This was the perfect spooky read. It kept me hooked since the beginning. I love a good witchy book, and this book gave me all the creepy vibes. The description in some scenes had me looking over my shoulder. I can't wait for this book to come out and for everyone to read!

I enjoyed this book! I was very invested in the witch and alice story. I will say that story line ending did fall a little flat for me in the end. I did not see the twist coming at all though and was really happy with that! also loved the justice ending!

Thanks to SMP and netgalley for an early look, sorry it wasn't a winner for me.

Really bad first person narration that is all tell and no show. As often happens in these situations that narrator comes off very juvenile and not a fully-formed woman capable of being a social worker.

The writing features zingers like "his cheeks are like razor blades" the same character has a very long nose and fingers apparently, why these details are included is beyond me. I have never in my life been describing anyone and mentioned their long fingers.

I DNF'd it.

Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce is an attempt at the haunted house genre that has good ideas but fails to expand or expand on them.

This started out as a compelling story and caught my attention right away. I was intrigued to see where the witch and ghost aspect of this plot would go and was hoping for a creepy story. The first half of this book I was given exactly that, but about half way through the story completely shifted into something else. Plot points that were made in the beginning were just left to never be explained and the entire story and characters became very confusing. I think if the author would've stuck with the original plot and kept this as a paranormal story this easily would've been a 5 star for me because the writing was phenomenal. Unfortunately, this book fell victim to too many things happening and not enough explained.

I loved the first 3/4 of this book but then it went off the rails for me after. The story centers on Mina, a newly minted child psychologist who is asked by a new friend to weigh in on a case where a teenaged girl seems to be possessed by a witch. Both Mina and her new friend Sam have personal reasons for wanting to get involved as well.

There were some definite creepy parts in the book where the young girl Alice experiences what may or may not be supernatural possession. The way the author described the dread that Mina feels gave me goosebumps more than once. I also really liked trying to decipher the question mark around the family’s motivations. Later in the book the storyline takes a bit of a turn and while there was potential in this new storyline, it left a lot of unanswered questions with the original storyline and also created new confusion in itself. The book lost me a bit at that point, and when it ended I was still left with questions. My other wish in this book was to get a little more info into Mina’s and her fiancé Oscar’s relationship- I didn’t feel like I really understood how they got to the point where they were.

Overall, this book had a ton of potential with a 5 star start, but lost me as it continued and I walked away with unanswered questions. Major kudos to the author on the creepiness factor though- I am hard ro scare! Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Something in the Walls started off with an eerie vibe but the more the story went on the less atmospheric it became. Personally, I thought the creepiness factor was lacking and the story overall became predictable.

An excellent tale! I enjoyed the references to the Enfield Hauntings, that as a lover of paranormal investigations, made this seem much more realistic. The author was able to create an incredibly tense atmosphere that kept me on my toes. It was a bit of a slow burn but when the action took off it did so at breakneck speed. I was completely invested in the plight of the main character and absolutely loved the ending! A big thank you to NetGalley and the author for allowing me to access a ARC of this title free of charge. My review is being left voluntarily and all opinions are my own.

I wasn’t really sure what this book was about at first, but I actually had a fun time reading in the middle of the night. If I had to describe it I think I would say it’s like the exorcism, but with a witch, but there might also not be a witch. I liked the writing style and the small-town setting, but I wish we had more answers about the ending because I still have a LOT of questions!
Thank you to netgalley for access to this arc!

Mina has just become a child psychologist who’s brothers death is still haunting her. She meets a fellow griever Sam, who invites her to take her first case in a small town. Is the child in question really haunted by a witch and able to speak with the dead or is it in her head? Desperate for the possibility of a line to her brother, Mina takes the case.

Banathel is a small, eerie town full of superstitions. The atmospheric tone of the book kept me engaged throughout. There are a few twists that kept me guessing and I never saw the ending coming. It was the perfect read for the start of fall and spooky season. Full of creepy, supernatural and sinister events.

Something in the Walls is a chilling, atmospheric horror set in the mysterious village of Banathel, rich with superstition, witchcraft, and sinister traditions. The story follows child psychologist Mina. At a grief counseling meeting, she crosses paths with Sam, an investigative journalist dealing with his own loss. Sam soon draws Mina into his investigation of a 14-year-old girl, Alice, who believes she is haunted by a witch.

The author keeps you guessing whether the events in Banathel and with Alice have supernatural origins. Mina remains rational despite evidence suggesting that more than mental health issues might be at play. The story starts strong, and I was deeply invested in unraveling the mystery. Though the narrative sometimes wanders as the dark, chilling superstitions of the village are gradually unveiled, these moments reveal the sinister forces driving the townsfolk’s alarming behavior.

Even with some questions left unanswered, I found the ending satisfying and felt the story concluded appropriately. It made for a great fall read, perfectly blending horror and thriller.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

Sam and Mina go to a small town as a young girl named Alice is said to be haunted. The town is filled with folklore and witch traditions. Alice believes she is being tormented by a witch. The story is spooky, creepy and bizarre and as things unfold you are not sure what to believe. Mina is psychologist and thinks she will come to a logical explanation. Sam is a writer on a hunt for a story but both have lost someone and long to connect with them once more.

Just so many moving parts which kept you wondering how it was going to end. Perfect spooky read for the season!

First and foremost, thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an eARC for an honest review!

Before starting, I want to say that I did enjoy this book wholeheartedly. It was a story that provided enough tension and chilling truth while still creating an air of mystery. The way that the story shifts and changes throughout creates a feeling of surrealism that provides a beautiful background for a horror story. However, it is the very same surrealism that I think made the experience somewhat lackluster at times. Mina Ellis is an interesting character, both in the fact that she is flawed and that she doesn't seem to have a sense of herself throughout a fair portion of this book. She is a character that exists in a bit of a limbo of relatability, but at the end of the day is still someone that you want to see succeed. This is seemingly a shared trait through multiple characters in the book, as it feels like none of them get quite enough development to truly immerse yourself in the story, but you are still enthralled and at times taken aback. The same goes for the supernatural elements in this story, which I do like, but again find themselves in a sort of limbo.

As mentioned before, I do actually enjoy this book! It was a book that I was drawn into relatively quickly, because it hooks you effectively. I wanted to keep reading about this strange town of people and the potential challenges that presents in a case like this, and by the end, I was mostly wanting more of the story and more of the characters. It is something that I recommend to horror fans, and I hope to see more work like it in the future!

Okay, weird complaint time: I don’t think the title ‘Something in the Walls’ fits the book. I mean, I get it…but the book is so wonderfully folk horror and very intelligent and the current title makes it seem like it’s a not-very-much-watched horror movie on Netflix.

Mina is terrific, Sam a bit less so, and I was so incredibly curious about Alice and our witch.

The story is nicely creepy and there’s a terrific payoff.

Honestly, it’s one I didn’t want to stop reading.

Loved the book and would read the author again in a heartbeat.

• ARC via Publisher

Daisy Pearce's Something in the Walls is a captivating and atmospheric read that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The story masterfully blends mystery and suspense, drawing you into its eerie setting with rich descriptions and a haunting atmosphere. The characters are well-developed, and their journeys unfold in a way that feels both relatable and gripping. While some plot twists may be predictable, the overall execution and Pearce's writing style shine, making this a compelling read. It’s a fantastic choice for fans of psychological thrillers who enjoy a touch of the supernatural!

Such a great suspenseful thriller! I loved the combination of creepy kid, paranormal, and true crime. The plot was easy to follow and hooked me from the start!

The author does a great job distinguishing characters and making them easy to follow. At times the main character Mina felt a little flat, but overall the characters were interesting and had good connections with each other!

Holy crow! I literally could not put it down. This book had me on the edge of my seat for day and the surprise ending…… (me reading frantically in shock)! Highly, highly recommend and if the author always writes like this, I’ll be checking out more of her work.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of this book.

This was spooky, unsettling, and claustrophobic. Set in 1989, a young woman just finishing her psychology degree agrees to accompany a journalist, Sam, who is heading to a small village where a young girl is haunted (maybe possessed?) by a witch. Sam wants a story, and he wants Mina there to give her opinion on the young girl's condition. But both Mina and Sam--who met at a grief/survivors' group--are haunted by loss and they both have other, personal motivations for investigating the supernatural; they both want to re-connect with lost loved ones.

When Mina and Sam get to the girl's village, the read becomes not only spooky, like I mentioned, but Pearce manages to make the atmosphere visceral. The heat wave, the small house, the smells of the slaughterhouse that the girl's father brings home from work every night--I felt sometimes like I had to put the book down it was so palpable.

The spooky stuff works quite well, especially in the first half or so. The pace changes sometime after the halfway point, which relieved building tension but also served to lose much of the anxiety and impetus that the first part of the novel established. I thought the end was fitting and it worked, but I was looking for a greater return to that tautness that was present from the beginning.

Overall, this is a great Halloween read. It's a cross between a ghost story and superstition and folklore. I will be looking for more from this author.

This book gave me goosebumps and chills! What an interesting book concept. I had no idea where this was going to go and couldn't put this book down. I loved that this was tied to witches and general spookiness. It was the perfect pick for end of September. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books!

I do not find it a coincidence that the last three books I’ve read have had to do with witches. Why? Because it’s a short step from taking away the autonomy of women to calling them witches. And every woman who fails to tow the patriarchal line is bound to get burned.

Something in the Walls starts off with normal grief then spirals ever more into insanity and what is real and what is not. Is Alice really a witch or is it psychological? Mina, a child psychologist, is trying to find out but as she digs deeper more and more secrets are revealed and not everybody is happy about that.

This was an edge-of-the-seat read and I thoroughly enjoyed discovering the answers.