The Girl from the Well - Rin Chupeco

I remembered seeing a lot of this book when it was first published last year. To be completely honest, I didn't remember what those reviews said, but when I got an invitation to read the second book, The Suffering, I was immediately tempted to give it a try.

 

Okiku is based on an old Japanese ghost story, only in this case she Dexter-like hunts down child murderers and kills them. This she has been doing for the last three hundred years, but somehow Tark and his cousin Cally draw her attention for another reason, which will take them eventually all the way to Japan.

 

Although this is promoted as a horror YA novel, I never thought it was scary at all. Okay, Okiku looks like the girl from The Ring with her long dark hair and pale complexion, and of course she's dead and haunting people, but it's just not scary. Okiku basically is like an observer of all that's happening around her. The 'thing' that's wrong with Tark and his mother didn't make the story feel more scary for me either.

 

But if you wouldn't consider it as a horror novel, it becomes a lot more interesting. I always have a weak spot for integrating mythology/folk stories into the storyline, which is why I like it in this case as well. The story was interesting enough to keep me guessing for some time and I'm actually quite curious to find out what's going to happen in the sequel.

 

The Girl From The Well has a sequel, called The Suffering, coming September 1st.

 

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!