*The Hounding* by Xenobe Purvis is a gripping and atmospheric tale that masterfully weaves mystery and suspense. With richly drawn characters and a plot that keeps you guessing, Purvis creates an enthralling world you won't want to leave. A must-read for fans of dark, intricately layered storytelling.

I absolutely loved this book. It was definitely giving The Crucible meets The Virgin Suicides. I liked the setting as well. Will be getting myself a copy when it comes out!

4.5 Actual stars. Loved this. Firstly, I loved the cover of this book, if there is a painting of these beautiful dogs I would love to buy it. Secondly I also really enjoyed this read about 5 sisters living in the English town during the 18th century who are accused by a witness of turning into dogs. The 5 Mansfield girls are perceived by most of the townsfolk as being haughty and unfriendly, they live with their elderly, widowed grandfather who is nearly blind in the town of Little Nettlebed. Life seems to be idyllic until the long, hot summer when strange things begin to happen, the river begins to dry up, dead animals are turning up and the surly river punter Pete, accuses the girls of turning into dogs. But is he just a hapless drunk or is there truth to his claim? Suspicions and tempers flare when some of the narrow minded townsfolk begin to believe the stories and things lead to unimaginable result. Atmospheric, well written and just plain awesome.

Big thank you to author Xenobe Purvis and NetGalley for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

The Hounding is described as The Crucible meets The Vrigin Suicides in the book description and I think that is a really apt way to put it. There is also some reminisce to The VVitch and Perfume, in my mind. This is a story set in 18th century England where five sisters in the care of their blind grandfather are accused of turning into dogs.
The story is told by following several characters who are around the town and near to the sisters but not by following the sisters themselves. In this way it is quite similar to The Virgin Suicides. I truly enjoyed being in these various people's perspectives, and their dreads and innermost fears felt quite palpable to me. I especially enjoyed the grandfather's point of view because of his unique experience of the world having very limited sight.
The language felt simple to me, but being in a historical setting, it was almost a comfort to not have to concentrate on the prose too much.
I enjoyed being in this dread-filled world where being "odd" could be a life or death choice, it's a world that will be sticking in my mind for a while.

Perfect for those of us who grew up loving Wuthering Heights and Sophia Coppola movies. On par with the hysteria of the Salem witch trails and a true testament to girls/sisters relationships and a shared madness. As a weird girl, this resonated a lot with me. Phenomenal. This reminded me of We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (and Jackson is in such a class of her own, so that is a huge compliment to Purvis). The Mansfield girls and their grandfather are already pariahs—envied and disliked by most of the village—mostly for their relative wealth and because the girls are not as docile and submissive as young ladies “should” be, in the eyes of some. Then, a local (soon to be one of the most hated characters you’ve ever read) claims he’s witnessed the girls transform into dogs. Crucible-level rumor mill begins churning, and it's immediately clear that the whole town is heading towards a fever pitch that will not end well.

The idea of women turning into dogs isn’t new—the recent Nightbitch, for one, comes to mind. But in this perfectly paced 200-page delight, the idea doesn’t feel stale or trite at all—this book was utterly bewitching. The atmosphere (bleak, feverish, murderous heat of summer mixed with superstitious, debase, small-minded mob mentality) is reminiscent of some of my favorite short stories (The Lottery, again Jackson, comes to mind). And for me, the ending was nearly perfect.

I haven’t read many five-star books this year, but this one ticked all the boxes for me. Xenobe Purvis’s prose, and her incredible grasp of humanity, is something I rarely find in contemporary authors, and I love it. Also, it’s feminist as f$*% in the best ways.

Phenomenal. This reminded me of We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (and Jackson is in such a class of her own, so that is a huge compliment to Purvis). The Mansfield girls and their grandfather are already pariahs—envied and disliked by most of the village—mostly for their relative wealth and because the girls are not as docile and submissive as young ladies “should” be, in the eyes of some. Then, a local (soon to be one of the most hated characters you’ve ever read) claims he’s witnessed the girls transform into dogs. Crucible-level rumor mill begins churning, and it's immediately clear that the whole town is heading towards a fever pitch that will not end well.

The idea of women turning into dogs isn’t new—the recent Nightbitch, for one, comes to mind. But in this perfectly paced 200-page delight, the idea doesn’t feel stale or trite at all—this book was utterly bewitching. The atmosphere (bleak, feverish, murderous heat of summer mixed with superstitious, debase, small-minded mob mentality) is reminiscent of some of my favorite short stories (The Lottery, again Jackson, comes to mind). And for me, the ending was nearly perfect.

I haven’t read many five-star books this year, but this one ticked all the boxes for me. Xenobe Purvis’s prose, and her incredible grasp of humanity, is something I rarely find in contemporary authors, and I love it. Also, it’s feminist as f$*% in the best ways. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a wonderfully done novel, I loved the idea of are they turning into dogs or is this in their head. It does a great job in using the historical setting and that the characters worked in this world. It had me guessing what was happening and how everything worked overall. Xenobe Purvis has a great writing style and can’t wait to read more from them as this was really well done.