While reading Something in the Walls it was like watching a movie in my mind. The story was dark and deep with meaning. I really enjoyed how the truth unfolded and in the end there was justice.
Thank you for the advanced copy and giving me an opportunity to read and review!

So let me start by saying I thought this was going to be something completely different than it was 🤷🏼‍♀️. That is what I get for going to in blind. It was more witchy and had exorcist hints within it. The beginning did hook me and keep me wanting to know what was going to happen but it just wasn't what I had expected, I do feel like the FMC relationship could've been left out of the book as for me it didn't add much and the last few chapters just didn't do it for me but did make you go "so that's how it all clicks together", so that helped put some of the story together which was nice.

This dark, psychological thriller is a wild ride that combines the unsettling vibes of *Midsommar*, *The Exorcist*, and *The Witch*, leaving readers rattled and heart-pounding. Mina, a grief-stricken child psychologist, teams up with a journalist named Sam to investigate a mysterious 13-year-old girl, Alice, who claims to be a witch in the eerie town of Banathel. As they uncover the town’s dark secrets, Mina must confront her own demons while facing a sinister force that may be targeting young girls, leading to a chilling, spine-tingling conclusion.

Meet Mina: A Woman on the Edge of Something Dark
Mina, the book’s protagonist, is a freshly minted child psychologist who’s desperate to prove herself in a field dominated by experts. Instead of feeling empowered by her career choice, she’s stuck—adrift in a stifling heatwave in Britain, trapped in the bubble of her impending marriage to Oscar, a methodical and precise researcher who couldn’t be more different from her. The only solace Mina finds is in attending a local bereavement group, where she wrestles with the grief of losing her brother years ago. Her life is small. Safe. Predictable.

That is, until she meets Sam Hunter at the grief group. Sam, a journalist, offers Mina the opportunity of a lifetime—an investigation into a haunting.

Enter Alice Webber, a thirteen-year-old girl who claims to be haunted by a witch in the rural, remote village of Banathel. Alice’s disturbing symptoms have left her family desperate, and money is tight. The chance to help Alice could give Mina the experience she needs. It seems like a win-win. But Mina doesn’t know it yet—what’s about to unfold will not just challenge her professional skills; it will drag her into a nightmare where folklore, superstition, and the darkest parts of her past collide.

The Witch in the Walls
Alice’s condition doesn’t improve. Instead, it spirals out of control, pulling Mina deeper into Banathel’s twisted history of witchcraft and superstition. The village is a place where ancient traditions dictate life. People believe in evil—and they have their own disturbing methods of “dealing with” it. As Alice’s symptoms grow stranger and more intense, Mina begins to unravel a web of secrets that has held the town in its grip for generations.

But Banathel isn’t just a setting. The town feels like a character in itself—its oppressive, eerie atmosphere wraps around you like the heatwave that seems to suffocate Mina at every turn. The folklore, the chilling rituals, the belief in something far darker than Mina ever expected—each layer of mystery beckons you to read on, even when every instinct tells you to step back.

Folklore, Superstition, and a Haunting History
What makes Something in the Walls so terrifying is its grounding in folklore and superstition. Pearce doesn’t just rely on the typical horror tropes. Instead, she builds a world where the supernatural feels real, where witchcraft isn’t a distant myth but something alive and present. It’s a place where people believe deeply in what they can’t see, and those beliefs influence every action.

As Mina digs into Alice’s haunting, she finds herself not just uncovering the town’s sinister traditions, but also confronting her own past. The deeper she goes, the more she begins to wonder: Is there something in the walls of Banathel that even she is unprepared for? The town’s past isn’t just a relic—it’s active, alive, and waiting to claim its next victim.

A Slow-Burn Thriller That Gets Under Your Skin
The magic of Something in the Walls lies in its ability to make you feel both disturbed and fascinated at the same time. Pearce expertly creates a sense of mounting tension that builds from the first chapter and doesn’t let up until the very end. Every page is laced with dread, every twist is unexpected, and every step Mina takes into Banathel only leads her—and us—deeper into the darkness.

But what’s even more compelling than the supernatural elements is Mina herself. She’s vulnerable, relatable, and struggling to find her place in a world where grief, fear, and doubt constantly threaten to overwhelm her. As she tries to help Alice, she begins to question everything—the boundaries between good and evil, what’s real and what’s imagined, and how far she’s willing to go to uncover the truth.

The Unforgettable Final Act
By the time you reach the final act of Something in the Walls, you’ll be racing through the pages. Pearce doesn’t just deliver on the creeping terror she’s built; she delivers a conclusion that will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew. The mystery of Alice’s condition, the secrets of Banathel, and Mina’s own tortured past all come crashing together in a finale that is both chilling and deeply emotional.

Something in the Walls is a book that demands your attention, and once it has it, you won’t be able to let go. The uneasy, weird vibe that lingers through every chapter will keep you up at night, long after you’ve finished reading. If you’re someone who loves a good slow-burn thriller with a psychological twist and just enough supernatural creepiness to make you second-guess the shadows in your room, this is a book you must read.

Something in the Walls by #DaisyPearce is a mind bender.

Alice is a young woman who seems to be haunted by something. The townsfolk say that she is possesed by a witch ever since the night that she went to Tanners Row. Something awful happened in one of he homes there, something that has now affected Alice so badly that she can no longer function normally.

Sam lost his daughter to a horrible disease and now is hopeing that he can touch base with Maggie again. He finds himself at a grief meeting where he meets Mina and feels a connection with her. Mina is getting ready to marry Oscar the man that she thought was meant for her but as the wedding day gets closer and plans become more permanent Mina finds herself flailing. She comes across a photo of she and Oscar on a trip and swears that she can see the ghost of her brother Eddie who died from Pneumonia when she was younger. Unbidden the thought " Tell me about the ice" comes into her mind and she flees tot he comfort of a grief meeting.
Here she meets Sams who is a journalist, when he finds out that Mina is a child psychologist he asks her opinion on a case with a young woman who claims to be haunted by a witch.
Mina and Sam finds themsevles embroiled in something that neither of them are truly prepared for. Mina can't figure out whether or not Alice is truly being possesed by a witch. There is something not right within the walls of Alice's home, something watches through the cracks in the bricks of the chimney. It scuttles through the chimney and snuffles outside closed doors, black sllludge drizzles and oozes form the chimney.
Will Mina and Same make it out of this town intact and will they be able to save young Alice from the horrors that surround her or will the Riddance and the witch hunt take her first?

I want to thank #Netgalley in return for the chance to read an eArc of #SomethingInTheWalls by #DaisyPearce in return for a fair and honest review.
I don't have all the words to explain how much I loved #SomethingInTheWalls1 Its an amazing novel full of suspence and a strong underccurrent of terror. If you haven't read it yet then go out and either check it out from your local library or go buy it! You won't regret it!

Let’s talk about Daisy Pearce’s writing…sensory, satisfyingly visual and evocative, visceral, emotive, nuanced, unique, atmospheric, chilling. I fell in love with this author’s voice and prose, This 1989 folk tale embraces medicine and psychology pitted against folklore and superstition and does a fine job of building anticipation, dread, and instilling a subversive tension that haunts each page. I was up and down throughout this story due to some plotting lags, but it was the author’s enticing writing style that drew me back in each time to continue. I’m glad I did continue as this is a solid witchy, small town secrets story with a few twists I didn’t see coming. And some I did. Enjoyable 4/5 star read with distinct witchy, eerie, suspenseful vibes. Lovely writing.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book moved at a somewhat slower pace than I expected, but it wasn’t too slow to detract from the story. It actually helped to build the suspense. I liked the characters for the most part. I did figure out some of the story ahead of time, but I still liked it.

3.5

I love a good witchy vibes book! This book is definitely eerie and creepy, and I really enjoyed it. Daisy Pearce is an incredibly talented author, and I look forward to reading more by her,

Daisy Pearce's Something in the Walls is a novel that submerges you into a stiflingly hot, small British town where superstition runs rampant. Full of hag stones on doorways and rituals that run deep, the townspeople are uneasy with stories of a witch amongst them. Our main character, Mina, is a newly licensed child psychologist who gets roped into helping out a young teen, Alice, who is seemingly possessed by a witch. Mina is joined by Sam, a journalist, who, along with Mina, share a history of loss and grief. Their travels to the small town of Banathel are met with some resistance and skepticism.

Overall, this was a an enjoyable thriller. There were definitely moments where I felt very hooked and wanted to keep reading - like when Mina and Sam explored an abandoned house - and there were lulls in the story where I felt a bit uninterested in what was developing. I definitely did not see the story playing out in the way that it did, for better or for worse. I did feel a bit confused with some of the characters, as they did not all stand out to me. This book did pull me out of a reading slump, so I would imagine it being an enjoyable read for most.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and the author Daisy Pearce for an ARC of Something in the Walls in exchange for an honest review!

Something is the Walls is a breakout novel for Daisy Pearce. It’s suspenseful, dark and harrowing. Readers will enter in to the stifling hot, small British town of Banathel in the 1980s won’t be able to turn away.
Mina is a new child psychologist trying to gain experience in a developing field, she takes the unique opportunity to travel to Banathel to meet Alice, a thirteen year old girl whose become very ill supposedly haunted by a witch.
What we learn is that all the characters have their own ghosts, their own demons. Do witch hauntings happen regularly in this small town or is there a more sinister villain to blame? Something in the Walls is delightfully disturbing with words, scenes and images that will continue to haunt readers long after they finish the novel.

I truly enjoyed this book. I loved the modern aspect of this horror book. Really like nothing I’ve ever read or watched before. I was seriously creeped out many times while reading! The idea of this book had me hooked from the very beginning wanting all the answers and loving every second of finding things out.

I was really looking forward to this book! The creepy premise was what really drew me in and I did find myself creeped out at several parts.

I was up and down with this one. There were some slower parts but there were also lots of things that kept me wanting to come back to it. With that being said, I felt letdown by the ending of the book. I was still left with questions and that took away from my experience with it.

Overall 3/5

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

What a spooky book. At first I had no idea what I was getting into was this a witch story, paranormal, etc? I found it best to just go along for the ride! Mina is a newly graduated child psychologist who is suffering from sleepless nights and visions of seeing her dead brother. She is also putting off planning her marriage because she is having second thoughts. She meets Sam, a journalist, at a grief group and he entices her to go a super small place in the UK because people are saying a teenage girl named Alice is possessed by a witch. Once they get there and start talking to family, neighbors, and friends things aren't what they seem. I thought this book was pretty good. I stayed entertained all the way to the end and found the twists at the end pretty good! I would suggest this if you want a quick spooky read. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

This book had me at the edge of my seat the entire time—I could not put it down! Something in the Walls is heart-pounding, filled with suspense and the kind of eerie that makes your skin crawl; the tension was real! Mina, a newly-minted child psychologist, takes on the case of Alice, a young girl claiming to be haunted by a witch in the remote village of Banathel. Partnering with journalist Sam, she soon finds herself unraveling the town’s sinister history, where superstition and reality blur in unsettling ways. As Alice’s behavior grows more disturbing, Mina’s past resurfaces, revealing chilling connections she never expected. The slow-burning dread and gripping twists make this an unforgettable, spine-tingling read!
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Could not get into this book the first go around, after a death in the family is probably not the best time to dive into a ghostly/paranormal book, will be trying again later, hopefully i can change my review later

I thought the book was well written, but I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I thought I would. Some things were left unanswered by the end of the book; things that I felt should have been addressed, but seem to have been forgotten.

I was so excited to read this one! There is nothing better than a creepy and haunted child. The story started out strong and fast paced but by the middle act it started to get a bit slow and boring. I loved the whole witch aspect and the town being witch hunting crazy but the ending was just crazy to me. The characters felt out of touch and the plot points seemed a bit far fetched or repetitive.

Excuse me while I pick my jaw up off the floor, this was bloody brilliant! I wasn't sure what to expect going into this with, sorry to say, kind of a plain Jane cover but wow, this blew all of my expectations out the window. I was legitimately freaked out and spooked and the twists, THE TWISTS! I was not prepared for how much I loved this book, especially the ending.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur books for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

It’s been a while since I found a book that not only creeped me the heck out but I was hanging on to every word trying to figure out what was going to happen next. Definitely giving this a 5 star because I had to read this with my lights ON

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 3.75⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: thriller📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
This one was one of my most anticipated reads of the year but overall it fell flat for me.

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Supernatural horror
Unreliable narrator
Witchcraft/ folklore
Small town 1980’s setting
Slow burn mystery
Child psychologist FMC
Atmospheric reads
Great writing

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
Unique plot
The character development
There were some truly crappy moments

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
It wasn’t as creepy/spooky as I was expecting
A little slow in the middle
The ending felt rushed and I still had so many questions

𝙵𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚀𝚞𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜:
★ “it’s not the dead we should be afraid of, it’s the living”.