Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - The Girl from the Well

The Details:
Narrated by Andi Arndt
Unabridged

This reminded me of Anna Dressed in Blood.

There's were scenes that generally terrified me, and it amplified from listening this at home, on my own, in the dark. I loved that.

I liked that the main perspective was from Okiku, the ghost, as she observed life around her. It particularly interesting when some touched with the sight interacted with her in some way.

I was fascinated by Okiku's habit of counting. I think this is usually used in myths and legends to distract some of the paranormal beings, but here it felt self soothing and we found out the reasoning for it later, which added to a compelling back story.

The dolls were really creepy!

I definitely zoned out during some scenes, but generally this was hooking and intriguing.

I immediately went and listened to the companion novel.

Content Warnings

aryelee's review against another edition

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dark hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This book flew by so quickly for me! The writing was very smooth and easy to follow and I enjoyed how the main POV we get is so detached from the living world that she steps back and the book reads like a 3rd person POV book until we get back to her. On a meta level, it's cool to see that separation and difficulty to connect between the living and the dead, where the living are always speaking, moving, being, and the dead are stuck to watch, unchanging.

The premise was interesting as well! A vengeful spirit who murderers others who kill children protecting them in her own way, then being able to protect a young boy and his cousin, wandering the world dedicated to taking revenge for innocent lives taken too soon. There is a lot of horror and gore, but it's along the lines of what you'd expect to see in a horror film. The mysticism of Japan and some of Japanese culture felt a little iffy to me, but that's a personal thing as I'm tired of seeing the place where I've lived and where my family lives be treated like that and constantly treated as something strange and other.

Other than that, I enjoyed this book! Perfect for anyone who enjoys ghost stories and possession.

Content Warnings

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

Content Warnings

vidalovesspice's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

shadowspinner's review against another edition

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dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

stephanieluxton's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

I really wanted to like this book but it was unfortunately just boring for me. Everything happens exactly how you'd expect it to.
This book was strange because it feels like it would have been better as a movie. The way the author wrote many of the scenes included things that would be jump scares if it was on tv, but lacked the impact when reading the scene. Additionally I have no idea what genre this book is. There are horror elements but the book is largely from the perspective of a ghost so the lack of mystery around her character removes all the spookiness.

Content Warnings

svangleboyer's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The Girl from the Well is a great horror novel that includes a look at Japanese folklore, includes lots of gore, and has a very interesting plot that will keep you enthralled until the very last page.

I love that the majority of the story is narrated by the ghost because it really lets you see inside her mind and makes her easier to understand especially after learning about her tragic past. Rin Chupeco does an amazing job really drawing you into the story and her descriptions are so vivid that I felt like I was in Japan with Tarquin and his family. I also love that I learned more about Japan and Japanese culture and can't wait to learn more. I will say there are some pretty gory scenes so be warned. Definitely not for the faint of heart.

I love all the cast of characters because they are very relatable, and they all have their own flaws that I enjoy in novels. I love the devotion that Tarquin and his family have for each other because they are willing to do anything to help each other. I especially love the relationship between Tarquin and his cousin Callie and enjoyed watching their interactions. You can tell they have great love and respect for each other.

I highly recommend The Girl from the Well for any horror fans, any fans of the Ring series, and/or anyone interested in Japanese folklore.

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