The Girl from the Well

I loved this fantastic Ghost Story steeped in Japanese lore.

Not all ghosts are just wisps of people caught sparingly in out of the corner of your eye. Some ghosts stay behind to serve a purpose and Okiku, a Japanese ghost who has been around the world in her three hundred years post death, stays on to bring justice to the serial killers of children. If she is not too late, she can even save some of the intended victims, when she cannot, she brings the killer to justice, releasing the binds the killer has over the souls of children he has slain so they can go to the light if they choose.

On one of her nightly hunts to bring down a killer, she notices a peculiar teenage boy who is being hunted by one of the serial killers she is after. The boy is mysterious enough and she is drawn to him like a moth to fire. Some ghosts are evil and are actually demons. One is attached to the boy, Okiku observes. Can she help him?

This book hooked me instantly. I like to root for the underdog and this book does a great job for rooting.
If you love ghost stories then you must read this.

Written by Rin Chupeco, published by Sourcebooks Fire.

THE GIRL FROM THE WELL came as a recommendation from a friend whose horror tastes I trust and this certainly didn’t disappoint. I just think I’m a bit soulless because, while creepy, I wasn’t really scared by the story. It gripped me, for sure. But scared, nah. Came close, though. I’ll give it that.

I liked the different approach Chupeco took and told the story from Okiku’s point of view. I don’t know if that took away from the scare factor for me at all because, honestly, I don’t know if it would have been creepier had it been told more traditionally but if I said Okiku wasn’t a creepy protagonist I’d be lying. She told a fluid, almost lyrical story without getting all bunged up in her words. There was a little bit of creativity with the structure but nothing that detracted from what was going on on the page itself (unlike, say, AMITY, where I felt it was pure distraction). She described herself well, without flair but with a grace that, from the outside, you wouldn’t get. I pictured what was going on perfectly and yes, some goosebumps prickled my skin, especially when she crept around in mirrors, and I was able to slide into the scene with ease, as if she were whispering the story in my ear with her broken-necked self.

I felt the more traditional horror part was strongest in the first two-thirds of the story, where no one really knows what’s going on and Tark has this ghost creature woman that’s basically living in him and siphoning his life away and Callie’s roped into the middle of it and is just so desperate to help her cousin that I was running along side her rooting for her all along. That’s not to say the ending wasn’t creepy. It just branched into horror climax where everything came to a head and there was so much going on so quickly that I don’t think there was time enough to be scared or creeped out. There was gore and blood and death and you’re just trying to keep the fleshy shrapnel out of your eyes as you read by that point.

It’s also sad, getting the story from Okiku’s point of view because you see what she goes through. She becomes more than just this horrifying specter that seeks vengeance on male killers. She was human once, and she still has human feelings, and the things she desires and must give up are truly heartbreaking. It bridges that distance that you might otherwise get in this type of ghost story (I’m thinking of Supernatural, pretty much any episode with a vengeful ghost that just needs to be put to rest. There’s an arm’s-length amount of pity there but that’s it.) In this respect she’s more than just a scary thrill (even though she is terrifying and you will be reminded of this throughout, which I really liked. I’m sure that was purposeful, because you do end up so close to Okiku that you need to be reminded of just what she is. Her hair . . . blech . . .). It was different and I really liked it.

And I absolutely adored the relationship between Tark and Callie. My god, how refreshing to have a YA novel with a male and female teenager with zero chance of there being a romantic relationship. Not a one. How incredibly nice that the love that these two had for each other was familial and the will to survive and persevere through the trials were out of love that runs far deeper than some insta-love bull that likes to get thrown about. They might as well have been siblings for how close they were and it just warmed my heart amidst all the blackness of the book. As lame as it sounds, they were the light in the darkness.

I was very impressed by THE GIRL IN THE WELL. It’s something different than traditional horror, in introduces a reading audience to a ghost story they may not be familiar with and it tells it from a completely different perspective than what, I think, a lot of people are used to. It gives you two incredibly strong characters with a love for each other that runs far deeper than any romantic relationship and to whom you are instantly drawn. If your heart isn’t as black as mine and your imagination is just as vivid you’ll probably get nice and freaked out by this book, with all of Okiku’s descriptions and how she acts and what she does, plus the woman haunting Tark. It really is kind of freaky. If I hadn’t been desensitized by this stuff at a stupidly early age I’d probably be scared too. But I’ll take creeped out. It’s a good feeling.

4

The Girl From The Well is a spine-tingling mystery which will keep you lurking with its marvelous, cultural plot. We are introduced by immediately knowing what is it that this spirit does. With this drastic first scene, there is no doubt that youll be like me, absolutely hooked and fully awake.

This book had a middle which was less interesting than the rest. The Girl From The Well became a book I didnt feel the need to read more of. Yet, as I read on, my attention was captured once again, and it was definitely worth it in the all rounded, smooth ending.

With the style of narration, it was hard to comprehend. the choppy and quick writing of the style of the writing really works well with Okiku's narration, as her existence is really long. But when Okiku narrates Callie or Tark, I tend to confuse it with a narration from the living character, not the dead ghost. Leading to a really confused Dory.

My thoughts: "Yeah, I get enough now, its time to move on." I am used to fast-paced thrillers, and the pace of The Girl From The Well was slow, yet steady. The middle part of the novel was the slowest and really sucked, yet the creepiness of the novel lingered through it all. It was so beautiful to see such a culture [Japanese Spirit] in book which we barely speak of, let alone read about. If all of the cultural information is true, then I have learned so much. The details of Rin Chupecos research is shown so well through her book. It was meticulous to every train station and time.

Okiku (the ghost) was a strange character who was trapped with what appeared to be an eternity. She was a good spirit even with her brutal forms of punishment. Tark was a young adolescent but was capable of bearing a lot of what happened to him, which is praise on its own. Tark wasn't naive in any way. Callie was a protective, parental figure teacher she is. Callie provided a sweet comfort in the story we couldn't find elsewhere.

The Girl From The Well wasn't a horror story to give me nightmare, but it left a spine-tingling essence on the days I read this book, and even a few days after. *shivers*

The Girl from the Well successfully gave me the chills and scared the hell out of me and I didn't expect it. It was like The Grudge / The Ring (both Japanese version) in book form. I remember that time when my friends and I had The Grudge: Ju On movie marathon and there are lot of jump scares. Especially, Kayako Saeki crawling down the damn stairs and have this eerie voice is etched forever in my mind. After reading this book… YES! I finally found a good Halloween book!

The story is about a vengeful ghost named, Okiku. Years ago, she was murdered by a man and her soul remained unrest. For years, she murders those who abused children. It's a way of giving justice to their victims and free their souls. Rin Chupeco's description of her character is really good. It's detailed and when you imagine Okiku, she definitely reminds me of Kayako or Sadako. She wears a white dress, has a long black hair, and she stands upside down on the ceiling. Imagining her just creeps me out. The way she slayed those abusers, holy guacamole. GORE. The scary scenes are PERFECT.

Aside from her, there are other characters: Tarquin Halloway and his cousin, Callie. Okiku found Tarquin when she sensed a threat towards him and as well as intrigued because there's a dark spirit inside him.
With that, she decided to protect this boy from that dark spirit. As for Callie, she knows there's something wrong with Tark and wants to help him even if ghosts scares her. Such a courageous girl.

I don't really know much about about the Japanese culture and folklore. I think that's when my reading pace starts to get slow and I'm confused on some parts. It's fun getting to know about it. It's just that I struggled on it. (Ichimatsu dolls are pretty but creepy. btw.) Another thing, some scenes are rushed and tends to jump from one scene to another.

I recommend this book if you're looking for a Halloween read. Okiku is an interesting ghost. She's not really that bad even if she tends to appear out of nowhere. :)

Chupeco takes the Japanese legend of Okiku and does something quite interesting with it, turning her from simply a ghost locked in a loop into an avenging ghost that punishes those who murder and abuse children, not just in Japan but wherever she’s called by the trapped spirits of said children. She isn’t, however, some sort of beautiful avenging angel, as one might expect. She alters from human to hideous, the remnants of the young woman she was in life running alongside the powerful and brutal ghost that hungers for the death of the wicked. It’s an interesting path to take with a traditional ghost story, and Chupeco managed the balance of Okiku’s dual-natured character quite well, I think.

Tied up with Okiku is the story of Tarquin, called Tark, a modern teenage boy whose mother is in a locked psych ward after trying to kill him. Tark knows the strange tattoos that cover his body were put there by her, though he doesn’t know why and he doesn’t remember much of his life before that moment. He struggles not just with the social stigma of all of this, but with the fact that elements of the supernatural are entering his life. His ordeal will lead him from small-town America to small-town Japan in an attempt to understand and alleviate the growing menace that plagues his life.

Most vast majority of the story is told from Okiku’s perspective, from her observations of Tark and his family to her brutal murders of murderers, which make it interesting to see justice from the shoulder of a spiritual vigilante, so to speak. Some parts of the story, however, are told without her being present to observe, with no change in tone, and sometimes even outright stating that Okiku is not present, leading to a very consistent narrative with an inconsistent narrator. Very good for the reader, so that the full story can be told, but not so good for internal consistency.

Okiku’s narrative is extremely good to read, though, and there’s a kind of poetry to the prose that goes beyond what I normally see in YA writing. The dialogue, however, is probably the weakest part of the book. With the exception of Tark’s sarcastic commentary, most of the dialogue feels forced or unrealistic, from the strangely perceptive and articulate elementary school girl to the verbose infodumps that characters occasionally give each other, most of the speech feels more like somebody said it in an online conversation than face to face.

Fans of J-horror are going to love this book. I can say that with confidence. It’s the kind of book that I couldn’t read at night, due to some creepy and evocative imagery that reminded me of one too many horror movies and one too many playthroughs of the Fatal Frame video game series. Chupeco has a real gift for creepy narratives, and for providing a new and interesting spin on traditional tales, and it really shows well here. It was also one of the few novels I’ve read involving Japanese culture that didn’t make me wince from stereotypes and inaccuracies. There’s some real promise here, and for those who are looking for a YA horror novel that offers something different, then The Girl From The Well is a good choice.

Based on the original Japanese folk story of that inspired The Ring, this haunting version of Okiku’s afterlife, spent as a onryuu, is chilling in that you can see the depravity of the world from her eyes. A creature of vengeance, she evokes a bit of Jigoku Shoujo in that she was also a child when she was murdered, a soul so twisted by the violence of her death, that avenging other children who were murdered becomes her way of spending eternity. It is pretty gruesome, the manner in which she stalks and kills her targets, especially as she glimpses or indicates their crimes.

While going about her regular avenging duties, she finds Tarquin, a Japanese-American kid, who is himself a walking time bomb. When he is almost about to become a victim – the kind she avenges after death, she steps in to protect him from his demon. While it might seem from the blurb that these are the two main characters, also indicating a possible relationship developing, in reality, there is a third important character, Callie, who is Tark’s cousin and the person who Okiku sort of forms an uneasy bond with. While I also thought Sandra, the kid who could see spirits and sense their turmoil, would also have more to contribute, the story shifts to Japan, where we get the mythology behind it, and the showdown that changes Okiku’s purpose.

Okiku is naturally a very interesting character. Seemingly unconcerned with humans at the start of the book, she grows to be protective of Callie and Tark, firstly because she wanted to protect Tark as a kid, but afterwards because she realizes she can do much more than just hunt down child murderers. The writing, while vivid, is not as captivating as a true horror story should be – it was gruesome but not scary gruesome. (or maybe things like this don’t affect me anymore?) While the actual setting in Japan seemed quite realistic, the speech patterns of the mikos there reflected more Western speech than true Japanese speech, with some Japanese words being replaced – for instance, God help us with Kamis help us. Besides that, I liked the description of the rituals, the traditions and the overall mythology behind the story. Definitely worth a read!

The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco
Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire (August 5, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 140229218X
ISBN-13: 978-1402292187

My Review~
I received this book in exchange for a honest review from Netgalley. I love how creepy the cover is. The cover is one of the things that got me interested in this book, but when I read the excerpt I got excited. I love suspense, action, and thrillers which this book hits on it. It also hits alittle on the horror and scary side in parts. This book haunted me until I finished it. It is exceptionally good. I love the Japanese culture and folklore that is mixed in with it. OKIKU wow she is so creepy, yet so fascinating at the same time. I love that she defends children that have been wronged. Wow, you will fall in love with Tark, Okiku, and Tark's cousin. This book freaked me out in parts, but in others I just couldn't stop reading this. This book is a combination of The Ring, and The Grudge meets Stephen King. This book is full of ghosts, murders, a kidnapping, and has some exorcisms.

The book is from Okiku's perspective and that lends to the scary factor, because she tells how she kills. She gives the best imagery when she tells how she scares her victims and then gruesomely kills them. I love how killing murders gives her comfort and a sense of purpose to avenge the children that seek justice. This book is definitely one of my favorite books. Tark is a your average teenage boy, but has weird moving tattoos on his skin. He tries his best to lie low and fit in, but people and things die around him. Okiku is drawn to Tark when she sees her next murder stalking this boy. She sees darkness around the boy although the boy is innocent, which intrigues her. When the tattoos start disappearing is when things start getting crazy and full of action. This book is one heck of a read! Make sure to read it with the lights on!

the store Book Description~
I am where dead children go.

Okiku is a lonely soul. She has wandered the world for centuries, freeing the spirits of the murdered-dead. Once a victim herself, she now takes the lives of killers with the vengeance they're due. But releasing innocent ghosts from their ethereal tethers does not bring Okiku peace. Still she drifts on.

Such is her existence, until she meets Tark. Evil writhes beneath the moody teen's skin, trapped by a series of intricate tattoos. While his neighbors fear him, Okiku knows the boy is not a monster. Tark needs to be freed from the malevolence that clings to him. There's just one problem: if the demon dies, so does its host.

I have to shout one thing first, okay? Okay. Keep calm, just let me get this off my chest:

THIS WAS AMAZING AND SCARY AND FREAKISHLY FANTASTIC. IF YOU HAVE NOT READ IT YET, YOU'RE MISSING OUT.

Aaaand...I'm done. I am! I could end the review here, to be honest. But, I'm not positive you're convinced. (Although, in all honesty? Everyone knows I'm trustworthy and that if I like a book you ought to drop everything and rush out and read it.) But for the SKEPTICS, I will explain.

The Girl From The Well is part Japanese ghost stories, part mythology, part scariness. Not that I was actually scared. Pfft. I don't scare easily. (Unless I lose my library card, then and only then do I admit to freaking out irrationally and perhaps breaking down in heartfelt sobs. But I digress.) I was pleasantly (that sounds wrong, but keep with me) surprised at how chilling this book was. Plus I hadn't heard anything good about it. The reviews I'd read verdicted it with "meh".

But Japanese ghost stories?!! What could possibly be more awesome?!

It's also got a unique narration style. For starters, it's narrated by a dead girl. Don't judge. Just because you're dead doesn't mean you can't write a book. Okiku is a ghost who pops around the world avenging murdered children. Which is very nice of her...I guess? She likes to count so her narration is full of interruptions of numbers.

I count the condiments hanging from racks that line the walls. (Eight.) In the time it takes them to finish I have counted the flower patterns on their wallpaper, the lights overhead, the knots in the ceiling, the kitchen tiles. (8% kindle ebook)

I like it. I am a huge fan of books that don't follow the typical styles or rules. BREAK THE RULES, I say. I like Okiku's styles (with the counting) and also her view point which was unreliable to say the least. You, the reader, have to piece together the story from what she says and what she hears. Love that.

While Okiku the ghost is narrating, the book is also about Tark. He's a 15-year-old kid with weird tattoos on his arms from some Unnamed Thing From His Past. I was desperate to know the WHYS behind his tattoos. Basically, the book flings all these WHYS at you and you can't stop until you understand it all. Like "why-is-Tark's-mother-insane?" and "why-did-him-and-his-father-just-move?" and "why-does-Okiku-hate-the-number-nine?" It was flipping pages late into the night, just eating it all.

Then there's Callie. She's Tark's cousin. She plays a huge part in the book and in Tark's life and actually...there's no love-interest. The book is about surviving creepy ghosts and Japan and supernatural events. There's possibly noodles involved. Thank goodness. Food saves lives.

Then creepy stuff happens. Lots of it. From ghosts to murderers to weird children (they're the worst) to Tark's freaky mother to travelling to Japan...oh. That's right, I didn't mention that! THIS BOOK ACTUALLY MOVES OUTSIDE OF AMERICA AND GOES TO JAPAN! I'm sorry! I have nothing against Americans, it's just that 90% of American books don't even mention the rest of the world. But we actually journeyed to Japan and saw ancient mountains and temples and noodles (important) and Okiku went along and creepy stuff went down.

Like really creepy. I'm not saying more. Trust me. You're supernatural senses will be tingling.

Anything I wasn't impressed about? Well, the Parental-Disappearing-Act happens. Tark's dad doesn't believe in ghosts so we throw him off on a very convenient business trip. Ah-huh. The plot isn't particularly fast. The ending is too tidy and didn't quite throw the -- BAM OMG WHAT JUST HAPPENED -- that I was hoping for. Up till then I was stoked on the noir feel. But the end? A little meh.

But in all honesty? I just couldn't get enough of this book. I am so, so happy with it. For someone who's (okay, I admit it!) a little hard to impress when it comes to paranormal activity, I was really impressed at how much I adored this one! I love mythology AND ghost stores AND Japan AND noodles and this book delivered. It's like a 4.5 in the star rating category.

A scary ghost wearing a white dress with long, black stringy hair will haunt you and kill you. If you deserve it. Her name is Okiku, and yes, she is the fabled Japanese ghost girl that crawls up from the well that the movie, The Ring, is loosely based from.

Okiku kills child killers, much like the man who killed her 300 years ago. She is a specific type of ghost from Japanese folklore that can actually harm the living. Though she only kills those who she believes deserve death, she first tortures them with scare tactics that drive them insane and then her victims die from drowning. They aren't ever by water and the victims' faces appear as if they have been underwater for days, even if it has only been hours.

Okiku moves from place to place, revenging dead children when she stumbles upon Tark, a young man with otherworldly tattoos. She follows him out of pure curiosity and then finds that a very dark and powerful ghost has possessed him. Tark's cousin, Callie, is soon drawn into the fray when both her and Tark can see Okiku.

The author gave just the right amount of details for me to understand Okiku's particular ghost story and enough to follow the rituals that were completed in the novel. I found out there are so many different spirits and how some traditions will forever go on. The violence in this book was tame for me, but I love a good horror book. It was a little too much like watching the move The Ring, but other than that draw back, it was a decent thriller/horror novel. I will definitely be reading the sequel.

Disclaimer: I received this e-ARC from NetGalley for free in exchange of my honest review.

It's been awhile since I read horror books, but I can still feel the chill when I think back some of the plots in MARY: The Summoning and Asylum. So when I requested it on NetGalley, I would expect to be horrified by this book. Unfortunately, it was not as scary as I thought.

If you've watched some of the Japanese ghost movies many years back then when they were very popular, I'm sure you know Ring or the American versions - The Ring and The Grudge. I haven't watch any of the movies but I still remember the fear of seeing the ghost crawling out from the TV and the spirit lingering around its place of death - the well.

So basically, this story is based on an ancient Japanese folklore on Okiku - the girl who died in a well 300 years ago. Okiku is a powerful Onryō (vengeful spirit) who seeks revenge on children killers. She haunts the killers and kill them in order to release the spirits of the victim to the underworld. Until one day, she meets the tattooed boy (Tarquin) and his cousin (Callie). Since then, Okiku starts to follow the boy and tries to protect him from a strong spirit that will one day will kill him.

The story started with a fearful scene which introduce the readers on how Okiku kills her target. The scene has some blood and gore and disgusting description. When I was getting excited on it, what Okiku does most of the time is just become a narrator.

She follows Tarquin and Callie and she watches what they do. Sometimes she might appear and help out when Tarquin is in danger. And eventually, she becomes his secret angel (seriously?).

Perhaps the writer realizes that Okiku does not kill for quite some time so a killing scene is added into the middle of the story. To me, the plot of the story becomes inconsistent. Apart from the horrible feeling that I couldn't get from the book, the characters are flat. There's not much development in the characters.

So what do I like about the book? It is based on a Japanese folklore and the settings are in US and Japan. I love Japan and used to dream of staying in Japan. So this book is able to bring me something that I missed long time ago. I personally love Callie of her motherly love and braveness to face the evil spirits in order to save Tarquin.

If not mistaken, this book should have a sequel but the ending isn't inviting. There's not much encouragement for me to read the sequel but only to find out more on Okiku. I think her story that happened 300 years ago could be one of the focuses in the series.

This review is originally posted on: http://wp.me/p5m5jd-hp

Summary: Tarquin (Tark) Halloway has been haunted his entire life. With a mentally ill mother and a caring father who works too much, he feels he has no one to talk to about the strange lady that slinks through mirrors and makes Tark do terrible things. But when he meets a roaming spirit, Okiku, they both begin to remember what it is to be human. With the help from Tark's cousin Callie, Okiku and Tark must rid himself of his haunting.

My Thoughts: Let me tell you, if I had read this book when I was 14, I would have been sleeping with the lights on for weeks. The spookiness / imagery is reminiscent of Japanese horror films that The Grudge (Ju-On: The Grudge) and The Ring (Ringu) were based on. (Have you seen the originals? Not the American remakes. Watch the real thing. Darn spooky! That's what The Girl From the Well is like.) Same evil-ghost-child-with-long-creepy-hair-staring-at-you-in-crazy-fast-did-that-actually-just-happen-flashes feel to it.

Part of Rin Chupeco's spooky genius is her narration style. The story is narrated from the POV of the ghost, Okiku. Often, it reads like a 3rd person omniscient narrative, because Okiku mostly observes rather than acting. I often forgot I was reading a first person POV, and then suddenly Okiku would say something in the first person, and it was like she had just appeared out of nowhere. Like a ghost. Spooky. And then, sometimes Okiku would describe herself in the third person - a description of a ghost as Callie or Tark would have seen. This gave Okiku's character a sense of otherness. She felt inhuman. Ineffable.

Overall, I think this was an fantastic book, and I look forward to reading more of Chupeco's works. I miss the old days when ghosts were ghosts and monsters were monsters. I applaud Chupeco's work as one more for the #reclaimhorror team. (Ok, I just made that hashtag up, so technically she's the first on the team. But it's all good.)

I have always striven for detachment, a disinterest in the living. Their preoccupation with each breath of air, the brevity of their lifetimes, and their numerous flaws do not inspire sympathy in me. I can plumb their minds and wander the places they frequent, but they hold little significance.

I do not care to remember names. I do not care to recognize faces.

But this one is called Tarquin Holloway.

He has a cousin named Callie Starr.

His eyes are very bright blue.

He is lonely.

It is not in my nature to be interested in the living.

But there are many things, I have found, that defy nature.

###

“An onryuu with a conscience, kami help us.”

###

Should a person experience a brutal and unwarranted death at the hands of another, she does do not go gentle into that good night. Rather than continue on to the afterlife – whatever that may entail; it’s not for the narrator to say – she remains in a sort of purgatory, her spirit tethered to her murderer. Only when her death is avenged, and her killer brought to justice, is her soul free to move on. If she still wants to, that is.

Okiku is a yuurei – a spirit that cannot rest. Three hundred years ago, the 16-year-old girl was tortured and murdered, her body tossed down a well like so much trash, at the hands of a retainer – and with her beloved Lord’s permission. In the centuries since, Okiku has roamed the world, hunting down those who prey on children: murderers, rapists, and pedophiles. Fueled by vengeance, Okiku is an especially powerful yuurei: an onryuu, able to harm the living.

Okiku kills killers, transforming their bodies into water-bloated corpses resembling her own; and, when her work is done, she shows the spirits of the murderer’s victims the way home. Though she’s mostly numb to human emotions, these little balls of pure, spiritual energy (like fireflies) suffuse her with a brief feeling of warmth before departing this realm.

Never before has it crossed her mind to intervene before a crime has transpired; Okiku avenges deaths, she doesn’t prevent them. Until she spots the boy with deep blue eyes, the shock of black hair, and the strange tattoos covering his body. Tattoos that shimmer and shift in the periphery of one’s vision. Tattoos he tries so hard to cover up. The boy being hunted by a predator – and haunted by a woman dressed in black.

When Okiku breaks her cardinal rule against interfering in the lives of the living, she saves Tarquin Holloway – Tark for short – not once, but twice (ditto: his cousin Callie), and embarks on a journey that will carry her from Maine back to her homeland of Japan. As she tries to protect Tark and his allies from the malevolent spirit locked within his body – by his own mother, no less – Okiku finds the humanity she thought she’d lost all those years ago.

There’s so much to love about Rin Chupeco’s THE GIRL FROM THE WELL. First and foremost, it’s a deliciously creepy horror story, with lots of gore and scares and righteous revenge. Okiku is the sort of anti-hero that you can’t help but root for; she’s rather like the teenage, female Dexter of the spirit world, wreaking vengeance on the big bads (but human) who are all but begging for it.

Chupeco’s writing is both artful and visual; she paints a portrait, and then imbues it with life. As I read, I couldn’t help but picture how each scene might play out on the big screen. Note to Hollywood: someone needs to buy the rights to THE GIRL FROM THE WELL like yesterday (assuming it isn’t already in development).

If the story feels a bit like THE RING: good! Both stories are based on the same Japanese ghost story, that of Okiku and the Nine Plates. Many of the images involving Okiku – choppy, sudden movements; ghosts that protrude from, wrap around, and otherwise envelope their victims; sinister girls who can walk on ceilings – feel like they’d be at home in THE RING family of movies. However, the story (and especially the ending) nevertheless manages to be both unique and compelling. Chupeco puts an interesting, fresh spin on an old folk story that’s already received a fair amount of attention.

I love the cast of characters – everyone from Okiku and Tark to mom Yoko (who, let’s face it, made some questionable decisions vis-a-vis her son) and even Chiyo (who started out as one of the “good guys”). The only character who doesn’t seem terribly well-developed is Tark’s dad who, to be fair, is mostly absent from the story.

I especially appreciate the overall diversity: Okiku is originally from Japan, as is Tark’s mom Yoko Taneda. His parents met at Tokyo University, where both were attending college; Tark is biracial. Though the newly married couple relocated to the U.S., Tark and his father Doug return to Tokyo when he’s fifteen. A fairly large portion of the story transpires in Japan, and a number of supporting characters are Japanese, most notably the shrine maidens, Kagura, Saya, Machika, and Amaya. Japan isn’t just a set piece, but an integral part of the story.

The scenes which take place in Japan, particularly Yagen Valley and Himeji Castle, are among the most beautiful in the book. Chupeco has an eye for detail that’s evident in the lovely yet frighteningly desolate rural landscapes.

The ending, which involves an unexpected twist that’s ripe with future possibilities, is perhaps my favorite part. But it’s hard to say with so many shiny bits to choose from!

Read it if: you like scary stories; The Ring is your jam; you thought Season 5 was DEXTER’S best.

** Full disclosure: I received a free electronic copy of this book for review through NetGalley. **

3.5 Stars

Despite my overactive imagination after watching or reading anything scary, I do love the horror genre. I can be embarrassingly sissy afterwards (sleeping with the lights on, peeing with the door open) but there’s just this rush that you get when creeped out and scared…or maybe it’s just twisted ol’ me. When I read the blurb for The Girl from the Well, I immediately requested it because it’s just right up my alley. I mean, who can resist a serial killer ghost bent on murdering child killers and molesters? I know I can’t!

“I am where dead children go. But not even I know where they go when I am done, whether to a higher plane or to a new life. I only know this: where they go I cannot follow.”

Okiku is an onryuu. She is a dead spirit stranded in this world and for 300 years, she is fueled by vengeance to kill. Unlike The Grudge where the spirit would basically kill anyone who enters the house she haunts though, Okiku has a purpose. She is able to travel all around the world to seek revenge for abused and murdered children, therefore freeing their chained souls from their murderers. Dexter meets The Grudge is really an accurate description for this book because that is what she is: a vengeful killer ghost with a purpose…and she does it with such brutality that I almost feel bad for her victims. Almost.

“For so long I have thought that wreaking my vengeance upon murderers and killers was the only path I had left to take, my mind closed to other alternatives. It is only now I discover that to prevent the deaths of children has just as much potency as to avenge them.”

Okiku’s M.O. changed when she came upon Tark, a 15-year-old boy with weird tattoos all over his body that has apparently been put there by his own mother who is now confined in a mental institution. Drawn to Tark, and then later on, to Tark’s 18-year-old cousin Callie, Okiku then alternately followed both cousins everywhere they go, like some sort of creepy guardian angel.

This book is told from the eyes of Okiku but at the same time, we also get inside the head of Tark and Callie. I enjoy multiple POVs to begin with so I really enjoyed unraveling the story with all three characters. Aside from the mystery that surrounds his tattoos though, I don’t think the book got in depth with Tark or Callie’s character but I was fine with it because I’m reading this for the creepy murderous ghost, I don’t think in depth information outside the mystery of Tark is particularly needed in the story. I got to know Okiku’s history and the reason for her purpose really well though, which I was really happy about because she was a fascinating character for me.

Like most horror stories, we get circumstances where characters make stupid decisions that seriously, they should’ve known better…particularly with Callie. I mean, sometimes I can be guilty of doing the same thing…I put myself in situations and I think if I’m living in the world of homicidal ghosts and slasher films, I would’ve been done for by now. Like walking alone in an empty street at night or walking away from my group to explore on my own. But I find some of Callie’s actions extremely stupid, especially when she already knew that she’s going in a potentially really bad situation.

“There are a million reasons why I shouldn’t be here alone. I’ve watched enough slasher movies to know this.”

EXACTLY! SO WHY. ARE. YOU. STILL. DOING. IT?? Here’s a tip: don’t go in a suspected murderer’s house when you’re not even sure how long the cops will get there in a misguided attempt to save someone when you can’t even save yourself. I got this fact from, I don’t know…EVERY HORROR ANYTHING I’VE EVER SEEN OR READ. Horror Scenario 101.

These factors in the story did frustrate me but not so much that it affected my enjoyment of the book because Okiku is just so creepy and interesting that I quickly moved on from the negative and just focused on her. I also enjoyed reading her ways of seeking vengeance and how she would stalk and kill her prey. I’m not really sure if the Japanese mythology provided in this book is accurate but it does feel like everything was researched really well. I also enjoyed reading about her connection with Tark and her voice as a narrator, believe it or not, has an ethereal feel to it.

Overall, Girl from the Well is a creepy and entertaining read but not particularly terrifying that you’d be afraid of your own shadow. Although, Okiku’s description definitely sticked in my mind weeks after I read the book and to be honest, I kinda creeped myself out. I did say that I have an overactive imagination so imagine me constantly thinking of an upside down ghost just hanging out behind me wherever I go.

Creepy right? I was even afraid to close my eyes while I wash my face because I kept thinking that one of these days I would just open them and see a pale girl in white with super straight long hair hanging upside down staring at me with her decaying face. I told you I freak myself out! And as I said, I don’t think this book was horrifyingly scary but Okiku’s ghost form was described really well. There are some predictability in terms of other characters but I would recommend this for readers who wants to try out the horror genre and for Japanese horror fans who would be interested to read about a Japanese ghost with a twist.

An advance reader’s copy was provided by Sourcebooks Fire via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. All quotes were taken from the pre-published copy and may be altered or omitted from the final copy.

I received this book as a gift

+++Contains scenes of graphic violence and alludes to child abuse. Trigger warning.

Perfect for fans of The Ring, The Grudge and spooky ghost stories that set your teeth on edge and have you sleeping with the lights on. The Girl from the Well is a haunting story of passion and vigilante vengeance.

PROS:
The Woman in White is creepy. She walks on ceilings and hides her eyes in a cloak of dark hair. Her vengeance bleeds off the page like an open wound, the anger is vicious and sinister. The violence is detailed, graphic, and all sorts of twisted. I loved the she is not just the Woman in White but a girl scorned by a horrific past who serves as a guardian for abused children. She’s more than her legend. Nothing is black and white, she’s not pure evil, everything is a solid shade of gray. As the story progresses, she becomes more of a girl learning about herself and what she’s capable of, she rediscovers the heart she’d left down in the well with her broken body.

Images are consistently disturbing and vibrant. There’s a hollow, dark energy that colors the carnage, bringing it to life as if you were watching it on film.

The sub-stories are unique, they bring in culture and myth, adding a historical aspect to the story. Not the atypical haunting, there’s a weighty purpose and heritage that links the story pieces together seamlessly.

The Woman in Black is a nightmare. She’s twisted, vile, grotesque and her intentions will make your skin crawl. I don’t think I’ve ever been more terrified reading in my life. Every look, every bone-chilling moment she’s present sinks in deep and the foreboding escalates. Her back story was intriguing and unexpected, full of shock and surprises. I adored the tie-in with Japanese culture and exorcisms.

If you have a doll phobia BACK AWAY SLOWLY.

The relationship between the Woman in White and Tark is bizarre. It’s warm and kind of weird but it works. Their connection grows as the story progresses, it transcends friendship and becomes a strange brand of love.

CONS:
Secondary characters faded out, they didn’t have defined personalities, and in some cases weren’t memorable at all. They got lost in the dominant story arch.

Callie drifted in and out of the story, she felt wishy-washy and undeveloped. I found myself searching for more of her, some distinct personality traits or likability but she read flat

This book was super high on my anticipated reads and I don't know if that was my downfall. It probably was but I really don't know what to say about this book.
To me, this book was just... meh. I didn't hate it nor loved it. It just didn't make a huge impact on me. And nobody is more heart-broken than I am about it. I absolutely love Japanese folklore and I didn't even know this book was about that until I started reading. So, when I found out that it was, I got pretty excited.
But then I met the characters.
I honestly have nothing negative to say about them except that I couldn't connect with them in any way. They all led a completely different life than me so I just felt like there was a huge barrier in between us. Tark is extremely hilarious and he had me laughing more than anything but Okiku and Callie and everybody else were just... there.
The writing style is definitely unique and memorable but not the content. If that makes sense? The characters were also a tad difficult to follow but I think that was just me being unimpressed.
Anyway, I am so glad I finally gave this book a try and can cross it off my TBR list.

*I received a copy of this book from Sourcebooks Fire on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

I never watched The Ring or The Grudge because I was terrified of horror movies when they first came out. I've been interested in the stories, just never the whole someone coming out of my television set to kill me thing. I've really come to enjoy horror books though, and when I saw The Girl From the Well, I just know I had to read it. And I was not disappointed! This book was as incredible as I hoped it would be.

One of my favorite things about this book is the disjointed way that the story is told. Okiku tells the story in a mostly linear fashion, but it's broken up and interrupted by various things. For one, Okiku is obsessed with counting. As long as there aren't nine objects, the story can progress in a decent fashion. However, if Okiku counts nine things... let's just say you don't want to be around. Okiku, being a ghost, can also travel around to wherever she wants to go and the scenery changes quite often. Sometimes she'll be with Tark and then the next sentence she'll be stalking her next victim halfway around the world. I think this could be a little off-putting for some people, but I absolutely loved it and thought it fit perfectly with the story Okiku was telling.

I also really enjoyed the Japanese folk tales, mythology, and culture incorporated in The Girl From the Well. I'm not an expert on Japanese culture or anything, but the aspects that I recognized seemed pretty sound and so I assume that the rest of the things were as well. I loved the temple and the priestesses and how Rin articulated how they perform exorcisms. I felt like I was in the room with them when they were trying to remove the spirits from people and rehome them. I was terrified for everyone when things don't go as planned.

Okiku is fascinating, and reading this book made me want to learn more about her story in Japanese folklore and watch other portrayals of it. She's terrifying if you've done something she doesn't like (especially if you're on of the people she targets) or if you happen to have nine of something when she shows up. Her background is also heartbreaking, and I really came to understand her we find out more about her life and her history. I enjoyed learning things as Tark and his cousin learned things - I think it made it more interesting than just having Okiku explain her life.

Overall, I absolutely loved this book and could not put it down! There's enough horror and gore and evil spirits that I would definitely not recommend this to a younger audience, but I think the older YA crowd - especially those who enjoy horror stories - would really love this book. I can't compare it to The Ring or The Grudge, but it does have a genuine Japanese feel about it. I can also see fans of Dexter enjoying this book too, although the similarities stop at a killer killing killers. Rin's writing is gorgeous, her story-telling is superb, and I can't wait to read more of her books in the future! 5/5 for an excellent debut!

Bone chilling new story!

The setting for this story was very detailed and complemented the over all tone nicely. The detailed descriptions helped to set the mood and make Okiku seem more real to me. The setting was similar to the grudge and Okiku's agenda eerily similar, but the similarities ended there.

My favorite aspect of this book was that it was being told from the ghosts point of view. This made it all the more horrifying, but also gave us some more depth into the antagonist of the story. In ghost stories we rarely get to hear from the side of the monster. This was an intriguing new way to write a ghost story and give it real depth. I really enjoyed getting to see Okiku's point of view.

Tark brings even more drama to this vigilante ghost's dark world. It was interesting to see how this normally malevolent ghost dealt with Tark. Her whole undead life revolved around eradicating those with evil intentions and this boy had just such a monster living inside him. To see her try to help him and fight her normal instincts to just kill was intriguing.

The storyline was compelling and frightening! I loved getting inside Okiku's head and I'm sure anyone who loves a good chilling tale would not want to miss Okiku's story!

Since The Ring’s explosion onto the big screen in 2002 and the subsequent premiere of The Grudge in 2004, the images of pale faces, black hair, and contorted bodies have haunted our dreams. On August 5, 2014, Rin Chupeco releases her version of the original Banchō Sarayashiki Japanese story, considered to be one of the most famous in Japanese culture.

Okiku is three hundred years old, and she is a part of the “murdered-dead,” those who were viciously killed and roam the earth for vengeance. Okiku says that these particular spirits “do not go gently,” eerily pulling from poet Dylan Thomas to explain her complicated situation. But she’s not the horrific Japanese stereotype you may be considering right now, at least not all of the time. When she appears to avenge those murdered children, the victims (if you can call them that) see her as a corpse, bloated and broken, just as she was found at the bottom of the well that she was thrown down. To Tark, the “strange” fifteen year old boy with tattoos who has just appeared on her radar, she more often appears as a sweet young girl; he even calls her pretty at one point.

When Tark moves and begins school adjacent to the one where his cousin, Callie, is a teaching assistant, things begin to become strange, and Callie can’t ignore the supernatural signs that surround her. Callie must try and protect Tark and accept the assistance of something in which she was never sure she really believed. Their journey takes them from America to Japan, in an effort to save Tark from the dark spirit that is imprisoned inside him.

In an era of YA filled with cancer stories, dystopian futures, and coming-of-age tales, it is refreshing, although frightening, to step into a book that sets out to make you stay awake at night. Chupeco’s descriptions of dead children hanging on the backs of those who killed them and of the dolls with the black eyes of souls are beautifully captured. The journey from America to Japan feels more like a scene from a movie where the protagonist must go on a long journey to find out information from a source that could symbolize life or death. Instead of posturing a tale that seems more like the script of a movie, Chupeco is incredibly successful at weaving a new, psychological account with that of the legend. The fear of a “bloated” Japanese girl hanging from the ceiling comes across as benevolent, and Okiku is able to shake off the clichéd vision from the movies.

This book will definitely keep you up at night, but not necessarily in the way you might expect. Here, you don’t suffer from nightmares but from the sadness and sympathy of a girl who can’t move on.
Check out my YA review blog at reviewscomingatya.blogspot.com.

This review first appeared on BooksiView.com

This is a one of the most creeptastic YA books I have ever read. As a big horror junkie, I often seek out any type of horror I can find in YA and sadly most of them don’t live up to my expectations. However Rin Chupeco brought YA horror to a whole new level with her debut book.

Based off an old Japanese ghost story you already know it’s going to be good. I mean Japan has all the scary stuff down, right? I haven’t read the original ghost story yet but you can bet I will after reading this! Rin Chupeco was able to bring all the awesome elements that we love in J-horror to the pages of this book. It’s like giving an old legend new life in the modern world.

The narrator of the story is Okiku. She is a vengeful ghost who haunts and kills child abusers and murderers. When Okiku is drawn to a boy with mysterious tattoos the plot begins to thicken. Okiku starts to observe his life, which is read as third-person omniscient. Thing start to get really interesting as we start to learn more about his tattoos and family.

The plot moves along at a slow and simmering pace that picks up at full speed towards the end — which is a great suspense builder! I was so surprised at how well the haunting scenes were written. There was plenty of shock to keep me eagerly flipping pages. It didn’t scare me (I don’t scare easily) but it does leave you with a creepy/chilling feel after reading it.

The Girl From The Well by Rin Chupeco is a dark and beautifully written ghost story. The Dexter meets The Grudge comparison is spot on. If you’re a fan of either then you’ll love this book! There are mature themes such as exorcism, murder and a few mentions of rape. So it might not be for younger readers. But if you can handle it I recommend reading this in the dark. I dare you!

Fantastically spooky. That's what this book was.

I found this story to be full of spiritual growth, pun intended. Read the blurb above if you want to know the general plot. Vengeful ghost decides to allow herself something aside from vengeance.

Though, she could still do some good old-fashioned Butler from the Shining correcting of some bad guys, even toward the end of the book.

The story itself is nothing terribly new, though I did find the overall mood quite foreign (to me). I have no idea how authentic it all is. Do they really have vending machines in Tokyo that sell used girls' underwear? Weird.

A note. There are areas of the text where the type setting is melodramatically spaced. For once I found that self
made
prose
stylization
didn't drive me nuts. It didn't come across as presumptive. It set the scene very well. But more complicated readers might find this cloying or trite. I usually hate this kind of stuff, but felt it fit here.

In all, a quick read that was quite spookalicious.

I usually really like haunting books...this one was just ok.
I couldnt really connect with any of the characters and while it wasnt a boring book i cant say it was enjoyable. I finished reading it because i already put time into it before i realized it wasnt going to get more exciting so i finished it.

I usually recommend books to my husband (his name will show up on this review as our accounts in his name) and he likes ghost stories but i told him not to bother with this one.

Fantastically spooky. That's what this book was.

I found this story to be full of spiritual growth, pun intended. Read the blurb above if you want to know the general plot. Vengeful ghost decides to allow herself something aside from vengeance.

Though, she could still do some good old-fashioned Butler from the Shining correcting of some bad guys, even toward the end of the book.

The story itself is nothing terribly new, though I did find the overall mood quite foreign (to me). I have no idea how authentic it all is. Do they really have vending machines in Tokyo that sell used girls' underwear? Weird.

A note. There are areas of the text where the type setting is melodramatically spaced. For once I found that self
made
prose
stylization
didn't drive me nuts. It didn't come across as presumptive. It set the scene very well. But more complicated readers might find this cloying or trite. I usually hate this kind of stuff, but felt it fit here.

In all, a quick read that was quite spookalicious.

I usually really like haunting books...this one was just ok.
I couldnt really connect with any of the characters and while it wasnt a boring book i cant say it was enjoyable. I finished reading it because i already put time into it before i realized it wasnt going to get more exciting so i finished it.

I usually recommend books to my husband (his name will show up on this review as our accounts in his name) and he likes ghost stories but i told him not to bother with this one.

Before you read my review, read the book summary first if you haven’t done so yet.

Alright. I take it you know what the book is about. Are you as intrigued by the book summary as I was? Those who know a little about me know I’m a huge horror fan. I love horror books and horror movies. According to the book summary, The Girl from the Well is pitched as Dexter meets The Grudge. Dexter is undoubtedly one of my many favorite tv shows, and I have watched both Japanese horror movies, The Grudge and The Ring. I enjoyed both (especially the first The Grudge movie starring Sarah Michelle Gellar).

I have no idea how this book can be compared to Dexter since he isn’t a vengeful spirit, but I see how certain elements in this story are similar to The Grudge. In fact, I think the main thing about this story that pushed all the wrong buttons with me is that too many elements in this book have been “borrowed” from The Grudge, as well as The Ring.

The second thing which made this book tremendously less enjoyable for me is the narrative. It’s in third person, which isn’t so much a problem for me, but for the first forty percent or so, I wasn’t sure who the narrator was. Only later did I figure out it’s from one point of view, and the entire story is being told by a three-hundred-year-old spirit. I only got used to this form of narrative towards the end of the story. It didn’t exactly endear the characters to me, and instead it made it harder for me to connect, or feel anything, for them. I found it implausible that Okiku, the spirit from whose point of view the story is told, would know what Callie is thinking, feeling, or seeing at any given time. She might be a ghost, but she’s not all-knowing.

The third issue I had was the writing. I knew I was reading an ARC copy, so I’m not talking about the grammar or formatting. I’m talking about the way it is written with the jumbled thoughts Okiku has which hampers the flow, the sudden changes between scenes, and the counting. What the heck was up with the counting? I understood why the number nine would set her off on a psychopathic rampage, and I’m also sure it was intended as one of Okiku’s quirks, but eventually it became an annoyance.

The aforementioned were the things that didn’t work for me in this book. What warrants it a three-star rating is that I liked the idea behind the story, even though much was borrowed from the two previously mentioned movies. The ending was also absolutely perfect. The idea of a vengeful spirit becoming...less vengeful, and avenging her death in a somewhat moral manner, is a concept I feel is new and original (maybe that’s the comparison to the tv series, Dexter). Out of all the characters, Okiku was the only one for which I felt sympathy, as well as gratitude when she played hero. I didn’t care about any of the other characters, but this was mainly due to the writing.

I was hoping this book would scare the bejeesus out of me, that’s why I requested it for review. But, alas, it failed to do so. If I hadn’t seen the above two movies several times, The Girl from the Well would’ve had me sleeping with the lights on. The horror scenes and exorcism was written really well. The descriptions of Okiku in her vengeful form, and the other evil spirit inhabiting Tark’s body (the boy with the many strange tattoos), were also done extremely well, even though they are described as looking exactly like the characters in The Grudge and The Ring. Because of that, these two spirits didn’t faze me at all, and the horror element in this book was lost for me. But, if you’re not so much into the horror genre, and you just want a quick read to send chills down your spine, you’ll certainly love this book. There are evil spirits, a lunatic trying to kill her child, freaky dolls, Japanese lore, and an exorcism that will assure you a week’s worth of nightmares. If you’re a hardcore horror fan, though, this wouldn’t be the book I’d recommend for you.

After having read a few milder ghost stories I was in the mood for something darker, scarier, and down right thrilling.

What I wasn't expecting was this horrific, crazy, down right creepy story that would leave me turning the lights on at night and anxiously looking around for the ghosts that might be lurking in said darkness.

This read was fabulous! The perfect creepy blend of Japanese lore with American culture.

Ghosts, demons, doll possession, curses, mysterious tattoos, murderers, legends, and so much more. This read truly kept me on my toes, turning the pages, and horrifically fascinated.

I will definitely be reading book two but maybe this time only during the daylight hours.

I adored this book. There aren't enough YA horror books to begin with, and certainly nothing comparable to this.

The most fascinating part of this book is it's written from the perspective of the monster. It helps that the monster is something US readers recognize from The Grudge or The Ring, but Chupeco really added new insight and depth to the myth. She crafted a sympathetic, believable, likable hero out of the stuff of nightmares, while still maintaining the creepy atmosphere. I had to stay up all night to finish it because I was too scared to put it down!

The only problem I noticed, which wasn't too severe, was that the dialogue feels like it's been translated from another language. It's very formal, enough to make me roll my eyes at times, but not enough to detract from the otherwise spectacular storytelling. Overall, this book quickly and easily became one of my all-time favorites.

This was a piece of art. The incredible story and terrifying horror has kept my friend up all night- and me seeing Okiku in the closet. You’ve probably already seen what this story is about, but I have read both this and the sequel, The Suffering. (Spoilers ahead:)
The Girl from the Well is about a ghost named Okiku. Okiku was murdered by her master and thrown down a well. She was a wandering spirit, setting children-who-were-murdered’s souls free. However, when she meets a high school boy named Tarquin, she is drawn to help him. He goes through many things, including The Smiling Man, the Suicide Forest, The Abandoned Village, ect.
So my thoughts. An absolute horror masterpiece. This is coming from a huge horror fan, someone who laughed at The Ring, didn’t care much about The Grudge, was intrigued by Nightmare on Elm Street, loved Halloween and Friday the 13th. But, after watching all of these big Horror/Thriller movies, none of them stand a chance against The Girl from the Well series. It is truly amazing that this was Rin Chupeco’s first book. I am very excited to read more of her novels and books!

If you liked the horror movie franchise The Ring you'll love the book. It definitely has a great horror quality to it but best of all it kept me riveted because I could not put it down until I knew how it was going to end. The only disappointing thing about it was that it did eventually end. First time I ever rooted for the "evil" character.

The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco is definitely a book that makes you think. The book flips between scenes quickly as if it were to be a tv show or a movie. So far I can say that the book is phenomenal when it comes to suspense. There's constantly something happening that makes you wonder what will happen next.I think one of the reasons this book has caught my attention so much is the different characters personalities. Okiku has something sinister about her that kind of makes you wonder what made her the way she is. I also find it interesting how Tark is scared a lot of the time but he comes off very sarcastic and it makes the book have another side where you see how he deals with the situation he is in.You really have to pay attention to whats happening to know which character the author is talking about. There's​ something about the way the book is written that makes you want to keep reading.

Good compelling story, which is the only reason I stuck with this book because the dialogue is so hideously bad and in desperate need of editing. Really bad. The story is good but it could be great if not for the travesty of dialogue between characters. So so close to giving up but the story is almost worth it.

The heroine of this sometimes disturbing contemporary ghost story is Okiku, murdered by an unfaithful lover centuries ago and now avenging the deaths of murdered girls and children. (The Okiku story actually exists and was the inspiration for the movie The Ring.) But this Okiku is a good monster and soon comes to the aid of a demon-tormented boy named Tarquin. While terrible people meet gruesome ends at Okiku's hands, the worst evil is the one infesting Tarquin--it may have been caused by his insane mother. Okiku soon allies with Tarquin's young Aunt Callie in a race to free Tarquin from a lethal possession. But it's Okiku's story that matters here and drives the plot and it's unsettling and poignant, as she must decide whether to move on or continue her acts of vengeance. A great horror tale, where the monsters aren't always supernatural.

4.5 Japanese ancient myths & horror blend vey well in this modern tale. I am so happy to have found tis author and this series. The characters fit their rolls, they had believable reactions, it was easy to care about them and nobody was TSTL. Ding Ding winner. I already ordered box 2 in the series.

Reading this book is equal to reading a Japanese horror movie, it's creepy like The Grudge with lots of folklore to explain what is happening. Tarquin is a teenage boy who is being haunted (almost possessed) by Oneesan. She's basically sucking the life out of him till she can fully possess him. Okiku is a soul wondering the earth bringing vengeance upon child killers and releasing the children's souls. Okiku takes it upon herself to stay close to Tark and try to keep him from being hurt. Along with Tark's cousin, Callie, they're hoping to trap Oneesan without killing Tark. There's much more to the story but I don't want to give anything away.

She takes their lives. Abusers, murders. She takes their lives and doesn’t stray but when she meets a unique boy with strange tattoos, she can’t help but follow him.

This story is based on the well known horror story that the film The Ring was based on.

Some creepy scenes pepper this YA horror novel. Chupeco is good at describing some grotesque scenes, detailing the girl from the well and her slimy, jerky movements and soulless look. The main boy she is interested in is a colorful character and I like him. He’s tortured and sad without being moody or whiney. There’s a certain curiosity about him that makes it easy to see why this spirit is drawn to him. His cousin is a main character too, but she’s not super interesting though she does play a large part in the story. There’s also a lot of Japanese culture, words and mythology mixed in which I really enjoyed. It gave the book some really interesting history and world building as well as captured the tone.

Sad to say, I wasn’t swept away by the story or the characters. The story is mostly told from the point of the ghost but there are some discrepencies. The ghost, while scary, is too human for me, more like a ghostly Dexter than a vengeful spirit. I like the idea of what the author was trying to do, but in the end it didn’t grip my heart or instill fear into my night of reading. It was watery, shifting to a typical teen plot with so-so characters instead of the creepy unique thriller I was hoping for.

On a side note: THAT COVER! Gorgeous. I like how eerie and creepy it is and it’s a perfect shot of almost a ring, looking up from a place and seeing the clearing where the title of the book is. Really great, though I can’t remember there being birds like those in the story.

Overall, I think teens who like lighter horror will enjoy this book.

Rating 4 Not My Cup of Tea

After a traumatic death Okiku has become something murderers ought to fear. She kills them to free the spirits of their victims. She's wandered the earth on her own for centuries and surprises herself when she meets Tark, a boy who carries an angry spirit under his skin, and stays around. His tattoos have been used to bind this evil and even though he carries something awful in his body it doesn't mean he's evil himself. The spirit is getting stronger and Tark needs help, but is Okiku the one who can give it to him?

Tark's cousin Callie believes in spirits. She can see Okiku and she's slowly getting used to the idea of being near her. Tark needs someone he can trust and Callie will do everything she can to save her cousin. Tark's father doesn't want to know about what's happening to his son though. His mother is the one with the answers, but the question is if she'll be able to provide them...

The Girl from the Well is such a great book. I immediately loved the idea of using the old Japanese legend of Okiku for a contemporary story. Rin Chupeco has done her research and I enjoyed reading her story very much. Everything works really well. There are enough thrilling moments, there is time for the reader to get to know the main characters and the ending is great. The story is both fascinating and gripping. I couldn't put this book down and had to know what would happen to Tark.

I liked that The Girl from the Well is set in two different countries. That gave the story extra depth. The tattoo aspect is interesting, I was curious to find out more about it. Fortunately this is just the first book in the series. The second part is called The Suffering. I can't wait to see how the story will continue.

Brilliant! This was an amazing peek into the rich history, legends and ritualistic culture that was and is Japan, past and present. Tark, a troubled teen, has experienced it all first hand. Marked with Tattoos in several places on his body, given to him by his supposedly insane mother, Tark carries a darkness within him that no amount of prayer will dispel. Enter Okiku, a 300 year old spirit of vengeance against child killers, Okiku is both drawn to and repulsed by Tark. She, along with his family, try to solve the mystery, and protect him from the darkness that is doing everything it can to escape.

There's something about horror books that has always appealed to me. I read my first horror novel in third grade and soon after discovered Stephen King, which opened a new world for me. The best YA horror novel I've read in recent years has been Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake and although this book didn't rise to those heights, it was still one of the better horror novels I've read in a while.

I dare you to read this novel and not picture Okiku as the creepy, slithery young girl from the movie The Ring. Imagery was not a problem for this author. Some parts of this book were so vivid they will raise the hairs on the back of your neck and make you feel like someone is standing behind you. Although Okiku is a murderer, you can't help but understand why she does it and root for her when she rids the world of another criminal and frees the souls of the victims. I also enjoyed the Japanese folklore woven throughout the book.

Some readers have stated the writing style of this book was distracting, but I felt like it added to the story. Okiku is a ghost who kills people, a spirit who hasn't moved on for over three hundred years. Her life doesn't consist of unicorns and rainbows, so the writing wasn't warm and gushy, but instead reflected Okiku's feelings of coldness and isolation.

On the other hand, Tark's character wasn't as well-developed and I never felt like I knew him. As he was such a large part of the story, I expected to learn more about him throughout the book, but he remained a mystery for the most part. There were also numerous grammatical errors - singulars, plurals, and tenses - that I hope were corrected in the final printing.

Although this book wasn't without some negatives, it was still a cut above most of the YA horror novels I've read and I'd recommend it to any horror fans looking for an eerie, enjoyable read. If you have an overactive imagination, you probably shouldn't read this alone.

This review was based on a digital ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.

REVIEW: THE GIRL FROM THE WELL by Rin Chupeco

A lyrical and literary excursion along the paths of the Other Side, through the first-person narrative of Okiku, a centuries-dead murdered spirit who spends eternity releasing murdered victims from the killers to whom they are attached. She leads a purposeful but singularly lonesome existence, until she encounters Tarquin, a tattooed, demon-ridden, adolescent, and discovers she has another cause.

I reviewed a digital ARC generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley for the purpose of my fair and honest review. No fees were exchanged.

Dark and horrifying, this novel features a haunt with a redeemable side, shedding some light in the otherwise deeply disturbing prose. Beautifully written and so unique. Loved the japanese theme. Great novel from a great author!

I received this e-galley from Net Galley and Sourcebooks in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the opportunity!

This is definitely what I would call a ghost story based off an ancient Japanese tale. It started out a little weird, duh, but it did pick up pretty fast. It was an entertaining little tale that was definitely entertaining, but not really my cup of tea. I did finish it as it was less than a three hour read and I couldn't leave without finding out the ending.

YA readers who like paranormal should get into this one.

The Girl From The Well was terrifying, powerful, and poignant. I adored this book. The voice of the main character was so strong, and so poetic, I can't get her out of my head. Which can be a really bad thing in the middle of the night--but in a good way.

The whole story is such a terrifying tale. Personally, It's hard to follow who's perspesctive it is but to me it adds more character. It's such a unique book. And it gives you the urge to study the whole japanese tale of Okiku. Anyways, This story unfolds to be creepier than I expected and it leaves me with chills and it makes me doubt what I believed in before hand. I would recommend this book whole-heartedly.

I remember the first book that scared me. Salems Lot by Stephen King.The next to give me the willies is Ghost
Story by Peter Straub. I had all but given up on being scared witless and then I read The Girl from the Well, I was pleasantly surprised.

I absolutely loved this book. I enjoyed that they took a Japanese legend, and just created a "sort of" antihero. So very enjoyable. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Japanese mythology, and those who love a truly scary story.

There's something about horror books that has always appealed to me. I read my first horror novel in third grade and soon after discovered Stephen King, which opened a new world for me. The best YA horror novel I've read in recent years has been Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake and although this book didn't rise to those heights, it was still one of the better horror novels I've read in a while.

I dare you to read this novel and not picture Okiku as the creepy, slithery young girl from the movie The Ring. Imagery was not a problem for this author. Some parts of this book were so vivid they will raise the hairs on the back of your neck and make you feel like someone is standing behind you. Although Okiku is a murderer, you can't help but understand why she does it and root for her when she rids the world of another criminal and frees the souls of the victims. I also enjoyed the Japanese folklore woven throughout the book.

Some readers have stated the writing style of this book was distracting, but I felt like it added to the story. Okiku is a ghost who kills people, a spirit who hasn't moved on for over three hundred years. Her life doesn't consist of unicorns and rainbows, so the writing wasn't warm and gushy, but instead reflected Okiku's feelings of coldness and isolation.

On the other hand, Tark's character wasn't as well-developed and I never felt like I knew him. As he was such a large part of the story, I expected to learn more about him throughout the book, but he remained a mystery for the most part. There were also numerous grammatical errors - singulars, plurals, and tenses - that I hope were corrected in the final printing.

Although this book wasn't without some negatives, it was still a cut above most of the YA horror novels I've read and I'd recommend it to any horror fans looking for an eerie, enjoyable read. If you have an overactive imagination, you probably shouldn't read this alone.

This review was based on a digital ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.