The Near Witch
#6133.64 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 2011 Reading commitment Low V.E. Schwab Last reviewed 2026-08-30
Overview
The Near Witch is V.E. Schwab's 2011 debut novel, a standalone YA fairy-tale-inflected fantasy set in a small town on the moor where children begin to vanish and old suspicions about a nearby witch resurface. Confirmed a separate, unrelated universe from Schwab's other admitted work, Shades of Magic, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, and Gallant: no shared characters, setting, or continuity.
Dark fantasy · For YA
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
The Near Witch V.E. Schwab
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Near Witch | 2011 | 1 | core | 3.64 (50,362 ratings) |
V.E. Schwab's debut novel, a standalone YA fairy-tale-inflected fantasy; confirmed a separate, unrelated universe from her other admitted work, Shades of Magic, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, and Gallant.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Near Witch? The Near Witch's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is The Near Witch finished? Complete (2011).
- How much reading does The Near Witch take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book · ~284 pages).
- How is The Near Witch ranked? #613 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 50,362 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #613?
Ranked #613 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 3.64 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (50,362 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #612, An Enchantment of Ravens (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
- A single standalone novel: ranked on that one book alone.
Why explore this universe?
Modestly rated · 1 book · Complete · 50k ratings · Ranks #613 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment dark fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
You might also like
Suggestions computed from what The Near Witch and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- Gallant Dark fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.70
- The Owl Service Mythic fantasy / Dark fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.66
- Tender Morsels Fairy-tale retelling / Dark fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.60
- Vespertine Dark fantasy · Ongoing · Low commitment · 4.09
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.64 across 50,362 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Admit The Near Witch (V.E. Schwab) accepted 2026-08-30
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-08-30
Rule: Core Canon is the single standalone novel.