Something in the Walls

Thank you so much for the advance copy of Something in the Walls.
Through GoodReads Giveaways.

This book, Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce, would be perfect for someone who is in the mood for something chilling, thoughtful, emotionally intense, and just a bit witchy.

Alice’s character is intentionally ambiguous, and the novel does a great job of keeping readers guessing whether she is truly possessed by something supernatural, suffering from mental illness, or a combination of both.

Arguments for Possession:
- The eerie behaviors Alice exhibits—such as speaking in voices, sudden violent outbursts, and knowledge or actions beyond a child’s normal capacity—strongly hint at supernatural involvement.
- The villagers’ folklore, show more the atmosphere of the village, and the symbolic presence of the wasps all support the idea of a dark, otherworldly force at play.
- The way the house and environment seem to react to Alice adds to the sense that something supernatural is rooted in her and the place.

Arguments for Mental Illness / Trauma:
- Mina’s professional perspective as a psychologist encourages a rational explanation: Alice’s behaviors could be severe trauma responses, possibly linked to abuse or neglect.
- The story references grief, family secrets, and past tragedies, which can manifest in children as dissociative or psychotic symptoms.
- Some strange events could be interpreted as hallucinations or misinterpretations influenced by the characters’ emotional states and the oppressive environment.

Main Themes
Grief and Trauma
→ Central to both Mina and Sam’s character arcs; unprocessed loss becomes a lens for interpreting reality.

The Limits of Rationality
→ Psychology vs. the supernatural—what happens when science can’t explain what you see?

Isolation and Paranoia
→ Both literal (a remote village in a heatwave) and emotional (outsiders mistrusted, characters mistrusting themselves).

Generational Secrets and Guilt
→ The past bleeds into the present—whether in the form of buried witches, family history, or repressed memories.

Fear of the Other / Mob Mentality
→ A modern witch-hunt atmosphere as suspicion spreads and truth becomes subjective.

The first half of Something in the Walls sets a slow, eerie tone, immersing readers in a sweltering 1989 British heatwave that feels almost oppressive. We meet Mina, a child psychologist called to a remote village to assess Alice, a strange and withdrawn girl exhibiting unsettling behavior. As Mina navigates the tight-knit, secretive community, the tension steadily builds—local folklore, whispered fears, and subtle hints of something supernatural start to surface.

Secrets from the village’s past and Mina’s own history come to light, revealing layers of trauma and grief that complicate the narrative. The villagers’ distrust and fear grow more palpable, and the symbolic presence of the wasps becomes increasingly ominous. The story builds toward an ambiguous climax, where questions about possession, mental illness, and the influence of folklore remain unresolved, leaving you with a haunting sense of uncertainty.

⭐️ Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 stars show less

Rating: 3.5* of five

The Publisher Says: Newly minted child psychologist Mina has little experience. In a field where the first people called are experts, she’s been unable to get her feet wet. Instead she aimlessly spends her days stuck in the stifling heat wave sweeping across Britain and anxiously contemplates her upcoming marriage to careful, precise researcher Oscar. The only reprieve from her small, close world is attending the local bereavement group to mourn her brother’s death from years ago.

Then she meets journalist Sam Hunter at the grief group one day, and he has a proposition for her: Thirteen-year-old Alice Webber claims a witch is haunting her. Living with her family in the remote village of Banathel, Alice finds her show more symptoms are getting increasingly disturbing. Taking this job will give Mina some experience and much-needed money; Sam will get the scoop of a lifetime; and Alice will get better—Mina is sure of it.

But instead of improving, Alice’s behavior becomes inexplicable and intense. The town of Banathel has a deep history of superstition and witchcraft. They believe there is evil in the world. They believe there are ways of…dealing with it. And they don’t expect outsiders to understand.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: Psychological horror/thriller novels really do scare me. This one, in a lot of ways, was scary; its only issue for full, effective scare factor in my eyes is the journalist/tyro child psychologist tie-up. I'm really oversensitive to that kind of cruel, manipulative relationship, having been abused by jesus freaks with the truly horrific tale of god and the devil making a bar-bet that Job wouldn't buckle under extreme psychological torture. It didn't help that the male journalist scraped her acquaintance in a group for grieving loss sufferers, a true predator move.

For those reasons I could never get all the way into the story, hence my seemingly ungenerous rating. It *is* effective in its creation of a spooky atmosphere, with icksome details and sensory evocations. Lots of body horror that feels very...bodily...so squeamish souls are duly cautioned. Effectively claustrophobic, emotionally sharp-edged horror read that has some serious flaws.

Minotaur Books wants $14.99 for an ebook. I say it's a good library borrow. show less

The beginning grabbed my attention. I wanted to find out how Mina, a newly graduated psychologist, could help a teenager, Alice, who was hearing voices from a witch in her room. She did her thesis on the effects of trauma with mostly adolescents.

Alice’s mother, Lisa, found wasps on her pillow and heard buzzing noises in the room. Was this young girl for real or simply faking the idea of a witch sending her messages? Mina’s job was to observe and give advice. However, she was getting pulled in more than expected as her brother had died and she felt responsible for what happened. Alice, surprisingly, knew all about it.

The characters fit in well along with the smells and description of the noises. However, it went in a direction that show more I didn’t expect. Mina was now involved in trying to figure out what was causing the fear of evil witches in this area of Britain – a place where ancestors were known to harshly punish them. However, this story had some loose ends that weren’t explained.

We are well aware that people are manipulated through fear of the unknown. Mina was told that when there’s fear, people start to panic and that’s when someone can get hurt; people do strange things. I had to wonder if this was a psychological thriller or a book related to world politics. It would be an interesting discussion. “Everyone loves to look into the darkness.”

My thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for allowing me to read an advanced book with an expected release date of February 25, 2025. show less

She's looking for the truth, but something else is staring back
It's 1989, when we meet child psychologist, Mina. Mina is new to both the psychology field, and to what goes into an investigation of this type. Along with her to the village, comes a local journalist, Sam, whose specialty is disproving "imaginary" myths. Mina and Sam are off to deepest, darkest Cornwall to investigate this strange case, that of a teenage girl, Alice, whose increasingly bizarre behavior and her totally unchanging insistence that she's absolutely being haunted by a witch. Alice has set her family and her little village on the edge and has put them on the road to a massive confrontation.

Mina and Sam's welcome from Alice's family was a bit over whelming, but i show more guess at this point anyone that offered help would have been more than welcomed. The family isn't rich by any means, actually they are financially stretched with a psychopathic dad and a tired and run-down mother, plus there are two other children besides Alice. The family is stretched in every area of life and find themselves trying to deal, as best they can, with Alice's strange and horrific behavior. There are a few warm and helpful neighbors, but most of the village locals are not so friendly and welcoming, turning into an almost a "mob mentality".

The art of science finds no place here whatsoever. Rather than looking at the already established means of helping Alice, Mina's arrival causes a further descent into even more outlandish traits. Mina has now taken on the role of "the bad guy". There is, what I would call, a "sub-plot" about Mina's "love life"... which seemed to me to be superfluous but, I guess it did further establish her personality and how she came to be mentally where she was at by the midpoint of the story. The entire village is a rift with secrets...layers-upon-layers of deceit...cover-ups...and a great deal of plain old unpleasantness. Mina and Sam add to the mix, secrets of their own ...secrets which do somewhat help to explain some of their thoughts and actions.

The story is creepy....no other word for it. Alice's almost supernatural situation and the uncovering of the many secrets of the village and its inhabitants only adds to the creepy atmosphere. The reader will need to remember that the story takes place in 1989...not a vast age ago, but before mobile & smart phones and the internet was still fairly new, so that helps to reenforce into, and gives the story, that realistic feeling of isolation. I struggled a bit with the rating as I have not read this author before, but I finally decided on the full 5-stars as the pacing was excellent, and the writing was very well done. The story remained me a lot of the novels of two of my favorite authors of this genera, Ramsay Campbell and Shirly Jackson. show less

Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce is a very well-written thriller that presents both a mystery and a glimpse at how communities can create their own boogeymen.

The first part of the book was spellbinding, great descriptions that present an ominous environment. It did slow a bit for a while but I think much of that was to present the various possibilities and threads, but even then the writing was still engaging. Then it picked back up and rocketed to the end.

The ending seems to be where I am seeing some dissatisfaction in reviews I've read. I am one of those readers who don't mind every thread not being tied up as long as the main mystery or conflict is resolved. So I am less bothered by some things being left to my imagination to show more "write" in my own mind. I also think about them as potential starting points for sequels from the author, which again sets my mind to thinking about possible outcomes. That said, there are some points that aren't fully terminated and if you prefer everything tied up at the end, you might be less than fully satisfied. But I would still recommend the book because the writing and the story is good enough that you will likely still enjoy it.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. show less

Four stars

Being a descendent of a victim of the Salem witch hunt, I am interested in books about witches in general, and in books about how society treats suspected witches in particular. I was immediately attracted to Daisy Pearce’s newest novel, a moody tale set in a remote village steeped in superstition and folklore. Mina, a budding psychologist still mourning the death of her brother years before, hopes to kickstart her career by treating Alice Webber, a young girl convinced that she has been possessed by a witch living in Banathel, an isolated village in the south of England. (Note to self: Avoid visiting towns that sound like they have been named after a demon.)

This tiny hamlet has a long history of witches dating back show more centuries, and its residents are none too welcoming of a girl who exhibits symptoms of paranormal activity.

Is Alice possessed? Is Mina’s grief affecting her ability to rationally treat her patient? Are the villagers justified in their concerns or are they just plain bonkers? Is Pearce channeling The Exorcist, or perhaps Thomas Tryon’s Harvest Home? I’ll leave that up to you to decide. If you like paranormal suspense stories, this may be the story for you.

*The review was based on an advanced reading copy obtained from Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements:

*5 Stars – Nothing at all. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
*4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is.
*3 Stars – A solid C grade. Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered great or memorable.
*2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work. A good start would be to change the plot, the character development, the writing style and the ending.
*1 Star – The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire. show less

I stumbled upon a copy of Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce in a bookstore in Somewhere, USA, and the cover’s blend of beauty and creepiness immediately drew me in. The intriguing book description further piqued my interest. Thankfully, my library hold arrived just as spooky reading season approached.

The story unfolds in 1989, where newly qualified child psychologist Mina is eager to gain practical experience in her field. She’s contemplating her upcoming wedding to Oscar, a pragmatic and logical researcher. Mina is still grappling with the lingering guilt over her brother Eddie’s death and finds solace in attending a grief support group. It’s here that she meets Sam, who is processing the tragic loss of his young show more daughter.

Sam, a journalist, is investigating claims of a teenage girl named Alice being possessed by a vengeful witch trapped within the crumbling walls of her family’s home. He proposes that Mina join him on this investigation, suggesting that they assess, monitor, and potentially treat Alice’s symptoms if the claims are a manifestation of a mental health condition rather than a demonic possession. This investigation also serves as a platform for Sam and Mina to confront and explore their own personal traumas.

I thoroughly enjoyed the premise of a potential haunting or demonic possession, where the truth remains uncertain, leaving readers questioning whether it’s real or a hoax. It was refreshing to have Sam, a skeptic, and Mina, who sought answers through her psychologist training. Both characters frequently found themselves derailed by their own personal losses, leading to instances of counter-transference. The ending was particularly surprising and captivating. The story was reminiscent of the movie The Conjuring 2. (I’m a big fan of The Conjuring movie series.) I appreciated the author’s acknowledgment of this similarity by mentioning the Enfield poltergeist case in the narrative a few times.

I borrowed the audiobook of Something in the Walls through Libby. The narration by Ana Clements was incredibly enjoyable.

I have photos and additional information that I'm unable to include here. It can all be found on my blog, in the link below.
A Book And A Dog show less