This was such an interesting one that tied together an eerie small community, folk horror, and copious amounts of dread. Folk horror is a genre that I love but haven’t read a lot of, and this book definitely reminded me of why I need to prioritize reading it more in 2025. This book started out as one thing and went in a direction that I really wasn’t anticipating but really enjoyed, and I just applaud the author for so seamlessly making that transition. This book reads as part folk-horror, part possession story in parts.

The main character in this book, Mina, is definitely relatable to anyone who has found themselves kind of looking for purpose in life with a new degree that she isn’t sure how to use and an engagement that she isn’t exactly thrilled about. So her expedition to the countryside to meet a young girl who is basically being accused of witchcraft in a town with a rich history of witches and witch persecution is just what she needs. Add on that her own personal trauma and regret about her own personal tragedy, and this leads to some really interesting dynamics.

The small community is definitely the star of this story as they exhibit many cult-like symptoms and have very non-traditional beliefs. The author does a tremendous job showing the rampant superstition amongst all members of this community by casually bringing up things like hag stones. With an added heatwave which requires a curfew and has everyone even more on edge, this is a claustrophobic and overtly tense read. This book was very Shirley Jackson-like which I obviously adored.

My only real issue with this one was the ending which felt a little lacklustre after the buildup to get there. I think it could have used a little more explanation as well. But overall, I highly recommend checking this one out when it releases!

As someone who watched Hill House before reading the book and then was disappointed by the book, Something in the Walls filled that void for me. Atmospheric, dark, heart-pounding, mystery, with some *alleged* hauntings (no spoilers here).

The only reason this isn't getting 5-stars from me is that the some of side plots felt forced and a little unnecessary for the overall story. But overall, I couldn't put this book down and stayed up way too late reading it and definitely recommend it (pub date 2/25/25).

I was a little worried going into this after seeing some of the more negative reviews but I have to tell you, it's absolutely worth the read. I think many of the lower rated and send reviews mentioned the audiobook, so maybe avoid that medium and get a physical copy instead!

*also check tw before reading*

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A girl possessed, or is she a witch? Is there something tapping in the walls and looking at us through the cracks in the chimney? What is really happening in this town?
A dark and creepy novel, peppered with superstitions, old traditions, and witchcraft. This is a recipe for greatness! I had never heard of Daisy Pearce before this novel, and I can’t wait to read her other books. The title and cover of this snagged my eye, and I knew, it was right up my alley. The writing style borders on a YA feel, but that just made it a fast read, not that I was going to let much slow me down as this exciting tail unfolded. This book finished up. I had questions, big questions! Not that I wanna throw out there for fear of spoilers, but I would’ve liked to have seen the storyline wrap up a little more completely. Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this early release copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book had me hooked right from the start. I was able to binge this book so quickly finished it within 2 days. However, I was a bit let down by the ending. After such a riveting story and a buildup that I felt kept me going to get the conclusion we did I was bummed. I had high hopes from the start and that conclusion i feel ruined it for me. I really liked Mina as a character, I felt she fit very well into the plot and her character development was decent, but man that conclusion. I do feel like Pearce as an author is great, the ideas, development and storyline was definitely there and I will pick up another book by her in the future.

Ooo, what a creepy book! Something in the Walls is a fast-paced story that follows Mina, a child psychologist who, eager to gain real-world experience, agrees to help a young girl who claims to be haunted by a witch. Set in a small town steeped in superstition and witch lore, the eerie atmosphere adds layers of tension and intrigue. While the plot's twists and turns left me uncertain about all the details, it was still enjoyable and easy to read.

I loved reading this one! What a good, creepy book! This one was really hard to put down and stop reading as well.

I love a psychological thriller that completely pulls you in from the first page. If you are like me in that sense, then you will love this book. However, if you are also like me and need an ending to offer some sort of resolution then just know this book leaves something to be desired. I loved about 85% of the book but the ending felt rushed, underwhelming, and left me with more questions than answers.

Thanks NetGalley, Daisy Pearce and the publisher for this eARC.

I've posted my review on Goodreads and will post to Amazon and Instagram on the publish date!

After connecting with a journalist at her grief therapy group, a child psychologist travels to a small town to investigate claims of a 'witch' and 'possession'. Truth battles herd psychology as well as myth in this tricky tale.

BOOK REPORT
Received a complimentary copy of Something in the Walls, by Daisy Pearce, from St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books/NetGalley, for which I am appreciative, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Scroll past the BOOK REPORT section for a cut-and-paste of the DESCRIPTION of it from them if you want to read my thoughts on the book in the context of that summary.

If you’re a fan of schlock British horror movies from the 1960s and ‘70s (think, for example, Witchfinder General starring Vincent Price—https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063285/ ), then this book will be _right_ up your creepily wallpapered alley.

As it was mine.

Could totally see it as a movie.

Don’t understand why it has the title it does, though. Felt like The Riddance would’ve been a better one.

PS
I just read the full description of this book, as provided by NetGalley. Over the top much, hmm? While I thoroughly enjoyed being made a little anxious by it, it was not “unbearably tense,” nor did it keep me “guessing until its wild end.”

But if you’re new to the genre, maybe you’ll feel that way.

DESCRIPTION
A Library Reads Pick

Most Anticipated by Goodreads * E! News

Unbearably tense, utterly propulsive, and studded with folklore and horror, Something in the Walls is perfect for anyone who loves Midsommar and The Haunting of Hill House.

Newly-minted child psychologist Mina has little experience. In a field where the first people called are experts, she’s been unable to get her feet wet. Instead she aimlessly spends her days stuck in the stifling heat wave sweeping across Britain, and anxiously contemplating her upcoming marriage to careful, precise researcher Oscar. The only reprieve from her small, close world is attending the local bereavement group to mourn her brother’s death from years ago. That is, until she meets journalist Sam Hunter at the grief group one day. And he has a proposition for her.

Alice Webber is a thirteen year old girl who claims she’s being haunted by a witch. Living with her family in their crowded home in the remote village of Banathel, Alice’s symptoms are increasingly disturbing, and money is tight. Taking this job will give Mina some experience; Sam will get the scoop of a lifetime; and Alice will get better, Mina is sure of it.

But instead of improving, Alice’s behavior becomes increasingly inexplicable and intense. The town of Banathel has a deep history of superstition and witchcraft. They believe there is evil in the world. They believe there are ways of…dealing with it. And they don’t expect outsiders to understand.

As Mina races to uncover the truth behind Alice’s condition, the dark cracks of Banathel begin to show. Mina is desperate to understand how deep their sinister traditions go–and how her own past may be the biggest threat of all.

"Unexpected, mesmerizing, and totally original...will keep you guessing until its wild end." -#1 International Bestselling author Darby Kane

"Harrowing and moving...Pearce has written something magical. There are scenes in this book I'll never forget." -Kristi DeMeester, author of Such a Pretty Smile

Mina, a newly graduated child psychologist, meets Sam, a young journalist, at a grief support group meeting. He tells her of Alice, a teenage girl who is believed to be possessed by the spirit of a witch who she thinks observes her from within the family’s chimney. He asks Mina to come with him to evaluate Alice, as this would bring Mina great experience in her field. Mina takes this opportunity and goes with Sam to Banathel, a small town full of secrets and traditions, to meet Alice. As she begins to work with Alice and her family, things start to escalate and secrets come to light.

I was very excited for this book, given the description. The story started off strong, but it lost its way. It kind of felt like two books blended into one. There were several plot holes, and I was left with multiple questions, one of them being why didn’t Mina talk more with Alice…wasn’t that the whole point? The ending was unsatisfying, it just fell flat. Most of my questions have to do with the ending so I won’t put them here as to not spoil anything. Some positives, it was pretty atmospheric & creepy at some points. It kept me entertained.

Thank you NetGalley, and St. Martin’s Press for the eArc of this book in exchange for my honest review. Something in the Walls is scheduled to be published on February 25, 2025.

I had a hard time putting this one down! I had goosebumps multiple times. Just overall good creepy vibes book. Really enjoyed the edge of your seat feeling and just really not knowing what is actually happening. Thanks for a great read!

This was a book that was entertaining but not one that I think I will remember details of. I want a thriller to thrill me and this one was a pretty easy guess for me. The characters were not lovable or relatable for me which I think was another big problem. I did feel like the plot was unique and at some points it made me want to keep reading more.

Lots of folklore and spooky vibes here. Can really see the references to Midsommar and Haunting of Hill House. It has a great twist and I loved trying to guess it at each turn.

2.5 STARS - I requested a copy of Something In The Walls based solely on its blurb. I was eager for a tense and sinister read. I was creeped out - in the very best way - as newly graduated child psychologist Mina, who is still reeling from the death of her brother, joins forces with a journalist to figure out if a teen girl in a small town is possessed.

For the first quarter of the book Pearce's descriptions of witchy vibes and eerie situations had me eagerly turning the pages. The story was wonderfully sinister and had me looking over my shoulder ... but then things changed.

At this point the story faltered for me and things just didn't make sense. Was it weird that Mina and the journalist stayed in the home of the teen's family? Yes. Why did Mina hardly ever interact with or talk with the teen girl so she could accurately and professionally evaluate her? Later in the story the witchy vibe disappears, and the story goes off on another tangent which was just confusing and not nearly as satisfying as the witchy focus.

Final Thoughts: I loved the premise and the initial creepy vibe. But I expected to enjoy this book a whole lot more and was disappointed that I didn't connect with the characters or story and was left with an ending that felt incomplete with too many unanswered questions.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to St Martin's Press for the complimentary digital copy of this book which was given in exchange for my honest review.

I could not put this down. It's so creepy/atmospheric/suspenseful. I was tense while reading it and was kept guessing until the end.
Mina is a child psychologist and she meets Sam, a reporter, who asks her to accompany him to a small town to meet Alice. Alice has visions and is scaring her family and townsfolk. Is she possessed, or is there something lurking that is causing her behavior?
I wish there would have been more of an explanation to the horror aspect of the storyline, but maybe that's the point to leave us guessing if it was true or brought on by dark forces in her own life.
I will be recommending this book to as many people as possible!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of Something In the Walls in exchange for an honest review.

This pulled me in right away. I was intrigued by the paranormal happenings and the super creepy atmosphere. Definitely not one to read before bed!

Our main protagonist, Mina, is a child psychologist who’s first client is Alice, a young girl who thinks there is a witch that has been impacting her. The town is full of witch history, folklore, and superstitions that have them using protective symbols, tools, and rituals to keep the witches at bay.

Alice somehow connects to the dead (perhaps because of the witch’s influence?) and starts to attract a crowd of people seeking connection with their lost loved ones. This is true of Mina as well, who lost her brother as a child. The loss of her brother is a key factor in her return and investigation. This plays out like a mystery as Mina interviews different townsfolk about Alice.

It’s clear that Mina does not believe there are supernatural factors, but instead thinks it’s “all in her head”, like a typical doctor does when there’s something happening that they can’t explain.

The book takes a turn about half way through and gets rather brutal. It’s almost like a new book all together, and as I finish up, I feel unsatisfied.
The beginning build up and intrigue about Alice and the witch is never explained.

Why invest in such a build up and never explain it or close the loop on the whole point of Mina coming to help Alice. What was going on with her? Is there really a witch?! Alas there are no answers, unless you go the doctor’s way of it was all in her head. I can’t accept that, LOL. Thus, a lower rating from me.

Not to say this wasn’t a ride and creepy as hell. In that sense it hit the spot for horror, and may work for some, but not for me. If you want to give it a shot. It’s set to drop on 2/25/25.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publishers, and Daisy Pearce for an ARC of Something in the Walls! I was in between on this book. The beginning was a bit slow and then picked up in the middle and then kind of wavered at the end. I still gave it 4 stars as in the middle made me excited to see what was going to happen. Mina’s brother died as a child and sometimes attends a bereavement group. At the latest session she meets Sam who is a journalist and has a story on a girl named Alice that is being haunted by a witch. Mina is a child psychologist graduate and needs some experience so agreed to go with Sam to help Alice. When they arrive to Alice’s home, Mina believes it’s not a ghost story truly. Odd things happen and Mina believes she can help Alice, but the town starts showing their old traditions and Mina is at a race to uncover her own past and ensure Alice’s safety. Overall, I mostly enjoyed it and the premise, it just lacked some more power at the end that could give it more depth.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a little lackluster for me, though some of the parts throughout were a little bit creepy, I was expecting a lot more spooky and horror related themes than what we get. The first part of the book was very interesting, however as we got about 75-80% into the book is where things started to fall apart for me as the creepy, mysterious, witchy element fell through and the ending was very lackluster leaving you with more questions than you get answers.

The pacing was good, though, for the first half of the book and did keep me wondering what was going to play out, though. The characters, especially Alice, were also interesting. There was one scene that almost gave an Exorcist kind of feel to it, which I really enjoyed as I love scary movies. All in all, it isn't a bad book, it's just not one that will stick with me for a long time. Give it a try as you may really like it.

Mina Ellis, a recent graduate in child psychology and grieving sister, meets Sam, a journalist and grieving father, at a bereavement group meeting. Sam has an offer for her to come with him to evaluate Alice Webber, a teen that lives in a small superstitious town and is believed to be possessed by a witch. Mina, being too new to get real jobs in the field and anxiously awaiting her upcoming nuptials to her researcher fiancé, sees the opportunity as a way to get her feet wet in the field and also to take a break from her current life.

While working with the supposedly haunted girl, the town gets more superstitious and strange and Alice’s behaviors get more intense and disturbing. Will Mina be able to help this clearly troubled girl with her mental health, or is there really something evil lurking inside her?

This book has a lot to unpack for me. I had varying feelings as I read the book, and was never 100% sure of how I felt about it as I read it until it got to the end.

I will start with the things i was not sure about and/or did not like. The first issue for me with this book was the pacing. Though there were a few scenes throughout the first 3/4 of the book that were spooky/disturbing and provided some action, the bulk of the first 3/4 of the book was very slow. I didn’t often find myself wanting to pick the book up and read non stop. Though I do love how the creepy/disturbing scenes were written, and i definitely got the creep factor chilling my bones as I read them, I just feel like the story was just not connected very well or didn’t flow very well to tie it all together. There were a few times while reading that I found myself a little confused about what Mina was actually doing. It didn’t seem like she was actually working on helping the girl and was much more focused on herself or on the goings on in the town and/or people in the family or immediate vicinity.

The next thing is that the characters, for the most part, all felt like they were one color. I don’t mean their ethnicity, but their personality and depth. They all felt very grey and bland to me. Most of them were damaged in some way, most of them were negative and brooding, and most of them didn’t have a likable quality or trait to them, so it was difficult as a reader to grow any kind of like or attachment to any of them. The summary of this book also makes it seem as if the main character is Alice, when really the lead character is Mina. Mina, in my opinion, is insufferable. She has a complete lack of care for how her actions affect anyone around her and just does what she wants to, and also doesn’t seem to have a care for the feelings of anyone else even as they are spoken to her. The only character in the whole book that I liked was Fern, and it wasn’t until the last 25% of the book.

Now there were a few things that I did like. I do like the premise of the story and the very beginning had me hooked. I was excited because I thought I would be diving in to a good haunting and/or a book full of the disturbing and creep factor that would develop into a haunting or some other situation that was a twist that absolutely took me out. Though I did have an idea of what was going on pretty early in the story, or at least some of it, I still was left wondering and questioning the whole book whether or not the witches/ghosts aspect was real or if it was explainable by mental health and/or human intervention. I would say that I am generally satisfied with the ending, though it felt abrupt and left too many questions. Just didn’t feel complete.

To conclude, the unsettling scenes, disturbing themes, and premise of the story are what give this book a 3.5 for me, because I love those aspects in stories about witches/ghosts. I would have preferred a more complete ending, more diverse character personalities, and a less insufferable female lead.





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

**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.**

Actual rating: 3.5

Daisy Pearce presents Something in the Walls, a horror story centering a girl and a history of witches in a small town. Readers follow Mina, a recent university graduate who specialized in child psychology. Mina has been called in for an expert opinion by Sam, an investigative journalist. Sam is looking into the case of Alice, a teenager who seems to be possessed by the spirit of a witch set free from a broken witch bottle. Sam is burdened with the death of his daughter and Mina is haunted by the death of her brother, and somehow Alice knows.

Pearce sets up with an interesting premise and short chapters that keep the pace steadily moving. This book is a slow burn psychological horror that builds uncertainty and instability in Mina and in the whole town. This aspect of the book is done well. My issues come in with the ending.

I am admittedly, disappointed with the choice of how to end the book. Not just the aspect of what was happening, but the quick sort of slapdash whirlwind of the end itself. There are a few plot holes that I can logic away for myself in general, but the book doesn't necessarily answer specific questions about how or why scenes came to occur the way they did without me having to come up with some major assumptions. This is probably a me-specific pet peeve, but lack of cohesive explanation for what happened frequently annoys me in horror. We have an answer. Win. But some things simply aren't rationalized by that explanation. Less of a win.

That being said, I was never bored and I enjoyed my time with the story. I was happy to have the opportunity to read Something in the Walls early.