Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce is an atmospheric and chilling psychological thriller that keeps readers on edge with its slow-building tension and eerie sense of unease. The story follows a woman, Holly, who moves into a seemingly perfect home, only to discover unsettling occurrences and dark secrets lurking within the walls. As Holly uncovers more about the house’s history and its previous inhabitants, the mystery deepens, and the line between reality and paranoia begins to blur.

Pearce’s writing is compelling and immersive, pulling readers into the world of Holly’s unsettling new home. The pacing is deliberate, with the tension building steadily as small, creepy details start to unravel a much larger mystery. The atmosphere of dread and foreboding is palpable, and the sense of isolation is effectively conveyed, adding to the claustrophobic feel of the story.

The character development is solid, with Holly being a well-rounded, relatable protagonist whose emotional struggles and personal history make her reactions to the strange events feel authentic. Her gradual descent into uncertainty and fear is portrayed in a way that keeps readers invested in her journey.

However, while Something in the Walls is a well-crafted thriller, the plot occasionally feels predictable, and some of the twists could have been executed with more impact. The resolution, while satisfying, left a few lingering questions that felt unresolved, which may be frustrating for readers who prefer a more definitive conclusion.

Overall, Something in the Walls is a compelling 4/5 star read. It’s a chilling, atmospheric novel that builds suspense effectively, with strong writing and a relatable protagonist. While some of the twists may be a bit predictable, the overall experience is immersive and engaging—perfect for fans of psychological thrillers and haunted house stories. Pearce has crafted a memorable, eerie read that will keep readers turning the pages. I was given an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my review.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Feb. 25, 2025
Alice Webber’s recent behaviour has caused her to be kicked out of school, lose her friends and stalked by the community. Most believe she is possessed by the spirit of a witch. Journalist Sam Hunter meets newly-minted child psychologist Mina at grief group and an idea for a great story comes to mind. If Sam, together with Mina, can prove that Alice is actually haunted by a paranormal presence, it could be the story of Sam’s career. But Mina doesn’t believe in the paranormal and is worried something more disturbing and sinister is at play. But the town of Banathel, Alice’s community, have strong roots in witchcraft and they don’t want Mina interfering in their rituals. After all they believe the only way to rid a body of a witch is to drive the witch out- through archaic rituals that will put Alice’s life at risk.
“Something in the Walls” is not the first novel by author, Daisy Pearce and somehow, I have not heard of her before. She crafts a novel that combines mental illness, witchcraft and the paranormal and you can bet- that will get my attention. “Walls” is obsessive, dark and utterly addicting.
Mina is a recent psychology graduate with the education to be a child psychologist but no formal experience. She is engaged to a scientist, Oscar, and, although they are expected to marry in the winter, she is having doubts. A seemingly normal young woman, still reeling from the death of her brother and the secrets she keeps, Mina makes an intelligent, capable and brave protagonist. As the sole narrator, readers learn about the quiet town of Banathel and its dark past right alongside Mina. The instant sympathy for Alice is there as well, although it is impossible to determine (until the final pages, anyway) if Alice is suffering from mental illness or possession.
“Walls” is part folklore, part horror and one hundred percent immersive. I loved the small, quirky town and all of its secretive yet accepting members, shrouding a history of witch hunting that goes back decades. Alice’s participation in the ritual with her then-friends adds realism to the idea that she very well could be possessed, but Pearce doesn’t give away the ending that easily, providing an endless number of twists and turns that kept me guessing.
I loved the final pages and the gripping conclusion, both Mina and Alice getting the endings they truly deserved. “Walls” opened my eyes to Peace, and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for her novels from now on.

Something in the Walls was a combo of scary, witchy, and folklore thriller. Went into this book blindly and at one point, I was scared of reading it in the dark. The horror aspect dwindled after the first half but that’s when the thriller suspense kicked in.

I really enjoyed this read, so many unnerving parts that kept me hooked. Recommend this book to anyone who likes creepy, witchy reads.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC. Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce will be published on February 25, 2025

Something in the Walls
Mina meets journalist Sam Hunter by chance, brought together by their individual grief, sharing their stories. When he asks for her help, she can't resist the opportunity to put her child psychology degree to use.
They travel to meet Alice who claims she's being haunted by a witch, a witch that watches her from inside the walls. Alice's claims are terrifying and sets everyone on edge.
As Mina and Sam dig deeper into Alice's claims, and try to their best to help, it only seems to amplify the happenings, making everything worse.
With their services proving to be useless, Alice and Sam find themselves running out of time to help Alice. With Alice's family against her, Mina sneaks around finding truth about the town and how they handle these kinds of situations. Alice needs to get to the bottom of this before Alice because another piece of this towns haunted history.
This book was very unlike others I have read. It gave me the heebie jeebies from the very beginning and kept me entranced. It really kept to guessing the whole time, was there actually paranormal things happening within their home, or was this poor girl mentally ill? The ending threw me for a loop and kept me thinking about it long after I set the book down. This one comes out February 25th, and if you're looking for something out of the ordinary, this is it! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5!!!
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Something in the Walls is a dark and broody story with lots of tension and atmosphere but not a ton of explicit explanation. Spoiler alert - if you are like me, someone who likes to have clear cut explanations at the end of their stories, this one might fall a little flat for you in the end. If you are more of a fan of ambiguity, I think you'll love this book.

Set in a small town with a witchy history, Something In the Walls tells the story of Mina, a newly qualified child psychologist investigating the possession of a teenaged girl. In this story, everyone has a secret and nothing is quite as it seems, but how much is supernatural and how much is plain old misogyny?

Woah this was creeptastic as my young kids say!

I compulsively read this. It was frighteningly good! I was completely immersed into this. The suspense and the feeling of dread that built up as you read, this was incredible. I was definitely scared! Great job. I have never been scared like this with a book before.!

thank you macmillan audio for the alc & minotaur for the e-arc!

what i liked:
- atmospheric and eerie

what i didn't like:
- while it was creepy, there were many times that it felt like it was trying too hard to be dark
- slow burn, clunky pacing
- the last ~20% felt like a completely different story, and i felt like it never went back to previous "theories" and explain what actually happened. this is where i have a hard time with because that was the leading the plot for majority of the story.

Thank you to @netgalley for my copy!!! This was a really anticipated read for me. I love a debut, especially a thriller! There is definitely some witchiness brewing in the air of this novel by Daisy Pearce. The atmosphere of dread and menace is as thick and as humid as the heat wave that's suffocating the village of Banathel. The first half of this book had me held in its grip but then it takes a bit of an unexpected turn and all that built up dread simply vanishes. Now that's not to say the ending is bad by any means but it wasn't the direction I was expecting the book to go. I look forward to more Pearce!

I struggled to get past the first couple of pages in this one. Then I requested the audio and I finished this book in two days time.

This was a really great book for the most part! I was fully immersed in the strange happenings. Is Alice possessed/ haunted or does she have a mental illness? This book was creepy and very unsettling. The building dread kept escalating until it stalled. I feel like most of this book had you believing it would lead to one answer and then jumped streams 3/4 of the way through to end up in the other side of the river. It was kind of jolting in terms of piecing things together. I won’t say it was confusing but unexpected and a tad disappointing. It also left for quite a few unanswered questions.

My biggest complaint in the relationship between the MC Mina and her fiancé who wasn’t actually present with her for the majority of the book. Their relationship was brought up several times throughout and I feel it did absolutely nothing for the story itself. Besides that, and the sudden shift in the storyline, I fully enjoyed the folk horror small town cult-y vibes this one was giving. I can appreciate an ending that is open for interpretation and this surely had that.

What to expect ⬇️
🕯️Seances
🐝 Loss of a loved one
🕯️ Witch/ folklore history
🐝 Wasps!
🕯️ Small town
🐝 Mass hysteria
🕯️ Possession/ superstition/ rituals

Something in the Walls is a frightening, yet compulsively readable folk horror novel that was atmospheric and gripping to the very end!

This read was okay I didn’t enjoy nor dislike it. I have a couple friends that I would recommend it to but I’m not sure I’d read from this author again

This was a GREAT story to listen to! AWESOME narration! Great main characters. The plot was easy to find. The story was engaging and easy to follow. Will be purchasing this book. Shout out to Netgalley and publishing for allowing me to listen and review this story.

4 STARS!

DNF. It was bad at all. The writing was really good, but the plot was just a bit too touchy for me right now. May come back to it eventually.

Something in the Walls was a supremely dark, creepy, unsettling horror story that enchanted me right from the start. It was jam-packed with all kinds of supernatural elements, like hauntings, possession and witches. Needless to say, I was obsessed with the subject matter!

The horror scenes were so well done, and it felt like they were happening one after another at one point. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough, desperate to find out where the story was headed next.

There was a lot going on within the book, but that was part of what I loved about it. The ending was completely insane!! I never could’ve anticipated it. I was left feeling super unsettled and with a whole lot of unanswered answers. I actually felt similarly when I finished We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer.

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this e-ARC!

Read if you like:

✨Witches
✨Psychological evaluations
✨Possession & hauntings
✨Local superstitions & rituals
✨Small town settings
✨The complexity of grief

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

I very much enjoyed this book. The writing was great and the characters were well developed. I hope to read more from this author in the future.

3 stars.

Creepy, unnerving and unique!

This witchy story follows Mina, a newly certified child psychologist. She takes on a peculiar case of a thirteen-year-old girl who claims to be haunted by a witch.

This book is a truly unique and unputdownable reading experience. The plot has thick, foreboding tension dripping from the pages from start to finish. The highly atmospheric story gives the reader an uncomfortable sense of unease and paranoia. I was on edge and curious throughout.

While the story is unnerving and uncomfortable, there were many plot points that were implausible. I loved the horror/witchiness of the storyline, but the actual plot and characterizations didn’t work for me. For one, the child psychologist acted more as a police detective than a doctor. This caused a disconnect for me from truly immersing myself within the plot. The writing and atmosphere of the book engrossed me, but the storyline itself never quite gripped me as too many things didn’t make sense.

I enjoyed this for being a unique, atmospheric, entertaining psychological thriller/horror, but I failed to truly click with the characters and/or storyline as most other early reviewers have.

Overall, it’s a great book choice if you want to try something completely different and you enjoy witchy stories with hints of horror. I am definitely the outlier with my thoughts so I encourage you to try it out and see for yourself!

Thank you to the publisher for my digital copy! My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Expected date of publication is Feb 25, 2025

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

This book was actually quite scary. The author writes horror imagery very well. There were moments I would be reading and didn’t want to turn out the light! I enjoyed the folk horror elements in this book. The characters were mysterious and interesting. I would definitely recommend this book to the horror community. Made my skin crawl!

I received an arc (it's not out till March 2025) but knew it was going to be a good read for October given the premise - spooky house, witchy / haunting / exorcism dealie. So I eagerly dove in and was quite happy in doing so.

It was everything. I could hardly read it at night it was so creepy. Cinematic really. And then... 3/4 through as we're reaching the climax of the story it curves hard into territory that immediately took away what was built up.

Would I still recommend this? Yes. It was well written (and super scary until it wasn't).

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

I am generally a fan of thrillers, and what I love about them and what this book did well was keep you guessing and wanting more and the twist.

Where I struggled with this book was the jump from the setup to the plot twist/ending. It felt like it wrapped up very quickly with not as much development.

A haunting story of the evil that lurks not just in the fireplace but in community traditions. Mina, a newly licensed child psychiatrist is challenged with curing thirteen year old Alice Webber who is convinced that she is being haunted by a witch. Sam Hunter, a journalist she met at a grief support group encourages her to take the case with him as her ally. As they both dive deeper into the Webber family's house, lives and relationships it is evident that a dark energy surrounds all of them. "Something in the Walls" by Daisy Pearce is a unique take on witches, mass psychogenic illness and the lengths someone will go to process grief.