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Something in the Walls was a unique take on the thriller/horror genre. Mina was a likeable protagonist who was looking to answer questions to her own grief and I enjoyed the relationship that she formed with Sam. I found the mystery interesting and it left me wondering what could happen next. While I found the first few chapters slow and confusing the story picks up and sucks the reader in.

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This was kinda exorcist-y. It was definitely giving me creepy horror movie vibes. It's haunting and witchy and would be a great spooky season read/listen. I did enjoy it, but I'm a big mood reader and I wasn't necessarily in the mood for this one at the moment! I went in blind though so 🤷🏻‍♀️😬 I would definitely re-listen in the Fall.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio for the ALC and NetGalley for the ARC!

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Thank you to Daisy Pearce, Minotaur Books, and Net Galley for this arc of Something in the Walls, out February 25, 2025!

📜Quick Summary: Mina is a child psychologist with little experience in the field. Even though her brother has passed away years ago, she still struggles with the grief. Her soon to be husband Oscar encourages her to go back to her group therapy, and while there she meets Sam, a father who is grieving the loss of his daughter. Sam is a journalist who hears about Alice, a disturbed child who got kicked out of school and claims she can speak to the dead. Mina’s brother Eddie, always said if there was a way to get through to Mina he would, so she jumps at the chance to see what is going on with Alice. This little town that Alice is from… is odd, to say the least. What is going on in this small town? What is going on with Alice? Will Mina be able to communicate with her deeply missed brother?

❣️Initial Feels: Grief runs so deep, and we all can connect to Mina in one way or another. This spooky, atmospheric story is going to be a ride, I can tell already!

👀Trigger Warnings: loss of sibling, abuse, witchery torture

🙋🏼‍♀️Moving Character: The whole cast of characters was quite odd, but in the end I have to give it up to Alice. Although she was exposed to so many awful things as a child, throughout the book she persevered and got through all the dark things that lurked around her.

📖Read if you want: mystery, light horror, touch of ghosts, supernatural vibes

🗨️Touching Words: “We don’t fool anyone harder than we fool ourselves.”

💡Final Sentiments: This atmospheric story grabs your attention from the start. I instantly felt for Mina, and felt the strings tugging in my heart for all the loss I’ve experienced as well. This novel was a solid read, if you push away any form of reality. This novel will get you thinking about ghosts and witches (although I wished they focused solely on one to truly develop the story deeper) and what happens when a small town believes in the darkest of things. While some of it will make you gasp, some of the twists or turns are easy to decipher. It didn’t take away from the story, although I felt like the first 70% grabbed me, and then it spiraled fast and ended. Overall, a solid gripping read!

🌟Overall Rating: 4 stars

This novel was provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

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This book started out on a really strong foot for me. I've been in a weird horror mood lately as someone who normally detests the genre overall (both movies and books). I saw someone in their review describe this book as claustrophobic and I think that's such an accurate way to put it. I thought that this book was really going to explore the paranormal, connecting with those beyond the veil, and really take that route of truly sticking to it's guns there.

However, as the book went on, I felt we began straying away from some key plot lines that took root early in the book that ended up just being completely useless and non-existent to the end plot. Sam finding Maggie's shoe in the abandoned plot, no idea why Mina even had a fiance in the first place? The existence of Billy as a sibling to Alice served no purpose aside from giving Mina a room to sleep in?

In the end, the twist to me wasn't satisfying at all. I would have preferred this book to stick to a true paranormal thriller because it's unclear what was really going on in the house(but not in a way that is "up to interpretation" rather it felt that it didn't know how it wanted to end).

Would recommend this book to someone who is looking for something to maybe keep them up at night, but not if they're looking for a knock-out read.

Thank you to Minotaur Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

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Terrifying, immersive, and electrifying—Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce is one of those books that creeps into your mind and refuses to leave. It’s unsettling from the very first page—witchy, eerie, ghostly. There’s this thick atmosphere of dread hanging over everything, and you can feel it pressing down on you, like the heat wave Mina’s stuck in. I was completely hooked, from the first line to the very last. It felt like the story had me in its grip, and I wasn’t about to break free anytime soon.

Mina is such an interesting character. She’s not your usual confident protagonist—she’s hesitant, inexperienced, caught between her past grief and an uncertain future with her fiancé, Oscar. And then there’s Alice, the haunted thirteen-year-old girl at the center of it all. There’s something so raw and unnerving about her, like she’s walking this thin line between victim and something…else entirely. And Banathel! What a setting. This remote little village with its dark history of superstition and witchcraft—it feels alive, almost like it’s watching the characters, waiting for them to make a wrong move.

And let me just say: this book is scary. I know I’ve said that word before, but I mean it in a visceral, crawl-out-of-your-skin kind of way. Reading it felt like watching a horror movie, where you’re tempted to hide your face during the terrifying parts but can’t quite bring yourself to look away. There were moments where I genuinely had to pause and take a breath. The tension builds so expertly, and the story keeps getting darker and darker until I was gasping out loud.

Do I still have questions? Oh, absolutely. There are a few things I’m still turning over in my mind, wondering about. But isn’t that part of what makes a book like this so effective? It leaves these shadows behind, little mysteries that linger after you’ve turned the last page.

Daisy Pearce is such a talented writer. Her ability to pull you into this unnerving, ghostly world and keep you there, even when you’re scared out of your wits, is incredible. If you’re looking for a book that will make your heart race and give you chills—well, this is the one. I don’t think I’ll forget it anytime soon.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this haunting, chilling story. It was a ride I’m so glad I didn’t miss.

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3.75 stars

What a sinister, creepy read!

Mina, the m.c., is a child psychologist who is light on experience but heavy on her own incoming childhood trauma and guilt and current conflicted feelings about her impending marriage. When she gets the opportunity to investigate a potential paranormal circumstance, a young girl, Alice, who has been infiltrated by a witch, she joins Sam, a journalist, in this effort.

No one expects a witch-related possession to be easily handled, but things really spiral for this entire crew, and this makes for an intriguing plot, for sure. Readers with any information at all about the way "witches" have been treated historically will come in with some accurate expectations about the patriarchy, and unfortunately, some of those features reveal, well, limited growth on the part of some men. This is a quirky, potentially supernatural circumstance, but it's grounded in the reality that some men will try to oppress all women at all costs.

This is my first novel by this author, and I really enjoyed the way the characters develop and plot unfolds, so I look forward to reading more (and recommend this to folks who are interested in the synopsis).

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Incredibly atmospheric and super creepy.

The modern day version of The Salem Witch Trials.

Mina is a recent psychology graduate who is busy planning her wedding. Still struggling with the death of brother Eddie, she attends grief meetings where she meets Sam, a journalist. Sam is working on a story where Alice, a young girl in a small town, is displaying odd behaviors and claims a witch is haunting her. Sam asks Mina to accompany him to help evaluate Alice and disprove (or prove) her supernatural symptoms.

This was a slow burn horror. The pacing in the beginning of the book was slow as the author set the stage and allowed to reader to question where the story was going.
You are met with so many different possibilities that it had me constantly guessing at what was going on!

I found myself really enjoying that Pearce doesn’t always flat out tell you what you should be thinking. She lays out the details and lets you come to conclusions on your own.

My only issue with the book was even after finishing it you are STILL left with questions.

TW: death, child abuse, implied SA, self harm, bodily fluids, disturbing sequences

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4.5 ⭐️

Ooo, I really enjoyed this one. Something In the Walls is a great, fast-paced book with some real spine-tingling elements. The descriptive writing is so lovely that I couldn't stop reading. This is culty, creepy, witchy, and downright chilling at times. Wonderful read, I definitely recommend!

This book gave me Midsommar vibes.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC!

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I received a free copy of, Something in the Walls, by Daisy Pearce, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Mina is a child psychologist with no clients, she is told about Alice, a thirteen year old with problems. This book is a little disturbing and odd.

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SOMETHING IN THE WALLS is a delightfully unsettling novel about a teenage girl behaving strangely, a small town full of whispers, and an outsider trying to unravel it all. Mina, a recently graduated child psychologist desperate for something other than monotony and memories of her brother’s death, accepts an invitation to assess a teenaged Alice who claims she is being haunted by a witch. What unfolds is, well, horrific.

The descriptions of the eeriest parts of the book are absolutely brilliant - Alice’s lips when she smiles, the sounds of scratching at the bedroom door, the odor of a dead rabbit. There’s something visceral about the storytelling. There are times the book tries just a bit too hard, perhaps - and it got a little too hectic for me at the end - but it’s still the kind of book you devour.

Don’t read this one with the lights out, friends. Perfect for fans of The Exorcist and The Conjuring. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. All opinions are entirely my own.

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First and foremost, thank you Netgalley and Publishers for the e-arc of this book!!

Wow!! I honestly wasn’t expecting to love this as much as I did. I had mixed feelings and kinda low expectations going into the story that follows a child psychologist who partners with a journalist that she met in a grief group to explore and help a young girl who is allegedly being possessed by a witch.

The whole time I was reading, I never knew what was going to happen next. Each chapter left me shocked and interested. Not only that, the vibes were so creepy and eerie! Then the twist / reveal at the end had me sitting up in bed, jaw dropped. It’s been a while since a thriller actually took me by surprise so major kudos to the author!!

My only thing is, I felt like there were a few areas where things were left unanswered. Without spoiling it for anyone, I’ll keep it brief, but a lot of things that happened to Alice weren’t fully explained when the big reveal happened. So I’m left wondering if things were actually paranormal or not?? Though, I guess the ambiguity of it all is what makes the twist and plot so intriguing.

Other than that, it was so much fun to read and at the like 40% mark, I couldn’t set it down! Safe to say I will have to pick up a physical copy once it releases!

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Mina, a freshly graduated child psychologist, meets Sam, a journalist, at a grief support group. He asks her to come along to see Alice Weber, age 13, whose family thinks she is being haunted by a witch. Once they arrive at the house, Mina knows something is wrong with Alice, who says there is a witch in her fireplace but there is also something wrong with the town too…something palpable.

I really enjoyed this book. It had just the right amount of creepy. The details in the book help you believe that poor Alice really has been dealing with a haunting. The book slows down a little in the middle but the build-up to the end is fantastic. While I wasn't a huge fan of Daisy Darker, I am so glad I gave the author another try because this one was well done.

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Mina is a newly minted child psychologist, has never fully recovered from the death of her brother. Neither has Sam been able to overcome his grief with the loss of his daughter years before. When Sam invites Mina to access Alice, who is believed to be haunted by ghosts, both Sam and Alice hold out hope that Alice will be able to help them come to terms with their grief. As Mina interviews Alice and those around her, she's sure something isn't right. Is Alice truly haunted or is something else in play in the small town.

I think I enjoyed the story but would have enjoyed reading it more than listening. There was something off about the audiobook, and I found that the narrator didn't fit the story. But that's my own personal preference. There also isn't a single likeable character in the story and while I wanted to root for Mina, she just made so many choices I didn't agree with that it made it hard to connect with her. Sam likewise made some weird choices which didn't flow well for me. I occasionally felt like I had missed something, which interrupted and gave the story a choppy feel.

I'm torn on my rating. On one hand, this is a well written, edge of your seat suspense read. It's light on the horror genre but does give off the 'creep' factor. It relies heavily on the small-town atmosphere. On the other, I'm not sure how much I like the turn this book had at the end and felt the pacing was uneven. Most of the story felt slow, except for the very end which wrapped up a bit to quickly for my liking. This one had tons of potential, but even as a lover of witchy reads, I'm not sure that it fully reached that potential.

Something in the Walls comes out February 25, 2025. Thank you to Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for my advanced copy in exchange for my review. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting Instagram @speakingof.books.
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Website: SPEAKINGOF.ORG

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.
The author did a brilliant job of creating an atmosphere of dread. Was tense most of the way through! The ending threw me a bit (and not in a wtf kind of way) but thoroughly enjoyable ride

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Something in the Walls
Daisy Pearce
02/25/2025
Minotaur Books


Sam, a journalist, brings in Mina, a newly graduated child psychologist, to investigate a situation in the home of a 13 year old girl, Alice, who claims to be haunted by a witch. Mina wants to help Alice and disprove what is happening. Sam wants a story. The further the story progresses, the darker and more ominous it becomes. Something in the Walls is atmospheric and vivid.

It will leave you retching and smelling the things that are described in the book. You will need to sleep with the lights on because you will hear things. There are so many historical references inside of the book, it will be hard for the reader to just close the pages and move on. Go ahead and google a hag stone, a riddance or a pricker. This story will stick to in the inside of your ribs and dare you to look up a chimney.

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I wasn't sure what to expect when I requested this book, but I am so glad I did!

Something in the Walls centers on Mina, a young child psychologist who’s struggling to find her footing in her new career, and her unsettling involvement in the case of Alice Webber, a 13-year-old girl convinced she’s being haunted by a witch.

Pearce creates a tense atmosphere right from the start, with Mina’s personal life feeling just as suffocating as the oppressive heatwave hanging over Britain. Her engagement to Oscar, a man I could NOT stand, is on the brink of unraveling as she grows more entangled with Alice's mysterious condition. The setting of Banathel, a small, remote village steeped in history and superstition, is atmospheric and unsettling. Pearce does a fantastic job of creating tension, where the line between mental illness and something more supernatural becomes increasingly blurred. Alice’s behavior grows stranger and more violent, and the townspeople's deep-seated beliefs in witchcraft only heighten the sense that there’s something truly sinister at play.

I was on edge the entire time I was immersed in this story, truly torn between thinking the witch was real and thinking it was a manifestation of Alice’s trauma and the dark history of the town.

If you’re a fan of atmospheric thrillers that mix psychological depth with a touch of the uncanny, Something in the Walls is a compelling read. It’s a tale of slow-burning dread, where every revelation feels like another step deeper into a mystery that’s both chilling and emotionally resonant. And the ending was truly shocking to me. I did not see it coming, but I loved it. Highly recommend this author and will definitely be on the lookout for her name in this future.

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Something In The Walls was an atmospheric creepy read with a setting perfect for spooky summer reading. I do have a few questions about what actually happened, and some threads were not tied together. but the conclusion of the novel was satisfying enough to let those go.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

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This was the perfect book for readers that don’t know what to believe! I wasn’t sure what was happening and if it was really happening. This will give you all the creeps and horror vibes that you are looking for. It was a fun ride and easy to keep reading

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Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce is a gripping psychological thriller that masterfully blends suspense, mystery, and a chilling supernatural undertone. The story follows Mina, a newly minted child psychologist, who finds herself drawn into a haunting case involving a young girl, Alice, who believes she is being tormented by a witch. What starts as a seemingly straightforward job to gain experience quickly spirals into something far darker as Mina uncovers the unsettling history of the village and its deeply rooted superstitions. Pearce’s characters are well-developed, particularly Mina, whose personal struggles and past trauma add layers of complexity to the story. The pace is perfectly balanced, keeping you engaged while the eerie atmosphere of Banathel builds, leading to a tense and unexpected conclusion. I really enjoyed the way the story flowed and how the characters evolved, and it kept me hooked from beginning to end. If you're a fan of suspenseful thrillers with a supernatural twist, Something in the Walls is definitely worth reading!

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Thank you to MacMillan Audio (#MacAudio) for the ALC, and St. Martin’s press and Netgalley for the ARC!

“You didn’t ask me what it feels like when dead people talk to me…it feels like biting into ice…”

This was not what I was expecting, but I really enjoyed it! The real star of this book was the atmosphere - it was so heavy and menacing, permeating very bit of the story. Our FMC wasn’t easy to relate to for me, but I was very interested in her work and what she was trying to do with Alice. As the story went on, it only got darker and creepier to the point where I would’ve been looking over my shoulder if it was night time! The witchy vibes/history also played a big part in this story. The majority of the book had me on the edge of my seat, but after all the suspense, the ending felt a little bit abrupt. But I still really liked this one!

This review will be shared to Instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

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