H2O (The Rain #1) by Virginia Bergin - Ashley's Review

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


Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads | TBD

Title: H2O (The Rain #1)
Author: Virginia Bergin
Publication Date: October 7th, 2014

Interview with Virginia Bergin

Synopsis: It's in the rain...and just one drop will kill you.

They don't believe it at first. Crowded in Zach's kitchen, Ruby and the rest of the partygoers laugh at Zach's parents' frenzied push to get them all inside as it starts to drizzle. But then the radio comes on with the warning, "It's in the rain! It's fatal, it's contagious, and there's no cure."

Two weeks later, Ruby is alone. Anyone who's been touched by rain or washed their hands with tap water is dead. The only drinkable water is quickly running out. Ruby's only chance for survival is a treacherous hike across the country to find her father-if he's even still alive.

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Review: As soon as I read the synopsis for this book, it had my attention. I love books where natural phenomena all of a sudden turn deadly. Eco-thrillers, I guess? Especially ones that don't seem like they're too far off from something that could actually happen. So when there's something in the rain, I knew I had to read this book to find out more! 

There was quite a bit I really liked about this book. I think Bergin's writing is really great, and there's enough information about things going on so that you can follow along without having to go into too much back story. You learn about the rain and what's happening with Ruby with a few flashbacks just for clarification. I think the plot moves along pretty well most of the time, although there are several parts where things seem to slow to a crawl and I found it difficult to continue reading. 

I liked that Ruby was forced to grow up pretty quickly because I really, really hated her in the beginning. It took me a long time to warm up to her enough so that I could actually finish this book, and I still think she has a lot of growing up to do. She's whiny, annoying, selfish, and just everything about her made me want to punch her in the throat to get her to shut up. When she's left alone, she has to figure out how to survive, and she stops whining about petty things (like losing her cell phone) as much and starts worrying about more important things... like not dying. I still kind of hated her at the end of the book, but definitely not as much as I did to begin with.

Before they die, Ruby's friends are awful too. They're superficial and pretty flat, and I really didn't care that almost all of them die right up front. Like maybe if you weren't such an idiot you could have lived a little bit longer. There are some characters, likes Ruby's stepdad, that I actually ended up actually being able to connect with, but they were really few and far between. I'm really hoping the next book has some better characters so I can spend more time enjoying the plot and less time wishing all of these people would just kick the bucket already.

Even though the premise sounded fantastic and thrilling, I think my enjoyment of this book was really hampered by how much I hated Ruby. I had to put the book down for a while because she made me so angry and then it took me a while to get back into it. It's hard for me to recommend this to anyone since it was difficult for me to connect with the characters. If characters aren't as important to you as the plot and you enjoy books where nature turns dangerous, you might enjoy H2O. I think I'll still read the next book, but it might be a while before I can get back into Ruby's head. 2.5/5. 


--Ashley

SPOTLIGHT TOUR: Smoked (Scorched #3) by Mari Mancusi - Excerpt + GIVEAWAY!

Hello! We're super excited to be a part of the spotlight tour for the newest book in Mari Mancusi's Scorched series, Smoked! It will be out on September 1st, 2015 from Sourcebooks Fire, and we can't wait. We have an excerpt and a giveaway for you, so be sure to enter to win the entire trilogy via the Rafflecopter form at the end of this post!

About the Book

Title: Smoked
Author: Mari Mancusi
Series: Scorched, #3
Publication date: September 1st, 2015
ISBN: 9781402284649

Synopsis: Once upon a time the world burned.
Until a girl and her dragon smothered the flame.
But the spark that ignited the apocalypse never went out.
And the scorch is about to begin…

When Team Dragon rescues Emmy from the government lab, they think the future is finally safe. But they soon discover that Emmy has a secret—a secret so dangerous it could trigger the very apocalypse Connor and Caleb were sent back in time to prevent.

As a dragon hunter, Connor has committed his life to saving the world. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do to complete his mission…even if it meant betraying his brother and losing Trinity’s heart. Even if it meant doing the unthinkable.

But a desperate choice meant to prevent The Scorch, may be the spark that sets the world aflame once more.

The epic conclusion to the genre-bending Scorched series, which Melissa de la Cruz, New York Times bestselling author of the Blue Bloods series, called  "A heart-pounding, twisty, time-travel fantasy.”

Buy Links: 

Amazon • Apple • BAM • B&N • Chapters • Indiebound

About the Author

Mari Mancusi is a two-time Emmy award-winning television producer and author of novels for adults and teens. A graduate of Boston University, she now lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and young daughter. When not writing or producing she enjoys traveling, snowboarding, reading fantasy novels, and her favorite guilty pleasure: video games.

Read an Excerpt

“Okay, Fire Kissed,” he said. “It’s showtime.”

Together they jumped out of the truck, slamming the doors behind them. Connor ran around the back, rolling up the door and pulling out a huge box. Trinity helped him heave it onto the loading dock.

“Are you okay in there?” she whispered to the box. “Perfect,” Nate assured her from inside. “You guys go on ahead. I should be close enough now to hack into their security cameras and get them offline.” He paused then added, “Good luck. Just don’t forget about me once you have your dragon.”

“Never,” Trinity assured him, patting the box. Then she rose to her feet and approached Connor. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

With confident, casual steps, they strode up to the guard, who was propped in a chair by the elevator, his feet up, nose in a book, completely ignoring the chaos around him. Guess deliveries weren’t in his job description. Connor gave him a small smile. “We need the elevator,” he informed him.

“Yeah, well, I need my ex-wife to get off my back,” the guard said lazily, snapping his gum. “We’ve all got problems.” Connor’s eyes zeroed in on him. “I don’t think you under- stand,” he said. “We need the elevator. We need to get upstairs. You need to let us in.”

Trinity drew in a breath, watching him work. She had to admit, Connor looked particularly hot when he was working to manipulate people’s minds. It was like he got this look in his eyes—those blue, glowing eyes of his—like he was some kind of Jedi Master or something. Truth be told, it kind of made her want to jump his bones. Not that this was the time or the place.

Pushing the inappropriate thought down, she turned back to his victim. Sure enough, the man’s face had gone slack, and he was staring up at Connor with vacant eyes. “You need the elevator,” he droned. “You need to get upstairs. You need me to let you in.”

Then, to Trinity’s excitement, he slowly rose to his feet, walked over to the elevator in question, and inserted his key. Just like that. A moment later, the doors yawned open. The guard looked at them expectantly.

Trin flashed Connor an approving look. You didn’t even need my help for that one, she teased.

Yeah, well, it’s all you from here on out, he shot back, but he looked pleased by the compliment all the same.

The Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

BOOK BLITZ: The Suffering (The Girl From the Well #2) by Rin Chupeco + GIVEAWAY!

About the Book

Title: The Suffering
Author: Rin Chupeco
Release Date: September 1, 2015
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Synopsis: Breathtaking and haunting, Rin Chupeco’s second novel is a chilling companion to her debut, The Girl from the Well.

The darkness will find you. 

Seventeen-year-old Tark knows what it is to be powerless. But Okiku changed that. A restless spirit who ended life as a victim and started death as an avenger, she’s groomed Tark to destroy the wicked. But when darkness pulls them deep into Aokigahara, known as Japan’s suicide forest, Okiku’s justice becomes blurred, and Tark is the one who will pay the price…

Praise for the Suffering:

"Rin Chupeco's The Suffering is a horror lover's dream: murders, possessed dolls, and desiccated corpses. I cringed. I grimaced. You won't soon forget this exorcist and his vengeful water ghost."
--Kendare Blake, author of Anna Dressed in Blood

“Chupeco deftly combines ancient mysticism with contemporary dilemmas that teens face, immersing readers in horrors both supernatural and manmade. The Suffering is a chilling swim through the murky waters of morality.”
--Carly Anne West, author of The Bargaining and The Murmuring

Buy Links:

Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Books A Million • iBooks • !ndigo • Indiebound

About the Author

Despite uncanny resemblances to Japanese revenants, Rin Chupeco has always maintained her sense of humor. Raised in Manila, Philippines, she keeps four pets: a dog, two birds, and a husband. She's been a technical writer and travel blogger, but now makes things up for a living. Connect with Rin at www.rinchupeco.com.

Social Networking Links: Website • Twitter

Excerpt from The Suffering

It’s still early morning when our group is given clearance to enter. Aokigahara is a deceptive forest. It has all the hallmarks of a popular tourist destination: narrow but well-­maintained hiking trails with a surprising amount of litter, not to mention strips of tape and ribbon wrapped around tree trunks. The leader explains that hikers use them as markers to maintain their bearings. Later on, one of the other volunteers whispers to us that some of the tapes were left by those who came here to kill themselves, in case they decided to change their minds. The revelation horrifies Callie.
A few miles into our hike, anything resembling civilization disappears. Roots crawl across the hard forest floor, and it’s easy to trip if you’re not constantly looking down. We’re outside, but the trees make it feel claustrophobic. They reach hungrily toward the sun, fighting each other for drops of light, and this selfishness grows with the darkness as we move deeper into the woods.
It’s quiet. The silence is broken by the scuffling of feet or snapping of dry twigs as we walk. Every so often, volunteers call back and forth to each other, and rescue dogs exploring the same vicinity that we are will bark. But there are no bird calls, no sounds of scampering squirrels. We’re told that there is very little wildlife in Jukai. Nothing seems to flourish here but trees.
This deep into the woods, any roads and cleared paths are gone. At times, we’re forced to climb to a higher ledge or slide down steep slopes to proceed, and there’s always some root or rock hiding to twist an ankle.
And yet—­the forest is beautiful. I like myself too much to seriously think about suicide, even during my old bouts of depression, but I can understand why people would choose to die here. There is something noble and enduring and magnificent about the forest.
That sense of wonder disappears though, the instant I see them. There are spirits here. And the ghosts mar the peacefulness for me. They hang from branches and loiter at the base of tree trunks. Their eyes are open and their skin is gray, and they watch me as I pass. I don’t know what kind of people they were in life, but they seem faded and insignificant in death.
Okiku watches them but takes no action. These are not the people she hunts. They don’t attack us because they’re not that kind of ghosts. Most of them, I intuit, aren’t violent. The only lives they had ever been capable of taking were their own.
I’m not afraid, despite their bloated faces, contorted from the ropes they use to hang themselves or the overdose of sleeping pills they’ve taken. If anything, I feel lingering sadness. I can sympathize with their helpless anguish. These people took their own lives, hoping to find some meaning in death when they couldn’t find it in life. But there’s nothing here but regret and longing.
And there’s that tickle again, so light it is nearly imperceptible. Something in this forest attracts these deaths. It lures its unhappy victims with its strange siren’s call and then, having taken what it needs, leaves their spirits to rot. A Venus flytrap for human souls.
Something is wrong here, and suddenly, the forest no longer looks as enticing or majestic as when we arrived.

New in Paperback from this Author: The Girl From The Well

Praise for The Girl From The Well:

“[A] Stephen King-like horror story.” -Kirkus Reviews          

“Told in a marvelously disjointed fashion.”  -Publishers Weekly STARRED Review                            
“This gorgeously written story reads like poetry.” -Brazos Bookstore                                                                    
“Darkly mesmerizing.”-The Boston Globe

“A superior creep factor that is pervasive in every lyrical word.” -Booklist

Title: The Girl From the Well
Author: Rin Chupeco
Publication Date: August 5, 2014
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Synopsis:  The Ring  meets The Exorcist in this haunting and lyrical reimagining of the Japanese fable.

Okiku has wandered the world for hundreds of years, setting free the spirits of murdered children. Wherever there’s a monster hurting a child, her spirit is there to deliver punishment. Such is her existence, until the day she discovers a troubled American teenager named Tark and the dangerous demon that writhes beneath his skin, trapped by a series of intricate tattoos. Tark needs to be freed, but there is one problem—if the demon dies, so does its host.

With the vigilante spirit Okiku as his guide, Tark is drawn deep into a dark world of sinister doll rituals and Shinto exorcisms that will take him far from American suburbia to the remote valleys and shrines of Japan. Can Okiku protect him from the demon within or will her presence bring more harm? The answer lies in the depths of a long-forgotten well

Buy Links:

Amazon • Barnes&Noble • Books A Million • iBooks • !ndigo • Indiebound

The Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Suffering (The Girl From the Well #2) by Rin Chupeco - Ashley's Pre-Reading

*I received this book as an eARC from Sourcebooks Fire on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: The Suffering (The Girl From the Well #2)
Author: Rin Chupeco
Publication Date: September 8, 2015

My The Girl From the Well Review
My The Girl From the Well Pre-Reading

Synopsis: Over the last year I've gone against faceless women, disfigured spirits, and grotesque revenants. Some people keep dangerous hobbies; skydiving and driving at monster truck rallies and glacier surfing. Me? I cast my soul into the churning waters of potential damnation and wait for a bite. 

It’s been two years since Tark Halloway’s nightmare ended. Free from the evil spirit that haunted him all his life, he now aids the ghostly Okiku and avenges the souls of innocent children by hunting down their murderers. But when Okiku becomes responsible for a death at his high school, Tark begins to wonder if they’re no better than the killers they seek out.

When an old friend disappears in Aokigahara, Japan’s infamous ‘suicide forest’, both must resolve their differences and return to that country of secrets to find her. 

Because there is a strange village inside Aokigahara, a village people claim does not exist. A village where strange things lie waiting.

A village with old ghosts and an ancient evil – one that may be stronger than even Okiku…

Why?: I really enjoyed The Girl From the Well, but I thought that it was a standalone. So when I found out there was a companion novel, I knew I had to read it ASAP. I loved Okiku (even though she can be pretty terrifying), and I loved the relationship between her and Tark. I'm excited to find out that happened after the end of The Girl From the Well and to learn more about Aokigahara. 

Expectations: I have pretty high expectations for this book. I expect there to be a lot of pretty scary moments, terrible monsters/ghosts, and gorgeous writing. I;m actually just really excited to go back to Japan with Tark and Okiku and learn more about the legends and the horrors and the secrets there.

Judging a book by its cover: I actually really love this cover. It's creepy, but still beautiful. I love that Okiku is standing in front of a forest, and I'm really glad that it's all in black and white. It definitely has a The Ring or The Grudge feel about it, which is what I really liked about the first book. I also really like how the title is in red - it stands out and still adds to the whole creepy vibe of the book. I'd definitely pick this up if I saw it on a shelf somewhere!


--Ashley

Spelled by Betsy Schow - Ashley's Review

*I received this book as an eARC from Sourcebooks FIRE on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*


Amazon | B&N | BAM | !ndigo | IndieBound | Kindle | Nook | Goodreads
Title: Spelled
Author: Betsy Schow
Publication Date: June 2, 2015

Synopsis: Fairy Tale Survival Rule #32: If you find yourself at the mercy of a wicked witch, sing a romantic ballad and wait for your Prince Charming to save the day.

Yeah, no thanks. Dorthea is completely princed out. Sure being the crown princess of Emerald has its perks—like Glenda Original ball gowns and Hans Christian Louboutin heels. But a forced marriage to the brooding prince Kato is so not what Dorthea had in mind for her enchanted future.

Talk about unhappily ever after. 

Trying to fix her prince problem by wishing on a (cursed) star royally backfires, leaving the kingdom in chaos and her parents stuck in some place called "Kansas." Now it's up to Dorthea and her pixed off prince to find the mysterious Wizard of Oz and undo the curse...before it releases the wickedest witch of all and spells The End for the world of Story.

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Review: I am always up for reading a book that takes classic, popular fairy tales and twists them into something fun and new. Especially when so many fairy tales are combined into one! Betsy Schow takes stories that have absolutely nothing to do with each other, melts them all down, and forges something that's a mix of old and new and left my sides aching from laughing so hard!

Dorthea is not at all your typical fairy tale princess. In fact, she's kind of a brat. A brat with killer shows, bu a brat nonetheless. I understand that she's been trapped in the castle her whole life and her parents keep trying to marry her off, but I did not like her attitude at all when I first started this book. But then, things change. Dorthea (kind of) changes. And her bad attitude and selfishness make for such a hilarious story that I couldn't help but (mostly) forgive her. 

One of my favorite things in this book was all of the "Fairy Tale Survival Rules" sprinkled throughout. They're all things that are so common and overdone in fairy tales, and I loved how Betsy made fun of them and placed them in exactly the right places. It was a lot of fun to try and figure out which fairy tales the rules are referring to, and to see the situations where maybe the rules aren't such a bad idea after all. Especially when Dothea scoffs at them and then gets herself into more trouble because she didn't heed them.

Another really fun part of this book is seeing all of the fairy tales smashed into one book. It's done really well, and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting all of my favorite characters from popular stories, and even a few from more obscure stories. The Wizard of Oz is definitely the main one, and there are the most references from and nods to those books, but we also get too see people from stories like Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, and more. There are also all kinds of magical beasts and creatures and objects, and I'm sure that I missed just as many references as I picked up. 

Overall, this is a really fun book, and I'm so glad that I read it. There are so many books based on fairy tales and fairy tales characters out there right now, and Spelled was a really nice change of pace. I can't remember the last time I laughed so much while reading a book (that I wasn't even really expecting to be that funny!), so that was a really pleasant surprise. I'd totally recommend this book to all of my fairy tale-loving friends! Especially the ones who appreciate a nice pair of heels. 4/5!


--Ashley

The Boy With the Hidden Name (Otherworld #2) by Skylar Dorset - Ashley's Pre-Reading

*I received this book as an eARC from Sourcebooks Fire on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: The Boy With the Hidden Name (Otherworld #2)
Author: Skylar Dorset
Publication Date: December 2, 2014

My The Girl Who Never Was Review
My The Girl Who Never Was Pre-Reading

Synopsis: This is not your average trip to Fairyland...

Selkie Stewart has just saved her quasi-boyfriend, Ben, from a fairy prison run by the Seelie Court. If they weren't the two most-wanted individuals in the Otherworld before, they definitely are now. Along with Ben and the rest of their ragtag group of allies-Selkie's ogre aunts; a wizard named Will; Ben's cousin Safford; and Kelsey, Selkie's best friend-Selkie is ready to embrace her destiny and bring the Court down.

Until she hears the rest of her prophecy: Benedict le Fay will betray you, and then he will die

Why?: I absolutely loved The Girl Who Never Was and after that ending, I knew I had to read The Boy With the Hidden Name ASAP! I have so many unanswered questions, especially about Ben (because wtf are you doing, Ben), and I have to know if Selkie and her friends succeed in their mission! Prophecies are tricky things, so you never know what will happen....

Expectations: After loving The Girl Who Never Was, I have pretty high expectations for this book. I expect this book to be fast-paced and full of action and romance, and a little bit of mystery. I except a lot of my questions to be answered, since I'm pretty sure this series isn't a trilogy. I expect to see old, familiar faces and meet some new people along the way. I'm so excited to jump into this book!

Judging a book by its cover: There are just so many things that I love about this cover! I love that it's exactly the same as the cover from The Girl Who Never Was, only upside down. Now it features Ben on top and Selkie upside down. I love the colors. I love the way the title looks. I want this book on my shelf ASAP!


--Ashley

The Girl Who Never Was (Otherworld #1) by Skylar Dorset - Ashley's Review

*I received this book as an eARC from Sourcebooks FIRE on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: The Girl Who Never Was (Otherworld #1)
Author: Skylar Dorset
Publication Date: June 1, 2014

Synopsis: "Today is my birthday."

In Selkie's family, you don't celebrate birthdays. You don't talk about birthdays. And you never, ever reveal your birth date.

Until now.

The instant Selkie blurts out the truth to Ben in the middle of Boston Common, her whole world shatters.

Because her life has been nothing but a lie—an elaborate enchantment meant to conceal the truth: Selkie is a half-faerie princess.

And her mother wants her dead.

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Review: I had ridiculously high expectations for this book. Like, way unreasonably high. And honestly, The Girl Who Never Was delivered on all accounts, and then some! I absolutely adored this book, and when I finished it I was so glad that I had an early copy of The Boy With The Hidden Name so that I could pick it up immediately. 

This book does start off a little slow, but it makes sense and definitely picks up the pace pretty quickly. Selkie starts off as a pretty average girl living a pretty average life, so I was ok with the plot not really doing much of anything at first. It's a nice introduction to the characters before we get into the crazy stuff. And then once she tells Ben her birthday... everything changes and kept me on the edge of my seat! 

The world building in The Girl Who Never Was is done very well, and I enjoyed learning more about the faerie world as Selkie did. She's just as clueless as the reader, which was nice. Information dumps are often done in the form of conversation, so it didn't read slowly or anything. I found it interesting how certain parts of our world are more magical than others and how Skylar incorporated places with real faerie stories/hoaxes into the book. I think it made it more relatable to us regular people. 

I also thought that the romance was done very well. Sure, Ben measures time differently than Selkie and has probably been around much longer than she has, but they still work really well together and watching their friendship turn in to something more was fun and exciting. It's an important part of the book, but it isn't always front and center, and takes a backseat when there are other significant things going on. Selkie's feelings do influence her decisions, but they also tend to help get her out of sticky situations.

If you are looking for a really great fantasy book, look no further than The Girl Who Never Was! It has everything I look for in a great fantasy, and is written with excellent prose. Skylar has a way with words that makes them come alive and jump off of the page, and I can't wait to see what she has in store with the rest of this series! A 4/5! 


--Ashley

The Girl Who Never Was (Otherworld #1) by Skylar Dorset - Ashley's Pre-Reading

*I received this book as an eARC from Sourcebooks FIRE on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: The Girl Who Never Was (Otherworld #1)
Author: Skylar Dorset
Publication Date: June 1, 2014

Synopsis: "Today is my birthday."

In Selkie's family, you don't celebrate birthdays. You don't talk about birthdays. And you never, ever reveal your birth date.

Until now.

The instant Selkie blurts out the truth to Ben in the middle of Boston Common, her whole world shatters.

Because her life has been nothing but a lie—an elaborate enchantment meant to conceal the truth: Selkie is a half-faerie princess.

And her mother wants her dead.

Why?: I love a good fantasy book. This one has enchantments, faeries, half-faeries, probably other magical creatures, and it just sounds like something that's right up my alley. Oh, Selkie's mother wants her dead, so throw in some intense scenes and probably Selkie running for his life and trying to figure out WTF is actually going on. Yup. Count me in.

Expectations: This book sounds really epic, so I've got some pretty high expectations for it. I've never read anything by Skylar, so my high expectations are based solely on the synopsis. I also expect a lot of world-building and answers to questions, with even more questions coming up. I can't wait to start this book!

Judging a book by its cover: I actually really love this cover. I love how the boy is reaching through the puddle to hand the girl a rose, and how the title goes around parts of them and over other parts. I really like the colors too. I would definitely pick this book up off a shelf in a bookstore, and it's what initially drew me to the book in the first place.


--Ashley

BLOG TOUR: The Girl From the Well by Rin Chupeco - Ashley's Review + GIVEAWAY!

Happy Friday! Today, we're really excited to be participating in the blog tour for Rin Chupeco's debut novel, The Girl From the Well, out now from Sourcebooks Fire. As part of the tour, we have Ashley's review for you (she LOVED it!), as well as a giveaway for a hardcover copy of The Girl From the Well (US/CAN only). So make sure you enter to win via the Rafflecopter form at the end of this post!

And if you haven't seen it yet, you can see the book trailer (which is wonderfully creepy and captures the mood of this book perfectly) by following this link!

Before we get to Ashley's review and the giveaway, here's a little information about The Girl From the Well, Rin, and some advanced praise for her book!

About the Book

The Girl from The Well ● Author: Rin Chupeco

Sourcebooks Fire ● August 5, 2014 ● ISBN: 9781402292187

Hardcover/$16.99 U.S. ● Ages 14+

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

The Ring meets The Exorcist in this haunting and lyrical reimagining of the Japanese fable.

Okiku has wandered the world for hundreds of years, setting free the spirits of murdered children. Wherever there’s a monster hurting a child, her spirit is there to deliver punishment. Such is her existence, until the day she discovers a troubled American teenager named Tark and the dangerous demon that writhes beneath his skin, trapped by a series of intricate tattoos. Tark needs to be freed, but there is one problem—if the demon dies, so does its host.

With the vigilante spirit Okiku as his guide, Tark is drawn deep into a dark world of sinister doll rituals and Shinto exorcisms that will take him far from American suburbia to the remote valleys and shrines of Japan. Can Okiku protect him from the demon within or will her presence bring more harm? The answer lies in the depths of a long-forgotten well.

Praise for The Girl From the Well:

“[A] Stephen King–like horror story…A chilling, bloody ghost story that resonates.” –Kirkus Reviews

“Chupeco makes a powerful debut with this unsettling ghost story…told in a marvelously disjointed fashion from Okiku’s numbers-obsessed point of view, this story unfolds with creepy imagery and an intimate appreciation for Japanese horror, myth, and legend.” –Publishers Weekly, STARRED

“The Girl from the Well is part The Ring, part The Grudge and part The Exorcist…A fantastically creepy story sure to keep readers up at night… Okiku is one of the most interesting YA characters to date.” RT Book Reviews, 4 ½ STARS-TOP PICK!

“A dark novel that will appeal to horror fans, lovers of Elizabeth Scott’s ‘Living Dead Girl.’” –School Library Journal

About the Author

Despite uncanny resemblances to Japanese revenants, Rin Chupeco has always maintained her sense of humor. Raised in Manila, Philippines, she keeps four pets: a dog, two birds, and a husband. She’s been a technical writer and travel blogger, but now makes things up for a living. The Girl from the Well is her debut novel. Connect with Rin at www.rinchupeco.com.

Ashley's 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!

The Giveaway!

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Thanks for stopping by! 


--Ashley & Paul

TRAILER REVEAL: The Girl From the Well by Rin Chupeco

Hi, all! Tomorrow is the release day for Rin Chupeco's debut novel, The Girl From the Well, from Sourcebooks Fire! Today, in celebration of the the release, we have the trailer for The Girl From the Well for you! The trailer is dark and suspenseful and definitely sets the mood for the book.

Be sure to stop back next week to read Ashley's review of The Girl From the Well. She loved it, and you'll have the opportunity to win a copy of your very own.

Before we share the trailer with you, take a minute to read a little bit about the book and Rin!

About the Book

Goodreads | August 5, 2014 at Sourcebooks
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound
Title: The Girl From the Well
Author: Rin Chupeco
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication Date: August 5, 2014

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.

About the Author

Despite an unsettling resemblance to Japanese revenants, Rin always maintains her sense of hummus. Born and raised in Manila, Philippines, she keeps four pets: a dog, two birds, and a husband. Dances like the neighbors are watching.

Her work, The Girl from the Well, is a YA psychological horror novel due out in Fall 2014, pitched as "Dexter" meets "The Grudge". She is represented by Nicole LaBombard and Rebecca Podos of the Helen Rees Agency.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

The Trailer!

So, what do you think of the trailer? Leave a comment and let us know! 

--Ashley & Paul

The Girl From the Well by Rin Chupeco - Ashley's Pre-Reading

*I received this book as an eARC from Sourcebooks Fire on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: The Girl From the Well
Author: Rin Chupeco
Publication Date: August 5, 2014

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.

Why?: I never saw The Ring (the US version or the original Japanese one) since I've only recently started watching/enjoying horror movies, but the story really interests me. This book seems like it will be just as terrifying but since it's told from the perspective of the girl, I think it will be really interesting. Why does she haunt people (other than the fact that some jerk threw her down a well)? How is her fate tied to the fate of the strange boy? What is the boy's secret?! I just have so many questions!

Expectations: I really enjoyed "Dexter" - both the TV series and the first book - so I'm hoping that a girl who kills murderers will be just as intriguing as a serial killer who kills serial killers. Well, except she's a ghost and not a blood splatter analyst. I'm also expecting this book to be absolutely terrifying. And have a lot of mystery. Maybe even some magic? I've got pretty high expectations for this book even though I haven't read anything from Rin Chupeco or read any reviews for The Girl From the Well. 

Judging a book by its cover: This cover is nice and creepy, and I think it fits the title pretty well. Except that there isn't an actual well on it... and I kind of wish there was. It makes me think that crows will be important to the story. I do like the colors and how the tree branches look dead though, and the typography of the title. I'd be pretty likely to pick this book up based on the cover alone.


--Ashley