The Girl from the Well (The Girl from the Well, #1)
Okiku wants vengeance, and she gets it. Whenever there’s a monster hurting a child, the same way she was hurt three hundred years ago in Japan, her spirit is there to deliver punishment.
But one American boy, Tarquin, draws her in like no other. The two are pulled into a world of eerie doll rituals and dark Shinto exorcisms that will take them from the American Midwest to the remote valleys and shrines of Aomori, Japan. Tarquin is not a monster, but something evil writhes beneath his skin, trapped by a series of intricate tattoos. Can Okiku protect him? Or is her presence only bringing more harm?
Finally, a horror story that has an actual plot and is not just endless blood and gore (there actually are many horrifying killing scenes in the first half of this story, but that’s beside the point).
As the story slowly moves forward, you learn more and more about the evil that is haunting Tarquin and who and what Okiku really is. And who she is, is really amazing. This story’s Okiku is based on a Japanese ghost story, Bancho Sarayashiki or The Dish Mansion at Bancho. For the full version of Okiku’s story, click on the Wikipedia link below:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banchō_Sarayashiki
Okiku’s story is one of many Japanese horror stories that are the basis for movies like The Ring and The Grudge. I’ve read their movie plot descriptions on Wikipedia (I’m too scared to watch the movies), and Okiku’s original story is way more interesting. So, this book is basically an extended version of Okiku’s original story. How cool is that?!
The Suffering (The Girl from the Well, #2)
Seventeen-year-old Tarquin 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.
Honestly, I didn’t like this story as much as the first one. The whole thing was way too complex, had too many Japanese names to keep track of, and featured a sacrifice marriage ritual to open and control hell’s gate that made no sense to me.
I tried reading the first book years ago, but I just couldn’t get into it. The reason I’m into it now is because of the horror-filled web comic series, Erma.
Erma is about a little girl who is the daughter of a Japanese spirit and a mortal human. I am obsessed with this comic series, and if you love horror, I highly recommend checking it out. Link to comics: https://tapas.io/episode/255222
Sorry if these reviews are a bit vague, but I didn’t want to spoil the stories in any way. And I highly recommend not reading these books at night when you’re home alone.
This week’s Weird but True Fact about Japan
You can buy fresh eggs from vending machines in Japan.