The Witch in the Well is a gothic mystery. A woman in the 19th century is drowned in a well after several children become missing. It is assumed - although she is acquitted in a trial - that she was the reason.

Decades later two women who were childhood friends, are writing books about her. Their is a great deal of rivalry between the two. One is an author who has had success with a book about spiritualism and claims to have primary documents. The other has been researching the story for years and is writing from a difference perspective - though the same subject.

As the two women are writing their book they feel the spirit of the dead woman and with mystical things happening they both begin to question what they think they know .

Atmospheric and well written characters, this is a terrific gothic novel. Assuming you are looking for spooky

Great gothic mystery heightened by the multiple/shifting/unreliable narrative points of view. Dark secrets of all kinds in a small town, combined with the threat and allure of magic.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Books, and Camilla Bruce for the advanced copy of The Witch in the Well in exchange for my honest review.

This is one of those books that I didn't dislike, but I didn't really love either. I felt pretty ambivalent about it while I was reading, but I will say it was just interesting enough that I didn't ever consider DNF'ing.

I found I had a pretty hard time connecting to the characters, and while it was interesting to see how all their lives intertwined, I actually ended up getting pretty confused about which storyline belonged to whom.

That said, this will definitely be a great witchy read when it releases in October.

Once good friends, Elena and Catherine find themselves locked in a fierce battle of wills when Elena, now a social media influencer and bestselling author returns to the house where she spent her childhood summers to clean it out after her uncle’s death and feels drawn to the old forest well where, in 1862, a local woman named Ilsbeth Clark was drowned on suspicion of murdering several local children. Elena decide to write er next book about Ilsbeth and her magic, which upsets the emotionally fragile Catherine, who has been researching Ilsbeth in the hope of publishing a biography of the woman in order to clear her name. As things escalate both women are left to wonder if they are in control of the situation or if there are actual powers that spring wroth from the well.

The book is told trough several mediums: Elena’s POV, Catherine’s POV, and a document that gives us Ilsbeth’s POV of events that take place in 1862 leading to her death.

This book has a lot going on, which many point-of-view going on. From the very beginning, we learn that Elena has died, and that Catherine is blamed, but we don’t know much more, so we wait and read as the story then unfolds in front of us through each of the woman’s writings. It’s very interesting because it gives us an opportunity to see directly into the mind of each woman and where she was emotionally, since each of the three main women - Elena, Catherine, and Ilsbeth - is struggling with some inner demons, so there’s no guessing really what they’re thinking, which is nice.

There’s also a nice twist there in the end which I really didn’t see coming that I quite enjoyed.

However, the book relied heavily on fantastical elements which I didn’t quite understand, and I don’t know that they were explained that well. I got the gist of some of what was going on, but not all of it, so I left the book feeling a little confused. I wish some of it was explained a little better. Or maybe I just didn’t understand.

However, I did enjoy the book overall, and was excited to see how things were going to turn out. And the ending certainly delivered quite a punch. If you’re into suspenseful fantasy, heavy on the supernatural, this book would be a good fit for you.

I liked the story but in the end they are all killed. It leaves me in an unknown land. I would have liked it resolved one way or the other instead of the way it was done. It is noir for those who seem to like that kind of subject. Being Scandinavian it was probably better this way. But it leave me with nothing that can be done.

This was such a fun, spooky read! I really liked how this was set in a small town in Norway, often witch stories are set in New England or in Britain so I found the location in itself to be unique. I found there to be a lot of twist and turns I did not see coming. The format itself was also unique, in that the story is told through journal entries, newspaper articles, estate documents, etc. For me, the only flaw was the ending. It was abrupt and rather unsatisfying. Overall a spooky, creepy read that I think is perfect for a chilly Fall night close to Halloween.

Camilla Bruce at her BEST!
Many years ago Catherine and Elena were friends. Elena begins a great writing career and leaves the tiny town behind. It's only when her career is stalled that she returns to her town and finds inspiration in a an old witch story. Her ex-friend Cathy however, has been researching the witch story for many years. Thus starts a turf war over the story of Ilsbeth Clark - a local woman accused of witchcraft. Little do the two women know, there is some truth to the stories and supernatural powers exist in the town waiting to prey on those who are weak.

With unreliable narrators, historical background, horror and supernatural tones, The Witch in the Well is sure to scare any reader! If you like witchcraft stories, creepy provincial towns, and supernatural powers, the Witch In the Well is for you!

#Macmillan #Tor.Forge #Tor #Netgalley #Netgalleyreads #TheWitchinthewell #Camillabruce

If you ever have the urge to throw frozen meatballs into a well, run, run away fast!

There could be a carnivorous horse/demon/thingy down there. And its next meal could be YOU!

Hopefully you won't end up as a horse/demon/thingy's blue plate special, but if you love creepy places where creepy things happen and a castle for good measure (of course!,) you'll enjoy The Witch in the Well. Every character in the book has a different take on the witch and most of them are wrong. We have a prissy know-it-all, her woo-woo former friend, a hunka hunka burning love plumber, and lots of missing children and adults. Did I mention the plumber?

If I have one complaint, it's that every character at one point rolls their eyeballs, sometimes twice. It is too hot to get out my eyeball-roll-o-meter because it would overheat on this one. The only one who doesn't roll its eyes is the horse/demon/thingy. Its eyes are solid black so how would we know if it was rolling them?

Maybe eyeball rolling as meaningful communication is my problem. I guess that it passes as conversation today and I've been left behind with actual words. Other than that, I truly enjoyed The Witch in the Well and if eyeball rolling showed pleasure with a book, I'd get googly eyes right this minute.

Thanks to Tor and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review an eARC of The Witch in the Well.

Unfortunately a DNF for me at 25%. I was really excited by the premise of this book, but I couldn't get into the writing or the jumping time and POVs. The characters are boring and unlikable and I just couldn't get into it, but that is just a me thing. I can definitely see others enjoying this one, but it wasn't for me. I won't be reviewing this book elsewhere.

This was a major page turner, it constantly had me going one more chapter. This spooky read will have you leaving the lights at night. I highly recommend this is you need a dark and trusted story

This had a massively intriguing premise, but the writing style just wasn't to my taste. It's extremely a *me* issue, and I know tons of people will enjoy this book.

A great spooky fun book prefect for the Halloween season. Highly, highly Recommend. Expecially if you love horror movies that have that shakey camera feel to it.

Thank you to the publisher, to Net Galley and to the author for the opportunity to review. My review opinion is my own.
This is a fun dark mysterious story . Set in the dark Norwiegan woods is a manor house that is visited by a relative who wants to sell it. Unknow to her a disgruntled spirit lives on the property who was killed for being a witch. The spirit wants retribution . I enjoyed how the author brought together the different time lines for each charcter. A enjoyable read that i recommend.

I loved this book, just like I have all the author's others. I think a lot of times, if people don't like the characters, they end up not liking the book, and saying it's bad. What makes a book interesting to me, is interesting characters, even if they are very much unlikable. Such 2as the case here, unlikable characters but a creepy, deep, well told story. Well done once again!

I want to start by saying that I loved Let Me In and was so looking forward to a more fantasy/horror/twisty tale. In The Garden of Spite missed the mark for me (not surprising since I don't do historical) but this one should have been a home run. Sadly, it wasn't.

I realize our main characters were meant to be unreliable but were they supposed to be so boring and unlikeable? The back and forth POV and then adding in Isabeth's didn't work. The story was too disjointed and kept me from getting engaged in the story, at all. I not only didn't care about the characters but I genuinely didn't care what happened in the story. Not to Isabeth, not to Cathy, not to anyone and certainly not to the town of F-. And the SPIRIT, the spiritual take on things-hated it.

At around the 60% mark I started to skim read to finish the book because I knew no matter what twist or turn we took, I wasn't going to care. It had a lot of potential but ultimately the story telling timeline, the characters, the letters to the town, the back and forth POVs just did NOT work for me. I wish they had.

I wanted to like this book, truly I did. The premise sounded like my cup of tea, even the whole kettle. Sadly I wasn’t able to get beyond about 70%. I wasn’t drawn to the characters, it lacked immersive atmosphere, parts that could have been eerie ended up campy, and it was quite hard to follow. I do appreciate the chance to read this and hope others enjoy it!

The Witch In The Well by Camilla Bruce

Suspens, Horror,Mystery

The Witch in the Well is a dark Norwegian thriller from Camilla Bruce, author of You Let Me In.

When two former friends reunite after decades apart, their grudges, flawed ambitions, and shared obsession swirl into an all-too-real echo of a terrible town legend.

Centuries ago, beautiful young Ilsbeth Clark was accused of witchcraft after several children disappeared. Her acquittal did nothing to stop her fellow townsfolk from drowning her in the well where the missing children were last seen.

When author and social media influencer Elena returns to the summer paradise of her youth to get her family's manor house ready to sell, the last thing she expected was connecting with—and feeling inspired to write about—Ilsbeth’s infamous spirit. The very historical figure that her ex-childhood friend, Cathy, has been diligently researching and writing about for years.

What begins as a fiercely competitive sense of ownership over Ilsbeth and her story soon turns both women’s worlds into something more haunted and dangerous than they could ever imagine.

This book is a must read for anyone who loves haunting stories of witchcraft. The Well is where children and lonely woman are lured to by daemons and witchcraft. They are hungry, they are lonely, they want to possess, if only you will sign a contract in your blood. Elena is first introduced to the Well by her friend Cathy when they were childhood friends. Twenty years later, Elena moves back to her deceased family’s Summer home to get it ready to sale. While Elena is living there she thinks that going back to see the Well will spark ideas for writing her new book. While at the Well, Elena is taken over by the witch’s (Ilsbeth Clark) SOUL VOICE and they merge into one. But who controls Ilsbeth and where did it begin and where will it end? This is a really interesting read and will have you hooked from page one to the very end!

The Witch in the Well by Camilla Bruce is deliciously creepy! The premise of the tale is to solve the mystery of strange disappearances and deaths among gossipy, superstitious townsfolk. The story weaves together threads of the same tale told from different perspectives and multiple time periods. It is set in the rural countryside of small town USA. Bruce is a fabulous storyteller who tells the tale with such vivid imagery, I felt immersed in her world. The characters are developed so well that you can see through their eyes and feel with their other senses. It was an absolutely thrilling read that stimulated my intellect and entertained my soul.

Thank you NetGallery and Ms. Bruce for allowing me to read and review "The Witch in the Well."
I often judge a book by how much it engages me. This book definitely held my attention. Ms.Bruce does a wonderful job telling a story from different points of view all the while adding in twists. It is not easy to tell a story that combines modern day society with historical lore and make it believable. Ms.Bruce skillfully does just that. I felt like this story is a longer version of a creepy campfire story told in the woods. A great read for fans of spooky stories!