I was really hopeful for the this spooky, witchy feel read!

It fell a little flat for me personally. It felt like a few of the storylines/ elements were a little big disjointed.

Overall it was a good read and really nothing wrong with it but nothing that really stood out to me!

Something in the Walls had a strong start that pulled me in right away. The witchy vibes and spooky atmosphere were perfect, especially for Halloween, and the suspense in the beginning kept me hooked. But as the story went on, it started to lose steam. The pacing got uneven, and by the halfway point, it felt slow and a little hard to follow.

The characters could have used more depth, too. The main character starts out as strong and driven, but by the end, she felt like a shadow of her former self. The supporting characters didn’t fare much better, and their interactions with the protagonist didn’t always make sense. By the time I got to the ending, it felt rushed and left me wanting more—especially when it came to Mina and Sam, who really needed more closure.

If you like paranormal stories with a spooky vibe, this one might still be worth a shot, but don’t expect it to fully deliver on the chills by the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc. Alice is a thirteen year old who says she's being haunted by a witch. This was definitely a creepy story. I felt like it started strong, then got slow then I'm confused at why it ended so early. Love the plot, but not my favorite

What a great book! I was hooked and couldn't put it down. Read it over a weekend. Daisy does a great job writing the story and keeps you guessing till the bitter end. I am still wondering!! I love the plot and the characters and my heart just broke for Alice. Great book for a book club discussion.

I received this book from Net Galley for a review. It wasn’t quite what I expected, but it is still a spooky and enjoyable read. I like my horror to by a little more horrifying and Something in the Walls is more of a suspense thriller.

Mina, a newly graduated child psychologist, and Sam, a reporter, head to a small town in Cornwall to investigate a teenage girl who claims to be haunted by a witch. Remaining skeptical, the team speaks with the people of the town and the girl’s family. As they begin to uncover Alice’s secrets, Mina realizes the truth is more sinister than she can imagine.

As I said above, I enjoyed this book. There isn’t as much supernatural activity as I hoped, but it was still an enjoyable read that I devoured quickly while sitting in front of the fireplace. I did see the ending coming from the first quarter of the book, so I wasn’t surprised, but the way the events played out was insane in a good way. There are elements of The Wicker Man (the original, not the abomination with Nicholas Cage) and Midsommar. Learning about ancient pagan rituals will never cease to amaze me.

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I really like Pearce's writing style and found the story to be captivating. I did like the buildup of terror throughout the book - the folklore horror and the building hysteria gave me some serious creeps during this story and I was HERE for it. But I do have to agree with what others are saying; the first part of this books feels like an entirely different story than the end of this book and it was very disorienting.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I had really high hopes for this book. I think that was my mistake.

The first 30 percent and the last 70 percent felt like 2 completely different books. The fact that the summary said this was midsomer vibes I was intrigued. I didn’t feel the comparison.

I would give this a 2.5 for the creepy/witchy parts. But overall the story seemed disconnected and I wouldn’t recommend it

This book has a small town claustrophobic feeling about it. It follows the story of Mina who is an inexperienced child psychologist. She goes to a small village to investigate a case of possession of a thirteen year old girl. The town is filled with superstition and folklore. The theme of the book is suffocating and mass hysteria. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the haunting of hill house. If you enjoy an atmospheric read as well.

The first 2/3 to 3/4 of this book were excellent, but by the end it really felt like a completely different story entirely. It seemed like maybe the author had two ideas for stories but wasn't sure how to fully flesh either one out, and so she smashed them both together in a way that didn't make much (or perhaps any) sense. I loved Pearce's writing, and I loved the story we started out with, but by the end I was wondering what the hell I was actually reading. Learning that Pearce is a fan of Stephen King makes sense, though, since he also has a habit of coming in out of left field with the most bizarre endings that don't always make sense. I might still be interested in reading something by Pearce in the future, though, because I loved her writing.

Something in the Walls is my first from Daisy Pearce and it was a real enjoyable read. For me, it had a bit of everything. A domestic thriller, supernatural horror, some harrowing scenes and it all came together very nicely. Daisy's writing style is descriptive and not overly so which gave way for a medium paced, atmospheric story. At some points, I had actual shivers.

Id love to hear this as an audiobook as with the right narrator, it would make a very atmospheric listen!

Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the eArc

4 stars

Perfect atmospheric setting and a page turner, it is both heartbreaking and terrifying. It sure kept me turning pages. It would have been 5 but got a bit disjointed around 60 percent, but still an excellent tale.
Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
4/5 star

This book has me on the edge of my seat since page one. This was such a good "witchy" book to read and I hope there is a sequel because I have more questions than answers 😂😂

It’s creepy, it’s witchy. It did everything it was supposed to do in a thriller. Excellent start leaving me captivated. I got a little lost/muddy in the middle and an unexpected ending makes this novel fantastic. Thank you!!

Something in the Walls is about an extremely creepy, contemporary witch hunt. Mina is an inexperienced psychologist, also engaged to a man she questions enough to avoid keeping wedding planning appointments. Mina attends a bereavement group to help her mourn the death of her brother several years earlier. There she meets Sam Hunter, journalist, mourning the loss of his young daughter. He encourages Mina to travel with him and take on the challenging case of Alice Webber, age 13, who claims she is being haunted by a witch. The thick, humid heat wave in this small village is as much a character in this story, as the atmosphere and events become darker and more foreboding. There is increasing hysteria and horror as time goes on, with an almost unexpected conclusion. This is a highly recommended book for fans of the supernatural and horror! With thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC. My opinions are my own.

Folklore horror is one of my very favorite genres and this book definitely lived up to my expectations. I think with most folklore books there is a bit of a slow introduction, so I never really mind that. Even when I was scared I could not put this one down!

This book is a very well written book and has very well developed characters but I struggled to like the characters and the story. Even though I didn’t like the characters and the story I think that many people will love this story.

very thrilling! did not see the plot twist coming at all. the book kept my attention all throughout. the plot was very interesting and the characters were likeable. no complaints! will read more from this author

I felt like this book had so much potential. The start of the book was great. I wanted to keep reading to know more of what’s going on. It’s got a great blend of witchiness and intrigue to keep going. I lost interest about 60% through. The book goes by so quickly, it feels like there isn’t enough character development. The ending is good but also felt abrupt to me. I would have liked to see Mina and Sam have a talk.

Would be a good book for Halloween.

Also, weird but the book could have been named better. I understand it but with all the witchy and paranormal that happens in the book. The name could be better as well.

Oh, Something in the Walls—a tale where every bit of childhood dread about monsters lurking in dark corners is validated by… a child psychologist and a journalist wandering through a town so superstitious it might as well be Salem 1692. Daisy Pearce’s horror novel introduces Mina, a freshly minted child psychologist who’s still figuring out what her job even is, and Sam, a journalist with a tragic past and an alarming interest in haunted children. Together, they head to Banathel, a village with a creepy name and even creepier people, to investigate Alice, a young girl who’s apparently being harassed by a witch in the walls. Yes, that’s right—a witch who lives in walls. If you can suspend your disbelief (or throw it out the window entirely), there’s plenty of unsettling spookiness to be found here.

Mina, clearly feeling lost in life and a little too excited for spooky career prospects, dives in headfirst, hoping this case will give her the breakthrough she needs—and maybe even a bit of closure for her own family tragedy. She’s also planning her wedding, so nothing like a little potential possession to set the mood. And then there’s Sam, the journalist who practically drags her along for his own motives, likely inspired by the loss of his daughter. There’s something heartwarming about the way these two team up to exploit—I mean, help—this haunted kid.

Pearce really works to craft an atmosphere thick with dread. Several reviewers have raved about how the setting feels like it’s soaked in unease, from the oppressive heat of a British summer to the oppressive gloom of a superstitious village. Banathel could probably use a heavy dose of therapy itself; it’s a place where everyone has a lot of opinions on witches but apparently no access to air conditioning or rational thinking.

Now, if you’re looking for strong character relationships, well, you might be left wanting. Mina and Sam aren’t exactly bursting with charisma. Mina’s relationship with her fiancé is so lukewarm it could probably be cut without anyone noticing, and Sam’s obsession with finding a supernatural connection to his daughter is bizarrely intense. The villagers are appropriately cryptic and unhelpful, and poor Alice is left to make it through her haunting with very little actual support. The whole situation is just the right mix of unsettling and slightly absurd.

The story starts off slow, a point that quite a few readers felt dragged down the suspense. For a horror book, the action doesn’t exactly leap off the page until later on, but once it does, expect a few solid scares. The ending, depending on your perspective, either “wraps things up nicely” or leaves you scratching your head and wondering if the witch in the walls will ever actually knock on the drywall.

For all its quirks and its occasional head-scratching moments, Something in the Walls manages to keep readers on edge with a blend of supernatural horror and small-town paranoia. It’s a book that might leave you wondering if the haunting was ever real—or if the villagers simply needed a collective therapy session. So if you’re into slightly pretentious scares, ominous villagers, and questionable life choices, this one’s for you.

Oo, creepy and witchy! I was drawn into this book within the first few chapters. Once the potentially possessed child was mentioned, I felt myself start to get nervous and a little scared. The writing is engaging and makes you want to keep reading - it also feels perfectly atmospheric and spooky. I did also like how grief was woven throughout. I do wish it was a little fast paced for the final 1/3, but overall, a fun read