SOMETHING IN THE WALLS by @kaiki3000 is full of gothic tension and disbelief in your own senses. Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publisher @stmartinspress for the e-ARC and #partner @macmillanaudio for the #lrc. Happy Pub Day to this title!

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Mina, a yet very green child psychologist is waiting for her break. When she attends her normal bereavement group she attends to mourn her brother's death years ago, she meets journalist Sam Hunter and he has a proposition. Something dark and dangerous is stirring in the remote Irish island of Bathanel and young Alice Webber claims she is being haunted by a witch. She is showing signs of sickness and coughing up strange things. In a town built over the bodies of witches and where superstitions and hag stones run rampant, Mina must determine what is disturbing the girl and prove whether or not it is otherworldly.

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This kind of story has everything I want in a book - a competent if newly minted female sleuth, a dark mystery, gothic small town vibes, and a whole boatload of secrets to uncover. The author uses misdirection, nuance and other subtleties to move your senses in one direction while pulling a slight of hand action in the other. I loved the ending and all its implications! If you want to be spooked in the best way, pick this one up!

DNF @ 74%

I really tried to get into this book. But I’m not scared, the audio is boring me to sleep, and paranormal activity seems unreal. I cannot decipher between what’s really happening and what’s in their head. I wanted to like this one but I couldn’t continue.

🥺🥺🥺 I’m scared. Dang near every page of this one creeped me out. I found it impossible to put down once I hit the 20% mark, even though I knew what I was in for.
My imagination ran wild with the imagery, and at times was just like a movie playing in my head.
I’m left with a lot of questions, now that I’ve finished, but in the best way possible. A story like this does not need a tidy little bow and the author handled to ending so well!
Highly recommend if you are a reader of all things that go bump in the night!

Teased with the first few chapters of Something in the Walls, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the rest. Child psychologist Mina meets journalist Sam at a grief support group. He's investigating events happening in a remote village - there's a girl exhibiting strange behavior, she's getting worse, and oh by the way the village is steeped in superstition and witchcraft lore.

The hook occurs when Sam plays back a recording for Mina that he made at an earlier interview with the girl and her family. There's something unexpected and otherworldly captured. Super creepy!

Reminiscent of Emma Donoghue's The Wonder, we meet the village characters as Mina and Sam stay at the family house. They're eccentric, there are cruel teens, the village is secretive and protective. What is going on?!?

I loved the beginning. Was mildly entertained with the eerie and unsettling middle (that may have dragged a bit) and more than disappointed with the ending (which didn't stick the landing). I'll just leave it at that.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC. (pub date 2/25/2025)

Thank you @minotaur and @netgalley for a copy of the e-ARC.

Happy Pub Day to Something in the Walls.

I am a big fan of haunted houses, curses, and possessions. Those are my favorite types of horror books to read. Something in the Walls is about a 13-year-old girl who lives in a small village and is rumored to be possessed by a witch. The small village has a deep history of superstition and witchcraft.

Mina is a newly graduated child psychologist. She meets Sam, a journalist, in a grief group. Mina lost her younger brother when they were both still children. Sam lost his four-year-old daughter. They team up and travel to a remote village to try and help Alice, the girl everyone thinks is possessed by a witch. It’s the thick of summer, and I love when an environmental aspect is used as its own character in a book. Sam is looking for a scoop, and Mina is hoping to gain some experience in her field, as she doesn’t believe Alice is truly possessed. They are also both haunted by the huge losses in their own lives.

The story is studded with folklore and horror. There are tense moments that described so well I can see them clearly in my mind. It’s creepy and I really enjoyed it.

I loved this book. This is the first book in a long while that has really creeped me out. Mina meets Sam at a grief support group; she dealing with the loss of her brother, he with that of his daughter. Sam is a journalist who has been asked to travel to a small town to investigate the possible haunting of Alice Webber, a 14 year old girl. He asks Mina, a newly graduated child psychologist to accompany him to see if there is a possible psychological basis for her experiences.

Things I liked: the imagery is astoundingly unsettling. I truly cannot say enough about how well Daisy Pearce sets the mood and describes how creepy this town, this house, and this whole situation is. The mish-mash of human evil, supernatural evil, grief, wishing for there to be something beyond, and there maybe being something there that you weren't bargaining for. I finished this book a week ago and I'm still thinking about how deeply creepy it is.

Easy five stars.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting story about witches. Some good surprises. Didn't care for some characters. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

🐝🐝🐝.5 / 5

SOMETHING IN THE WALLS by Daisy Pearce

happy pub day! and thank you to @netgalley and @minotaur_books for early access to the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

quick thoughts:
⭐️ 3.5/5
🧙🏻‍♀️ child psychologist takes on her first case: a teen girl claiming to be possessed by a witch
😱 psychological horror, paranormal mystery
✍🏼 single POV, shortish chapters
🔮 witches, history, folklore, supernatural
🤷🏻‍♀️ might not be for everyone, but i think horror lovers will enjoy

i requested this one on NetGalley because the cover is so creepy, and the synopsis sold me. though the story changed directions and ended up not being what i expected, i still enjoyed it!

🎶 “now i’m no longer alone”

this story was so dark and had fantastic horror elements. i was pretty creeped out throughout, which is a testament to the author’s exceptional writing. i had no idea where this one was going, and then when i thought i did, the story did a complete 180. trying to be brief about what i didn’t like so i don’t spoil anything, but i wish more of what was in the first half of the book was in the second half. however, i still think this one was an entertaining horror read!

This book was not for me. I did not care about it, and it did not keep me engaged. The description was amazing but the execution, not my favorite.

The first half of this book is mysterious and tense. The second half of the book felt lackluster to me. It was my first time reading this author. I do feel they are talented and I would try another book by them.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Daisy Pearce for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Something in the Walls coming out February 25, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I can’t remember if this is a debut author, but it’s the first book I’ve read by her. I really love creepy horror books. I also love witch books. I thought this would be perfect for me. I thought the first half of the book was really mysterious. I wasn’t as into the second half of the book. This book wasn’t quite for me. I would check out other books by this author.

This book sounded spooky and eerie and I was 100% here for it, but the payoff wasn’t as good as I was hoping it’d be.

I liked the 1989 small town in England setting, and thought it was perfect for a witchy, folk horror plot. The start of the book felt a bit disjointed, like maybe too many things were happening without enough background info, but once we got to the small town, things felt more smooth.

I didn’t find any of the characters particularly likable, but I did find the dynamics between the “outsiders” (Mina and Sam) and the townspeople interesting. I also liked seeing Mina’s interactions with certain people as the story progressed, and the uncertainty of who could be trusted, including Mina.

There were moments where things felt creepy and unsettling, but nothing really scary. I did find myself wanting a little more from the witchy plot, as there wasn’t as much there as I was expecting given the synopsis, or at least not in the way I was anticipating; I think we could’ve gotten deeper into the local lore of witches. The ending seemed a little abrupt, and didn’t wrap up as nicely as I usually like (but for people who like ambiguous endings, you’ll like this one).

This was a book that held my attention but might not be that memorable for me.

I couldn’t put this book down, the author did a great job at building suspense and creating a rich, disturbing atmosphere, and creating interesting characters. I was hooked from the very beginning and basically feverishly read it all in one sitting because I HAD to know what happened next!

The reason for the rating is the ending and a few discrepancies along the way. I was confused and I felt certain things weren’t explained and unfortunately in this kind of book I think you need a really strong ending for a higher rating. But I did overall like this thriller/horror and would recommend it to others who like the genre!

I binged this book in a single evening. Something about Mina's character, flaws and all, drew me in. She lost her brother young, and it's impacted her life and career decisions. When she meets a newspaper reporter named Sam at a grief support meeting, she finds herself pulled into the case of Alice Webber. Alice is exhibiting bizarre behavior and claims to be haunted by a witch living in the chimney. Mina does everything she can to try and help and when she gets to the shocking truth, the story takes a crazy turn. The narration of the audiobook by Ana Clements was very well done. I highly recommend this book for fans of lore, paranormal, and spooky thrillers.

This definitely took me a while to get through only because of my other reads but was a good read.
It follows a child psychologist, Mina, and her friend Sam who is a reporter, that wants to study this young girl, Alice, because of stuff that has been happening to her. Upon her study, there are many things that are uncovered. There were plenty of creepy moments and some very interesting ones.
This was my first psychological horror and my first time reading anything by this author and hope to read more.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this experience

Mina just received her degree in child psychology. Mina attends a grieving group to help her process the loss of her brother. While she was at one of the meetings, she meets a journalist named Sam that has lost his daughter. They get to talking and he tells her about a girl he is doing a story on in a village of Banathel named Alice and how they think she's been taking over by a witch. The whole while she's there, shes trying to get answers but she feels shes going around in circles. Mina experiences odd things happening around her that she herself couldn't wrap her mind around.

Is Alice really possessed by a witch? Or is the town just as crazy as it seems? You'll have to read this book if you want to know!

I myself enjoyed the book. It was very slow in my opinion. I felt myself put it down and pick it up a couple days later because it didn't latch on like I wanted it to. The last 30% did work it's magic on me though. I didn't like the ending much. I felt it wasn't really justified. The book was dark, mysterious, psychologically disturbing and I felt myself make the 'ick' face a couple of times. Also giving me cult vibes.

100% would recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to review this spectacular book!

There’s something about folkloric horror and thrillers that always captures my immediate interest. Such was the case when I first heart about Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce. Set in a small English town in 1989, it follows a recently graduated child psychologist, Mina, and her first patient, a teen girl named Alice who claims to be haunted by a witch. Is this girl right about her fears, or is something going wrong with her mentally? And what is up with the strange beliefs held by the people in this town?

Why I Chose This Book:
I love psychological horror and thrillers, and Something in the Walls promised exactly that. There are also themes of mental health, folklore, and history, all melding together to make it unclear what is going on with Alice. Schizophrenia or witchcraft? Crowd delusions or something more calculated and sinister?

What I Liked:
- Psychology and discussions of mental afflictions. Mina might have little work experience, but she knows a lot about different disorders, their symptoms, and their causes. It was interesting to learn here.
- Superstitions, witchcraft, and old-fashioned beliefs
- Heat wave adding to the tensions
- People in this town are… kind of weird, right?
- Past traumas and regrets
- Hauntings?
- Real-world evils
- Should Mina really be marrying Oscar?
- Morally gray?

Final Thoughts
Something in the Walls is a bewitching novel that makes the reader question everything. Is it supernatural or just real life, human issues? Witches or trickery? I enjoyed puzzling through the events that arose and the surprising turns this novel took. It didn’t end where I expected it to, but sometimes that’s exactly what I need from a book. I’m excited to read more from Daisy Pearce.

Something is wrong with teenage Alice, something that has drawn the attention not only of the locals in her small village but also of journalist Sam Hunter. When Sam meets our main character, Mina, at a grief support group, he finds out that she recently graduated with a degree in child psychology, and thinks this could be a good opportunity for the both of them: practical experience for Mina to add to her resume, and an intriguing story for his newspaper. But when they meet Alice, the two aren't prepared for what's haunting her.

I was hooked from the beginning of this story and found Mina a sympathetic if somewhat passive protagonist. There is also some genuinely creepy imagery in the book and a great sense of dread throughout, but the last 10% of the book lost me. The big twists (if they were in fact meant to be twists?) were pretty obviously telegraphed earlier in the story and that made all the reveals seem to drag a bit. Still, I liked it well enough and wouldn't dissuade anyone from reading it or anything. 3 hagstones out of 5.

Thank you Netgalley & Minotaur Books for an eARC ❤️❤️

The book is about young child psychologist, Mina, who's trying to make a name for herself in a super competitive field. But things take a dark turn when she meets journalist, Sam, who's investigating bizarre case of a 13-year-old girl named Alice who claims she's being haunted by a witch.🤯
At first, I was like, "Okay, this is gonna be some creepy, supernatural stuff." But as I kept reading, I realized it was so much more than that. The village of Banathel, where Alice lives, is like whole different world, steeped in superstition and witchcraft. And the people there... they're not what they seem.
Mina's all about finding logical explanations for things, but the more she digs into Alice's case, the more she realizes that nothing makes sense. And that's when things start to get really freaky.
I loved how Daisy Pearce wove together all different threads - psychology, folklore, mystery... it was like perfect storm of creepiness. And Mina's character... she's so relatable, you know? She's got her own baggage, her own demons to deal with, and that just makes her more human.
Anyway, if you're in the mood for something that'll freak you out, keep you up at night, and make you question everything... then this book is for you.👍🏽

At first this book took a bit to grow on me; it felt quite confusing because a lot of character names were thrown around but after the first few chapters it finally smoothed out, especially once Mina hits the road with Oscar to see about the strange occurrences happening in a small village in far western England where a young girl is said to be haunted by a witch. As this story unfolds you learn more and more about the little village, its people, and what is truly haunting them.

Overall I enjoyed this story a lot. I would say it gets better as you get closer to the ending. In the beginning the writing feels a bit clunky but as the story grows and the plot has more to go on, the writing gets so much better! I loved the overall premise and this idea of the witch haunting a local girl while also tying in other stories at the same time. Mina is a likable character, albeit sometimes a bit annoying, but her tenacity is well demonstrated and received in this book. I almost always enjoy a strong female lead and by the end of this one Mina is just that and more. I LOVED the ending of this book and all the conclusions you, the reader, get to draw as it is ending. I do wish that maybe the storyline had a bit more supernatural elements to it but we all know that humans are usually the scariest beings in a room.