The Near Witch by V.E. Schwab
Jun. 13th, 2021 02:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iariaI liked it okay. I'll continue to try this author's books.
+ About 3/4 of the way through I got really irritated by something and then found it hard to get past that for the rest of the book. Lexi and Cole going after the witch's bones at night was bad planning and thoughtless but a believable enough mistake for two teenagers who are really still learning about witches. It didn't bother me. Them returning to her house knowing that the men had seen them and Cole later returning to her house did bother me. That seemed really dumb especially the latter point. But Cole's near suicidal guilt made him returning make sense as a self punishment.
What I could not get past was Lexi returning to the forest, actually finding the bones and then leaving them there. WTF? She knew before she left that Cole was being taken away to be murdered so hearing the men talking about him shouldn't have been that huge of a shock and her just abandoning everything - the bones, looking for the kids - to run away and have a breakdown over Cole's maybe death and him breaking his word that he'd come back for her just annoyed me so so much.
Even reminding myself that she's 16 didn't help. She knew Cole for less than a week! I actually quite liked the bond between them regardless of how fast it sprang up but deal with the goddamn bones and then freak out!
Anyway. Yeah, that took my opinion down a heavy notch.
+ I did quite like the short story at the end of the book that gave us some backstory on Cole. I really felt for William. What happened to Dale was a tragedy (poor Sarah and all those other innocent people) but I also find it hard to blame Will. He was protecting himself when Robert and the others turned on him and tried to kill him. What happened wasn't at all his intent.
The short story made me like Cole/Lexi more. It made me pleased that Will found love and acceptance and home after leaving the burned remains of Dale.
+ The only other thing I really have to say is that I wish Helena had been more of a character. Lexi calls her her best friend at the beginning and yet we see literally no sign of this during the book. If you're going to call someone the MC's best friend then actually show that.
+ About 3/4 of the way through I got really irritated by something and then found it hard to get past that for the rest of the book. Lexi and Cole going after the witch's bones at night was bad planning and thoughtless but a believable enough mistake for two teenagers who are really still learning about witches. It didn't bother me. Them returning to her house knowing that the men had seen them and Cole later returning to her house did bother me. That seemed really dumb especially the latter point. But Cole's near suicidal guilt made him returning make sense as a self punishment.
What I could not get past was Lexi returning to the forest, actually finding the bones and then leaving them there. WTF? She knew before she left that Cole was being taken away to be murdered so hearing the men talking about him shouldn't have been that huge of a shock and her just abandoning everything - the bones, looking for the kids - to run away and have a breakdown over Cole's maybe death and him breaking his word that he'd come back for her just annoyed me so so much.
Even reminding myself that she's 16 didn't help. She knew Cole for less than a week! I actually quite liked the bond between them regardless of how fast it sprang up but deal with the goddamn bones and then freak out!
Anyway. Yeah, that took my opinion down a heavy notch.
+ I did quite like the short story at the end of the book that gave us some backstory on Cole. I really felt for William. What happened to Dale was a tragedy (poor Sarah and all those other innocent people) but I also find it hard to blame Will. He was protecting himself when Robert and the others turned on him and tried to kill him. What happened wasn't at all his intent.
The short story made me like Cole/Lexi more. It made me pleased that Will found love and acceptance and home after leaving the burned remains of Dale.
+ The only other thing I really have to say is that I wish Helena had been more of a character. Lexi calls her her best friend at the beginning and yet we see literally no sign of this during the book. If you're going to call someone the MC's best friend then actually show that.
