Honestly the cover drew me to this book and it being about a witch possession, say less. This book dives right into it and had me keep turning the page to know more. The possession aspect was definitely creepy and gave me goosebumps at times. I loved the twists and all the build up gave me Midsommar vibes. I do wish there was more closure on the possession part of the story, I felt like it just fell off after the big reveal and left me wanting more.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one and recommend it for anyone who enjoys possession stories and the Salem witch trials. This one would be perfect for spooky season!

In this superbly creepy thriller that blends elements of folklore and horror, newly qualified child psychologist Mina Ellis takes on her first case, the case of a young girl called Alice Webber who believes a witch haunts her.
Amid a sweltering summer heatwave in Southwest England, and uncertainty about settling down with her distant fiancé Oscar, Mina jumps at the chance to take the mysterious case. She learns about it through Sam Ellis, a journalist from The Herald who she meets at a local bereavement group, who sees a great story; Mina is eager to explore a mental health explanation for Alice's strange behavior and to find out why everyone in a tiny Cornish village is under the illusion that a young girl can perform miracles.
The pair travels together to Banathel to investigate, both sensing an eeriness as soon as they arrive in the close-knit, isolated village. Mina discovers more than she bargained for when she meets Alice and her family, neighbors, and friends; she finds that her unresolved trauma of losing her brother at a young age colors the case and haunts her thoughts. The backdrop of the stifling heat throughout the novel adds to the claustrophobic atmosphere, dread, and anxiety that build to the book's climax. These elements combine with the tone and ambiance created by the villagers' increasingly suspicious attitude toward Mina; the feeling is reminiscent of witnessing the Salem witch trials or watching films such as Midsommar and The Wicker Man. The story reveals bizarre village traditions and small-town hysteria. and dark secrets are uncovered to expose a surprising ending, leaving readers feeling relieved to leave the town of Banathel, but thrilled that author Daisy Pearce took us there.

I was engaged throughout but was left really let down with the ending. I think the author tried a lot and just failed to land the plane.

Mina is a freshly graduated child psychologist with a rough past that put her in her path. She meets a man named Sam at a group grief meeting, and from there everything changes.

Alice is a teen girl seemingly possessed by a witch in a town still living in the days where witch trials exist. The small town basks in its bleak history and poor Alice is stuck in the middle.

When Sam catches wind of what’s happening he drags Mina along to help? to diagnose her? to witness the madness? You see Sam is a journalist out for a story, but he and Mina have something in common, they both have suffered a major loss and cannot let it go. They set out to find answers to what happens in the great beyond, but what they actually find in the small town of Banathel is so much more than they bargained for.

This had such a good start, but the plot twists left me with more questions than answers. Well written fast paced. Disappointing ending.

3:75 stars. A creepy enough tale of an inexperienced child psychologist (with issues of her own) dealing with a young girl presumably possessed by a witch. Eerie atmosphere of a strange town with weird people and a disturbing folklore/history of witchcraft. The main problem I had was that the psychologist was so unprofessional and just didn’t seem to know what she was doing. The young girl definitely needed serious help. However, a decent resolution finished off the book.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I’m not sure why the author sometimes used words that didn’t fit in with the storyline or the storytelling style. (rictus, somnolent, punctilious, etc.) It took you out of the story when she dropped one of these words.

I also didn’t wholly like Mena, but that’s not needed to enjoy the story. She wavers between being too pushy or too disbelieving. The witch aspect of the book is left unresolved, which is so confusing because it is central to the storyline.

But I really dig the atmosphere happening here and like the overall vibe.

3.5 I wanted to love this so much but it just seemed to be too slow for me and unfinished. Maybe I'll come back amd re read but it definitely had great potential to be super creepy

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce. This eerie psychological thriller blends supernatural horror with slow-burning suspense, creating a chilling and immersive atmosphere. Pearce’s writing is vivid and unsettling, drawing me into the claustrophobic setting of a house filled with dark secrets. The creeping tension builds effectively, though the pacing felt uneven at times—some moments were truly gripping, while others dragged slightly. Additionally, while the protagonist’s paranoia and fear were well-crafted, certain character motivations felt underdeveloped, making it harder to fully connect with their choices. Despite these flaws, Something in the Walls delivers a haunting, spine-tingling read for those who enjoy eerie domestic thrillers with a supernatural twist.

his book is one of those books that will have you wondering what in the world did I just read?
Mina and Sam have both lost someone they love. They go to a super creepy town to try and help a young girl named Alice.
I had the bad guy pegged pretty early on but I was not prepared for the Riddance. Man I winced in a few places thinking ouch. Kudos to the author for the writing being enough to make me physically cringe while the ceremony was being described.
I received an ARC of this title, all opinions are my own

This is a really great paranormal, witchy read!

Filled with darkness, grief, terror, and monsters (both paranormal and human), this book kept me hooked and desperate to know what happened next.

It's definitely one of my favorite reads so far in 2025. I look forward to reading more from this author!
4⭐️

As always, I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to have an advanced ebook copy of this book.

Okay so this was a super fun perfect length horror thriller! This book was super successful with its horror elements, the descriptions of the haunting and what was happening to characters was so well done and spooky. I really liked how this story developed and that it very much remained in the supernatural realm throughout! One of my peeves is when books back out last minute and explain supernatural events as “just something real” happening that is misinterpreted by the MC. I also liked this “small town” don’t question the folklore mentality in what resulted in a really sad story about trauma and child abuse. I liked our MC Mina and progressing through the story with her while also uncovering things about her past. The ending of the book was super good and wrapped things up well, I would discuss things more but you really have to read it to appreciate the ending fully!


Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. “Something in the Wall” will be published February 25, 2025.

I really wanted to love this book, but in the end, it was just okay. For the genre, I found the pace to be way too slow, and the tension was lacking. The ending was more intense, but by then, it was too little too late. Sadly, I never really connected with Mina. There were a number of creepy scenes, along with some confusing ones, but the latter might have been done on purpose.

This story is set in a small town in England, where old lore is steeped in witch hunts and suspicion spreads like wildfire. Our main character is a very young and naive, up and coming child psychologist who is hoping for a groundbreaking first case. What she finds instead is something one would never hope for.

This book had amazing vibes! It was creepy, suspenseful, and at times had me questioning all the characters. I was hooked! I definitely recommend this to all folk horror lovers, or lovers of a haunting.I’m

A dark psychological thriller that feels unfinished. A lot about this story felt like it didn't really make sense or fit together and the characters were mostly unlikeable. I had figured out the twist way before it actually happened and the reveal was rather anti-climatic. Intriguing enough that I wanted to finish it, but overall not for me.

Wow - this was a weird one. This explored the topic of child sexual abuse, but there was no indication that the topic was included. I enjoyed the book, but just keep coming back to how odd it was. It was fun that it was set in the 80s in the world before internet and cell phones.

I love the creepy child trope so this was totally for me. The story kept me guessing right until the end and I can't say I saw where this one was headed!

I really wanted to love this. The writing is definitely atmospheric and draws you in immediately. ai wish the rest of the book kept that feeling, instead it just felt like it dragged on. I was left with a lot of questions.

Links to come.

This was my first novel by Daisy Pearce. A brand new child psychologist takes on a new job to gain some experience a money, however, what happens when the child's behavior gets worse and her town believes there is evil in the world and how to take care of it. This story was perfectly twisty and I would definitely recommend it to thriller lovers!

The first half of Something in the Wall hooked me. I was creeped out and so invested in what was going to happen next. The second half of this book kind of lost me though. I was struggling to make connections and maintain interest. I also felt like a lot was left unexplained, which is fairly common in thriller/horror but there were just too many loose ends that didn’t connect to the ending and I was frustrated.

4.5 rounded up to 5.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't sure what I was expecting coming into this novel, but it wasn't what I got! And I mean that in the best way possible. Part horror, part psychological thriller, part witchy folklore - with a little bit of the supernatural thrown in, and we got Something in the Walls!

There was a lot of tension right from the start of this novel. Daisy did a fantastic job of building on that tension, and by the end I couldn't put the book down and I was STRESSED. I had no idea what was going to happen, and most of the twists were very unexpected. I felt like I would have liked a little more resolution by the end, however I didn't hate that it was left the way it was - it felt like a great, classic way to end this type of story.

If you enjoyed movies like The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Midsommer, this will be right up your alley. I highly recommend this!