Girls who take the form of dogs and don't let the men in their lives bring them down... sign me up.

The Hounding throws you into the community drama of Little Nettlebed. You're given several POVs from the townspeople, but everything centers around the Mansfield sisters. They're peculiar and keep to themselves. Eventually, a rumor starts that they turn into dogs and terrorize the town. The rumor spreads and comes to a climatic end.

This book is everything I love in a historical fiction. It truly throws you into this time period. It almost felt like a Victorian reality show. I loved the Mansfield sisters and their "take no shit" energy.

One thing that I struggled with was the multiple POVs. I am the type of reader who would have benefited from a character list at the beginning because there are so many characters. However, don't let that stop you from reading this.

I can't wait for this to release! Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC. (All thoughts are my own)

Purvis does a great job here of creating an eerie and unsettling atmosphere in Little Nettlebed where tensions arise in the crucible of a sweltering summer and the villagers' suspicions and prejudices have turned on The Mansfield sisters who have been accused of turning into dogs. <spoiler>It stays very ambiguous whether the girls actually turn into dogs or if this is a lie perpetuated by the fact that the girls simply do not care to conform to societal standards.</spoiler> I liked that we got multiple villagers' POVs because it added to the layers of rumors, lies, and fears rippling throughout the town. Overall I enjoyed this book, but we didn't delve as far into the girlhood horrors as I would have liked.

I'm. absolutely reeling from this! Breathless until the very end. I think the comp to the Virgin Suicide is reductive because this is so much more mysterious and interesting in my opinion,

I liked the vibes, but the writing was dull, characters lacked depth, and I didn't like the ending. Would still recommend to readers looking for something like this

I'm a huge fan of books influenced by witch trials and the experiences of women and girls living in the violent patriarchal worlds of the past (would that it was only the past, but I digress). This one was quite stunning. Told from multiple perspectives (which, rightly has been compared to The Virgin Suicides), we learn of five sisters living with their almost-blind grandfather who are seen as "different" by those in their small village. During a scorching summer when the River Thames dries up in their area, the rumors build in shocking ways. The writing here is restrained, but hits all the right emotional notes. Hard to believe this is a debut effort, so sure is the narration. I'm pretty sure this will be a selection for our store's book club and I suspect the discussion will be fascinating!

I didn't dislike it but it also didn't grab me and make me want to devour it. It was an interesting premise but lacking in heart. I don't feel like I cared about or really got to know any of the characters.

Actual Rating 2.5

This story focuses on how rumors get started, how easy they are to get out of control, and how it can ruin people's lives. The work is told from the POV of multiple villagers, people adjacent to the girls' lives but not from their lives. While this worked in creating mystery and keeping the readers from knowing what was actually going on, it left me wanting more. Stories like this are stronger, in my opinion, when it includes insights into the lives of those who were the subject of the rumors and who didn't have voices historically. But in this book, we get to hear all about what people think of the sisters and their behavior, but don't get any insight into the girls and their mindset. This made the whole read rather underwhelming for me.

I wanted more from the ending of this one. There's no real explanation or exploration of what was actually happening, and I didn't prefer that. I don't mind drawing my own conclusions, but I prefer a little more guidance than what we were given. I have a feeling this is related to not really getting to see anything from the girls' POV. The ending also felt somewhat abrupt.

This work of historical/literary fiction was good but wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. My thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for allowing me to read this work, which will be published August 5, 2025. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Set in a small village in eighteenth-century England, _The Hounding_ is told from the perspectives of multiple townspeople as a rumor is spread that five mysterious sisters turn into dogs and terrorize the town. The Mansfield girls have suffered in life, including losing both parents, and largely keep to themselves. When strange and disturbing misfortunes happen in the village, the townspeople grow mistrustful and blame the girls. This atmospheric and foreboding read will appeal to readers of historical fiction and horror.

I was drawn to the content of this book after falling in love with Nightbitch. Women turning into dogs is such an incredibly weird, yet somehow relatable, niche. This was such an interesting view on perception, even that as cast on young girls and women. I loved the content, and am excited to recommend this to everyone I know when the book is released.

This was so bizarre, I loved it! I love the sisters and the character development was incredible. This was so mysterious and I had no clue how it would end. This was really amazing.

A meditation on conformity, jealousy, sisterhood, and mob rule. At least a dog is required to be nothing more than a dog. Purvis makes a strong case for that being the happy ending.

This book was right up my alley. The mysterious feel of the book, paired with a historical landscape, made it the perfect weekend read. Though not every moment of this book made sense, it felt like an intentional decision by the author to show how both the townspeople and girls felt with all of the accusations going around town. It is rare to see a book with such a unique premise that is still well executed, which this was.

This book was beyond simply haunting. A handful of incredibly close sisters, on a unique spiral into what at face value appears to merely be wild dogs, makes for a seriously moving story. Each shifting character’s point of view every chapter only added depth and profundity to each detail. Quite the exciting, unexpectedly-ending reminder about the abnormal that made me wonder if it truly is safer to be a dog than an unusual young girl. A special thank you to Henry Holt and Company through NetGalley for my second advanced reader copy.

As a kid I used to pretend to be a dog named Woof Woof, so I automatically was drawn to the premise of this book. It was unique and fun. Loved the villages vibes and all its fun characters!!! I looooved the sisters so much and their family dynamics. Lots of themes to unpack here, and I resonate with all of them - womanhood, societal norms, fear, etc. Great writing style too. Highly recommend.

Thank you to Henry Holt and NetGalley for the ARC.

Xenobe Purvis's The Hounding immerses readers in the eerie, superstitious village of Little Nettlebed, where strange happenings and whispers of witchcraft create an unsettling backdrop. Through multiple perspectives, the novel explores the villagers' suspicion and fear of the Mansfield sisters, who are viewed as odd and high-spirited, but perhaps more than that. Purvis expertly builds a haunting atmosphere, blending folklore with sharp social commentary on how the fear of difference and female independence can turn deadly. The villagers’ distorted perceptions—seeing the sisters transform and hearing barking—mirror society’s tendency to demonize those who stand out or defy conventions. While the plot is richly atmospheric and thought-provoking, I found some narratives to be a bit slow at times. However, the book's thematic depth and evocative language make up for it, offering a compelling meditation on the perils of prejudice and the courage required to be true to oneself. Overall, The Hounding is a beautifully crafted parable that questions whether in any age, it might be safer to be a dog than an unusual girl—thought-provoking and darkly captivating.

This book had me gripped in the beginning. A village in 18th century England + five sisters who are rumored to turn into dogs + townsfolk who love to gossip.

I loved where this novel was going but I DNF around 60% because the writing lost me. The focus turned to the social aspects of the townsfolk whereas I was really wanting it to follow the sisters.

Thank you Netgalley and author Xenon Purvis for bringing us this title.

Set in 18th-century England, The Hounding follows a chilling mystery as a village becomes convinced that a group of orphaned sisters may be turning into dogs. From the very first page, the writing stands out—sharp, elegant, and immersive. The dialogue is particularly strong, revealing each character’s personality the moment they speak. This is descriptive language at its best: vivid enough to paint a scene clearly, yet never overdone.

While I would have appreciated a more definitive ending, the ambiguity didn’t take away from the impact of the story. Overall, this is a phenomenal debut—atmospheric, original, and expertly written.

This was a strange book. Not sure how I really feel about it. It would make an excellent book club read. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Company for my copy of The Hounding by Xenobe Purvis in exchange for an honest review. It publishes August 5, 2025.
Wow, I haven’t read a book like this in a long time. It was so suspenseful and it felt as if there was a heartbeat pulsing in the background harder and faster as time went on.
I enjoyed the multiple perspectives, and the way each person was representative of so many things. I enjoyed the way the Thames represented the mood as well.
Overall this was excellent reading, I highly enjoyed it, and I could imagine my book club devouring this one!

4.75 stars.

From the second I read the description of The Hounding, I knew it would become a favorite. It is now a book that I will recommend to all the weird-girl loving folk that I know.

The Hounding is about five young sisters (a la The Virgin Suicides) accused of turning into dogs but we see the story strictly through the eyes of the people around them. I was just speaking to some friends the other day about how a book we read would have been so much better if it had been narrated from an outside perspective instead of from the protagonists themselves - this was the perfect example of that.

Delightful, vivid imagery and perfect keywords to describe each sister were the biggest selling point; Anne, the puzzling and peculiar eldest, Elizabeth, the pretty one, Hester, the angry tomboy middle child, Grace the timid "fairy-small" and fidgety one, and Mary, the youngest. Each with their own distinct personality that is portrayed very clearly from their neighbors, friendly and otherwise. Absolutely magnificent and bizarre storytelling that concludes with sheer satisfaction.

Xenobe Purvis' debut was easy to follow and yet each sentence was crucial and contained immense depth without being pretentious. I couldn't be happier with this read and greatly look forward to the day when I get to read it again, hopefully with a physical copy in my hand.

Thank you to NetGalley, Xenobe Purvis, and Henry Holt and Co. for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.