Reviews with content warning for Child death - The Witch in the Well

Reviews tagging 'Child death'

The Witch in the Well by Camilla Bruce

6 reviews

zenzi2read's review

dark mysterious sad slow-paced

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

4.0

The loneliness is palpable for these characters. I liked that our main character is unlikable, but not necessarily guilty. She was complex and not morally reprehensible. Because you’re viewing this through some childhood memories. You’re initially unsure of if there is supernatural stuff at play. The two childhood friends are not evil. They are responding to their environment.

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ilaxaria's review

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medium-paced

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

2.0

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ginger95's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Very interesting mystery that I finished in two days! Ending was a little unsatisfying, but overall very interesting story of intertwined POVs.

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sophiareads_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

Content Warnings: Murder, death of a child, death of an animal, miscarriage, suicide, ableism

Estranged childhood friends Cathy and Elena share a fixation with Ilsbeth Clark - a supposed 'witch' who was killed by the townspeople almost 200 years ago. Their possessiveness over Ilsbeth's story turns dark, and when Elena is found dead, Cathy becomes the prime suspect.

This book leads you through the intertwining stories of these three women, showering the reader with questions and mysteries to unfold. The story unravels through various found footage-esque sources: namely Elena's journal and Cathy's open letter to her neighbours after being accused of murder. I thought this was a really cool way to tell the story, and I think it's particularly effective in highlighting how unreliable both women are as narrators. While the intersections from Ilsbeth's narration were a little harder to buy for me (they're still presented as 'transcripts' and are definitely meant to have a similar vibe to the other narratives), I did eventually get on board. Also, these were story-wise my favourite bits, so all is forgiven. Bruce does a great job of making each POV feel distinct, even though my main critique is that I found Elena and Cathy to be a bit caricatured. I also wished the reveal of the mystery was a bit more elegant and less info-dumpy, but ultimately it was still a pretty satisfying reveal.

Overall, this is definitely a strong 3.5, and an enjoyable read!

Thanks to Transworld for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

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florecita_lectora's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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caidyn's review

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mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.75

Sadly, I was disappointed by this book. I was really looking forward to it, but it never panned out. I didn't like the characters. The story made me wonder where things were going, then the plot never delivered at the end.

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