This review originally posted at More Than Just Magic 
 Based on a traditional Japanese ghost story, The Girl from the Well is the extremely creepy story of a young girl who was murdered centuries ago. Now she walks the earth in a threadbare shift and long, black matted hair. She has one purpose - vengeance. She looks for men who have other dead children tied to their backs and she sets those children free. She moves from city to city, country to country, leaving a string of inexplicable murders in her wake. 
 Until she meets Tark, a teenage boy covered with strange tattoos. And he's being possessed by his own ghost. She doesn't know exactly why she is drawn to him and his cousin, but she decides to stick with them and watches as Tark struggles with his possession. 
 I really enjoyed the narrative style of this novel. It's told from the girl's point of view and she has a unique voice. She's invested in and curious about what's happening but she's also a little unstable and emotionally blank. She observes but she doesn't really comment, leaving you to draw your own conclusions about Tark, his cousin and his mother (the person who gave him the tattoos). I enjoyed the freedom of making up my own mind about these characters, rather than having the narrator's opinions thrust upon me. 
 Though I liked all the characters in this novel, Tark was easily my favourite. Despite is dire circumstances he was always quick with a joke or a bit of sarcasm. For example, "Dad says there are more than three thousand letters in the Japanese alphabet, which could pose a problem. There are only twenty-six letters in the English alphabet, and I get into enough trouble with them as it is." This attitude helped lighten up some of the darker parts of the novel. The Girl from the Well can be quite gruesome at times, so I enjoyed these brief interludes. 
 In addition to a rather unique narrator the writing style itself is unlike most YA books you'll find today. It was very atmospheric and lyrical in nature. There is a rhythm to the text, which would probably make an excellent audiobook. It's a short book but you'll still lose yourself in the story. It's so suspenseful and since the "monsters" are ghosts/demons they were extremely unpredictable. I wanted the best for all of these characters, but always feared for the worst. 
 If you like horror movies like The Ring or The Grudge or just regular dark and suspenseful tales, I recommend The Girl from the Well.