I read the first six chapters and realized this book is not for me. It's not bad but I couldn't connect with the storyline.

Many thanks for my gifted copy.

I had so much hope for this book... and for the first 1/3, I was entirely captivated!
The author sets up the story fantastically, and lays so much ground for a complex and intriguing read - but it fell SO flat for me. There were multiple plot-holes, and the ending was... not great.

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

First, I would like to give a big thank you to St. Martins Press, NetGalley, and the author for the early copy of this book!

About The Book:
Mina is a child psychologist who recently received her degree- she’s inexperienced, tight on funds, planning a wedding for a questionable relationship and spends time attending the local bereavement group, still grieving her brothers death from years ago. That is, until she meets journalist, Sam who has a proposition too interesting for Mina to pass up. In a remote village in Banathel, living with her family, thirteen year old, Alice Webber claims she is being haunted by a witch. With Alice’s symptoms becoming increasingly disturbing, Mina tries to help Alice while also seeking answers from her own past but as things continue to escalate, Mina and Sam might find that the people of Banathel have their very own secrets and their own ways of dealing with witchcraft that no outsider will understand.

My Thoughts:
This was an interesting read for me- I don’t typically read a lot of horror- I just don’t find horror movies or books very scary. The only movie that I can recall actually creeping me out was The Exorcism of Emily Rose, and I have to say- throughout a decent portion of this book it definitely had similar vibes. Being a night reader, there were many points of the book that had me looking around like 🔦👀 and that had never happened to me before.

Despite some slow points this one definitely gripped me. It was creepy, disturbing, mysterious, well written and very detailed- I could see each scene play out in my mind, the author is very talented in that regard. However, for me the book started to fall apart around the 80% mark- there was so much potential but I feel that the ending was underwhelming, left you with a lack of explanation and quite a few lingering questions.

Overall, the creepy factor of this book was a lot of fun- if you love scary stories, it is definitely worth the read.

4.5 ⭐️ read. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for my advanced copy.

I don't want to give too much away but I pretty much knew what this book was going to be about pretty early on, and I was really pleased that I was right

This is a book about a witch that is haunting a teenage girl, but it's about so so much more. There are elements of grief and longing to connect with those you have lost; for Mina, her brother has been haunting her whole life since his death when they were kids.

SOMETHING IN THE WALLS has a very high creep/jump scare factor, but it's not gorey or gross. I read this at night literally peeking over my kindle to see if someone- or something- was staring at me!! While I knew the gist of what was happening, there were still so many parts where the twists and turns came out of nowhere and shocked me.

This small town full of secrets was giving me a mix of The Wonder by Emma O'Donoghue meets Midsommar vibes. Mina's profession as a child psychologist- trying to determine if the possession is truly real, while believing in the supernatural herself- added an interesting and unique element. Not to mention Mina herself was an interesting character study. At under 300 pages, I really enjoyed this read which mixes horror and mystery and the paranormal, with an end that will make you go 🤯

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

This is one of those books with a great idea but it doesn't quite get there. There are so many things that just aren't expanded on enough or delved into. I thought the big twist was very obvious from the beginning. It's not a bad book, but it could have been more than it was. It just felt a little shallow. 3.75 stars.

I guess my issue with this is the description sets this up as a really unsettling paranormal story and it wasn't like that at all. I found the beginning of the book to be an amazing set up but there were so many underdeveloped elements that by the end, you're just left hanging.

Spooky small town mystery/suspense. This book started strong and I really enjoyed the story that was laid out, there were good twists and kept me guessing. Towards the end it started to feel a little rushed and wasn't sure where the author was taking the story and how they would wrap it up. Was an entertaining read and would recommend giving it a try. I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review,

🧙‍♀️ T E R R I F Y I N G T H U R S D A Y review 🧙‍♀️ featuring “Something in the Walls” by Daisy Pearce!

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤.5/5

Mina Ellis is a new child psychologist who is still grieving the death of her brother Eddie who passed 6 years prior. While attending a support group for grief, she meets a journalist named Sam Hunter who offers her a case to gain some experience in her field.

Thirteen year old Alice Webber believes that she is being haunted by a witch that lives in the fireplace inside her house. The small village of Banathel is riddled with folklore, superstition and a history of witchcraft. As Alice’s symptoms become more dark and disturbing and shocking incidents begin to happen around the house, Mina starts to believe that Alice may be a victim of the villages’ inexplicable past!

THIS BOOK 🤯!!! Talk about terrifying, gruesome, eerie, sinister and foreboding! The descriptive writing made me feel like I was living inside the story. If I had a fireplace inside my own house I wouldn’t be going anywhere near it!

Thank you kindly to Daisy Pearce, @minotaur_books @stmartinspress @netgalley for my #gifted advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review. This book releases on February 25, 2025!

Oof!! This spooky psychological thriller is like if Midsommar and Mother! mixed together with the theme of witch-hunting - it was great!

I found the atmospheric, claustrophobic and descriptive writing to really pull you in and Pearce’s details reminded me of a scary movie where you can’t quite see the thing you’re terrified of but it just hangs around the periphery of your imagination.
The ending took a turn I did not see coming and the suspense and tension was so well built throughout.

Highly recommend for both historical fiction and psychological thriller lovers - but beware…don’t read this alone at night

1980's Setting
Slow Burn Mystery/Horror
Folklore Horror

Mina is a child psychologist, and Sam, a journalist, arrive in an old town to see Alice 13, who is believed to be haunted by a witch.

If you enjoy creepy with a bit of horror you will enjoy the witchy vibes of an old English village so very steeped in its superstitions.
Present day the town villagers still believe the witches exist, and they have passed those beliefs on to their children.

This was...slightly disappointing. I enjoyed the first 2/3 or so but the ending didn't seem to make much sense. It also felt a little try-hard and there seemed to be a bunch of plot holes I guess we're just supposed to ignore? It was kinda creepy and I enjoyed the lore, I'll give it that.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Mina, a recently graduated child psychologist meets Sam, a journalist, at a grief support group. During one of the group meetings, Sam asks Mina to join him to meet Alice who is from a small town and who they think may be possessed by a witch. The start was very slow and 40% in it started to pick up again and I wanted to know what happened. Then sadly it would drag on yet again. It isn’t until the last chapters that it suddenly picks up again at full speed. Some parts of the story could have been left out, like Mina’s relationship. It never really fully developed into anything or had a point except to say she was engaged to a jerk. The description of this book had potential, but I think it was not executed well. I think people will like this one, but sadly i’m not one of them.

A horror suspense thriller about a child psychologist visiting a small town where a teen girl claims to be haunted/possessed by a witch. I quite enjoyed the plot and really appreciated the hot, almost claustrophobic setting. That said, I really wish it hadn’t been written in first person. Though I think this book will likely have broad appeal, and it's one I will recommend, the first person left me wanting more.

I can see a lot of people not loving this book because it follows the beats of many horror films and I know that those have a very specific audience. I am that audience so I ate it up. I don’t really get the other complaints. I didn’t find it slow paced, I thought the pace was perfect for creating atmosphere and building tension. People didn’t like how the ending didn’t end but I don’t agree with them either. The ending is a great example of how I like horror novels to end. I think the writing and atmosphere of this book was great. Much like books like the haunting of hill house, the question is there if is it real or all in their heads.
I recommend this to people who like haunted house and possession horror films.

2.5 stars
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.

I liked the premise of this story, but I didn’t like how it was executed. Right from the start, the story pretty much lost me. Mina is not likeable, and her subplot of her upcoming marriage just didn’t seem important to me. While there were some creepy scenes, it was drawn out and repetitive.

3.75 stars

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for the AudioARC #MacAudio2024 and Minotaur Books in return for an honest review!
Pubdate: 02/25/2025
Genre: Mystery + Thriller
Audio Length: 8 hours and 16 minutes

This was not really what I expected but woah was it eerie and mysterious! You are following newbie psychologist Mina who is dealing with trauma herself at a grief group. In the group, she meets Sam who invites her to a remote village to investigate a case involving a 13-year-old girl who says a witch is haunting her. This had some dark matter and the author did a great job of creating haunting and creepy scenes. I do think the ending was disappointing/underwhelming and we never really got an answer to what was going on... which was frustrating. It felt slightly incomplete considering the anticipation was there. ** CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS!! **

🧹Small Town vibes
🧹Unreliable Narrator
🧹Psychological aspects
🧹Salem Witch Trials
🧹Paranormal/Supernatural vibes
🧹If you like movies like: Midsommar or Hereditary
🧹Slow Paced
🧹Disturbing Scenes

ALSO- if you do not like paranormal vibes or slow burn folklore then don't even pick this up. I see some bad reviews because people do not like folklore or supernatural vibes yet still read this... just an FYI

➳ 2/5 stars

"Its not the dead we should be the afraid of its the living"

This book started with such a promising premise and had me hooked right from the beginning. I found myself completely engrossed and finished it within a day, it was that captivating. The pacing, the intrigue, and the way the story unfolded kept me turning the pages without pause. But then came the ending, and I have to admit, it was a letdown. Everything was moving along so perfectly, and I was eagerly anticipating a strong conclusion. Instead, the ending left me feeling disappointed.

This book follows the story of Alice Weber, a girl the town believes is possessed. When a journalist visits the town to uncover its strange happenings, he teams up with Mina Alice, a child psychologist, to figure out what’s really going on with Alice and the people around her. As they dig deeper, they discover something far more unsettling than they ever expected, and they make it their mission to save Alice and free her from the supposed possession.

The premise sounds compelling, doesn’t it? And honestly, it delivered on so many fronts. The horror elements, the disturbing details, the eerie mystery, and the writing were all exceptionally well done. I was hooked throughout, and the narration added so much to the experience. But unfortunately, the ending didn’t live up to the buildup. It felt underwhelming, and that disappointment overshadowed an otherwise gripping story.

I was hoping for some sort of explanation or even a theory about what was actually happening with Alice, but it felt like we were left with nothing. No clarity, no resolution, just a lot of unanswered questions. While I appreciate the journey and how gripping the story was initially, the lack of a satisfying conclusion made it feel incomplete. It’s unfortunate because this book had so much potential to be incredible.

°˖➴ "Overall, if you're looking for a book that will captivate you from the very beginning, this might be the perfect choice. However, proceed with caution, as it contains some unsettling and disturbing revelations that might not be for everyone." 💌


— Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was just kind of annoying to read, I feel like I finished it purely out of spite for myself. I didn't find it very thrilling or scary which were the two main selling points for me. There was a part near the beginning when we first get the idea of something being in the walls but the atmosphere created here really didn't last for me throughout the book. I'd be willing to try more by this author but I will need a break first.

The premise to Something in the Walls sounded right up my alley, but I found the writing to be a little too simplistic, and the characters didn't feel real.

This book was supposed to be somewhat of a horror/thriller. I think that the book was a little creepy. There were some parts that kept me interested but a lot of the times I am unsure of how we got to the certain situation we were in. It’s one thing to the next and it’s a bit rushed. Unfortunately this one wasn’t for me, but if you’re into the witch stories, this could be for you!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this ARC.