{"id":4432,"date":"2025-10-13T12:05:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T12:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=4432"},"modified":"2025-10-13T12:05:00","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T12:05:00","slug":"book-review-what-the-water-remembers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=4432","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: What the Water Remembers"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-4b2eccd6 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-text-color has-large-font-size\"><strong><em>What the Water Remembers<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-regular-font-size\">by Elyse Welles<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Genre:<\/strong> Mystery, Thriller &amp; Suspense \/ Supernatural<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>ISBN: <\/strong>9781960018618<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Print Length:<\/strong> 320 pages<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Publisher:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/runningwildpublishing.com\/rize-press\/\">Rize Press<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"align-button-center ub-buttons orientation-button-row ub-flex-wrap wp-block-ub-button\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-container\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/432BxjV\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ub-button-block-main   ub-button-flex\" rel=\"noopener\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-content-holder\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ub-button-icon-holder\">\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/span><span class=\"ub-button-block-btn\">Amazon<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"ub-button-container\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/5423\/9781960018618\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ub-button-block-main   ub-button-flex\" rel=\"noopener\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-content-holder\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ub-button-icon-holder\">\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/span><span class=\"ub-button-block-btn\">Bookshop<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>Reviewed by Krysti Ostermeyer<\/em><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"ub_advanced_heading wp-block-ub-advanced-heading\"><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong>A standout supernatural debut about a haunted home that will make you wonder if you forgot to lock your door<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><em>What the Water Remembers<\/em> follows Kendra and George, a 20-something couple, over the span of several weeks as they move into a historic home outside of the city. Little do they know: the house is also home to a ghost or two.<\/p>\n<p>Elyse Welles gets right to the point in <em>What the Water Remembers<\/em>, introducing the supernatural on page two; the female main character, Kendra, sees \u201csparkles\u201d while touring a house, which is one way that she visualizes ghosts. In this home, she\u2019s sensing at least two of them.<\/p>\n<p>See, Kendra is a witch; as George tells their realtor, who was discussing the issues with the home\u2019s previous owners, <strong><em>\u201cYou have no idea: Kendra can manage. She\u2019ll get the sage and the palo santo, and we\u2019ll be spic and span here\u2026 she might even enjoy herself.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> However, Kendra\u2019s beliefs run much deeper than simply burning sage throughout the house, which we\u2019ll come to learn throughout the book.<\/p>\n<p><span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Despite this, they put their worries aside. George, a photographer, and Kendra, a bank teller and writer, can feel themselves living here. Kendra thinks to herself, <strong><em>\u201cIt feels like home, somehow. It could be my home. It makes me want to write.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> They close on the home and move in quickly, set up their respective offices, and begin to catalog everything the house holds, including antiques in the basement, some of which are as old as the home itself.<\/p>\n<p>Shortly after moving in, Kendra\u2019s father comes to visit. A quick visit turns into staying for a day or two, as Dad is quite handy around the home. When Dad arrives, the supernatural activity begins to intensify, making it harder for her to conceal her own beliefs. She will have to come clean so that the three of them can work together to put the angry spirit where it belongs.<\/p>\n<p>Welles writes with authority on the supernatural and witchcraft. There are many nuances to the genre and plenty of fresh concepts and artifacts to explore for supernatural fans. No matter if you\u2019re new to witchcraft or have a cauldron bubbling in your basement, you\u2019ll be glad Welles is at the helm of this one.<\/p>\n<p>Another strength is George\u2019s characterization. His feelings of trepidation mix well with his excitement on moving to this small town as a Black man. The banter between Kendra and George is realistic and homey. There\u2019s no false portrayal in these two characters; their relationship feels natural and their dialogue even more so.<\/p>\n<p><em>What the Water Remembers<\/em> is a supernatural page-turner that\u2019ll have you wanting to leave the light on.<\/p>\n<div class=\"align-button-center ub-buttons orientation-button-row ub-flex-wrap wp-block-ub-button\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-container\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/432BxjV\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ub-button-block-main   ub-button-flex\" rel=\"noopener\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-content-holder\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ub-button-icon-holder\">\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/span><span class=\"ub-button-block-btn\">Amazon<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"ub-button-container\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/5423\/9781960018618\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ub-button-block-main   ub-button-flex\" rel=\"noopener\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-content-holder\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ub-button-icon-holder\">\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/span><span class=\"ub-button-block-btn\">Bookshop<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Thank you for reading Krysti Ostermeyer\u2019s book review of<em> What the Water Remembers <\/em>by Elyse Welles! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.<\/p>\n<div class=\"align-button-center ub-buttons orientation-button-row ub-flex-wrap wp-block-ub-button\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-container\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/independentbookreview.com\/category\/book-review\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ub-button-block-main   ub-button-flex\" rel=\"noopener\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-content-holder\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ub-button-icon-holder\">\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/span><span class=\"ub-button-block-btn\">Book Reviews<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"ub-button-container\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/independentbookreview.com\/category\/blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ub-button-block-main   ub-button-flex\" rel=\"noopener\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-content-holder\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ub-button-icon-holder\">\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/span><span class=\"ub-button-block-btn\">IBR Blog<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"ub-button-container\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/independentbookreview.com\/writers-only\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ub-button-block-main   ub-button-flex\" rel=\"noopener\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-content-holder\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ub-button-icon-holder\">\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/span><span class=\"ub-button-block-btn\">Resources for Writers<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/independentbookreview.com\/2025\/10\/13\/book-review-what-the-water-remembers\/\">Book Review: What the Water Remembers<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/independentbookreview.com\/\">Independent Book Review<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What the Water Remembers by Elyse Welles Genre: Mystery, Thriller &amp; Suspense \/ Supernatural ISBN: 9781960018618 Print Length: 320 pages Publisher: Rize Press Amazon Bookshop Reviewed by Krysti Ostermeyer A standout supernatural debut about a haunted home that will make you wonder if you forgot to lock your door What the Water Remembers follows Kendra [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":4433,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bookreviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4432"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4432"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4432\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}