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The Dark Sweetness at the Bottom of the Well
Elana Allard has been relentlessly, desperately drawn to the well since she was a child. Even in her sleep, she walks toward the final resting place of the shadow eating creature who lies at the bottom.
Her family has kept her safe, ensuring she’s lashed to her bed each night, leather cuffs tight around her ankles. They wish she’d marry a man who could keep her in bed, but Elana has never felt the spark of love the bards sing about with any man she’s met.
When a once in a century storm cracks the stone off the well, Elana’s desire to go there carves her out. She hungers, growing pale and sick, until at last she relents and goes to the well on her own.
There she finds the monster isn’t what she’d thought it was. The Darkness—Nessa—wants what many young women want: a nice place to stay, a nice dress to wear, and a trip into town with Elana.
And Elana feels things with Nessa that she’s never felt for a man. Most of all, she realizes there is no cure for the force that drew her toward the well. Toward the monster.
Toward the darkness.
With her brother’s suspicions plaguing her every move and the threat of banishment from her family to marry a man chosen for her, Elana must choose: a normal life that will keep her a prisoner forever, or a monstrous love unlike anything she’s ever felt that will ensure her alienation from everyone and everything she’s ever known.
Her family has kept her safe, ensuring she’s lashed to her bed each night, leather cuffs tight around her ankles. They wish she’d marry a man who could keep her in bed, but Elana has never felt the spark of love the bards sing about with any man she’s met.
When a once in a century storm cracks the stone off the well, Elana’s desire to go there carves her out. She hungers, growing pale and sick, until at last she relents and goes to the well on her own.
There she finds the monster isn’t what she’d thought it was. The Darkness—Nessa—wants what many young women want: a nice place to stay, a nice dress to wear, and a trip into town with Elana.
And Elana feels things with Nessa that she’s never felt for a man. Most of all, she realizes there is no cure for the force that drew her toward the well. Toward the monster.
Toward the darkness.
With her brother’s suspicions plaguing her every move and the threat of banishment from her family to marry a man chosen for her, Elana must choose: a normal life that will keep her a prisoner forever, or a monstrous love unlike anything she’s ever felt that will ensure her alienation from everyone and everything she’s ever known.
140 pages, Paperback
First published March 31, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 26, 2026
This was the perfect reintroduction to the fantasy genre. I don’t want to spoil anything -because you should read it, trust me- but the poetry of language, sapphic love and colourful world creation are captivating. Don’t sleep on Chandra, she is brilliant!
Review of advance copy received from Author
The Dark Sweetness at the Bottom of the Well by Chandra Fisher
4/5 ☆
𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬:
☆Novella
☆Sapphic
☆Fairytale
☆Forbidden romance
☆Mystical/whimsical vibes
𝐏𝐥𝐨𝐭: Elana has always been drawn to the well near her home, but when she finally reaches the creature at its bottom (Nessa) she discovers a love and connection unlike anything she’s known. Torn between her family’s expectations and a dark, freeing desire, Elana must choose between a safe life or a monstrous love that changes everything.
𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: Ive read a lot of books in my life but I can confidently say I’ve never read anything quite like this.
The Dark Sweetness at the Bottom of the Well is a novella, so it’s TINY, but it packs a punch. I literally flew through it in one sitting,
From the first page, the world Chandra builds feels both vast and intimate, full of dark corners and soft light.
I was hooked by the concept of Elana being physically drawn to a monster in a well, but the heart of the story is the relationship between Elana and Nessa. It was so touching to see Elana finally find the "spark" she never felt with the men in her village.
The atmosphere is dark and moody, but there’s a strange warmth running through it that makes the story linger long after you’ve finished. Without spoiling anything, I can say the ending felt perfect and left me thinking about the characters for hours.
My main issue with this book is that I want MORE. Some things needed a bit more exploring in my opinion. It does feel like a complete story in and of itself but I would’ve loved if this was a full length novel I could really sink my teeth into!
Nonetheless, I’ll take what I can get 😉
If you love stories that are eerie, romantic, and completely unlike anything else on your shelf (or if you’re just looking for a tiny read to hit your reading goal) pick this one up!
Thank you to @thatchandrafisher for the gifted copy!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wormy.books/
4/5 ☆
𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬:
☆Novella
☆Sapphic
☆Fairytale
☆Forbidden romance
☆Mystical/whimsical vibes
𝐏𝐥𝐨𝐭: Elana has always been drawn to the well near her home, but when she finally reaches the creature at its bottom (Nessa) she discovers a love and connection unlike anything she’s known. Torn between her family’s expectations and a dark, freeing desire, Elana must choose between a safe life or a monstrous love that changes everything.
𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: Ive read a lot of books in my life but I can confidently say I’ve never read anything quite like this.
The Dark Sweetness at the Bottom of the Well is a novella, so it’s TINY, but it packs a punch. I literally flew through it in one sitting,
From the first page, the world Chandra builds feels both vast and intimate, full of dark corners and soft light.
I was hooked by the concept of Elana being physically drawn to a monster in a well, but the heart of the story is the relationship between Elana and Nessa. It was so touching to see Elana finally find the "spark" she never felt with the men in her village.
The atmosphere is dark and moody, but there’s a strange warmth running through it that makes the story linger long after you’ve finished. Without spoiling anything, I can say the ending felt perfect and left me thinking about the characters for hours.
My main issue with this book is that I want MORE. Some things needed a bit more exploring in my opinion. It does feel like a complete story in and of itself but I would’ve loved if this was a full length novel I could really sink my teeth into!
Nonetheless, I’ll take what I can get 😉
If you love stories that are eerie, romantic, and completely unlike anything else on your shelf (or if you’re just looking for a tiny read to hit your reading goal) pick this one up!
Thank you to @thatchandrafisher for the gifted copy!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wormy.books/
Review of advance copy received from Author
Firstly, thank you so much to the author, Chandra Fisher for sending us a copy of your book. You didn't ask for a review, but yet, here we are :)
I really enjoyed this novella - I think the author did a great job in building this world to feel so vast while also feeling intimate. The concept of this story hooked me instantly, and while reading it it was giving me One Dark Window/Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig vibes. The atmosphere was dark and moody but also fully incased in light which I think adds to the story of our main characters Nessa, and Elana. Lastly, I think the relationship between Nessa and Elana was so touching, and without giving any spoiler away, I'm just glad with how to story turned out.
Thanks again to the author for sending us a copy before its released - we are looking forward to having your books on our shelves for many years to come!
I really enjoyed this novella - I think the author did a great job in building this world to feel so vast while also feeling intimate. The concept of this story hooked me instantly, and while reading it it was giving me One Dark Window/Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig vibes. The atmosphere was dark and moody but also fully incased in light which I think adds to the story of our main characters Nessa, and Elana. Lastly, I think the relationship between Nessa and Elana was so touching, and without giving any spoiler away, I'm just glad with how to story turned out.
Thanks again to the author for sending us a copy before its released - we are looking forward to having your books on our shelves for many years to come!
July 4, 2026
The Dark Sweetness At The Bottom Of The Well was such an incredibly beautiful story. It was so well written and the flow of words easily painted pictures in my mind. Even my inner reading monologue was ethereal, and soft, and it felt like I was listening to this story being told.
I picked up on the underlying message, of my own interpretation, almost immediately. The meaning behind the darkness, the shadows, the fear that once plagued people, and the light within that darkness. And that final line solidified it. Love always wins.
Though much of what I read is a 3-4 level spice, sometimes you really don’t need it for a book to be so powerful and unforgettable. I highly recommend this book, for the writing, the message, and for Nessa. Outstanding work Chandra, I cannot wait to read more from you!
I picked up on the underlying message, of my own interpretation, almost immediately. The meaning behind the darkness, the shadows, the fear that once plagued people, and the light within that darkness. And that final line solidified it. Love always wins.
Though much of what I read is a 3-4 level spice, sometimes you really don’t need it for a book to be so powerful and unforgettable. I highly recommend this book, for the writing, the message, and for Nessa. Outstanding work Chandra, I cannot wait to read more from you!
April 9, 2026
4 stars. This was gorgeously written and so atmospheric. I really liked Elana a lot and felt for her as she just wants the freedom to live life on her own terms. The relationship between her and Nessa was wonderful. This is a novella but I think the author did a great job telling such a compelling story in a short amount of pages. I thoroughly enjoyed this from beginning to end.
Spice: O.5 (One vaguely described sex scene)/❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
Content Warning:
Spice: O.5 (One vaguely described sex scene)/❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
Content Warning:
Review of advance copy received from Author
Hey I'm Chandra and I wrote this book! The idea for Dark Sweetness was born from a children's book that I read to my own kids when they were little. I let my mind bend and twist and expand the ideas from that book and always wondered... what if this story was MORE? From there, she became a short story, and from there, a novella was born. I hope you love this story of queer awakenings and finding love in the darkest of places.
xoxo
Chandra
xoxo
Chandra
Review of advance copy received from Author
ARC REVIEW
5/5⭐️
Oh how I loved this one. I thought this novella was written so beautifully. The way the words flowed throughout this book was absolutely gorgeous.
What a nice and unique story this was and I can say I have never read anything quite like this. I thought the relationship between Elana and Nessa was done so well. Overall a great read!
Thank you so much Chandra Fisher for sending me a copy of your Novella. ❤️
5/5⭐️
Oh how I loved this one. I thought this novella was written so beautifully. The way the words flowed throughout this book was absolutely gorgeous.
What a nice and unique story this was and I can say I have never read anything quite like this. I thought the relationship between Elana and Nessa was done so well. Overall a great read!
Thank you so much Chandra Fisher for sending me a copy of your Novella. ❤️
Review of advance copy received from Author
ARC REVIEW
first of all, thank you for the ARC!
what an absolutely lovely novella. for being such a short story, it had me absolutely captivated. I don't know if it felt longer because I took my time to read this, or what, but this novella satisfied my need to read.
*spoiler quote*
"Where else would I go? You loved me to life, Elana."
first of all, thank you for the ARC!
what an absolutely lovely novella. for being such a short story, it had me absolutely captivated. I don't know if it felt longer because I took my time to read this, or what, but this novella satisfied my need to read.
*spoiler quote*
"Where else would I go? You loved me to life, Elana."
May 26, 2026
A beautiful novella about embracing the darkness and learning to love all parts of yourself.
Chandra has created a unique world with a diverse cast of characters. Elana’s relationship with her siblings, specifically Josephine and the twins, is written so effortlessly and connects you with the characters instantly.
Loved this book, and I can’t wait to read more from this author!
Chandra has created a unique world with a diverse cast of characters. Elana’s relationship with her siblings, specifically Josephine and the twins, is written so effortlessly and connects you with the characters instantly.
Loved this book, and I can’t wait to read more from this author!
May 31, 2026
So unusual and lovely, this novella read like an old folktale come to life. Like all of the best monster romance, the monster is more tender and vulnerable than most humans. I won't be forgetting this story any time soon. Strongly recommend.
July 6, 2026
There was times that I was getting bored with this one, which isn’t great in a a novella. I wished there was more relationship building throughout the novel. The parallels between the religious people and the ones in the book was great.
May 27, 2026
3.5 Stars
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews