Review: The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco

Title: The Girl from the Well

Series: The Girl from the Well #1

Author: Rin Chupeco

Genre: YA, paranormal, horror

Publication date: August 2014

Published by: Sourcebooks Fire

Source: Borrowed from library

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Synopsis:

You may think me biased, being murdered myself. But my state of being has nothing to do with the curiosity toward my own species, if we can be called such. We do not go gentle, as your poet encourages, into that good night.

A dead girl walks the streets.

She hunts murderers. Child killers, much like the man who threw her body down a well three hundred years ago.

And when a strange boy bearing stranger tattoos moves into the neighborhood so, she discovers, does something else. And soon both will be drawn into the world of eerie doll rituals and dark Shinto exorcisms that will take them from American suburbia to the remote valleys and shrines of Aomori, Japan.

Because the boy has a terrifying secret - one that would just kill to get out.

The Girl from the Well is A YA Horror novel pitched as "Dexter" meets "The Grudge", based on a well-loved Japanese ghost story.

My rating: ★★★★☆
It's no surprise that I love horror. What is a surprise is that this book was completely off my radar until I saw the sequel. So I immediately fixed that and read Girl from the Well! I heard/saw somewhere that this was kind of like a cross between the movies The Ring and The Exorcist, and I agree! It very much was like them! It's one of the reasons why I was initially drawn to this series, and I'm so glad I read it 'cause it was awesome! One thing I didn't know was that Girl from the Well and The Ring are both based on the same myth/legend! So awesome! Even more great is that this book is told in the POV of the killer ghost! :D It was such a unique perspective that I quite loved and one I wish happened more often. And, okay, before you start freaking out, this ghost only goes after child killers, as she herself was murdered way back when. The concept was just fantastic, to say the least.

I very much enjoyed following our little ghost as she went around killing all those bastards. It was actually one of my favorite parts! :D It was super creepy! One guy in particular seriously gave me the chills... He got too close for comfort! This actually kind of reminded me of something that might be on Criminal Minds (all the sociopaths and feels... Ugh!)... Minus the ghost part, of course ;) haha.

I also loved Tark. He was so sarcastic and sassy, you just can't help but love him! Oh, and I also loved his cousin Callie. They had a great dynamic; how they were sibling-like with each other... I loved it!

Another reason why I immediately picked up this book once I found it was because a good chunk of it is set in Japan! I love Japan! Well, I've never actually been, though one day I would like to, but I just find that place so fascinating and with a very intriguing culture.

Overall, I really liked it! The whole situation with Tark and the murderous demon and the protective ghost was very interesting, and it was super creepy with a ton of suspense and action (especially toward the end!). I loved the characters, the setting in Japan, the horror aspect, and the legend it was based on was interesting! Awesome book! You should read it (especially if you love horror!) :)

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think about it? If not, what do you think? Does it sound like something you might want to read? Leave me a link to your review or comment below! :)