I love a good witchy vibes book! This book is definitely eerie and creepy, and I really enjoyed it. Daisy Pearce is an incredibly talented author, and I look forward to reading more by her,

Daisy Pearce's Something in the Walls is a novel that submerges you into a stiflingly hot, small British town where superstition runs rampant. Full of hag stones on doorways and rituals that run deep, the townspeople are uneasy with stories of a witch amongst them. Our main character, Mina, is a newly licensed child psychologist who gets roped into helping out a young teen, Alice, who is seemingly possessed by a witch. Mina is joined by Sam, a journalist, who, along with Mina, share a history of loss and grief. Their travels to the small town of Banathel are met with some resistance and skepticism.

Overall, this was a an enjoyable thriller. There were definitely moments where I felt very hooked and wanted to keep reading - like when Mina and Sam explored an abandoned house - and there were lulls in the story where I felt a bit uninterested in what was developing. I definitely did not see the story playing out in the way that it did, for better or for worse. I did feel a bit confused with some of the characters, as they did not all stand out to me. This book did pull me out of a reading slump, so I would imagine it being an enjoyable read for most.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and the author Daisy Pearce for an ARC of Something in the Walls in exchange for an honest review!

Something is the Walls is a breakout novel for Daisy Pearce. It’s suspenseful, dark and harrowing. Readers will enter in to the stifling hot, small British town of Banathel in the 1980s won’t be able to turn away.
Mina is a new child psychologist trying to gain experience in a developing field, she takes the unique opportunity to travel to Banathel to meet Alice, a thirteen year old girl whose become very ill supposedly haunted by a witch.
What we learn is that all the characters have their own ghosts, their own demons. Do witch hauntings happen regularly in this small town or is there a more sinister villain to blame? Something in the Walls is delightfully disturbing with words, scenes and images that will continue to haunt readers long after they finish the novel.

I truly enjoyed this book. I loved the modern aspect of this horror book. Really like nothing I’ve ever read or watched before. I was seriously creeped out many times while reading! The idea of this book had me hooked from the very beginning wanting all the answers and loving every second of finding things out.

I was really looking forward to this book! The creepy premise was what really drew me in and I did find myself creeped out at several parts.

I was up and down with this one. There were some slower parts but there were also lots of things that kept me wanting to come back to it. With that being said, I felt letdown by the ending of the book. I was still left with questions and that took away from my experience with it.

Overall 3/5

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

What a spooky book. At first I had no idea what I was getting into was this a witch story, paranormal, etc? I found it best to just go along for the ride! Mina is a newly graduated child psychologist who is suffering from sleepless nights and visions of seeing her dead brother. She is also putting off planning her marriage because she is having second thoughts. She meets Sam, a journalist, at a grief group and he entices her to go a super small place in the UK because people are saying a teenage girl named Alice is possessed by a witch. Once they get there and start talking to family, neighbors, and friends things aren't what they seem. I thought this book was pretty good. I stayed entertained all the way to the end and found the twists at the end pretty good! I would suggest this if you want a quick spooky read. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

This book had me at the edge of my seat the entire time—I could not put it down! Something in the Walls is heart-pounding, filled with suspense and the kind of eerie that makes your skin crawl; the tension was real! Mina, a newly-minted child psychologist, takes on the case of Alice, a young girl claiming to be haunted by a witch in the remote village of Banathel. Partnering with journalist Sam, she soon finds herself unraveling the town’s sinister history, where superstition and reality blur in unsettling ways. As Alice’s behavior grows more disturbing, Mina’s past resurfaces, revealing chilling connections she never expected. The slow-burning dread and gripping twists make this an unforgettable, spine-tingling read!
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Could not get into this book the first go around, after a death in the family is probably not the best time to dive into a ghostly/paranormal book, will be trying again later, hopefully i can change my review later

I thought the book was well written, but I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I thought I would. Some things were left unanswered by the end of the book; things that I felt should have been addressed, but seem to have been forgotten.

I was so excited to read this one! There is nothing better than a creepy and haunted child. The story started out strong and fast paced but by the middle act it started to get a bit slow and boring. I loved the whole witch aspect and the town being witch hunting crazy but the ending was just crazy to me. The characters felt out of touch and the plot points seemed a bit far fetched or repetitive.

Excuse me while I pick my jaw up off the floor, this was bloody brilliant! I wasn't sure what to expect going into this with, sorry to say, kind of a plain Jane cover but wow, this blew all of my expectations out the window. I was legitimately freaked out and spooked and the twists, THE TWISTS! I was not prepared for how much I loved this book, especially the ending.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur books for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

It’s been a while since I found a book that not only creeped me the heck out but I was hanging on to every word trying to figure out what was going to happen next. Definitely giving this a 5 star because I had to read this with my lights ON

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 3.75⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: thriller📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
This one was one of my most anticipated reads of the year but overall it fell flat for me.

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Supernatural horror
Unreliable narrator
Witchcraft/ folklore
Small town 1980’s setting
Slow burn mystery
Child psychologist FMC
Atmospheric reads
Great writing

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
Unique plot
The character development
There were some truly crappy moments

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
It wasn’t as creepy/spooky as I was expecting
A little slow in the middle
The ending felt rushed and I still had so many questions

𝙵𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚀𝚞𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜:
★ “it’s not the dead we should be afraid of, it’s the living”.

Women were picked off one by one during the witch trials. We all know it is men who cannot face up to their own ill feelings so they blame their shortcomings on women. This book was such a book. A fiercely independent woman goes on a search to see if a young girl is haunted. Being a child psychologist she thinks she will be able to get the young girl some help. Right from the first meeting there are strange happenings. It is up to Mina to see if there is any truth to what people are saying. Mina is very skeptical but soon her skepticism is challenged with things that seem to fit a haunting. When the first person Alice comes in contact with suddenly dies, the townsfolk are only too happy to begin saying Alice is possessed with a witch’s spirit. Momentum toward something awful continues to build as the weather is more oppressive. When Mina discovers the horrible truth about the town it is even more horrific than a witch being loose. This author was able to capture the mob mentality well in the words she wrote even when undeniable proof was given to some of the other women. This novel was as heartbreaking as well as the real struggle women have endured since the beginning of time.

Mina is ready for the next stage of her life. She just finished her child psychology degree and is ready to put it to use. She is engaged to a scientist named Oscar and is planning their wedding. In fact, she is supposed to meeting with her caterer when she meets up with a journalist instead.

Mina met Sam in a grief group. She had started going to the group about the death of her brother years ago, and the stress of the wedding, or maybe the intense heat wave holding them all hostage, has brought up the memories again. Sam lost his daughter and wife, and he was looking to the group for some comfort. Sam has been talking to a family in a small town not too far away. Their teenage daughter has been experiencing some physical and mental difficulties, claiming that there is a witch living in their fireplace and looking at her from the spaces between the bricks.

Sam thought that Mina might be able to help the girl, Alice, and help him figure out what is going on in the house for a story he’s working on. The girl has had rashes and lost time, unexplained pains and lost sleep. She’s hearing voices, to the point where she listens to music through her headphones as much as she can. Sam is concerned about her. He’s not sure if she really is haunted, or if she’s delusional, or if there is something going on in the family that’s affecting her the most. But he has a hunch that Mina could help her. And Mina wants to put her degree to work helping this girl.

By the time Sam and Mina show up at the Webbers’ house, the heat wave is almost at its peak. The heat is everywhere. At first, Alice seems like a normal teenaged girl. Her father works at the local slaughterhouse, and she has two younger siblings, a brother and a sister. Her mother Lisa isn’t sure what’s going on either, but she desperately wants to help Alice.

Mina can feel something in the house, a presence, a mineral smell, a sweetness that reminds her of marzipan. But that doesn’t mean that she believes there is anything supernatural going on. She and Sam ask questions of family members, meet some neighbors, observe Alice. There are some people outside the house, wanting Alice to get answers for them about a missing son or unsolved crime. There are candles and photos, and hints that Alice may be a witch.

But when another teenaged girl ends up in the hospital, the town turns on Alice, blaming her for what happened. The people waiting outside with questions turn into an angry mob demanding answers. Mina digs into the history of the town, which was known for hunting and testing witches. But Mina has to figure out if Alice is a victim of the town’s mythology or being possessed by a the spirit of a witch that this town is unusually prepared to cast out.

Something in the Walls is a creepy thriller that is both inventive and a callback to witch hunt books of the past. There are layers of secrets through the town, and the race to figure out the answers adds suspense and intrigue to the ghost story. This book is smart, with questions that make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up but offer a satisfying ending.

I am not a big horror fan, but there was something about this book that drew me in. And it was worth it. The story is excellent, and the characters are very strong. The witch mythology of the town is fascinating, and brings a depth to this story, from the witch’s bottle to the hag stones to the stories of old witch hunts. This book is a lot of fun for fans of creepy witch stories, any time of the year.

Egalleys for Something in the Walls were provided by Minotaur Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.

I struggled with this one. I couldn't connect to the characters, the plot became a little convoluted, and it just didn't creep me out the way I was hoping. I wasn't captivated by anything until around 70%. I wish we could have had more backstory for some of the characters and relationships.

Something in the Walls was eerie and melancholic. I was not able to finish it the first time I picked it up because I was already kind of feeling low emotionally and this book FILLED ME with dread. That is a huge compliment to the author because it evoked REAL emotion in me. I am not a regular horror reader; I pick them up here and there when the synopsis speaks to me and WOW. Daisy Pearce was able to slowly reveal the truth of the haunting town of Benathal and end the story in a fever pitch of hysteria.

Mina is a brand new child psychologist and is ready to get started in her field. She finally gets a promising lead when journalist Sam Hunter enlists her help with a young girl named Alice Webber who claims she is being haunted by a witch Is she? Alice hears something in the walls. What does she hear? Mina wants experience in her field and Sam really wants a sensational story, so the two take a trip to Banathel, a town with a dark history relating to witchcraft and superstition.

There are supernatural events that take place. The town of Banathel is not a place I would want to visit. It is a horror novel that has done an excellent feeling of dread throughout it popping up at different times. It is creepy and disturbing. I enjoyed this horror novel.

Not for me. I found the characters to be extremely unbelievable, for example, how could a licensed psychologist be so daft? Good premise, but I couldn’t get into it.

Something in the Walls combines the horror of Shirley Jackson with the feeling of impending horror that reminds of Joyce Carol Oates rolled up into folk myth.

When a journalist and psychologist visit a remote village called Banathel to investigate reports of a teen girl who is supposedly a witch, they are not prepared for what they find. It's a town inured in the history of witchcraft and the barbaric means by which the townspeople "cure" young girls. But is it possession or is it human evil? That's what Mina and Sam must discover, while putting their personal traumas aside. But after their arrival, they become deeply enmeshed in the incomprehensible horror and ritual.

While the book bogged down initially, there were some truly scary scenes. I am left with some unresolved questions, and the ending was (probably intentionally) not what I was expecting, but the creepiness of this book still haunts me, and that, to me, is the sign of good writing. I can't wait to see what Daisy Pearce has in store for us next!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for keeping me awake at night with an advance reader's copy.