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readingwithcoffee's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Murder
ilaxaria's review
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Sexual content
ginger95's review
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Child abuse, Car accident, Animal death, and Child death
sophiareads_'s review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Child death
Moderate: Miscarriage, Animal death, Suicide, and Ableism
Minor: Alcohol and Cannibalism
florecita_lectora's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Mental illness, Animal death, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Body shaming, and Child death
Minor: Suicide
oracle_of_madness's review
4.5
Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this Arc!
This was an intense and mind-spinning read. I loved how the whole book is from journal entries and documents. Also, the opposition between the two main characters was brilliant and created an even more disturbing atmosphere.
Elena returns to a town only known as F- in this book. She spent summers as a child playing at her uncle's estate known as the castle and is now back to prepare it to be sold. However, Elena does not expect to be so swept up in the lore surrounding the well at this property and absolutely doesn't realize that her new fascination will create a major rivalry between her and her childhood friend, Cathy.
This book starts off with drama and does not stop. The obsession of these characters with the witch at the well is what I found most disturbing. The way it seemed to infiltrate their lives resulting in actions and thoughts that seemed absolutely mad. I definitely recommend this as a perfect witchy read.
Out October 4, 2022!
Content Warnings for suicide, mental health, violence and death.
This was an intense and mind-spinning read. I loved how the whole book is from journal entries and documents. Also, the opposition between the two main characters was brilliant and created an even more disturbing atmosphere.
Elena returns to a town only known as F- in this book. She spent summers as a child playing at her uncle's estate known as the castle and is now back to prepare it to be sold. However, Elena does not expect to be so swept up in the lore surrounding the well at this property and absolutely doesn't realize that her new fascination will create a major rivalry between her and her childhood friend, Cathy.
This book starts off with drama and does not stop. The obsession of these characters with the witch at the well is what I found most disturbing. The way it seemed to infiltrate their lives resulting in actions and thoughts that seemed absolutely mad. I definitely recommend this as a perfect witchy read.
Out October 4, 2022!
Content Warnings for suicide, mental health, violence and death.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Suicide, Animal death, Death, and Gore
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