Member Reviews
Reviewer 1651323
Daisy Pearce’s Something in the Walls is the kind of book that creeps under your skin and lingers long after the final page. It’s folk horror at its finest—eerie, atmospheric, and quietly devastating.
We follow Mina, a newly trained child psychologist, who’s desperate for experience and a sense of purpose. When she’s asked to assess Alice, a troubled girl in a remote Cornish village, it feels like a lifeline. But Banathel isn’t just remote—it’s steeped in superstition and secrets. And as Alice’s haunting claims intensify, Mina finds herself tangled in a web of folklore, fear, and her own buried past.
Pearce’s writing is gorgeously unsettling. The village is painted in rich, sensory detail—every creaking floorboard and whispered legend feels alive. The tension builds slowly, like mist rolling in off the moors, until you’re completely engulfed. It’s not just about what’s haunting Alice—it’s about what’s haunting everyone.
This is a story for readers who love their horror with depth: cults, curses, witch bottles, and the kind of psychological unease that makes you question what’s real. Think Midsommar meets The Haunting of Hill House, with a distinctly British chill.
Elegant, eerie, and emotionally resonant—Something in the Walls is a haunting triumph.
With thanks to Daisy Pearce, the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
Sophie M, Reviewer
Unfortunately I just was not a fan of this book.
For the most part, this was a terrifying folk horror. It was that sort of book that left me with a deep sense of dread in the pit of my stomach and a hollowness in my chest, with some really creepy imagery.
And then around the 70% mark it fell apart for me. The ending left me with more questions than answers, and there were a lot of plotholes.
I think there will be a lot of people that like this book but it just wasn’t for me. As always, I’m very grateful for the eARC.
