Uncovered: The Near Witch

This ain't your grandma's cover reveal. Oh no!

Victoria Schwab, author of The Near Witch (August 2011), saw the cover art for her debut novel months ago and has been anxiously waiting to unveil it, but when she finally had the okay to share it with the world she ran into a snag. So there won't be a cover image on this post.

I know you're disappointed that there won't be a static image here for you to fawn over and debate, but Disney-Hyperion's policy of watermarking covers with a rather large "Cover Not Final" banner takes the shine off the cover reveal a bit. That's why there's not an extra large The Near Witch cover right below this paragraph.

But Victoria, genius that she is, decided to hold off. Instead of posting the watermarked image she waited for her ARCs and revealed the cover (and several other cool things) in true Victoria style.

That's right. She vlogged it!

Now that you've seen the beautiful cover, do you want to know more about the book? Of course you do. So here's the jacket blurb:

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. 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.

And, as if that wasn't enough, here's Victoria (or Victoria's mother) reading from the first chapter of The Near Witch.

Doesn't it sound awesome!? You're desperately searching for a way to order it right now you say? Well, luckily Amazon put it up for pre-order this week.

Click on Victoria to pre-order your copy!