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
................................................................

💭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.

I wanted to like this one way more than I did. The description sounded great but it was too slow of a story for me. It started out strong then kind of fell off and by the end I wasn’t very interested anymore.

Narrated by Ana Clements whose voice is good for this spooky book but the whispery softness does kind of put you in a trance and I felt like I missed something and had to rewind.

Slow and confusing and the ending was unsatisfying.

3 stars

I received this audiobook from the publisher Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

Daisy Pearce delivers a gripping tale in Something in the Walls that had me hooked from the very beginning. This is typically a genre that I don’t pick up when it involves horror and witches. However, the atmosphere she creates is undeniably chilling, with a creeping tension that builds page after page. The characters' fears are palpable, making it easy to get lost in the eerie twists and turns of the story.
I couldn't put it down for the first three-quarters of the book. The pacing was spot on, and every chapter left me eager to read more. Pearce masterfully blends psychological suspense with creepy elements, keeping readers on the edge of their seats.
However, as the story approached its conclusion, it took a turn I didn’t see coming—and not entirely in the way I expected. The ending ventured into a direction that felt a bit different from the tone and buildup of the earlier chapters. While it wasn’t quite what I was anticipating, it still had its own unique conclusion.
Overall, Something in the Walls is a thrilling read worth picking up, especially if you love a hauntingly atmospheric story. Just be prepared for a surprising twist as you near the end!
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the early copy of this book. Keep a look out for its release on Feb, 25 2025!

A fave f0r 2025 already! I was consumed and the narrator did a phenomenal job bringing the story to life! I could not stop listening!

Something in the Walls is the definition of ooky spooky. I was totally creeped out the entire time and was fully invested on what was truly going on in this story.

Our main character, Mina, is engaged to a scientist and just recently got her degree in child psychology. After attending a grief group to help her process the loss of her brother, she meets Sam, a journalist who just lost his daughter. After finding out that Mina has a degree in child psychology, Sam invites her to a case he is working about a 13 year old girl who is accused of being possessed by a witch. Mina, of course, has to tag along because, one, there is no way she is possessed by a witch, and two, if she is... can she contact her brother?

Wow, I was enthralled in this one. This is such a spooky little mystery that has you guessing until the last second. A complete tone of dread and ominous, eerie energy is crawling throughout this story with a lot of disturbing, thrilling moments. There were a few times, though, I'd find myself getting a little lost and having to track down what happened or where I was in the story, and I'm not sure if that was a me problem or a book problem, to be honest. Either way, I thought this book was super unique with a dash of the Salem Witch Trials, a pinch of The Exorcist, and a skosh of Midsommar.

The narrator, Ana Clements, had a perfectly haunting voice for this book, and I absolutely loved listening to her!

I'd check the triggers on this one, especially if mentions of animal death is a no go for you.

Thank you to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio, and Daisy Pearce for allowing me to listen to this advanced copy!

SPOILERS!! (***instagram review contains no spoilers while goodreads review contains the following review with spoilers, with the spoiler filter on)

1 sentence review: A tense and suspenseful thriller full of witchcraft, but with quite a few plot holes.

The beginning of this really had me hooked. The haunting/witchcraft aspects of this story really unsettled me and gave the story an eerie and mysterious tone. Unfortunately, the end lost me. I feel like the character relationships lacked development, some plot points seemed useless, one of the twists was easy to spot, and the main twist just didn’t make any sense to me.

My biggest issue with books like this is that the ending never explains the rest of the book. I really dislike when authors write seemingly paranormal stories that are explained away by sinister, yet very real, events. This twist didn’t explain any of the paranormal events that happened in the beginning and middle of the book. There were so many instances where the characters that were seeing things that weren’t there, or hearing voices on recordings, knowing intimate details about the characters lives, seeing Alice’s face change into the witches, the deaths of the kids, etc. None of this was explained by Burt’s horrific behavior with the girls. It’s also very unclear as to if the witch was even real or not?

Also, the plot with Mina’s fiancé was very strange and random to me. It didn’t aid the story at all and it didn’t create any character development for Mina either. Sam’s relationship with Mina was also strange. He started out as someone I thought would be a main protagonist and maybe even a love interest, but he derailed into a complacent side character who almost stood by and watched Mina get killed. I guess that aided into the whole “witch trial bystander” effect, but I just don’t think his character needed to be involved in that. He also immediately turned back into the doting side character after the events unfolded and wanted to know how she was doing? It just seemed very off.

The twist with Mina’s brother was also poorly executed. It was alluded to so many times throughout the story that it wasn’t as shocking as it was intended to be.

Read This if You Like:
🏠 Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
🧙🏼‍♀️ Withcraft and folklore
👻 Eerie and slow burn haunting

I really liked this narrator — she did a great job of voicing different characters and as the story is told in first person, I felt like she really captured Mina’s tone.

I love how this book wove together witchy folklore, mystery, family and relationship drama, and horror. The horror elements were creeping and grew throughout the story, creating this deep sense of unease as readers went through the story with Mina. I also found the family relationships to be well-done, and the way the author explored grief and how it connects people was visceral and moving. The twists in the story genuinely surprised me and kept me listening.

This was fun! Enjoyed the narrator - her voice was clear and reflected the eerie mood of the novel. The suspense was well built and the atmosphere of the village and houses added to the overall creepy mood. The ending felt rushed & unsatisfying, could’ve leaned a bit harder into Wicker Man-like energy, Will absolutely read this author again!

Book Review: Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce

I’d rate Something in the Walls a solid 3 out of 5. The story follows Mina, a complex protagonist juggling her unresolved past trauma, a shaky engagement, and the challenges of her first job as a psychologist. The main plot centers on Mina trying to uncover the truth behind a young girl’s apparent possession by witchcraft, which sets the stage for a supernatural mystery with plenty of twists and turns.

While I appreciated the layered storyline and the surprising twists at the end, the supernatural elements felt overwhelming at times. There were so many moving parts—Mina’s personal struggles, the unsettling atmosphere, and the witchcraft subplot—that it felt like the book was trying to do too much at once. That said, the ending delivered enough intrigue to leave a lasting impression.

If you enjoy supernatural thrillers with psychological depth and a few surprises, this might be worth a read, but it may not hit the mark if you're looking for something more grounded.

This was definitely a book that took some time to settle in, and make an impact, but once I got into the story, it picked up.

I enjoyed the narrator's depiction of the characters, with a smooth transition amongst the personalities in the book.