I enjoyed the narration of this book. After reading the description I decided to check it out as it’s not normally my first pick of genres but it sounded interesting. The further I got into the book the more interested I found myself. The book was chilling and definitely kept me guessing at what was really going on. If you enjoy horror, mystery, witches, and paranormal this book is definitely for you!

Description: Mina just graduated college and is a child psychologist with limited experience. She meets Sam at a support group for family members who have passed. Sam a journalist ask Mina to help investigate what is going on with Alice a 13 year old that everyone believes in being haunted by a witch. In hopes of finding the truth between fact and fiction Sam and Mina are hoping that Alice will be able to connect them with their family members who have moved on. As Mina continues to think there is more going on to the story; Sam gets caught up in wanting to be able to talk to his daughter through Alice and things turn creepy..leaving Mina to figure out what she needs to do.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

this was a good audiobook! It really had that eerie and creepy feel to it. It did remind me of the show "Haunting of Hill House" and it gave very similar vibes to that show. I think it was good, and it kept me entertained!!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

This book was so creepy, thrilling, and suspenseful. There is no new take on witches here, but it is just as creepy and thrilling as you could hope. I loved this book all the way through.

Thanks SMP and Macmillan Audio for the ARC!

Oooh this was creepy. I loved the incorporation of psychology in this story, and the unspoken struggles all women go through. It was dark, scary, and horrifying. There were points I had to stop because it was actually so messed up, which is why it's a perfect horror book. Yes, I know it's marked as thriller, and it is a thriller, but I also think it belongs in the psychological horror category.

If you enjoyed Roanoke Girls, Rosemary's Baby, or female rage stories, I'd recommend this one.

The cover, the title, the blurb all sucked me in immediately for this one and I knew I had to read it! This was another fast read that I couldn't put down. The hot, arid climate in the (fictional) small town of Banathel was as oppressive as any malignant force in this story and really set a tone of desperation. Many scenes in this book were genuinely scary to read, which I think is a fun experience as a reader- though of course it may not be for everyone. The topic of the book took a sharp turn at about 75-80%, and unfortunately many questions were left completely unanswered. The ending is also quite abrupt.

All that said, I did enjoy reading this book and would definitely read more from Pearce in the future. I give Something in the Walls 3.5 stars and recommend it to horror readers (this is comparatively light for the horror genre). Thank you MacMillan Audio and St Martin's Press for the ALC and ARC of Something in the Walls, which is out now.

As always, thank you to netgalley and macmillan.audio for sending me this audio book in exchange for my honest review
Witchy women, gather 'round because Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce just gave me Salem-in-1692, shadowy-figures-in-the-corner, "did-you-hear-that?" VIBES.
This book had me side-eyeing my own walls like they were about to start whispering my sins back to me. The atmosphere? Immaculate. A solid 10/10. (A gentle reminder to always research a town before going)
If you love horror that feels like a long-lost folktale told by candlelight while the wind howls outside, this one's for you.
Just don't blame me when you start saging your house at 3 AM.

**4.5-stars**

Mina has been educated to be a child psychologist, but she lacks real world experience. Unfortunately, this makes it challenging for her to secure a position in the field. It's one of those odd circumstances, where people only want to hire individuals with experience, but how are you to get experience if no one will hire you?

Thus, Mina is stuck, just spinning her wheels. That is until Mina is suddenly presented with an unusual opportunity while attending her local bereavement group, where she goes to help process her grief from her brother's death. She meets another member, Sam Hunter, who happens to be a journalist and he asks for her assistance with a story he's currently working on.

In the remote village of Banathel, 13-year old, Alice Webber, lives with her family. After unsettling behavioral changes, Alice reveals that a witch is haunting her, causing various disturbing occurrences. Sam and Mina travel to Banathel to stay with the Webber family, to see if they can get to the bottom of what is going on with Alice. Sam is hoping for the scoop of a lifetime, while Mina is hoping to help Alice, whilst also gaining the experience she so desperately needs.

I loved the way this story was set-up. I had listened to 47% of the audiobook before I even came up for air. I was absolutely engrossed. The narrator was a perfect match to our MC, Mina, and I felt like she succeeded in bringing the story to life. From the start, this loosely reminded me of The Wonder by Emma Donoghue, but much creepier and more atmospheric.

I just felt like Something in the Walls was so good. It's chilling and gripping. I raced through it, needing answers. The various scenes and things going on in Banathel, it got under my skin; genuinely creepy AF at times. While it wrapped up too quickly for my tastes, after the reveal, I still think it was so hella good. It was intriguing and horrifying in a very human way. I also loved Mina and Sam working together, digging into the history of Banathel.

Overall, this story had me absolutely hooked throughout. It had all the things I need to love a story and I appreciated the author's ability to write some truly chilling horror imagery.

Thank you to the publisher, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I am so stoked to read more from the author in the future!

I would love to review this, but I couldn't read it because it wouldn't let me download. I reached out to netgalley and the publisher but heard nothing back.

The premise of this book sounded like it could deliver perfectly on the dark and haunting vibes I was looking for. Mina is a freshly graduated child psychologist and is having a hard time finding work due to her inexperience. She is told about a case in which a girl, Alice, is accused of being possessed by a witch. She is offered the chance to work on the case, to help assess Alice's mental state and determine if there is a mental ailment she is suffering from.

Again, the plot seems promising to something that is dark and haunting, but overall it just seemed lackluster. The book also felt like it was missing a satisfying ending

I experienced Something in the Walls as an audiobook, and while the narration was consistent and engaging, overall this book just doesn't stand out to me in a way that I can even remember it entirely.

What an eerie, mesmerizing journey this book took me on. If you’re a fan of thrillers, mysteries, or the supernatural, this is one you need to pick up. The story follows Mina, a new adolescent psychologist, and Sam, a journalist she met in a grief support group. Together, they travel to a sleepy, mysterious town in Cornwall to investigate the haunting of 13-year-old Alice.

Mina believes Alice’s haunting is the result of a psychological condition triggered by a traumatic event. But as she digs deeper, parts of Alice’s case make her question everything she thought she knew. Both Mina and Sam are grieving, and both have hidden agendas when they arrive to help Alice. But what happens in this town—and what they uncover—might shatter their beliefs in ways they never expected.

The characters are complex, and the web of secrets in the village unravels slowly, leaving you with just enough clues to keep you guessing. These breadcrumbs are so small, so easy to miss, that you have to stay alert—or risk being left in the dark. 🕯️

This book was exceptionally well written, with a perfectly haunting tone and pacing that keeps you on the edge of your seat. I found myself thinking about it long after finishing, and I’m already eager to revisit it.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, McMillan Audiobooks, Minotaur Books, and the author for this incredible opportunity to experience the ARC audiobook and share my thoughts.

If you like a slow-burn mystery that lingers in your mind, don’t miss this one.

#NetGalley #Thriller #SupernaturalMystery #Haunting #BookReview #MustRead #Audiobook #MysteriousReads #Bookstagram #DarkSecrets

Something in the Walls is not the kind of book I typically gravitate towards, and I liked it a great deal more than I was expecting! I appreciated the combination of characters who are driven to investigate a situation for both "legitimate" reasons (i.e., journalism and science) and also for very personal reasons that are hard for them to articulate (i.e., ongoing grief). I'm also always intrigued by stories with witch trial vibes, so that aspect of the book definitely appealed to me. Pearce did a great job of building tension. As a reader, I was always evaluating the possibility of the rational explanations against the happenings that seemed far from normal, and the depiction of the community made this balancing particularly challenging. For those listening to the audiobook, the narrator is excellent, with good pacing and distinguishing among character voices.

Well this was odd and I am not sure how to feel about the book.
The book started really slow, I had a hard time getting engaged and the main character was overall just a really sad character who needed some emotional support. Then the pacing picked up when she went to go investigate a possible ghost/demonic possession, and even to the end of the story I am not sure what was real and what was not so that was very well done. There was some plot twists that I could guess but the correlation between them and the possession was not clear so I kept reading for more. And then there was the ending. I have no idea how to feel about all the crazy that went down in the last few chapters, it was a whirlwind of trauma, reveals, torture, secrets and then the book ended on an action that I have no idea how to take in- and then it was over, no answers or resolution, and I feel floundering.
Do I recommend this? Um, no? Did I keep reading and was intrigued? Yes? I guess pick this up at your own discretion but keep in mind that there is no satisfaction to be had here, just heartache, questions and uncertainty.
The audiobook was well done though and the narrator had a solid performance that made the story easier than if I had read the book.

This book had a great creepy vibe! This is one of the best haunty/witchy books I have read lately. It keeps you guessing what is real or not. The narrator of the audio does a great job too! And the twist totally took me by surprise!

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this advance copy of this audiobook for review purposes.

This was a quick listen and read, (yes I read it and listened to it) that went by supper quickly. I overall enjoyed this book, and was pretty entertained by it, however I do have a couple of thoughts that my brain has latched on to.

While I did in general enjoy this book, I feel like it was two separate ideas put together. You have the front part of the book, that is this thriller with a journalist and new psychologist trying to figure out if this girl is really seeing this witch/ possessed or if it is a psychiatric disorder. There's this mystery element to it, while also being like deeply emotionally because both the journalist and the Psychologist have a level of wanting the girl to beagle to communicate with the dead. You meet this whole community, quirks and all, and you have a sense of where it's all going. And then you have this almost occult fever dream side/ idea. * SPOILERS AHEAD * this whole town being down for this ritualistic torture, of girls for years, when seemingly it all steams from this one guy who really just comes off a creepy creepy dude who is working towards becoming a serial killer.
The two ideas could really really work together if they were more blended together. They do work in a way now, but they also feel so separate from each other, and leave the reader with so many more questions than answers. Like how and why did all the things in the beginning half of the book happen, like the maple syrup pour down the wall, was that staged? Maybee if there was more answers at the end the two ideas wouldnt feel so separate. Also I had to suspend quite a bit of disbelief to let go and just be like yeah the whole town no questions asked is okay with it all. Like did they think it was just a show? Do they all deeply believe this witch was possessing people, and that it all of a sudden moved from this girl to the psychologist? The two kids that were killed are we supposed to believe the old man killed them? Are we supposed to believe the witch was partially real? Did the family stage some things?
I’m okay with books not wrapping up in a neat little bow, and being left with questions, but I feel as if I have too many questions, and as if I don’t know what way the book was trying to make me lean.

Overall I thought the writing was done really well, and the characters that we got to know felt real. I cared about the characters and what happened to them, I felt sympathy for the journalist and honestly the girl and her family and everything they were going through. It’s always a good thing when I want to continue seeing characters on the page, and there were multiple characters that I kept wanting to recur and got excited about when they did reappear. I am looking forward to more books by this author, and am excited to see where they go next writing wise.

Thank You NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, Minotaur Books, and the author for this eARC and AudioARC.

Wow, what a chillingly claustrophobic and deeply thought-provoking folk thriller! Pearce masterfully crafts an eerie, atmospheric read, bringing the haunting history of Banathel village to life with strikingly vivid detail.

This novel delves into how fear can distort reality, blurring the lines between perception and truth. At its core, it’s a psychological horror with a touch of the supernatural. A child psychologist is faced with a chilling case—a 13-year-old girl convinced she’s being haunted by a witch. How could you not be immediately captivated? An intensely gripping and suspenseful read!

Okay, so aside from thinking, the title doesn't really fit the book(Something in the Chimey doesn't have a good ring, though, so I get it), this book was pretty dang good.

I liked the weird town, I liked our main character(despite her having some majorly bad choices in men), I just liked the entire atmosphere of the book. Grief is such a strange thing, and dare I say, maybe even stronger than love.

Audio Narration Rating: 4/5 ⭐️
Story Rating: 3.25/5 ⭐️

Pearce did a great job creating the dark atmosphere and unsettling vibe in Something in the Walls. I listened to the audio format, and the delivery was even toned and engaging, the narrator's voice fitting well with the story.

The setting was described in great detail, and the characters were interesting and well developed. As the story progressed, the suspense was slowly building, and that feeling of unease intensified.

When the conclusion approached, the pacing picked up speed, the imagery descriptive and disturbing. The twist at the end was somewhat satisfying, as there were things left open to interpretation, but I felt that for my total satisfaction, I needed more answers.

Something in the Walls is available now. Give it a try if you enjoy creepy horror fiction, hauntings, and folklore.

______
*Complimentary ALC for review provided by Macmillan Audio. All opinions expressed here are honest and entirely my own.

Genre: Horror Fiction; Psychological Thriller

I really wanted to love Something in the Walls, but I found it hard to stay engaged. The pacing was just too slow, and it felt like the story dragged on without enough payoff. There were moments of intrigue, but they were few and far between, making it difficult to stay invested.

That said, the narrator did a fantastic job. Their performance was the highlight of the experience, bringing emotion and depth to the story. Unfortunately, even great narration couldn’t make up for the sluggish pace.

Overall, it’s not a bad book, but it wasn’t for me. If you enjoy slow-burn stories with lots of buildup, you might like it more than I did.

Do you like questionable choices and communities stuck a century in the past? This is definitely the book for you! Mina is a new child psychologist in a pretty bad relationship who wants to break into the world of psychology and the paranormal. She wants to find proof that will let her believe she may someday communicate with her dead brother. This leads to her making one terrible decision after another. Mina has almost no self-esteem. She lets people drag her around and put her down pretty much constantly. All in the name of trying to get over her guilt over her brother's death. So she stumbles into a possible possession. Then she stays. Mina does seem to grow from her entire experience and makes at least some better decisions as she realizes she is into something much bigger than she imagined.

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narration. The story follows psychologist Mina who meets reporter Sam at a grief support group and he invites her to accompany him to investigate an alleged haunting and other disturbances surrounding a teenage girl, Mina sees it as an excellent opportunity to get some experience under her belt and pad her resume, while Sam follows up on a lead. Neither of them are willing to admit to their ulterior motives, and neither are prepared for what they find in the home of Alice Webber or the village of Banathel itself, for Banathel is a village steeped in superstition where the doorways are decorated with hagstones and the children taunt each other with stories of witch curses. I really enjoyed Something in the Walls. The sinister descriptions of menacing figures glimpsed, heard and felt, but never seen directly, is always the most effective way of providing chills to this reader, and there were a number of well-executed scenes like this. The Webber family read as genuine in a dysfunctional and financially strapped way. The ending was interesting. I also found some behaviors of characters in the book, both in the present timeline and in their own individual pasts, rather baffling and not entirely believable. I would still recommend this one to readers who enjoy folk horror and witches and I will look for more of Pearce's work in the future. It was overall a really good read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audioARC to preview.