Unbelievably creepy and spine tingling…had me hooked from the very beginning. Alice is a teenager hearing voices and when journalist Sam and child psychologist Mina visit her to find out what’s happening - they’re sucked into this small town drama where everyone’s eyes are on Alice. It’s the perfect mix of suspense, thriller, and horror that culminates in a big bang. I was on edge the entire time and propulsive barely scratches the surface.

The last few years has seen a major resurgence in the number of Folk Horror novels published and if you’re interested in investigating this fascinating area then consider backtracking to one of my 2024 articles for Ginger Nuts. I take a very deep dive and review twenty of my personal favourites, mainly from the last decade.

https://gnofhorror.com/modern-folk-horror-explored-tonys-top-tips/

If you don’t know much about Folk Horror, here is my interpretation from the above article: “It’s generally accepted that Folk Horror involves a return to the ‘old ways’ or contains elements which can predate or contradict Christianity, often with pagan traditions or rituals. It does not necessarily have to be anti-Christian or Satanic, although the demonic can be involved. The settings are often remote villages, locations which not moved with the times or technology, and stories which may feature stone circles, cults, weird relationships with nature, forgotten traditions, localised folklore, overpowering landscapes, sacrifices, superstition, witchcraft, or bastardised versions of Christianity.”

Daisy Pearce previously authored two mystery novels The Silence (2020) and The Missing (2020) and although Something in the Walls contains some mystery, this is a full-blown and startling horror novel, which features a startling number of the Folk Horror traits listed in the previous paragraph. It is easy to see why the advance blurbs namecheck Midsommar and The Haunting on Hill House, but this is very much its own beast, even if other books do just to mind, particularly Paul Tremblay’s A Head Full of Ghosts (2015).

Something in the Walls uses ambiguity to perfection, and as with A Head Full of Ghosts, for much of the time it is deeply psychological and hard to tell whether there is anything supernatural going on at all. Restraint is skilfully employed and as events play out the investigator shows more cracks than the teenage girl who is supposedly afflicted or being haunted. Refusing to go for large bangs or jump scares Something in the Walls still manages to be incredibly unsettling and there are several highly unnerving scenes.

Setting is crucial in successful Folk Horror novels and Daisy Pearce totally nails it in this gripping story. Set in Devon, the south of England, in the rural village of Banathel during the roasting hot summer of 1989, it could easily be a century earlier. Superstition is everywhere with the locals believing a troubled teenage girl has the power to either heal their ailments or communicate with the dead? Or perhaps she is being haunted by a witch whispering from behind the wall in her bedroom?

The fact that newly qualified child psychologist, but with no job, Mina has a fair bit of baggage helps muddy the waters beautifully and the fact that she has little or no experience is thrown back in her face on more than one occasion. And the fact that her older fiancé does not believe or support her makes the situation even more complex. Struggling to get over the death of her brother from some years earlier she meets a reporter, Sam Hunter, at a local bereavement group and is invited to visit Banathel to access the mental health of Alice Webber who has been having a host of psychological problems which the locals believe are something else.

Sam will get the scoop of a lifetime and Mina makes the mistake of staying with the family in a small crowded, and sometimes unfriendly, house. Trying her best to use her limited psychological experience she finds Alice to be threatening and scarily authentic. Together Mina and Sam investigate Alice’s home situation and the wider odd circumstances of the village which push the story firmly into the realms of Folk Horror.

Apart from a spell in the middle of the story where events felt slightly like a soap opera this was a terrific tale of cults, witch bottles, curses, witchcraft and the ‘old ways’ often connected to Folk Horror. However, the novels driving force were the terrific central characters, both Mina and Sam trying to deal with their own past trauma, and a troubled teenage girl trying to deal with her own internal horrors.

This book was good, just not great.

It did some things really well—the author had a beautiful writing style, the pacing was excellent, I was creeped out the whole time, and the ending was satisfying.

However, the storyline was really lacking in the end.

*SPOILERS*

The whole book was leading up to very logical, analytical Mina who was convinced Alice was just mentally ill finally believing that she’s actually possessed by a witch….and then we never get an answer of what happened to Alice or the witch. It just felt like it was building and building up this supernatural ending, only for it to have a more disappointing real world ending. I also feel like what really happened to her brother was supposed to be a shocking plot twist but I saw it coming from the very beginning.


I came into this feeling like it was gonna be a 4 star but I’ve talked myself down to a 3 star.

This book started out really strong and there were a handful of scenes that were so tense and scary that they truly freaked me out - however I feel like we lost the plot so many times in the middle. It felt boring and the pacing was super odd. While I do wish more was touched on with the "witch", I did like the twist ending!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a fun thriller with some terrifying imagery. Ultimately, I saw the end coming and I felt like it was missing something? Though I cannot put my finger on what exactly. Overall, I'd say this is a solid read that folks will enjoy.

This book is a 1980s witch possession story in a small rural town where secrets, superstitions, and ritual are part of life. I really liked this! Pearce did a good job creating a creepy/spooky setting and building up to a very ‘80s horror ending. I maybe would have liked a little bit more in the last quarter, but overall very good.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press/Minotaur Books for the ebook ARC.
Mina recently became a child psychologist and when she meets Sam at a grief group he tells her about a case he's working on and asks for her help. Alice is acting beyond strange and something odd is going on in her town. Mina is set on helping Alice and figuring out what is happening. This is a twisty, folklore book. I had my suspicions on one of the characters and I wasn't too far off.

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

Imagine the satanic panic in Cornwall, England during the hottest summer known to man. It's 1989 and Mina Ellis has just graduated with a degree in child psychology and no direction in life. She meets a reporter, Sam, who offers her a case to work with which she could pad her resume. She would travel with him to a tiny village in Cornwall where a teen girl is said to be possessed by a witch. She jumps at the chance to prove there's no such thing as possession, only children with trauma. But once she reaches the village, she sees how steeped in witch folklore the townspeople really are along with all the unexplained phenomena surrounding the teen girl.

Daisy Pearce has a way with details especially her bone-chilling description of the witch, the impact of the intense heat on the townsfolk, and the subtle changes in Alice as the witch may or may not take possession of her. It is a compulsive read with interesting characters. There are parts of the story that are downright frightening like the scene where Paul skins the rabbits - it is very unsettling and introspective. The only reason this novel isn't a 5-star read for me is the plot which becomes muddled in the middle resulting in two different tones between the beginning and the end of the novel. Some of the characters could have been developed more- especially Sam's character. Also, I wish Pearce would have really went for the horror effect. Her descriptions of the supposed witch and the haunting were rich in specifics, but the real life terrors exposed in the last part of the book were demure in detail.

Such a solid, scary, goosebump giving book!!!

Daisy Pearce really sets the tone right from the start. It was so foreboding and made me want to keep turning the pages so fast!! Mina is our main character who is a newly graduated child psychologist who gets an opportunity to help Alice, a teenager who is convinced is possessed by a witch. Mina seems pretty convinced that all of Alice’s issues can be linked to various mental health diagnoses, but at the same time— Mina lost her brother years before and thinks that just maybe, she might be able to connect with him again. This book really takes you for a ride, and makes you question if it was supernatural or just really horrible humans. Mina went on a journey to say the least!! The ending was not what I expected at all so props to you, Daisy!! 👏🏻

It has been a hot minute since a book creeped me out so much. Daytime reading might be preferred 😆 I promise once you get started, you won’t want to put it down!!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the arc🫶🏻

I had a hard time staying interested in this book. The Story was slow to start and the characters were not interesting or likeable. The last quarter of the book finally got exciting and I really liked the ending.

This was one of the best books that I've read all year. It totally gave off spooky Halloween vibes which was perfect for this time of the year. It was creepy and I really didn't want the story to end. There were some bloody/gory parts, but it really just helped with the scary vibe of the book. 5 stars!!

Well, this was certainly disturbing…when child psychologist Mina is in desperate need of work experience, and she’s approached about a troubled child, she leaps at the opportunity to further her career. However, possible witchcraft - possession? - awaits her, along with a distrusting and distrustful village; and what she finds will be nothing anticipated.

A perfect chilling read for this fall and beyond!

𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚-𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔, 𝒘𝒉𝒚 𝒊𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒔𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒑 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒇 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒊𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒊𝒕.

I sat on this review for several days because I couldn't really decide how I felt about it. Even though I had a few issues with the story, because I'm still thinking about it, I decided to bump up my rating from a 3 to a 4.

It's the summer of 1989, and Mina Ellis is preparing to marry Oscar, a scientist. I loathed Oscar almost immediately, so he quickly fell to the background of the story. Mina is a recent college graduate, earning a master's degree psychology. I suspect she was drawn to this field because of the trauma of losing her teenage brother Eddie when she was a young girl.

While at a grief support meeting, she meets Sam, a journalist who has lost his daughter and is plagued with the same guilt that Mina carries. He approaches her with a proposition--travel with him to the town of Banathel to investigate the case of Alice Webber, a 13-year-old-girl with a shocking claim--she insists she's being haunted by a witch. Eager to gain some experience and sure that she can help Alice, the duo travel to the isolated town, which is drenched in superstition and witchcraft. And the town has their own way of dealing with its problem residents.

There was a definite air of menace throughout most of the book, and some of the descriptions had me looking over my shoulder. Some parts were so unsettling that I stopped reading at night. Even though I never really connected with Mina (or Sam, for that matter) the atmosphere was what kept me reading. My biggest issue with the book was the ending. I am totally fine with open endings and often even prefer them, but this one was just too abrupt for my liking. Even with that flaw, this was a solid, tense read that just might make you question some of your beliefs.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press/Minotaur Books for the early copy. At the time this review was written, this title was expected to publish February 25, 2025.

I enjoyed this one! I felt the story was unique and different than others I have read. Some of the creepy scenes really got me-there is just something innately creepy about imagining a witch with a creepy smile in your chimney. However, I was a little disappointed with the ending-I wanted to know more about what happened to Alice. Was she really haunted by a witch? Or was it all just fueled by town hysteria? Overall, would recommend!

This was an uber creepy story set in 1980s Cornwall. I really enjoyed the set up with the two MC, one a newly minted child psychologist, the other a journalist. Both come with plenty of baggage. I did like the story of the witch in the wall, although the further along it went the harder it was to believe. I also felt there was some unresolved plot lines. Still a pretty solid scary story.

The book was decent. The beginning and middle dragged a bit, but the ending made up for it. I could have used some more of a spooky vibe throughout the whole book.

sarahwarrengillreads
📚Book Review: Something In The Walls by Daisy Pearce

Thanks @netgalley @stmartinspress for the eARC!

Horror/Thriller set in the 80s & 90s are my jam!

Britan, summer 1989, stifling heatwave, fmc Mina is a recent graduate and child psychologist who is planning her wedding to her scientist fiancé Oscar. She has struggled with the death of her brother for the past six years. When things get too much she goes to a grief group where she meets a journalist named Sam who lost his daughter.

Sam is investigating a teenager, Alice, in the town of Banathel who claims there is a witch in the family’s chimney that she can see through the cracks. Given that the town is quite superstitious and ancient folklore is as prominent as the daily gossip, the residents think that Alice is a witch and can talk to the dead.

Sam invites Mina along on his investigation so that she can gain some much needed experience as a recent grad.

Things are happening in Alice’s household that are creepy and wild. I think this book takes the cake for creepiness and some people may want to read it in the daylight.

I think if I lived in the town of Banathel I would put my house up for sale real quick and get the hell out of dodge. I mean, I’d be questioning everyone and everything and that’s exactly what I was doing when reading this.

If witch hunting, mass hysteria and fear of the unknown are horror tropes you like then add this one to your tbr. Releases February 25, 2025.

4 Stars

I unfortunately DNF'd this book.
I just couldn't get hooked. I found it hard to pick up and read over a longer period of time.

ooooooooh i loved this one. the perfect mix of suspenseful, creepy, witchy, dark, and fast-paced that kept me hooked. i genuinely was surprised at every turn and thought the ending was excellent. the fact that this is set in the late 80s before cellphones/modern technology got a little lost in the shuffle for me but i figured it out eventually.

3.5 stars

While the creep factor was good in spots I wanted a bit more of an overall creepiness. It had a really strong start and a good ending but the middle dragged a bit for me at a slower pace, I wanted a bit more of the haunting aspect. Overall a fun and witchy read. I would have loved a bit more about Eddie and Sam's daughter, if I could have had another 50ish pages added of just their stories/backgrounds this easily could have been another star.

Thank you to St Martin’s Press, Daisy Pearce and NetGalley for the e-arc, I immediately downloaded and wanted to pick this up.