I mostly liked this. It was like a moody pg-13 horror movie. The kind you can rewatch all the time because it disturbs you just enough to entertain you while still being able to sleep after. I clocked most of the plot, (much like with the prev. mentioned pg-13 horror) It didn’t reinvent the wheel or anything but it’s still a decent ride.
The writing was more dense. It dragged a bit in the middle and I have some unanswered questions. I don’t think this is a story that holds up to logic scrutiny but that’s not really a dealbreaker for me. The ending was a strong point.
★ ★ ★

Something in the Walls
by Daisy Pearce
Pub Date: Feb 25 2025

"Something in the Walls" was a slow build for me. It has a creepy, chilling, full of dread witchy supernatural vibe to it. It is scary, so if you like reading scary books I definitely recommend this book!

Synopsis: Mina is a new child psychologist struggling to get her feet underneath her. She is grieving the loss of her brother and attending a support group where she meets Sam, a journalist. Sam invites Mina to join him in investigating a young girl named Alice, who claims she is being haunted by a witch.

Many thanks to #Netgalley #SomethingInTheWalls #StMartinsPress for providing me with an E-ARC of this book.

Just finished this book and feel as if I already forget it. Not my favorite book from NetGalley. If I had borrowed this from the library, I would have DNF'd it, but since it's for NetGalley, I kept going. It did pick up in the second half, but this just wasn't my style of book. I like more classic style thrillers and this was a bit mystery/horror/paranormal which just wasn't for me. I really appreciate NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion!

While this book wasn't my cup of tea, I don't at all think it was a badly written book. I think fans of Stephen King, Simone St. James, and Midsommar would enjoy this. It had moments of what am I reading and is this actually happening that keep you on your toes the whole time.

If you’re in the mood for a creepy, slow-burning psychological horror with a heavy dose of folklore and paranoia, Something in the Walls might be up your alley. The book follows Mina, a newly certified child psychologist who, despite her lack of experience, takes on a strange and unsettling case. A 13-year-old girl named Alice insists she’s being haunted by a witch, and her small village, steeped in superstition, is all too willing to believe her.

The atmosphere in this book is fantastic. Pearce does an incredible job setting the scene—the sweltering heatwave, the eerie isolation of the village, and the unsettling glimpses of something just out of sight all work together to create an oppressive, skin-crawling tension. There were moments that reminded me of Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt or A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay, particularly in the way the supernatural elements creep into the characters’ minds, making you question what’s real and what’s imagined.

That said, while the eerie vibes were strong, the story itself didn’t fully land for me. Mina often felt more like a detective than a psychologist, which made some of her decisions feel off. The plot had a lot of potential but lost steam in the middle, wandering a bit before taking a turn I personally found disappointing. Without spoiling anything, the resolution didn’t quite tie everything together in a satisfying way, and some character actions just didn’t feel believable.

Despite my issues with the story, I can still see this being a hit for readers who love folk horror, unsettling small-town secrets, and witchy themes. Even if the ending didn’t fully work for me, the book kept me hooked with its chilling imagery and oppressive atmosphere. If you’re looking for something eerie and different, it’s worth checking out—you might just love it more than I did.

SOMETHING IN THE WALLS
BY: DAISY PEARCE

I usually never read books about the malevolent witches or books that are horror, and I made an exception for this and it's OUTSTANDING! I'm usually very superstitious and stay away at all costs, but something impulsive had me choose this, and it was a totally gripping reading experience that has me wanting to seek out this Author's, Daisy Pearce's other novels if they are available here. I didn't really like the ending, but this was a total edge of your seat gripping reading experience. I wouldn't watch anything like this, but I really liked Mina Ellis's character who is a newly recent child psychologist that meets a newspaper man named Sam at a bereavement group. I think why this APPEALED to me is Mina's rationale that I could hold onto as a grounded, rational child psychologist that didn't think that the young girl that Sam proposes for Mina to help named Alice, was really seeing a witch through the cracks in her chimney of her bedroom.

I didn't think that this particular publisher offered something which I would have to say is more Horror genre than Thriller or Mystery category so I didn't expect it to be as intense as it was. I read it at night also with everyone sleeping straight through in one sitting. There were moments of spine tingling scary moments that really weren't explained other than the misogynistic ending which for me was more unbelievable than the unexplained moments of pure fright. I suppose since the ending struck me as incredulous I didn't end up having nightmares to most of the content.

Alice says that she keeps seeing a witch watching her and Mina's belief that there was an explanation helped me to deal with the frightening parts of the book. When they went to check out that neighborhood of abandoned buildings and the unexplained presence that was not explained were creepy. As long as Mina thought there was an explanation I felt safe. This is one that I'm glad that I read, although it isn't a topic that I want to read too much of, I do recommend it enough for those who want a creepy horror novel, this is one that I'd recommend because except for the over the top ending it is exceptionally one that is just over 300 pages, and I'm surprised there are less reviews. I thought most of it could be plausible if you're superstitious like me.

Mina lost her brother Eddie and Sam lost his daughter. I did like the very end and most of the novel up until the point where it comes to the point where It's nearing the end and it's not easily disclosed without ruining it. I am sorry that's not helpful, but I can remember this very vividly, and I moved this up in the queue since I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I did. I do recommend this as more horror than Thriller and will hope that Her first Kindle book is available here since I am aware that the Author is from the UK. I'm going to check if her first Kindle book is available in the U.S.
Seriously, I didn't know St. Martin's Press published something like the content presented in this novel, so that was part of the reason I was so brave about reading this, or Minotaur Books. I hope they will consider something similar in the future. I would highly recommend it, and hope that this author's other work is available. It was a Five Star Worthy novel.

Publication Date: February 25, 2025

Thank you to Net Galley, Daisy Pearce and, St. Martin's Press--Minotaur Books for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#SomethingintheWalls #DaisyPearce #StMartinsPress #MinotaurBooks #NetGalley

For me, this was a great mix of psychological thriller and horror! The small town during a heat wave creates the perfect claustrophobic setting, only adding to the creepiness. Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book started out so captivating but as it went on it started to really lose me. There were also a lot of grammatical errors that were distracting.

* Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an eArc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own *

This was such an eerie, creepy, deeply atmospheric psychological read. I wouldn't call this scary, but the atmosphere was on point making many scenes uncomfortable to read. I'm not sure I'm sold on the overall explanation. I think there are some points of the story that are unexplained but that may be the point of the book. The story grapples with if it's supernatural or if it's something in reality. I liked the ending but felt the reveal to be a little rushed. However, I would still recommend this to anyone who likes atmospheric witch/haunted house stories.

Ooh, this was so creepy! A really good blend of horror and psychological thriller. I loved the atmosphere (especially with the heat wave) and the isolated feel of the town. And I loved Mina’s strength in continuing to fight for answers. I do wish there had been a bit more clarity at the end in terms of who did what, but overall this was a really great read!

I’m bummed I didn’t like this book more. I really thought I’d love it. A witchy horror from one of my favorite publishing houses really spoke to me, but unfortunately I really didn’t enjoy it.

Mina isn’t very likable, has a train wreck of a relationship, and yet felt very judgy. Sam started out strong but just became so weak. Every other character I either hated or felt badly for them.

I rage-finished this book, and have more questions than answers. The whole book Mina is convinced this is psychological and not a haunting, then it seems to change into making the reader believe it is a haunting, then the ending completely flips the storyline into something completely different (yet no less sinister). I can’t go into specifics without spoilers, but there are so many plot holes and unfinished thoughts.

⭐️⭐️ (I hope, if you read it, you enjoy it more)

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks Netgalley for the advanced reader copy! I read this book in one sitting and enjoyed the plot and gave it a solid 4 stars.

In all honesty, I got to Chapter 21 and decided it wasn't worth any more of my time. Over 20 chapters in and literally nothing has happened. I couldn't find anything to keep me wanting to come back for more. I tried to give it the benefit of the doubt, but at the end of the day, this book wasn't for me. DNF after Chapter 21.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and Daisy Pearce for the opportunity to review this ARC prior to release.

0.5/5 stars

This one is hard to talk about without getting into spoiler territory, so I’ll keep this as brief and vague as possible.

I went into this book totally blind (which I do think is best), so I had NO clue where this was going to go. All I know is that I wasn’t expecting it to go in the direction it did as I was reading the first quarter or so of the book. And I’m not sure that I liked the direction it went? I had some questions answered by the end, but I also had soooo many new questions.

I could absolutely feel the atmosphere of dread as I read this one. It’s like when you know something bad is going to happen, but you’re not sure what.

I unfortunately did not care for the main character, Mina 🫠 I found her extremely annoying and thought she failed at her job as a child psychologist because she spends too much time investigating the town rather than trying to help the person she’s supposedly there to help.

I love it when I can easily visualise the book in my head, like a movie... and this was exactly that! It felt like I was really in the book, chapters by chapters.... I liked how it turned out that it was not as paranormal or supernatural as I expected! Good twists and turns!

Something in the Walls has one of the most beautiful covers. I honestly didn’t even see the eye the first couple of times I looked at it. Unfortunately this one was just okay for me. I don’t know what it was but I could never really get into the story like I wanted to. It did have a few parts that would grab my attention and that’s why I kept reading on instead of dnfing. The twist at the end dealing with her brother caught me off guard also. I feel like people will absolutely love this one it just wasn’t for me.
2.5/5 Stars

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me an arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so good…until the end.
I felt like I was left with a LOT of unanswered questions; what happened to Alice? What’s up with the wasps? What happened to Mina after the riddance? What were the clicking/gurgling noises? None of these girls were witches, just drugged by Bert, so I felt like nothing made sense.
Overall it was good, but I just needed more.

For me, this book is all dark and creepy vibes: Alice, the teen girl seemingly possessed by an ancient witch; Banathel, a creepy small town with a violent witch-hunting past; and two people, Mina and Sam, drawn together over the grief of their loved ones and a desire to uncover the truth about Alice--is she really a witch like the townspeople claim, or is it all an act?

Mina is a child psychologist seeking a scientific reason for Alice's odd behaviour and so-called connection to the dead. Sam is the journalist who enlists Mina's help to investigate the strange case and share the story with the world.

I was immediately drawn to the concept of this story and the creepy, horror factor definitely resonates. However, there were moments with the main characters that didn't feel fully fleshed out and aspects of the plot that seemed forced or predicable.

Overall, it is a fast read perfect for a Halloween TBR (though it is set in a VERY hot summer), especially if you love stories about witches and witch lore.

Atmospheric period piece that builds the thrills as it goes. Left with some questions I wish had been answered but can't deny that I was turning the pages quickly toward the end!

This was a very captivating thriller. From the 80's setting to the witch lore, I was on the edge of my seat the entire ride. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for this advance copy!

Part ghost story, part haunted house, partly witchy. This British mystery sounded interesting but just wasn't for me. I couldn't really get into it. I did like the narrator and thought the story had potential but somehow felt like it missed the mark. I was able to listen to the end but was left ultimately underwhelmed. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!