"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 ...
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"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 senturns both women's worlds into something more haunted and dangerous than they could ever imagine."--Publisher marketing.
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Seller's Description:
New. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 304 p. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
New. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 304 p. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fine. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 304 p. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Feminist and magic related books are popular at the moment - I read some brilliant ones in 2022, and I have another on my TBR that comes out in the same month as The Witch in the Well. Although I do sometimes struggle with historical dramas, I thought the split perspective and timelines would help keep me engaged with this one, as well as an intriguing plot that made me want to pick it up.
The Witch in the Well alternates perspective between Cathy and her childhood friend Elena who are obsessed by the local story of Ilsbeth Clark, who was accused of witchcraft and drowned in a nearby well and are rivalling each other to write a book about her. These characters are quite similar but also each unlikeable in their own way which did not help to keep me engaged in the story. Cathy is paranoid and narcissistic, thinking that everyone in the town is judging and talking about her at all times. Elena is shallow and deluded - a social media influencer who readily accepts dark forces into her mind without a second thought until she is consumed by them. There is no-one to really root for or empathise with which made it difficult to get into and I found it dragged in a lot of places.
There are also odd choices in writing style - the town that the events happen in, for example, is always referred to as 'F-'. I'm assuming that this is supposed to be alluding to the fact the name of the town is redacted, but I found this jarring and it took me out of the story - I would have preferred just a made-up name to be used. In Elena's perspective, certain words are oddly capitalised - such as SOUL and WILL which made very little sense. I would have liked to have more of an understanding of what she meant by hearing her soul talking to her as this event happens before the events in the book take place.
There is a third perspective which is interesting, but I found this, added to the end reveal about what had been happening to be confusing. I didn't understand how the words had been found to be written down - this is certainly a big plot hole! It is more of a horror story as there are some paranormal elements and I found that as I didn't like any of the characters there were very little stakes involved for me.
Overall, The Witch in the Well did not draw me in - with unlikeable characters and odd writing choices which culminated in a confusing conclusion. Thank you to NetGalley & Random House UK, Transworld Publishers & Bantam Press for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
