The Witch in the Well
Ratings3
Average rating2.3
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.
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I just finished reading The witch in the well by Camilla Bruce and here is my honest review.
Catherine and Elena used to be friends but that ended decades before. Now Elena has returned and with her, the concept of a book about a local witch legend. Cathy, who has been painstakingly researching the same story, finds out whyElena has come back and it drives an even bigger wedge between the 2 women.
Can the 2 former friends get over their competitive streaks before something terrible happens? Something unnatural resides near that well and neither of these women are prepared to handle what will come next!
I wasn't overly impressed with the format the book was written in. It took me a while to get into the book for this reason but I actually ended up really enjoying the book. I felt a little hollow with the ending. I don't feel it was wrapped up as nicely as it could have been.
The two protagonists weren't developed quite to my liking but I think the complexity of the story allows for a little less character development than I like my books to normally have. It was an interesting read. A delicious twist on an overdone witch hunt genre. The concept was quite genius and it was meticulously researched. The whole book was carefully constructed in such a way, you always felt a little on edge reading it, without it being overdone.
Like I said, I wish the ending had a bit more meat to it in the way of an explanation as to the origins of the beast but I can overlook that as it was a well paced read.
If you like a supernatural thriller that steps outside the lines for this genre, you have to add it to your reading list!
4 stars! Thank you netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for my ARC copy in exchange for you review
