Something spooky this way comes ...

First of all I would like to thank Minotaur Books for sending me some #bookmail and a hagstone. It arrived cracked in half so I am not sure if that bodes well for my safety after reading this incredibly creepy horror.

We take a time machine back to the summer of 1989 during an incredible heat wave. Mina has recently graduated as child psychologist but of course lack of experience means lack of job opportunities. At a grief support group Mina meets Sam, a journalist with a unique opportunity for Mina to get her feet wet.

This book was incredibly well written. I felt the heat on my back of my neck as Mina and Sam around the parish of Banathel. I could smell the sweet scent of sweat mixed with cigarette smoke wafting in a hot family home. I was completely drawn into this book to the point where I had to go put it into another room at bedtime to protect myself!

If you want a deliciously creepy book that will have you checking over your shoulder in an empty room then I highly recommend getting Something in the Walls - it is now available at your local bookseller or library

I'm not going to outline the synopsis because if you're reading reviews you've already read the synopsis. This may contain spoilers.

Well, what a book. Firstly, Daisy Pearce's writing is brilliant. The characters and environment were brought to life, it was creepy, confusing and unsettling.

But, I have to say, it felt like the ending was to a different story. The possession (?) Of Alice is never explained. I guess it is tied up in other ways right at the very end, but it isn't explained.
I feel like the protagonist, Mina, could have met her end in this and it would still work, the final scenes felt kinda tropey (in a bad way) and just there because it's what everyone does.

I think Mina's boyfriend is also surplus to requirements but since he's there his storyline could have been much better. Take that b*st*rd down a peg Daisy!

I would like to say though, this is set in Cornwall and if you know what a Cornish accent sounds like it really adds a bit to the whole creepy small town vibe. Sorry Cornwall, don't come for me. This just wouldn't have worked quite as well set to the East.

Something in the Walls left me with questions and I'm still thinking about it days later. I had to take a couple days before reviewing, which almost never happens (and I review books for a living!).

Overall, this is really atmospheric. The vibe is creepy and unsettling in a slight uncanny valley, stifling, hazy 1980s "something here isn't quite right" kind of way. You know when you stay overnight in a strange town on a roadtrip or for work and dusk is just hitting and something, but nothing in particular, feels sinister? This is that.
The small town trope is played off excellently and the history of the area/folklore is mixed in in small drops. Daisy Pearce does a really good job of reinforcing how she wants you to feel, its subtle and beautifully done and I think she has done a wonderful job of using not creepy elements to really add a sense of foreboding throughout.
This would be 5 stars if the ending made more sense to me (it might make more sense to you idk). I definitely recommend it for fans of atmospheric horror, or hints of unsettling supernatural elements.

Trigger warning for SA heavily implied but not mentioned on page.

This book was so suspenseful and spooky. Very fast paced and easy to follow. I did struggle at times to remember the characters but I was able to recall them easier than expected.
I didn't know what to expect and I was addicted! I especially enjoyed the ending. Highly recommend reading this book and I feel like it's a good book to introduce reader's to the horror genre.

This started out slow, and I was really not invested in this possession story. I couldn't decide if this was a paranormal story or a grifter tale. There were hints of folklore horror, and psychological disorders. But where this book went, completely surprised me. In a good way. I wish that the beginning and the main character was a bit stronger, but where she ended and how her ARC changed was appreciated.

Overall, this was more than just scratchings in the walls. It was more gruesome and disturbing. And for the sensitive readers, I'd recommend getting TWs.

Thank you to the publisher for my review copy. 3.5 rounded up.

Amazon reviews submitted, Barnes & Noble review submitted as well
Youtube review will go up in Friday reads 3/7
Blog post goes live March 18th
Imgur graphic goes to Instagram graphic scheduled for March 3rd

**TL;DR**: A strong start to a disappoint twist.
**Source**: NetGalley, thank you so much to the publisher!

**Plot**: An inexperienced child psychologist faces against evil - of what kind is the problem.
**Characters**: These were pretty bland. What you might expect from a thriller/horror.
**Setting**: This started in town but headed into a small village. We didn’t get a lot of details on it.
**Horror:** The horror started out strong but when the twist was revealed it just stopped being scary.

**Thoughts**:

This one had me gripped till it lost me, which was a damn shame. Mina, a new and inexperienced child psychologist is called to investigate what could be a haunting or could be faked. She arrives in a small town and almost immediately finds the situation disturbing and confusing. This was super strong. The horror elements hit fast and hard, and I thought we were going to be in for a wild ending. Instead the story twisted and honestly? I’ve read this before and I’m honestly tired of reading it at all.

Nothing in this stood out to me besides the horror elements. Which is why I’m so incredibly disappointed. Parts of this felt very unnecessary, such as Mina’s relationship we see briefly at the beginning. He played little to no role. The twist here didn’t explain everything either. Instead it opened up more questions. Is the witch real, was it something Mina was manipulated into manifesting? The villagers are left with little to no closure as well, leaving the door open for more of this to occur. The characters, the setting, nothing held the story up except those elements and once we saw the truth? It was something done, tired, and it lost me.

I can definitely see people enjoying this but it simply wasn’t for me. I wanted something true horror, something that isn’t using tired tropes and twists that can be seen a mile away. Sadly this wasn’t it, and I continue to loose hope in this genre. I can’t say I recommend this but give it a shot if you want a strong start. But the ending? A dud.

This had such a good premise and a fantastic start but ended up falling flat for me. I didn't find it very scary and I felt like there were a lot of loose ends.

This book definitely stuck with me , it was one that gripped me right away and kept me on edge until the end.

This was a great page turner; I was hooked from the beginning and couldn't put it down. The author did such a good job with the eerie vibes that I had to flip the lights on while reading. There were some unanswered questions by the end of the book, but I still very much enjoyed reading this one.

Whew. I see this book got mixed reviews, but I for one could not put it down. I read it in practically a single sitting (on an airplane) and really enjoyed most of it.

I found myself surprised a few times, in suspense just as often, and wholly creeped out. However, after finishing it, I'm left with more than a couple questions. There were a handful of areas where I'd have loved more detail, more explanation, more history. It was a wild ride, but I wish there had been a bit more to flesh out the *why* of it all.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC of Something in the Walls in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, I have to say that the cover art really drew me to this book. The wallpaper graphics were overtly appealing and quite honestly made me want to check it out (I didn’t even notice the eye between the slats on first glance, so well done there for the creepy factor when I first noticed it). That being said, I was slightly less impressed by what came after the cover art and the book honestly just took a very weird turn that it never really recovered from 3/4 the way in. The entire first half of the book I was very drawn in and really riding out the supernatural/witch theory for what it was. Alice’s character creeped the shit out of me and I loved all of the descriptions of her physical changes and her trances she bounced into and out of. The writing properly creeped me out, I must say.

My issue arose with the main character and the fact that Mina is just a downright idiot. The moment she had suspicions about what was going on with the overly friendly neighbor next door, any person with a fraction of common sense reports that immediately. In fact, the last thing you should do is turn into a subpar undercover spy and try to catch the bad guy red handed. Terrible idea and it just made me overly annoyed with the lack of judgement shown by Mina. The overall idea of ‘The Riddance’ just seemed sooo far out there, it was beyond believable on any conceivable level. I understand mob mentality is a thing, but that was just too far out there to be conceivable.

The first half of this book had me really excited and showed real promise. I truly wish the author would have just dove in head first into the supernatural theory and ran with it rather than trying make something like The Riddance be almost believable. It just doesn’t work for me. I guess I’m better at suspending disbelief for witches and ghosts rather than trying to make anything logical out of what happened here (not sure what that says about me personally). Most certainly an example of the reverse meaning of “never judge a book by its cover.”

Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce is a book I didn’t know I was looking for! I enjoy novels that deal with mysterious events, questions of paranormal or supernatural activity and questions of witchcraft would certainly apply.

Mina Ellis is a newly minted psychologist with no work experience, a fiancé deeply engaged in his complex scientific work, and still mourning the loss of her brother who died when they were young. She returns to a group for those experiencing grief after some time away from it and meets a man, Sam Hunter, a journalist. Sam offers her a chance to use her psychological skills in a situation he has been investigating. There is a 13 year old girl named Alice who believes there is a witch near/in her, influencing her and Sam would like Mina to assess what may be happening. Alice lives in a distant town with a very long history of dealing with witchcraft.

I found this a great reading experience, compulsive at times, but I also did avoid reading it too close to bedtime, not knowing what might happen next. Highly recommended

Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The review is my own.

I was SO excited to read a book about a fellow child psychologist, but was disappointed by the research (or lack thereof) that went into the story....HIPPA ethics kind of went out the window from chapter 1. This was a solid, propulsive thriller with an interesting premise, but I unfortunately could not connect to Mina as a protagonist. The town of Banathel was deliciously creepy and reminded me of the atmosphere of the house from the Haunting of Bly Manor, complete with an unsettling child resident. There were some scenes in this story that genuinely kept me up at night, so points to Pearce for writing perfectly spine-chilling horror.

Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce is a creepy, horror based novel. Although I’ve seen it all over social media with people commenting about its great book cover and how much they are looking forward to reading it, it didn’t really hold my attention. I actually considered setting it aside and not finishing it. It’s the story of Mina, a young child psychologist who travels to Banathel to see a young girl named Alice Webber who is thought to be possessed by a witch. There are parts to the story that do have the creep factor, actually the whole town and all its residents are a little strange. But as the story progresses you learn that it’s one individual that you need to be afraid of. Everyone there likes to believe that Mina is causing trouble and they ask her to leave. But it’s Mina who brings everything out into the open by exposing the evil and in the very end she takes matters into her own hands by putting the evil to rest. I’d like to thank Sara Beth Haring, Senior Marketing Manager @ St. Martin’s Press for the invite to read an early copy and NetGalley for the arc. Although I didn’t enjoy this story as much as I had hoped I would, I’m sure others will really like it. I’m giving this a 3.5 star rating.

Thank you to Daisy Pearce, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for his ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The beginning of the book was really good. The middle was good. The end wasn't so good. It was a letdown if I'm being honest,

Something in the Walls is an eerie, slow-burning psychological thriller that blends grief, folklore, and the unsettling power of belief. The premise is intriguing: a young psychologist, Mina, desperate for experience, takes on a disturbing case involving a 13-year-old girl who believes she is haunted by a witch. As Mina delves into Alice’s case, she uncovers chilling town secrets that make her question reality itself.

Daisy Pearce does a great job setting the atmosphere. The oppressive heat wave, the isolated village, and the undercurrent of superstition create a creeping sense of dread. The novel shines in its portrayal of grief—both Mina’s and Alice’s—as well as the blurred line between psychological trauma and supernatural horror.

However, the execution falls a bit short. The pacing is uneven, with stretches of slow introspection that make it hard to stay fully invested. While the premise suggests a tense, haunting thriller, the scares are few and far between, and some plot points feel underdeveloped. Mina, as a protagonist, is relatable in her self-doubt but frustratingly passive at times. The ending, while unsettling, leaves more questions than answers, which may not satisfy all readers.

If you enjoy atmospheric thrillers with a psychological edge, Something in the Walls is worth a read—but don’t expect the pulse-pounding horror the premise promises.

Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce is a scary story that takes place in an English town where the big belief is witches! Mina and Alice become friends; Mina is a psychologist and Alice is a teenage girl, whom we are led to believe is possessed! This is a quite a story! I read the book in one day, not wanting to put it down. It's beautifully written and it is exactly what I needed this week to read. Quick, fun to read and truly scary!

A gripping edge of your seat psychological thriller! Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC! I love the witch and horror aspects of this book and was constantly trying to figure out what was next. Make sure you check the TWs before reading because some material may be sensitive. Overall a thriller that kept my attention! Can’t wait to get the physical copy for my shelves.

“Something in the Walls” was unsettling and creepy, with unexpected twists and turns. I enjoyed the investigation aspect of the novel and the inclusion of folklore that drove the narrative. An excellent suspenseful read.

Knock, Knock. Something in the Walls is one of those genre-bending books that makes you wonder what you just read. I went into it thinking I was going to read a paranormal horror, then I thought I was reading a thriller, then I decided it was a witchy feminist mystery, then I was back to scratching my head like whatever was scratching in the walls. Regardless of what you call it, Something in the Walls kept me on the edge of my seat. I loved that everyone had their secrets. I loved the clue drops. I loved the interweave of folklore and history of witchcraft, I also found it cool that it took place in the late 80s before Google and smartphones. The only thing keeping me from giving it 5 stars is that there were some unresolved points. Maybe that was the intent, but I would have like a couple more tidy bows, explanations, or just acknowledgement that the how defies explanation.

4.5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery full of strange happenings and even stranger characters. I went into this story thinking it was one genre and finding out it was another. This made me love it even more because it took me by suprise in that way. I stayed invested throughout the plot, as it kept digging deeper into the mystery of what was happening to a young girl in a small, rural town, distant from modern day. I thought the author developed the characters well and really used their personalties well to make the story move along. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, as I was gifted a copy and all opinions and review are my own.