Wow. Wow. Wow! Something In The Walls is so well written it should be listed as literary fiction alongside its genre category. Daisy Pearce has a gift for the written word. This reviewer savored both the storyline and writing style on every page. The plotline shook me to the core and gave me a sleepless night after finishing the book. Something In The Walls is horror at its best. I wouldn't be surprised if it's optioned for a movie. If so, the story deserves only the best director and A-list cast.

Pearce reminds us that evil can and will hide in the most innocuous places, and that women are most often the targets of this scourge. How we choose to identify and either submit to, or conquer, this evil as at the heart of the story. Our fears and personal demons become our Achilles heel to overcoming the challenges we face. If we're blind to tests of strength, evil will overwhelm us and win. The little town of Banathel, where our story takes place, is a tragic example of this timeless battle.

This reviewer could wax on and on about this exceptional novel. Instead, I suggest readers discover the book for themselves and keep an open mind while reading. Very little is what it seems inside the story. Something In The Walls is highly recommended. Don't miss this one!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for providing an advance copy of the book to read and review. This review will post to Bayside Book Reviews.com at https://baysidebookreviews.com and its Instagram page on release day. Follow us! *NetGalley Top Reviewer*

This is a modern gothic horror with an astounding creep factor. The tension builds from the first chapter all the way to the final page - a final page that leaves me with more questions...I enjoyed reading about two outsiders coming into a town so full of superstition that the idea that a girl could be a witch is simply accepted.

Overall I thought that this a was great story. As with many stories of troubled teens acting out, there is some implied content that some readers may appreciate looking up a trigger warning prior to reading.

A propulsively horrific nightmare that combines the eldritch ritual of Rosemary's Baby and the dawning terror of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, this sweltering fever dream keeps the reader desperately guessing until the final pages. Something in the Walls is a masterpiece of relentless tension and interwoven motifs of folk horror wielded by the blunt instruments of gothic fiction. As mysteries are layered one on top of the other, the reader is both fully invested in and bewildered by the mounting hysteria and unexplainable phenomena. There are elements of the story reminiscent of Stephen King's best work, but Shirley Jackson's influence shines the brightest with nods both to Hill House and The Lottery. Characters are familiar and yet unique, creating compelling three-dimensional personalities. The mythology is wholly original, as well, and Pearce's capacity for imagining new realms of terror is unimpeachable. Casually poignant and effortlessly profound, her prose illuminates the story convincingly enough to make the reader wonder how much of it might be based on historical accounts. Blending the cultural anxiety of rural cults and witch hunts with the themes of female empowerment and social contagions, Pearce proves herself a pioneer of horror with this masterpiece. Is that someone, or something, watching from the shadows, or is it your own guilt stalking you from the dark corners?

Take a closer look, if you dare, at Something in the Walls.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC.

Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce is a book with a compelling premise. The novel begins with a strong, engaging hook that immediately draws readers into its eerie and mysterious atmosphere. Pearce skillfully builds tension and sets up an intriguing premise that promises an exciting read.

However, the middle section of the book tends to drag. The pacing slows considerably, and the narrative loses some of its initial momentum. This part of the book felt a bit monotonous and less engaging.

Fortunately, Pearce redeems herself with a satisfying conclusion. The ending is well-crafted, wrapping up the story in a way that resonates and delivers the suspenseful payoff readers expect.

Overall, a 3.5/5 star rating from me.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

WOW what a great spooky season read! This book was creepy in all of the best ways! It had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Great storyline and plot and amazing writing style!

When I first saw this book and read the description I knew it sounded pretty interesting. The cover of the book looked haunting as well..
This book definitely gave me the creeps from time to time, it was a fast paced read and kept me engaged for the whole thing. Definitely will be recommending this book to my friends

This is a type of story you’ve likely read before, but made a bit more interesting in that Mina and Sam both want to prove and disprove the haunting. They are realists, and it’s 1989, but at the same time it would be wonderful to be able to contact Eddie and Maggie in some way. There’s a nice sense of menace throughout this, and Banathel is a town with scars, both literal and figurative. I liked this.

Rumors of a young girl being possessed lead Mina to investigate to determine what's actually going on. The longer she's there though, the more she begins to think everything isn't what it seems. This title hooks you right away and you are constantly asking yourself what's real, and what isn't. Throughout the book, scenes depict creepy things happening and you are pulled along for a haunting ride!

This one was super creepy! The build-up and storyline was so tense! I freaked myself out reading at home.
I saw the twist for a certain character coming, but this didn't ruin the surprise totally because I could still feel the tension. The last chunk of the novel fell a bit flat and took away from the overall creepiness for me, but I would still highly recommend for a spooky season read!

Thank you NetGalley!

This was a really unique and interesting book that made me genuinely creeped out throughout!
I think the twists were really well done and the setting was really fun. I really enjoyed!

This book was an absolute thrill ride! The tension was unbearable in the best way possible, and the blend of folklore and horror really gave it an edge. Mina’s journey from a frustrated child psychologist to someone entangled in a chilling mystery in the village of Banathel was intense and gripping.

The way Alice’s haunting symptoms and the town’s dark superstitions intertwined kept me on the edge of my seat. The eerie atmosphere, combined with Mina’s struggle to understand the sinister traditions of the village and her own haunting past, made for a truly compelling read. The book's unexpected twists and haunting scenes are ones I won’t forget. If you enjoy a mix of psychological suspense and supernatural elements, this one’s definitely for you!

When I saw this book on NetGalley I was immediately drawn to it and wanted it before I even read the synopsis. The cover and title evoked all the feelings I have about my favourite story “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and while the stories are completely different, it made for a unique experience going in.

Part supernatural and part historical fiction, Something in the Walls captures a unique look into a modern day witch hunt. Daisy Pearce uses horror aspects and psychological tools to throw us into a book where you’re not sure if the main character who claims to be haunted by a witch, is truly haunted. I never knew which direction the book was going to go and it kept me on my toes in a way that true horror geniuses are able to do.

It’s clear there was inspiration taken from experts in the field from Shirley Jackson to Mike Flanagan and I’m so glad I got to read this right in the midst of the so called “Spooky Season.” Sure, this book wasn’t The Yellow Wallpaper but it did hit on the same themes from female justice, supernatural questioning and small town proclivities.

Daisy Pearce did so much here and I’m so excited for all of my witch girls, goth girls, and cottage core babes to be able to delve into this. I’m still so pleased I got this as an ARC and will definitely be buying a physical copy when it comes out because this book deserves to be displayed in all its glory.

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: February 25, 2025
𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪:

You know that kind of horror that you don’t want to look away from or set down but you know you should but you just can’t haha…well, that was Something In The Walls for me. I knew I should set it down and just take a minute BUT I needed to eat this book up. This book gave me the chills. Not only did this book give me the chills, it had me thinking about it days after reading it. The dark vibes that floated through this book, the way this book was written, you could imagine the entire book as you read. I loved it! The way our author wove the dark eerie horror vibes with the thrilling and kept you biting your nails on the end of your seat was fantastic. I will be recommending this book to all of my book besties and shouting praises. Fantastic!

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.