Reviews with content warning for Gore - 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

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roksyreads's review

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dark 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? It's complicated

4.5

Dark, tense, and a little bit mysterious; this is a great ghost story inspired by Japanese legend that is satisfyingly creepy but also oddly sweet. It was a comfortable read, easy to finish in a couple of sessions, but balanced nicely by a steady pace. It won't be for everyone, but I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish.

Content Warnings

britgirlreading's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

3.25

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.

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lodestar45's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No

3.75

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jayisreading's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

3.25

Every once in a while, I’m in the mood to read some kind of horror. I picked this book at random, not knowing much beyond a general summary. I should preface that I’m not easily scared, so, for those who get antsy with the horror genre, take what I say with a grain of salt. I honestly didn’t find this book scary at all. I can tell Chupeco was leaning more towards a haunting atmosphere than anything, but there are also a few gory moments that may make some queasy.

I thought the main point-of-view from a spirit named Okiku really interesting. She had a distinct voice that gave the story a strong direction for the most part, especially highlighting themes of healing as well as revenge. However, I think the development of the characters in this book suffered a little in favor of atmosphere, which, unfortunately, didn’t do much for me.

I think this is one of those hit-or-miss books. Chupeco is a great writer, though, so I don’t think you’ll be too disappointed with this one.

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