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robbie81's review
5.0
Amazing read.
I had a very hard time putting it down. Even though it's fictional it feels so real. Best book I've read this year.
I had a very hard time putting it down. Even though it's fictional it feels so real. Best book I've read this year.
imogeno's review
1.0
It's a fictional book so did they really need to say the N-word everytime anyone said anything about a black person? 4 times in the first 10 minutes? Idk. I didn't feel like it was needed. There was more than just that name for people back during those times.
ctorretta's review
3.0
First of all! I love, love, LOVE this cover! How wicked can a cover look?! And the synopsis is fantastic! And really, what an interesting read. The Bell Witch is something I’ve never heard of before so I knew after reading this synopsis I had to just dive in! It sounded horrific and mesmerizing and it was, to a point.
So, John F. D. Taff is an amazing writer. I kept finding myself more admiring his work rather than the actual plot. He’s able to weave words together like a poet, however, the plot behind this work just didn’t grab me. I think it had a LOT to do with the fact that this is based in the South in the 1800′s. It threw me off. The writing was great, the tone of the book was not. I’m from the South, well Florida really, and I just hate the Southern ways but especially back in the 1800′s.
"The good reverend seemed bound to the family of birds. His features were lean and sharp, his nose a curving slash that hung over his mouth like a beak. Dark and nervous eyes peered above that nose, flicking here and there, never alighting for very long. Long, tapered fingers pushed from his sleeves, clawing at the air."
The characters and the plot was as interesting as the synopsis and I really did enjoy reading about the witch but I think I was never able to get over the fact that I didn’t enjoy reading about the 1800′s. And the characters do a wonderful job of coming off of the page and getting into my world, even John who I disliked from the get-go!
The horror also wasn’t as horrific as the cover. I was hoping for some craziness and it was a bit crazy but not all that out there for a horror fan. More weirdly paranormal.
"As her hands found Jack’s throat and closed around it, Hopson forced another, larger swallow down her throat. Grimacing, she clenched her jaw, shattering the neck of the bottle. Shards of glass sprayed her face."
I definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical horror. It’s plot is fantastic and again the writing is phenomenal. But if you don’t like reading about the 1800′s this may not be for you.
So, John F. D. Taff is an amazing writer. I kept finding myself more admiring his work rather than the actual plot. He’s able to weave words together like a poet, however, the plot behind this work just didn’t grab me. I think it had a LOT to do with the fact that this is based in the South in the 1800′s. It threw me off. The writing was great, the tone of the book was not. I’m from the South, well Florida really, and I just hate the Southern ways but especially back in the 1800′s.
"The good reverend seemed bound to the family of birds. His features were lean and sharp, his nose a curving slash that hung over his mouth like a beak. Dark and nervous eyes peered above that nose, flicking here and there, never alighting for very long. Long, tapered fingers pushed from his sleeves, clawing at the air."
The characters and the plot was as interesting as the synopsis and I really did enjoy reading about the witch but I think I was never able to get over the fact that I didn’t enjoy reading about the 1800′s. And the characters do a wonderful job of coming off of the page and getting into my world, even John who I disliked from the get-go!
The horror also wasn’t as horrific as the cover. I was hoping for some craziness and it was a bit crazy but not all that out there for a horror fan. More weirdly paranormal.
"As her hands found Jack’s throat and closed around it, Hopson forced another, larger swallow down her throat. Grimacing, she clenched her jaw, shattering the neck of the bottle. Shards of glass sprayed her face."
I definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical horror. It’s plot is fantastic and again the writing is phenomenal. But if you don’t like reading about the 1800′s this may not be for you.
dogunderwater's review
2.0
More like 2.5 stars. This is a folksy spin on an avenging spirit tale, and while there are some legitimately spooky scenes, the witch gets less interesting the more we know of her. But it's definitely a (spoiler) written by a dude. He's trying, but the trope of good people aren't bad to slaves but can still be slave owners is just not cutting it for me.
Spoiler
rape revenge fantasypaulabellman's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
charshorrorcorner's review
3.0
THE BELL WITCH was an entertaining historical fiction novel about America's most well known witch.
The tale itself was interesting enough, (I was familiar with the basics going in), but here the author fleshed everything out quite a bit more, and the moral angle played a bigger part. All of which worked perfectly.
What didn't work for me were the characters, (other than Betsy). I just didn't connect with them. Because of that I found my mind wandering a lot and at about 60% through, I was ready to abandon my listen. However, at that point a thing occurred that kept me listening on to the finish.
As mentioned above, I listened to this book on audio, narrated by the excellent Matt Godfrey and if I could rate his performance separately, I would give him 5 out of 5 stars.
The issues I had with this book are my own, and it seems that I'm the only one that had them, so as this review is a reflection of my opinion and mine only, I refer you to Mark's review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/690772739?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1 or to Kimberly's review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/890022916?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
They obviously read this book right!
Overall, THE BELL WITCH is a good story, it's just that I could not connect with the characters. YOU probably, can!
*I received the audio of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.*
The tale itself was interesting enough, (I was familiar with the basics going in), but here the author fleshed everything out quite a bit more, and the moral angle played a bigger part. All of which worked perfectly.
What didn't work for me were the characters, (other than Betsy). I just didn't connect with them. Because of that I found my mind wandering a lot and at about 60% through, I was ready to abandon my listen. However, at that point a thing occurred that kept me listening on to the finish.
As mentioned above, I listened to this book on audio, narrated by the excellent Matt Godfrey and if I could rate his performance separately, I would give him 5 out of 5 stars.
The issues I had with this book are my own, and it seems that I'm the only one that had them, so as this review is a reflection of my opinion and mine only, I refer you to Mark's review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/690772739?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1 or to Kimberly's review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/890022916?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
They obviously read this book right!
Overall, THE BELL WITCH is a good story, it's just that I could not connect with the characters. YOU probably, can!
*I received the audio of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.*
triciab04's review
3.0
3.5 stars
Well The Bell Witch was not at all what I was expecting, and I liked it so much more for it! I was totally thinking this was going to be your typical haunting ghost story, the title, the creepy cover, the real history at play here, everything leads you to believe that's exactly what you will get. Even the beginning of the book starts out giving you what you thought you wanted, random objects moving on their own, a voice rambling out of no where. The poor inhabitants of the Bell manor are being accosted by something they can't see or touch, unfortunately for them the "witch", as the entity ultimately becomes known as, can see and touch them, and she does so menacingly.
What started as the usual haunting symptoms quickly escalated and went far beyond anything I could have foreseen. What the witch ended up being was something I've never quite seen before. It was crazy how her presence, and her antics, quickly became a source of relief from the heavier undertones of the question, and answer, of WHY she was there to begin with. It was an interesting read for me in that sense, to have something so awful, I mean completely stomach turning going on, but have this witch, the character that you would think would be the source of this turmoil, end up instead being an antihero of sorts and your only reprieve from the unjust situation that lead to this haunting. It was amazing to me to actually laugh out loud at some of the things this witch would do or say! It was hard to think that was possible with the heaviness of the other things going on. I really appreciated this aspect of the story.
Although the witch could be humorous and insightful at times, she also made it clear from the beginning that she was there for retribution of sorts, to right a wrong that had been done. She was not shy about voicing that she was there for certain members of the Bell family, and to ultimately kill the patriarch, Jack Bell. Even with that being known, she left the why of it as a journey they would all take together and that some parties would also endure individually too. This witch ended up becoming a mirror of sorts, where some of these characters had to take a long hard look at themselves, and those around them, and start to realize and accept things that had been going on unacknowledged for awhile. Terrible, damaging things. I'd say that there was a clear message here of the potential dangerous repercussions from not expressing one's true feelings. The very real sense that things like anger, bitterness, hatred, etc. can all fester and build into something we might not recognize within us anymore, and even take on a life all it's own. I love the way the author brought those ideas to life, it was wonderfully done.
While there are obviously quite a few things to gush about here, there were also some things that were not as thrilling too. I was honestly pretty underwhelmed by almost every character in this story, other than the witch that is. The witch stole the show here, and I felt that everyone else was playing second fiddle to her orchestra. There were also times where things seemed to drag out and the story wasn't progressing as much as I wanted it too. I figured out what was going on here pretty early on, and it became frustrating at times that the characters were taking such a long time to come to the same conclusions. I get that their acceptance was the journey, but after awhile I couldn't help but to want someone to shout it from the roof tops and for some justice to be doled out. Although I suppose the slow building torture, the witch being there day in and day out may have been the ultimate form of justice, for no one could take a day to try and forget the horrors of it all when it was so clearly in their faces. Still, after so much I was as eager as the Bell's to see it all come to an end. All in all it was an intelligent and fresh take on a rather famous documented ghost story. It was a great blend of fact and fiction and an interesting journey.
Well The Bell Witch was not at all what I was expecting, and I liked it so much more for it! I was totally thinking this was going to be your typical haunting ghost story, the title, the creepy cover, the real history at play here, everything leads you to believe that's exactly what you will get. Even the beginning of the book starts out giving you what you thought you wanted, random objects moving on their own, a voice rambling out of no where. The poor inhabitants of the Bell manor are being accosted by something they can't see or touch, unfortunately for them the "witch", as the entity ultimately becomes known as, can see and touch them, and she does so menacingly.
What started as the usual haunting symptoms quickly escalated and went far beyond anything I could have foreseen. What the witch ended up being was something I've never quite seen before. It was crazy how her presence, and her antics, quickly became a source of relief from the heavier undertones of the question, and answer, of WHY she was there to begin with. It was an interesting read for me in that sense, to have something so awful, I mean completely stomach turning going on, but have this witch, the character that you would think would be the source of this turmoil, end up instead being an antihero of sorts and your only reprieve from the unjust situation that lead to this haunting. It was amazing to me to actually laugh out loud at some of the things this witch would do or say! It was hard to think that was possible with the heaviness of the other things going on. I really appreciated this aspect of the story.
Although the witch could be humorous and insightful at times, she also made it clear from the beginning that she was there for retribution of sorts, to right a wrong that had been done. She was not shy about voicing that she was there for certain members of the Bell family, and to ultimately kill the patriarch, Jack Bell. Even with that being known, she left the why of it as a journey they would all take together and that some parties would also endure individually too. This witch ended up becoming a mirror of sorts, where some of these characters had to take a long hard look at themselves, and those around them, and start to realize and accept things that had been going on unacknowledged for awhile. Terrible, damaging things. I'd say that there was a clear message here of the potential dangerous repercussions from not expressing one's true feelings. The very real sense that things like anger, bitterness, hatred, etc. can all fester and build into something we might not recognize within us anymore, and even take on a life all it's own. I love the way the author brought those ideas to life, it was wonderfully done.
While there are obviously quite a few things to gush about here, there were also some things that were not as thrilling too. I was honestly pretty underwhelmed by almost every character in this story, other than the witch that is. The witch stole the show here, and I felt that everyone else was playing second fiddle to her orchestra. There were also times where things seemed to drag out and the story wasn't progressing as much as I wanted it too. I figured out what was going on here pretty early on, and it became frustrating at times that the characters were taking such a long time to come to the same conclusions. I get that their acceptance was the journey, but after awhile I couldn't help but to want someone to shout it from the roof tops and for some justice to be doled out. Although I suppose the slow building torture, the witch being there day in and day out may have been the ultimate form of justice, for no one could take a day to try and forget the horrors of it all when it was so clearly in their faces. Still, after so much I was as eager as the Bell's to see it all come to an end. All in all it was an intelligent and fresh take on a rather famous documented ghost story. It was a great blend of fact and fiction and an interesting journey.
tracyreads's review
3.0
. This was an interesting take on an American Haunting. I rather enjoy a good piece of historical fiction.
Full review here:
https://www.scifiandscary.com/bell-witch-review/
Full review here:
https://www.scifiandscary.com/bell-witch-review/
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