This one was creepy! While this wasn’t completely what I expected, I ended up really enjoying this book. There is a nice balance of mystery and suspense…and also a balance between the fantastic and reality. I would read this author again!

The ending still felt like I was missing something to be honest with you. I enjoyed the book for what it was, and really liked what happened in the middle, but the beginning was slow and then ending felt flat. I also listened to it on audio and I wasn't the biggest fan of the narrator, occasionally it was hard for me to follow who was speaking because her voice changes were very subtle.

Unfortunately this book was scarier than I expected it to be.

Oh well.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC.

I would to express my gratitude NetGalley for allowing me to enjoy " Something in the Walls" by Daisy Pearce. you are interested in a story that creates a sense of being watched when you are not paying attention or plays with your perception of your surroundings, this novel is for you. I found difficult to distinguish whether the elements in the story were paranormal or manmade. I was constantly questioning the characters, experiencing a continuous whiplash of what if". I to detach myself from the story go about my day.

Mina a child psychologist looking for experience in her field
Sam a journalist looking to make a name for himself
Alice a young girl who is accused of being possessed by a witch

Scary, dark, ominous, psychologically disturbing and heart-pounding are some of the first words that come to mind after finishing this gripping story. It’s a journey that feels like Midsommar meets The Exorcist.

The story follows Mina who is a child psychologist working to try and help a young thirteen year old girl named Alice Webber who thinks she is possessed by a witch. Mina meets Sam a journalist at a grief counseling group she was in after the loss of her brother; Sam was there after the loss of his daughter. Sam finds out Mina is a child psychologist and asks her to help him with a case he has been researching about a girl who thinks she is possessed by a witch. Alice lives with her family in a small eerie town in England called Banathel. Mina, along side Sam go to this town to meet with Alice, her father Paul and mother Lisa.

While there they experience some eerie happenings with the town, Alice and even her family leaving them to believe what is the real story here.

I got the opportunity to get the ARC audiobook copy of this and was able to listen to the story. The narration was captivating. I felt myself almost immediately being drawn in to not only Alice's story, but also Mina's.

The build of this story was a little slow, which I normally do not like, but for this story I feel like it added to the suspense and eeriness the story was trying to display. The narrator did a fantastic job all across the board. Personally I feel that their narration made me more captivated by the story and in the moments I was supposed to be squirming in my seat I absolutely was!

Overall I give the story a solid 4/5 star rating
Narration is an astounding 5/5!

Thank you to a Macmillan Audio and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to netgalley for a copy of this audiobook. I listened to this audiobook while reading along and thought it enhanced the story.

There seem to be some lower ratings for this book, and I'm not entirely sure why. I found it quite entertaining and it definitely kept me hooked. The story has a witchy theme, with a tone that’s ominous, dark, and creepy. I listened to the audiobook version, and the narrator did a fantastic job. I can easily imagine this being a great read in physical form as well. One thing I would have liked to see more of is the interaction between Mina and Alice. Mina is a new child psychologist in the story, but I didn’t really feel her presence as authoritative or fitting for her role. While she did a lot of investigating into Alice's behavior, it wasn’t done directly through Alice herself. That said, this was my first book by this author, and I would definitely read more from her in the future. Although it's categorized as an adult horror/thriller, I think it might be a better fit for a younger audience.

I enjoyed the concept of this book, but it just didn't grab me as I'd hoped. It felt like there was an element of suspense missing that I normally attribute to paranormal stories. The climax didn't reach until the very tail end of the book, and I feel like it should've happened a little sooner, or maybe have more build up. It was a good twist, but it sort of fell flat.

I do think the narrator did a terrific job in this audiobook!

Absolutely hated this book. I got this as a ALC from NetGalley and McMilllon audio. The narrator had the slowest cadence and I had to listen on 2x speed. As for the story itself it was also terrible. It was the longest 7 plus hours of my life listening to this book. The plot for me was terrible, the “witching” was so silly. The only thing was the “twist” at the end with who the bad person was.

Something in the Walls was a book that was on my most anticipated horror reads for 2025!

The beginning gave me vibes of The Conjuring (a potential haunting), there were several good startling/creepy bits in the middle, and the intensely religious/set in their ways small town added to the witch hunt aspect of the story.

This book wasn’t just full of horror though, it also touched on topics of grief throughout the entire book. This, to me, added an extra layer to it. Overall, I enjoyed listening to this audiobook and look forward to reading more from this author!

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5/5 ⭐️

I am honestly not sure what to write about Something in the Walls.

Most of the time I like going into a book without knowing much about it because if I know too much when I start, I can often figure out where the plot might be heading, and I like nice twists and surprises. However, with this book, I wish I would have read the synopsis before I requested this title. Mainly because it isn't something that I would normally read, and that has an impact on how I review.

This book was difficult for me to finish because it was also quite slow, and that combined with it being more paranormal/witchcraft (not my norm) It was a struggle. And I wasn't sure where the book was heading. Sometimes I could not remember which character was responsible for what, and I was a little confused.

At the end of it all, I am glad that I stuck with it and finished it. I like knowing the closure of it all, but if you are looking for an action-packed book from beginning to end, this is not the one for you. But if you are looking for a bit of something different, with a bit of "hhhmmm where might this be taking me" kind of ride, this would be the one for you. There is a decent plot in there and the narration in good too.

This is a 3.5 star, half a star for originality and pretty cover, but rounded down to 3 stars over all. ⭐⭐⭐

I’m on the fence with this book and can’t decide if I liked it or not, hence the 2.5 star rating, rounded up. I felt like the blurb was misleading as half of it happened in the first two chapters of the book and 90% of the story happened after the blurb. I’m not sure what I was expecting but I think I wanted more child psychology and less haunting and witchcraft for this story. Many of the elements had a creepy possession/exorcism feel to it but it felt slow at the same time. The majority of the action happened in the last 20% of the book if you can stick with it that far. The narrator of the audiobook also lent credence to the naïveté of the main character, Mina, though I’m not sure if this was planned or not. Overall, not bad, but not at the top of my list either.

SOMETHING IN THE WALLS-DAISY PEARCE-Publishing February 25th, 2025 by Minotaur Books/Macmillan Audio.

Mina, a brand new child psychologist is floating. With no experience in the field, she spends her days planning a wedding to a researcher-Oscar, and attending grief groups-to morn her brother’s death 6 years ago. It’s there she meets Sam Hunter-a journalist who is investigating a story about a 13 year old girl who says she’s haunted by witches. Mina jumps at the chance. Mina and Sam travel to see Alice and her family. As they assess her, Alice begins to become worst.

Is Alice possessed? Can Mina help Alice and her family?

A folklore horror tale. Witchcraft. History. Superstition. Secrets. Traditions.

Will make your skin crawl.

Deadly book.

This comes out FEB 25!

Thanks to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio @minotaur_books for the audiobook.

I didn't finish this title. The book didn't capture my attention and it was very confusing. Not really a book I'd recommend to people who like action packed thrillers.

🎧 Book Review 🎧 Grief unlocks a myriad of emotions buried deep inside. While Mina has finished her education and training as a child psychologist, she is stymied in her daily life and not progressing in her career…or her personal life. When she meets Sam, a reporter with an intriguing story or a troubled young girl, at a bereavement group, Mina sees the opportunity to step out of her rut. What follows is a quest for the answers of what could be haunting Alice. Perhaps the truth falls somewhere between psychological and paranormal, pushing the boundaries of our imagination.

Thank you to the author, narrator, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for this excellent audiobook version of SOMETHING IN THE WALLS.

I absolutely loved this novel. At first, I was a little put off by the main character, as she feels a bit pathetic in her internal monologues, when the reality is she is a woman of great intelligence and strength. But this is intentional, and allows for the narrative to bloom. With folkloric, Midsommar vibes, the narrative follows Mina (and a fellow member of her grief group, Sam) as she goes to investigate the potential haunting of a young girl, Alice. What follows is a mystery, with some deeply unsettling scenes, set in a small town with lots of rituals surrounding witches. At times, the narrative felt pulled in several directions---is this a story of a haunted girl? a witch? a cult? a town that has dark secrets? child abuse? all of the above?--and it may have served to lean less into the visiting weirdos who believe Alice is a medium. I also wish there had been more genuinely frightening moments, as the author had fantastic imagery with the few we did get!

The twist and ending felt a bit predictable, but I enjoyed the parallels to famous witch hunters and their hypocrisy enough to let it go. Unlike some readers, I did not mind the ambiguity of Alice's fate; however, it would have made it more clear to link it to the other human elm. The narrator really helped keep me hooked as she was very nuanced and intentional with her performances as well. All in all, a solid if not very unique spooky adjacent read.

🎧𝘙𝘌𝘝𝘐𝘌𝚆

𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬
𝐁𝐘: 𝙳𝚊𝚒𝚜𝚢 𝙿𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚎
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
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‼️𝚁𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝙳𝚊𝚝𝚎: 𝙵𝚎𝚋𝚛𝚞𝚊𝚛𝚢 25, 2025
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💭20 𝚂𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚍 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜

If you like creepy stories that involve investigations into witches, then this is your book!

New child psychologist, Mina, goes to help a teen named Alice who believes she is being haunted by a witch. Her family does not know how to help her. Mina soon finds out that many people in that town believe witches still exist and try to handle the possessions on their own.... and don't like outsiders interfering.

This one was a slow burn. It was creepy for sure and would be a perfect read in October. I can't say I loved it but most parts held my interest.

🎧The narrator on this one was great to listen, too! I believe she really helped bring this story to life, whereas reading it might not have kept me as engaged.

This looming, creepy story started strong. I was curious, intrigued, nervous as the characters and their traits developed. But, suddenly, the book took a turn I was not expecting! Characters were no longer who I thought they were and things went awry! While still entertaining, I was more on board with the first storyline.

The audiobook is narrated by Ana Clements. She provides a voice to the main character that provides a fitting innocence. She is understood at slightly faster speeds, but not as fast as I normally listen.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, St Martin’s Press, and author Daisy Pearce for the eARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the advanced listening approval of Something In The Walls in exchange for an honest review!

If a book has paranormal/witchy vibes to it, I'll read/listen to it!!! This had exactly that but fell a bit short for me in terms of interest. I found it to be a bit slow. I do think this book will be popular, and people will want to read it based on the witch/witchcraft story to it. Overall, it was a solid story. It's definitely good to read/listen to near Spooky Szn! 🧙‍♀️🧹

So, when I say WTF… I mean what the actual F.

I am so happy I got to listen to this ARC as an audiobook.
I think for me, the book started off one way and I thought it was going to be a slow burn.. but things took a turn and everything seemed to switch directions. In the best way.
At one point listening to the narrator, I was literally on the edge of my seat and almost panicking at what was happening. It was read so well.
The ending was satisfying and the main character didn’t suck. It’s so much better reading a book when you root for the main character instead of constantly rolling your eyes at them.
Overall, Daisy Pearce wrote a fantastic novel and I’m super glad I got to listen to it off NetGalley.