romance Science Fiction & Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Magic Magic Users Witchcraft

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All stars
Most relevant
The story was nice, nothing revolutionary but enjoyable. I probably would have enjoyed it much more if it wasn't for the narrator. The narrator speaks with a very unnatural intonation and in a strange rythm that pulls the life out of the story. It's very hard to immerse yourself in the story when there's no feeling or emphasis on words, and a questioning tone to every sentence. I skipped the second story because I couldn't bear to start a new story with that same narration.

Cute story, awful narrator

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As many more have noted, the narration/narrator destroys any enjoyment of this story.

Read instead of listen is my advice.

Story is nice, but sweet Jesus the narration

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I don't often review books on Audible, but I had to with this one. the story is as good as anything else written by Schwab, but the narrator uses a very strange cadence for virtually every sentence, which was incredibly off-putting. The strange thing is when it came to the dialogue it wasn't there, and when I've gone and listened to samples of other books she has narrated it also doesn't seem to be there, so it seems as if it was a stylistic choice by the narrator. it's so disappointing that this audiobook lets down the story. If the people in charge of these things see this, I implore you to rerecord this!

Don't judge the book by its narrator.

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Loved every second of it. It was addictive, the mystery kept me hooked and the romance (whilst not the focus) was very sweet.
I adore how Schwab can transport me into her written worlds and make me want to stay for awhile, not because they are particularly great, but so that I can experience more of the magic that saturates her stories.
Unfortunately, the narration was a massive let down, and I'd have been very upset if I had paid for it. So, in my opinion you should skep the audio and go for the book.

Great story, bad narration.

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I couldn’t get far into this book at all because the narrator frustrated me so much. Every sentence ended in a raised tone like a question or someone very unsure of themselves. It was dreadful. To pick one positive for the narrator, she was good at dialogue, but that alas does not a complete audiobook make!

With regards to the story, it was engaging, and I want to know more but looks like I’ll be reading this one rather than listen.

Why was this narrator chosen?

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