Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce was high on my anticipated list! And y’all it did not disappoint!
This unputdownable folklore/horror story was chilling and binge-worthy!
I found myself pulled into this remarkable story with intriguing characters and unable to pull away.
Daisy Pearce delivers quite the impressive story here that was such a clever, intriguing, tension-filled and well-written read. This was a highly anticipated read for me and one that I absolutely loved!! I am so excited to say that this book quickly went it into my favorite reads shelf!

Alice Webber is a thirteen year old girl who claims she’s being haunted by a witch. Living with her family in their crowded home in the remote village of Banathel, Alice’s symptoms are increasingly disturbing, and money is tight. Taking this job will give Mina some experience; Sam will get the scoop of a lifetime; and Alice will get better, Mina is sure of it.

I know this book is getting a lot of hype. I did finish it, but, I can’t say that I enjoyed it much. I really found some of these decisions by the parents a little dumb. I just wanted to slap them silly. If the child is seeing something in the chimney when she sleeps…let her sleep in a different room. 🤷🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️. Maybe it is just how my brain works. It just kind of drove me insane.

This did start out really strong and this is probably why I finished it. I kept expecting it to get better. But honestly, it just kept getting weirder and a bit disjointed.

Now, just because I thought this way does not mean you will. Read this for yourself and let me know your thoughts!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

It wasn't my favorite book I've read, but I didn't think it was that bad. I did enjoy some of the suspense but wish it would have been a bit creepier. I'll most likely give this author another chance just because I like the premise behind books like this.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for the copies to review.

Happy Pub Week to Something In The Walls, a slow burn of a horror / psychological thriller that was mostly on the witchy side with a dash of child possession. It was atmospheric, dark, and disturbing, but very slow going throughout the book until the end, which was a doozy. I liked the story despite the pace, thought it was great via audio, and the ending was wild.

Something in the walls by Daisy Pearce- this is absolutely 5 stars and probably my favorite read of the year so far!
13 year old Alice says she's being haunted by a witch and Mina is a new child psychologist in need of experience so Mina agrees to help the family. Mina does her best to help but Alice seems to get worse rather than better and Mina isn't convinced there's an actual haunting.
This book was a wild journey. I was hooked right away. I was never really sure what to expect from this book at any given moment. I definitely recommend this book to fans of horror/thriller books.

[Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to review this ARC with honesty.]

A very interesting premise going from just snippets of the synopsis that had me from the getgo. This is a bit of a horror story mixed with paranormal investigators and the movie ‘The Conjuring’ blended together. It starts with a simple mystery along with longing to find closure in grief to both characters of the story seeking from deceased loved ones.

Mina is a character that is searching for something outside of her ..engagement and soon to be husband's relationship. Something that proves she's capable as a brand new child psychologist.

Paired with a grief stricken reporter who wants to make contact with his deceased daughter, they decide to travel into a small town where there is talk of a witch that bespells young girls and haunts a young teenager named Alice. Alice is a strange quiet girl that says peculiar things.

Her family isn't much better. Mina decipher's there is something off with both parents and only honestly the rest of the town.

There are twists and turns and demon-like beings lurking in the shadows. Or so it is to believed.

Mina is a very interesting character. At times - a bit frustrating as she struggles to find her voice.

Still very creepy and eerie. It does contain some gore, so for those who have triggers, maybe look this up. I won't list here as they can be spoilery.

That said, I had a time with this one.

My Rating: 3.75 (rounded up)

Something in the Walls is an eerie, slow-burning psychological horror that thrives on atmosphere. Daisy Pearce does a great job of building tension, making even the quiet moments feel unsettling. The story leans more into paranoia and psychological unease than outright scares, which works well—though at times, the pacing can feel a bit drawn out. If you like horror that keeps you questioning reality and plays with isolation and dread, this is a solid read. However, if you prefer more action or traditional haunted house thrills, it might not fully satisfy.

Something in the walls by daisy pearce is like reading a movie like midsommar if it were a book. Mina is a new child psychologist who is looking to make a name for herself and finds the way to do it—a journalist Sam has an exclusive lead on a girl in a small town who claims she is haunted by a witch. Mina and Sam go to visit the town and the girls family, both looking to use this case to establish themselves in their fields. What they find is much creepier and complicated than they expected—the whole town believes that inward witchcraft and the occult and the signs are validating the theory that young Alice is in fact haunted by a witch.

What is the truth and where does the line between the supernatural and reality cross? Mina and Sam are about to find out as they look to crack the case.

This is a fun, supernatural horror novel that is reminiscent of the works of Paul trembley. Recommended for fans of the genre (either of the books or of movies)!

Thanks to the publisher for the arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy of this book. Book was fine, really good if you like the genre! I would read more from this author.

Something in the Walls made me feel like I was watching an episode of The Conjuring, and I loved it! Mina and Sam are trying to help a young woman named Alice who thinks that she is being haunted by a witch, Mina thinks it psychological and Sam thinks it could be something else.
There were so many amazingly creepy moments that had me itching to see what was going to happen next and how it was all going to play out.
I had a great time reading this late into the night, it had some great twists, and went in quite a different direction than I expected but in a great way.
This book had me in its grips and I can't wait to see what this author comes out with next.

After reading the synopsis of this one, I knew it was going to be something that I wanted to read. I was immediately intrigued with the child psychologist part because well you know kids are creepy so I knew this was going to be good. This was honestly a crazy ride. The atmosphere truly had me creeped out and I felt so claustrophobic as the story progressed. There were many times while reading this book I had to stop reading because it was too late and I wanted to read it in the safety of the sunlight lol. The ending was very pleasing even though there were some questions that were left unanswered, but I think that was the intention by letting the reader come to their own conclusions of what happened.

Overall, this was a great read and would recommend picking it up if you are in the mood to be scared and creeped out.

🧱Book Review🧱
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Thank you so much @netgalley , @minotaurbooks , and @daisypearce . This beauty came out yesterday and absolutely terrified me (but I loved every minute of it)! I devoured this one in just a few days and there were truly some scary moments in this. I really enjoyed Mina and Sam, I found myself super drawn to their characters and wanting to solve this mystery along with them. It gave me The Conjuring vibes but when those movies were actually good (IYKYK 🤣). All in all, a very well written and horrifying horror book! If you like scary books, definitely recommend checking this out !
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Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Summary- Newly-minted child psychologist Mina has little experience. In a field where the first people called are experts, she’s been unable to get her feet wet. Instead she aimlessly spends her days stuck in the stifling heat wave sweeping across Britain, and anxiously contemplating her upcoming marriage to careful, precise researcher Oscar. The only reprieve from her small, close world is attending the local bereavement group to mourn her brother’s death from years ago. That is, until she meets journalist Sam Hunter at the grief group one day. And he has a proposition for her.

Alice Webber is a thirteen year old girl who claims she’s being haunted by a witch. Living with her family in their crowded home in the remote village of Banathel, Alice’s symptoms are increasingly disturbing, and money is tight. Taking this job will give Mina some experience; Sam will get the scoop of a lifetime; and Alice will get better, Mina is sure of it.

But instead of improving, Alice’s behavior becomes increasingly inexplicable and intense. The town of Banathel has a deep history of superstition and witchcraft. They believe there is evil in the world. They believe there are ways of…dealing with it. And they don’t expect outsiders to understand.
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QOTD- do you read horror books or watch horror movies ?! What’s your favorite in recent memory? I really enjoyed the book- incidents around the house which released last year! Movie wise the last movie to freak me out was Longlegs or Nosferatu( Drop your best spooky recommendations in the comments 👻)
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I’ve devoured my fair share of horror novels, starting with a Stephen King obsession in my teen years. However, Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce is one book I could not read before bed, and I was secretly thankful there is nary a chimney in my home! It was so creepy, like I didn't WANT to know what would happen next, but I NEEDED to know! 🫣

When journalist Sam Hunter suggests he and Mina investigate the strange claims of 13-year-old Alice, who believes she’s being haunted by a witch, Mina is hesitant. As a child psychologist, she’s convinced there’s a rational explanation behind Alice's terrifying experiences. But what they uncover is a town immersed in superstition and dark secrets, each more chilling than the last.

I was captivated by the creepy, atmospheric Cornish village—every corner of it oozed unease. The townspeople themselves grew more suspect by the minute. And Alice's dad? He gave me serious chills. Honestly, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong with him, and I loved how that added to the sense of dread!

Read this if you like:
- Folklore horror
- hauntings
- creepy English villages
- spine-tingling secrets

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

“Sometimes, you have to be cruel to be kind…”

Happy pub day to this book! 😊

Although I enjoyed it, it was a slower paced novel. Mina was an interesting MC that through trying to help Alice, she makes some realizations about her own life. The imagery in this book was superb. I always love being able to picture scenes of a book as I’m reading like a movie.

There were some creepy parts that made me feel 😅. It includes aspects of mystery, witchcraft, and superstition. It was an original story that I’d still recommend! The cover is also so cool! 🤩

A delicious descent into depravity and madness. Something in the Walls will sink its teeth in deep, and leave its mark. Ominously sinister in the very best of ways. This book should be in your hands!

Creepy, chilling, and witchy - this one is an unsettling folk horror seeps under your skin. This slow-burn thriller follows child psychologist Mina as she takes on a troubling case: 13-year-old Alice Webber, who insists a witch is haunting her. As Mina delves deeper into Alice’s world, the eerie village of Banathel reveals its dark history of superstition, secrets, and something far more sinister lurking just out of sight.

The writing is simple yet incredibly effective, layering tension and supernatural unease throughout. The audiobook narration amplifies the chilling atmosphere, making every whispered warning and shadowy moment feel even more ominous. If you love folk horror with an eerie, slow-building dread, this one’s worth a listen.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacmillanAudio for an advanced arc and alc of this title!

This book is a chilling and atmospheric psychological thriller with elements of suspense and the supernatural.

Mina’s journey, as she steps into a case that could provide professional experience but also tests her beliefs and abilities, is both a personal and professional challenge. The setting in the small, remote village of Banathel, with its deep ties to superstition and witchcraft, heightens the tension, creating an environment where logical explanations might not hold up against the unknown.

The fact that Alice’s symptoms are escalating and becoming more disturbing suggests that there’s a darker force at play, pushing Mina into unfamiliar and uncomfortable territory. The tension between the rational world that Mina is trying to build with her psychology career and the strange, eerie elements of Banathel and its people will likely keep readers on edge.

Oscar, with his precise and careful nature, could serve as an anchor for Mina’s more unpredictable emotions and actions as she becomes immersed in the mystery. The fact that Sam Hunter, a journalist, has a stake in the case suggests he might push Mina toward conclusions or actions she may not initially be comfortable with, further complicating her internal struggle.

In my opinion this book has a slow creeping tension that builds.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

SOMETHING IN THE WALLS brings readers to the limits of where thrillers meet horror in a compact, impactful story.

When newly minted child psychologist Mina gets her first "big girl" case, she doesn't really just how lucky-or unlucky-she is. Mina's been invited by a journalist named Sam to meet a young girl named Alice Webber who lives in a town forgotten by the world, where witchcraft panic still looms with shadows that might be the only relief from the heat wave they are experiencing. Mina is taken to meet Alice, her neighbors, and the community that supports each other amid times of strife. But Alice's case isn't just for a psychologist: She's hearing noises in the walls, and she knows things that people shouldn't know. Things like what's buried in Sam's past. And Mina's. When people start dying and fingers start flying, Mina learns that she has to clear Alice's name... and figure out who is really bringing the evil to this town.

There are so many great building blocks in Daisy Pearce's thriller. This novel seems to be gasping for air with a sweltering, bleak backdrop of a town, and it finds greater weight by setting the story sometime in the nineties, where mass media more deeply controlled ideology and small towns (and small minded folks) could stay more easily cut off. But it's the towns collective fear of witchcraft and its macabre history of it that really helps this novel toe the line between thriller and horror- and I don't just mean green faces on broomsticks. What haunts this story is truly terrifying stuff, and the reveal of who is behind the worst crimes--and not just why, but how--will keep readers up at night. Like the best horror novels, this book masquerades with fiction and monsters to uncover something more sinister about our world, something that happens under our noses (and in our basements) every day. The final pages of this story will make readers uneasy, and while the novel concludes with some loose ends that bothered me, it will certainly keep you up at night.

What a creepy and fun read! I didn’t know what to expect going into this but would now love to read more by this author.

Something in the Walls is a good mix of thriller and horror. I really liked our main character and thought all the characters in the story were well developed. The town was definitely strange which added to the creepiness of it and there were definitely times I wanted to reach out and strangle this girl’s parents…

From the start it was really tense, but I do feel towards the end, it kind of died down however the end twist was fun. I was constantly bouncing back and forth between “is this really a witch or is someone messing with them?” It was hard to quite pin it down to one or the other because there were so many things I needed to explain to myself. I won’t say too much because I don’t want to give it away. Thanks to Minotaur Books for my eARC.