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

The synopsis of this book grabbed my attention because it was marketed as a mix of folklore and horror and while both are genres I don't normally gravitate towards, I found myself enjoying this well enough.

Newly-minted child psychologist Mina is asked to help a young girl, Alice, who has recently been haunted by a witch. What Mina walks into is a broken home and entire village under the influence of something otherworldly. While I caught on quickly to the "who" in the book, I couldn't figure out the "way" or "how" which kept me reading late into the night.

I didn't find any of the characters all that likeable yet wanted this one to be resolved and for Mina and Alice to prove to themselves that they were capable and worthy. No one really supported either character, which lead me to champion for both.

"Something in the Walls" would make for a great creepy movie. It sort of gives Salem Witch meets "The Possession".

This book quickly drew me in, wondering what happened to Eddie, and why Mina was so interested in contacting the dead. I thought the author did a great job intertwining Eddie’s and Mina’s story with Alice’s as it progressed. I think more could’ve been added onto the ending as an epilogue from Alice’s point of view explaining if her “paranormal” experiences were genuine, or a product of her mind created by the stressors of her situation and the towns mass hysteria.

After recently finishing her degree in child psychology, Mina finds herself wandering aimlessly through her days. She hasn’t been able to break into her field yet, instead filling her time planning a wedding to her safe and secure fiancée and obsessing over her brother’s death (even though it’s been 6 years). Encouraged to go back to a grief support group, she encounters a journalist, Sam, who gives her a (albeit- strange) chance to get her feet into her field.

Sam is assigned to write an article on Alice, a young teenage girl living in the superstitious small town of Banathel, who is supposedly haunted by a witch. Mina believes that there must be a tangible reason for her disturbances, but can’t deny the opportunity to both work in her field and maybe get some closure on her brother’s death. But the more time she spends around Alice, her family, and the town, the stranger the occurrences seem until she starts to question everything she really knows.

Some minor spoilers ahead.

Full disclosure: I found the book slow to start. But once it picked up, I could not put it down. Something in the Walls caught my attention and would not let me go. It was thrilling and slightly terrifying and had me on the edge of my seat. The blend of witch lore and the way mass hysteria can affect a town is well demonstrated in this novel. I do wish I had more information on the witch by the end, but overall was entranced by the story as a whole.

Recommended if you like: thrillers, horror, witch stories

This started out really strong and I flew through the pages but around 70% it began to feel a little repetitive. Some good scares.

Thank you to NetGalley, Daisy Pearce and St Martin’s press for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This was interesting. I still feel like I’m absorbing this one. It was a wild ride but slower paced than I would have liked. It was twisty and quite a bit more about possession and witches than I thought; but I loved that about it. That ending was jaw dropping. Loved it!

The overall atmosphere of Something in the Walls was a sense of creeping dread, in a good way! The general plot line is that a reporter who is haunted by the death of her brother goes to investigate a girl who is supposedly being possessed by a witch. I loved the atmosphere of the writing and the overall storyline. I struggled a little to maintain a suspense of disbelief with the way some of the characters acted/choices they made, but overall thought it was a good story. I enjoyed how the idea of a witch hunt and paranoia developed.

I usually enjoy gothic/folklore/horror and I did really like this book at first but partway through it, and I, seemed to lose focus a little bit. It is an interesting psychological study...or maybe its demon possession? Maybe group hysteria? Read the book and decide for yourself. There's definitely a creep factor, and if you want a book for spooky season, try it out. If you get frustrated, everything does come together at the end. Sorry to be vague but I don't like to give spoilers. Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.

This is it, people! The creepiest ghost story I have read in a long time. The story is expertly crafted and features a protagonist who is looking for purpose in her life after college. She finds it in the form of Alice in the derelict town of Bethanel. Alice is presenting as either psychotic or possessed and the job of figuring out which is placed in the hands of Mina, a new child psychologist. The house is creepy and the family is one to beware. I read this in the dark and was delightfully spooked. I could not wait to pick it up each time. Great gothic book. Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Having just finished this book, I have to say that it left me with an eerie sense of unease and fascination. The story follows Mina, a newly minted child psychologist who feels completely out of her depth. The oppressive British heatwave isn't helping, nor is the looming anxiety of her upcoming wedding to Oscar, a painstakingly precise researcher. Mina's life feels stagnant, weighed down by grief over her brother's death, which she tries to process by attending a local bereavement group. Enter Sam Hunter, an ambitious journalist who offers her an intriguing opportunity that turns everything upside down.

The heart of the story centers around Alice, a thirteen-year-old girl living in the remote village of Banathel, who claims she's being haunted by a witch. Alice's condition grows increasingly disturbing, and Mina sees this as her chance to gain real experience, while Sam hopes to uncover a sensational story. It all seems straightforward, but nothing is ever that simple.

As Mina starts working with Alice, the atmosphere shifts from hopeful to chilling. Alice's behavior becomes more and more inexplicable, and the deep-rooted superstitions of Banathel begin to unravel in a terrifying way. The villagers' mistrust of outsiders and their shadowy beliefs in witchcraft make for an incredibly tense setting. I found myself questioning everything—whether the haunting was real, whether Mina could actually help, and what secrets the village was hiding.

What I loved most was how the author expertly blends psychological tension with elements of horror. As Mina dives deeper into Alice's case, the layers of Banathel's dark history begin to peel back, revealing unsettling truths that left me breathless. The twist that Mina's own past might be connected to these horrors was both shocking and perfectly executed. It's a story that isn't just about saving a haunted child—it's about facing demons, both literal and metaphorical, and the price that comes with it.

Overall, this book is a gripping exploration of fear, grief, and the unknown. The oppressive heat, the claustrophobic setting, and Mina's growing desperation kept me hooked from start to finish. If you're a fan of eerie psychological thrillers that leave you guessing right to the last page, you won't want to miss this one.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC copy of Something in the Walls. I was intrigued by this book as I just recently learned about the concept of mass hysteria. Overall, this book was spooky and full of build up. A perfect way to end October! I’ll keep an eye out for this author in future.

Well.... I'm never getting to sleep tonight after that. 😳 Great book. Couldn't put it down. Loved that it captured me And made me need to finish the story.

This was wild!! If you want a good creepy feel when reading then this right here is for you. There were so many parts where I felt like I was being watched or had something over my shoulder, giving me the chills.

Mina is new to the field of child psychology where she's struggling to get a start until she meets Sam. Sam is a grieving father and journalist who attends the same relief group as Mina and offers her a proposition she can't turn down. They head to Banathel to help Alice, a young girl who claims to be haunted by a witch. As time goes on the haunting grows and dark secrets are revealed, leaving Mina and Sam scrounging for the truth before it's to late.

My initial thought reading this was that it was jumpy and I was confused at some points but in the end it all makes sense and I was left dumbfounded piecing it all together.

I would 100% read this again

I expected to like this book more than I did unfortunately. I am so thankful to have received this ARC and may give it a reread in the future to hopefully increase the rating. It just felt a little under developed for me.

Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce is a chilling horror novel that follows Mina, a child psychologist, as she investigates the haunting of a young girl in the eerie village of Banathel. Pearce skillfully blends folklore and psychological tension, creating an atmosphere of relentless dread while exploring themes of grief and the supernatural. Fans of psychological horror will appreciate the emotional depth and spine-chilling moments in this gripping tale.

First of all, thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this arc! This story starts off with a newly graduate Child Psychologist, Mina, who‘s eagerly looking for experience while simultaneously dealing with the death of her late brother. When she finally gets the opportunity to get experience, she takes it all while hoping it gives her answers to her brothers death. A quarter of the way into this book it is extremely compelling with the promise of witches, paranormal, and all around just the creepy-jaw dropping plot. However, about half way through, the focus seems to completely shift and the flow of the book feels almost ruined. It quickly becomes confusing and honestly seems like you are reading a completely different book. There were a lot of factors that seemed randomly added from out of nowhere, which ended up leaving the book with many potholes. To make it even worse, the ending did not explain anything nor was satisfactory. The book could’ve been incredibly good, but unfortunately I would pass on this book as it is not the book you think you are getting into. This review is already posted on my Goodreads account, happy reading!