Thanks to Netgalley and Henry Holt and Co. for the e-ARC!

This was... interesting? I never read [book:The Virgin Suicides|10956] so I can't compare but I see it mentioned a lot in the reviews.

Without repeating the synopsis, what didn't really work for me was the five sisters characters felt lacking. We don't get any of their POVs nor any resolution at the end.

The antagonist felt like the generic misogynistic drunkard who was hellbent on ruining the lives of some girls because they snubbed his advances, which in 2025 would still be dangerous, but in the era this takes place? That could end in tragedy.

The book read like it could have done with one more round of editing and maybe some more fleshing out—it left me feeling dissatisfied at the end.

This premise is bananas in the best way. And I absolutely love the cover art. What I didn’t love - nearly every character. I wish the reader had more insight or a POV from the girls themselves, instead of these boring men surrounding the girls and alluding to them like they aren’t even there. It created such distance from the most interesting characters, the girls themselves. I struggled to stay engaged with the story, but I have several reader friends who adored this and I loved hearing their perspective. Definitely unique and full of discussion topics, which I appreciate. Thank you for this advance copy.

Oh wow another dumb man who hates women ruining things for women. Unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me. I love the sentiment but it was a little too slow paced to hold my attention.

The cover, title and premise of The Hounding (yes, I am a dog person) drew me into this debut by Xenobe Purvis. A town with strange goings-on, and villagers claiming that sisters are turning into dogs, well I had to know!

What I loved best about this short book of 240 pages, was the increasingly eerie atmosphere and feeling of creeping dread. There are environmental changes that begin happening in Little Nettlebed almost as soon as the story begins, and in turn changes within the inhabitants of this peculiar, insular, country town, as well.

My favorite character was Temperance. She was a flawed, but highly likeable character who doubles as the local barmaid and the town’s conscience. Interestingly enough, we get a pretty good read on most of the main characters of the story, but where The Hounding fell short for me, was in a lack of depth offered in the characters of the five Mansfield sisters. In fact, all of the main characters of the story have the opportunity to give the reader their perspective, but the sisters do not. We make most of our assumptions on the intentions of the girls based on the storytelling of others. While I assume this may have been an intentional stylistic technique of the author, I was left feeling distanced from the sisters. Ultimately, I wanted to hear from those five girls, not just observe them through the eyes of the townspeople.

For me The Hounding was a mixed success. I was interested throughout, enjoyed getting to know the folks of Little Nettlebed, loved the slightly horrific atmosphere, but wanted more from the main subject of the story. Although the author took a creative approach to the age-old theme of girls and women being “less than”, and derserving of what they get when they stray from the norm, the plot and outcome was fairly predictable and left little room for surprise.

Readers who enjoy literary fiction and want to dip their toes into horror might want to give The Hounding a try. This book would be appropriate for YA readers as well as adults, and has compelling subject matter for book club discussions.

Thank you NetGalley and Henry Holt & Co. for an ARC exchange for my honest review.

"The Crucible meets The Virgin Suicides in this haunting debut about five sisters in a small village in eighteenth century England whose neighbors are convinced they’re turning into dogs."

Hauntingly beautiful and atmospheric, Xenobe Purvis's debut is destined to become a cult classic. It is reminiscent of The Scarlett Letter with a mob mentality of false accusations. Moving on from witches, five townspeople tell the story from their perspective. The novel is an examination of the dangers of rumors and gossip and how the story continues to evolve and shift from reality. Yet most people are prone to believe the worst of others based on hearsay. The novel begs the question: Is it better to be a girl or a dog? What is a woman's place in society? This is unique and thought-provoking, and I will be thinking about the Mansfield girls and the villagers' treatment of them for a long time.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Henry Holt and Company, and Xenobe Purvis for an advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.
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DNF// Sadly this book is just not for me— I have tried to sit down and get through this ARC multiple times and I am finally accepting defeat. Truly just think this type of genre is just not my personal taste— but you never know until you try!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

weird girls rise up

This book was so weird and good! We're following five sisters living with their partially blind grandfather after their parents have died. The village they live thinks they are all a little odd, then things escalate when one of the men in the village is convinced they are turning into dogs.

What a weird, almost fever dreamy book. I ate this up and I'm still not sure what was real and what wasn't.

I was instantly intrigued about the book after reading the description and it did not disappoint! In The Hounding, Xenobe Purvis weaves a chilling, atmospheric tale centered on the enigmatic Mansfield sisters, five girls at the heart of the small village’s mounting paranoia. Told entirely through the eyes of outsiders like their blind grandfather, a barmaid, a ferryman, and two young farmhands, this novel builds on a town mystery without ever stepping into the minds of the girls themselves. This added an eerie distance, blurring the line between reality and rumor.

I couldn’t put this book down! It masterfully explores the power of suggestion and the danger of collective fear. It truly asked the question: Is it safer to be a woman or a dog?

The novel brilliantly examines how a single rumor, especially one targeting women who don’t conform, can spiral into full-blown hysteria. It’s a powerful commentary on the way communities police behavior. I found myself angry, unsettled, and completely engrossed chapter after chapter. The town’s willingness to believe that a group of mourning girls who love to play in the dirt might be transforming into dogs felt both unbelievable and disturbingly plausible. Great for book club discussions, this book is one I can see people loving to discuss together.

The Hounding is a haunting and atmospheric read- centered around the five Mansfield sisters told through the perspective of their blind grandfather, the village ferryman, the town bar maid, and two young boys hired by the Mansfields for the hay harvest. Despite being set in the eighteenth century, the language is easy to follow. It does not rely on the headiness of old English to spin a devastatingly beautiful prose. Every single word is deliberate and necessary- creating an all too real sense of dread. The ending leaves us with the heavy question: Is it safer to be a woman or a dog?

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for this digital e-arc.*

This was eerie, atmospheric, and so well written. The Hounding reads like a mix of Shirley Jackson and The Crucible, set in a village already filled in superstition and paranoia before the real trouble even begins. When one man claims he saw the Mansfield sisters turn into dogs, the town turns on them fast.

The story is told through multiple villagers’ perspectives, which really drives home how unreliable and biased people can be, especially when they’re scared or just looking for someone to blame. The sisters themselves stay kind of distant, which adds to the mystery and makes the ending hit harder. Whether you think something supernatural is happening or not almost doesn’t matter, it’s more about how fear spreads and how difference is punished.

The writing is beautiful and tense, full of dread and little moments that stick with you. It’s a slow burn, and there were parts where I wished the pacing picked up a bit, but overall, this was such a unique and unsettling read.

Who could walk away from this book cover? The Hounding, the arresting debut by Xenobe Purvis, is a story set during summer in eighteenth century England, in a tiny hamlet. Five motherless girls are given more freedom than is customary, and a rumor takes hold that the girls turn into dogs and wreak havoc on the village of Little Nettlebed.

My thanks go to NetGalley and Henry Holt for the invitation to read and review. This book will be available to the public August 5, 2025.

The Mansfield girls are being raised by their grandparents; their parents are long dead. But now, their beloved grandmother has died as well, leaving them in the care of their elderly grandfather, who is almost blind. It’s not a great summer for anyone else, either; there’s a dreadful drought that affects agriculture, and the riverbed is nearly dry. Then one day, Pete, the ferryman, tells the local gossip that he has seen the Mansfield sisters transform into dogs! Soon the rumor has spread, and others report that they’ve seen it happen, too; everyone wants to get in on the excitement.

The story tells a cautionary tale, not a new one, but a worthwhile one about the way society sometimes victimizes people that are a little different from most. There’s not much by way of character development, but this book is not about character or setting, it is purely plot-based. Purvis is a fine wordsmith, and since I was lucky enough to have both the digital and audio galleys, I found myself drawn into the narrative, first by the text, and then by the audio. Reader Olivia Vinall does a splendid job, and I recommend the audio version for those that enjoy the medium.

My only sorrow is that although this book is engaging, it could have been so much more. There are opportunities here that are left unfulfilled, and the plot twist at the end destroys the message that has been so carefully crafted up to that point. I find it frustrating. This is a good read, but it could have been a great one.

With that caveat, I recommend this book to you.

~ ARC provided by NetGalley ~

"The Hounding" by Xenobe Purvis was an atmospheric, historical fiction about five sisters who are being accused of a small English village of turning into dogs. I was initially drawn to this book when it was described to me as "The Virgin Suicides" meets the Salem Witch Trials. Upon reading it, this comparison fits the book. The five sisters live together with their grandfather, who is visually impaired, which adds such an interesting layer to the story. Multiple townspeople have points of view and stories of seeing the girls change, but the one person who is meant to be their protector cannot. Purvis constructs a harsh landscape that, at times, felt so tragic. I worried for these characters, especially those who seemed to be the victims of a witch hunt. I enjoyed this, but ultimately I felt like the pacing was slow and I wanted it to go into the bizarre a little bit more. There were definitely some moments of horror and tension, but I feel like the premise could have carried so much more of both elements. The last several chapters accomplish a lot, but getting to that point was not as compelling as I would have hoped.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I really loved the way the girls didn't have the chance to speak for themselves in the text. We only see them through the side characters, though they are arguably the main characters in the book. Very tragic and mysterious, but ultimately it wasn't a satisfying read for me. I think I would only be able to recommend this to a very specific type of reader.

Thank you NetGalley and Henry Holt & Co for the arc in exchange for my honest review!

The Hounding takes place in a small medieval town that has become fixated on the Mansfield girls, 5 young women that are raised by their blind grandfather. The town finds them peculiar and off-putting, but there is no concrete reasoning as to why. One day, a man in the town claims that he saw the girls turn into dogs, and the story spreads like wildfire. The town starts to wonder if something more sinister is behind the girls’ strange behaviors.

I thought the writing was very accessible and easy to get into, and I also liked the small medieval town setting. I appreciate the themes and overall story, but I found myself a bit underwhelmed and hoping for more. I did enjoy the ambiguity of the plot as it served to emphasize the feverish uncertainty of the town. I do wish that the book was a bit weirder/creepier. I still enjoyed this and would recommend this for sure!

It’s a searingly hot summer in an unnamed year in the English countryside. There’s been no rain for weeks and the river through Little Nettlebed keeps thinning. Nerves are already frayed when a strange water creature is pulled from the dwindling river. The ferryman’s nervousness ratchets up each day as he sees his livelihood creak toward futility. If people can walk across the dry creek bed, they’ll have no use for his ferry.

And then people start hearing the howling, and someone claims to see something unnatural. Superstitions bake and crack in the summer sun as odd happenings continue.

The Mansfields are in mourning. The young women were raised by their grandparents, but now it’s only five girls and an indulgent grandfather with failing eyesight. They’re a bit different, a bit untamed, but harmless. Until one of them is seen transforming into a dog — or was she?

As tensions mount and rumors fly, the villagers attempt to cling to normalcy, but haymaking is dusty and deathly hot, and evenings at the tavern are poisoned by seditious accusations. There’s no doubt the things are about to boil over and the Mansfield girls are going to get scorched.

He had come from up the road where the girls had been walking, but Robin didn’t want to connect the two things. He wanted to exist in murkiness, in the uncertain summer dusk. In that moment, certainty appalled him… . ~Loc. 691

Author Xenobe Purvis pulls from classic stories of witchcraft, morality, and manners. With a characters named Hester (like Prynne), Cassandra (who tries to warn the villagers to tamp down their fears), Anne (like the sensible Bronte sister), and Grace (like the long-suffering servant of the madwoman in the attic), the novel has shades of allegory.

Yet, importantly, it is foremost a well-written story that builds tension through the points-of-view of multiple characters. It is immensely enjoyable in is own right and a reader needn’t catch any of the references to delight in it. The reader sees the accusations ricochet and facts change as they are filtered by varying perspectives. As the inevitable climax inches nearer, the unlikely truth becomes more than possible.

Ultimately, Purvis creates a world where the slightly uncanny makes the most sense.

My thanks to Henry Holt (Macmillan) for the review copy. Read via NetGalley.

I know very little about this book book going in, only that it is a strange coming of age story about some sisters. I love creepy sister stories, and this title seems to refer to a strange culture, maybe a cult. It looks good and weird!

"Come to think of it, there had been several occasions when people had found something unusual in the girls. Sharp teeth—yes, they’d always had sharper-than-normal teeth. And dark hair. And glowing eyes, like the eyes of hungry dogs." p80

Final Review

(thoughts & recs)Well I loved this book until the second to last paragraph. And I was turned off enough by what I read there that it made me dislike the entire book. Let me say this loudly for the "feminists" in the back: women and girls with mental illness are not animals. We wouldn't be better off as animals or happier as animals. We like being human; the problem is society, not us. This trope stigmatizes women with mental illness in a dangerous way.

I don't recommend ableist books and I don't recommend this one.

My Favorite Things:

✔️ "The way they held themselves, the whispering folds of their dresses, their habit of tucking their hair behind their ears— it was at once both fascinating and foreign. Last year he had seen for the first time a bear being baited at a tavern in town, and he felt now a little as he had then. He’d marvelled to encounter the creature up close: its greasy fur and persistent scent, the pink of its tongue, the chain biting into its neck. The bear had left him light-headed, and these girls had done the same." This paragraph is extremely forboding and clever in its construction, where genteel girls are compared to a grisly trophy. This is excellent foreshadowing.

✔️ "She believed herself to be better than him, that was what he’d come to understand. The look she gave him sent violence coursing through his body. It made him want to do unmentionable things." p40 Men are so good at blaming their violence on the victims of their violence. This kind of peek into the thoughts of secondary characters, their reactions to the sisters, is actually great setting work. Life is hostile for the sisters because they reflect everyone's fear back at them.

✔️ "“Why should they want to scare you?” He gave her an ugly smile. “They’re wilful girls. They need no reason.”" Independent girls are evil to this town. I love the old feeling of the setting. It raises the stakes, because these people were bored, and boredom always leads to trouble for the least members of a community.

✔️ A little slow moving, but the pace works for the suspense and mystery, which play with each other I interesting ways in this story.

✔️ The style is concise, which I like. but sometimes the descriptions are too tight and I can't visualize what the author is describing to me.

✔️ I feel a keen desperation reading this and all I can say is this is exactly what it feels like to be a mentally disabled girl or woman. No one sees who you are and everyone thinks they know what you are.

✔️ "He longed not to be there, in the crackling heat. He longed to be far away— far from Pete, who seethed with anger, and Thomas, deliriously faithful to the girls, and Richard, biting his lip behind Robin, and the Mansfield sisters, whom he feared might actually turn into dogs and eat Pete Darling before his very eyes. He wanted no part in the rage which ringed them all together. It horrified him; it made him sick." p161 I feel this. The suspense is thick!

Notes:

1. content warnings: mental illness stigma, possession, devils, animal attacks, dogs, gaslighting, dangerous heresay, alcohol consumption, alcoholism, drunkenness,

Thank you to the author Xenobe Purvis, Holt, and NetGalley for an accessible digital arc of The Hounding. All views are mine.

This is the story of five sisters that live in a small, rural English town with their grandfather. Their grandmother has recently died, and he is nearly blind. They are a relatively wealthy family, and not all in the village like them. The ferryman sees what he thinks is one of the girls turning into a dog, and the rumors begin to fly, along with tempers. I was intrigued by the description of the book, but felt like it didn't really have much of a climax. I liked the author's character development and writing style, and could really visualize the setting. But it felt like it was a bit too long, and maybe would have made a better novella or short story..

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a very readable and darkly disturbing debut. with a good kix of characters- Pete Darling eill stay with me for some time!
I enjoyed the little historical details, and although "the crucible" and other stories about independent women not being tamed by men did spring to mind, the author managed to make it her own.
Thank you to netgalley and Henry Holt for an advance copy of this book.

Beautiful, eerie writing. When Little Nettlebed's ferryman—and contender for world's worst person, in my opinion—takes a dislike to the Mansfield sisters, strange things start to happen in the village. Soon rumors spread about the girls transforming into dogs and the mysterious barking does not help...

The story has a slow, luxurious pace and tension and mystery abound. I was very invested in the fate of the Mansfield sisters and enjoyed the read.

Thank you to Henry Holt & Company and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

In a small English village, summer is turning to drought, the river is drying up, and rumors are running a little wild. Pete, the local ferryman whose business will dwindle with the river, claims that five sisters have turned into dogs, and are responsible for various canine violence around town. It takes a little while for the gossip to take hold, but once it gets the minster's attention, it really does. Is Pete just making up another one of his stories? Is there something odd about the girls? And how to explain the happenings? It all gets a little conspiratorial and witch hunt-ish, a cross between old time Salem and present times, when apparently all you need to believe something totally outlandish is for someone to say it loudly and often enough. Of course, there's a bit of a twist at the end- although not an altogether shocking one.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc!