Member Reviews
So many POVs and none of which were particularly likeable or interesting. Had a hard time developing buy in.
Atmospherically creepy and a very interesting format (email, letter, diary, narration). Honestly loved the format and aesthetic more than the story itself, but still overall a fun and spooky read. Great for the fall!
I thought that Elena was really annoying (fairly so) and felt bad for Cathy. I think because I didn't care for either POV, I really struggled with this one. However, the vibes were so good that I'm going to give it 3/5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC!!
This is a creepy story but not my favorite. I found it to be bland and I never connected with the characters.
If you're expecting a beachy read with a KILLER TWIST ENDING YOU DIDN'T SEE COMING, move along. This novel stays down to Earth--which makes the characters all the more relatable and believable. The story is compelling enough that watching it unfurl is its own rewards.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
A thriller with a supernatural spin to it.
I was definitely interested in the initial setup and found myself getting through it but never being fully invested.
I found the different perspectives rather confusing despite being a pretty straightforward story overall.
I wanted to like this one so much, but it just felt like a bunch of girl drama that I just couldn't handle. Half of the dialogue in this book just reminded me why I don't exactly befriend women. The writing wasn't horrible, but I just hated the characters and their dynamic so much that I didn't enjoy this one at all.
The Witch In The Well by Camilla Bruce is a great fiction that has mystery, suspense, and a overall dark amd creepy vibe that kept me up most nights trying to find put how it all ends.
The Witch in the Well sounds intriguing. The cover image is subtly haunting. The title makes me want to discover what is happening. Is there actually a witch? Sadly, even after reading it, I have no idea what happened. This is one of the extremely rare cases where I get progressively more ticked off the further I get into a story.
There's a property, I guess a castle and a well on this property, where many years ago a local woman, Ilsbeth, who the townspeople believed was a witch, drowned. Many years later, two young girls, playing in the woods discover the well and have mystical, or spiritual, or supernatural experiences there.
These girls, Elena and Cathy, grow apart and eventually become estranged. As adults, one of the women, Elena, I think, moves back to the castle after her Uncle's death, as I understand it, to prep it for sale.
In the meantime, both women, inspired by the events at the well during their childhood, have taken it upon themselves to write books about Ilsbeth; to tell her story. Each believes they have the right to write it and the other one should stop.
Then I'm not sure, there's like an Adult version of a prank war, there's a handsome repairman turned suitor, and most confusing to me was a lot of content regarding a horse, or a ghost horse, and a horse as an embodiment of a demon. Honestly, your guess is as good as mine and there it is. That's what I got out of this book.
Oh, wait, one more thing, I think you also get the perspective of Ilsbeth, but I could be wrong on this. I think so, but I'm not 100%. Also, don't get me started on how confusing the presentation of events was. I could not in a million years assemble a timeline for this story.
I listened to the audiobook. The narrator was okay, but I am not lying, or exaggerating, when I tell you that I RARELY knew whose perspective I was reading from and where the events fit in time. I could not wait for this to be over. I didn't want to DNF because, mistakenly, I thought perhaps I would have some sort of epiphany and it would suddenly all make sense.
Alas, this story just was not for me. I know there are some positive reviews out there and I'm definitely glad those Readers had a better experience with this one than I did. Please be sure you read those reviews and take them into account as well. There's a book for every Reader and a Reader for every book. Only you can decide if this one is for you or not.
Thank you to the publisher, Tor, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I was excited for this one. I'm sad it didn't work out.
I couldn't put it down and I didn't want to. This book lived up to every ounce of hype that I had experienced for it. This book is beautifully written; a gripping storyline with strong characters. It ticked all the boxes of my expectations. I would definitely recommend it to others.
I had a hard time getting into this book. It wasn't quite what I was expecting. The multiple povs all told through different formats were confusing at times and hard to get used to. It did get better as it went along and I enjoyed much of the ending.
Overall it was just okay. I was hoping for more of a creepy/witchy vibe.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Dnf @ 63% too much girl drama and not enough of what I thought the story would be about. It was also confusing as to who was who telling the story at any given time.
I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I wanted to like this book. It seemed like just the kind of story I would like. Unfortunately, I just didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I often was confused between the main characters. I'd have to go back and reread thinking I had been reading about one character and not the other. Also, I didn't think it was that scary really. Creepy maybe, but not scary. I see I'm in the minority with my opinion so maybe it was just the timing of the book for me as in I wasn't in the mood for this type of read.
This was written in a series of journal entries and news articles. It was a lot of telling what happened and not actually showing anything. It had some foreshadowing into witchcraft and bargains with demons from Illsbeth's POV but overall was unreliable narrator and influencer vibes.
This wasn't precisely the spooky witch book that I expected it to be. When two longtime pals decide to write books about Ilsbeth Clark, a local woman who was persecuted and falsely accused of witchcraft in the 19th century, they find themselves pitted against one another. Free-thinking Elena wrote a famous book offering "spiritual guidance." Cathy, a teacher who has spent years learning about Ilsbeth, resents and distrusts Elena's book proposal. Elena's death is the prologue to The Witch in the Well, which is told via Elena's journal, Cathy's blog, and what are purported to be Ilsbeth's writings in the current day. In The Witch in the Well, Camilla Bruce revisits the unreliable narrator and horror/fantasy/folklore elements of her first novel, You Let Me In, or so I read. I want to read that one now. The three narrators give our main characters distinct personalities, increasing the intrigue whenever they interact. When they were little, the scenes with Elena and Cathy are so endearing that I wished there were more of them. Bruce is a master at including inexplicable, weird events and aspects that cause readers to question what they have just read. The Witch's elusive speech fascinated me.
Thank you so much to Netgalley for this advanced reader's copy for an honest review.
I could not put this e-book down. The split narrative between two former friends, one who happens to be possessed by a malicious spirit, and the other wishing she were possessed by said spirit was chilling. The lore behind the spirit was very well told, and made me definitely not want to mess with ghosts.
I love the cursed vibe, starting with a paranormal background. I appreciated the dreary and dark tone of the book but I wish for a little more horror!
I love Camilla Bruce! Anytime I see she has a new book, I’m super excited. While this one wasn’t her best, I still enjoyed it! The book did get confusing at points but overall a solid read!
I love me some Camilla Bruce. I just think she's brilliant and imaginative.
This book is a creepy, atmospheric read, as are most of this author's work. The "world building" was fantastic and I felt like I was there in the creepy forest looking at the well.
I didn't enjoy any of the main characters, they were all terrible people, but done in such a way that I still HAD to know what happened to them. Who's the liar here? I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
This was such an interesting read! I definitely didn't know what I was getting into but it's told through different journal entries. You don't know who's reliable and who's not which is what I love about a book.
If it's raining outside or snowy and dark, this is the perfect book to give you a spook while you're cozy in your house! I would recommend to all the readers who love gothic, dark horrors!
While dark and dreary and steeped in folklore, this book just didn’t come across as creepy as it could have. The multiple POV’s came across as awkward and confusing causing the book to lose some of its impact. Thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.