The Hounding

by Xenobe Purvis

The Crucible meets The Virgin Suicides in this haunting debut about five sisters in a small village in 18th century England whose neighbors are convinced they’re turning into dogs.

Even before the rumors about the Mansfield girls begin, Little Nettlebed is a village steeped in the uncanny, from strange creatures that wash up on the riverbed to portentous ravens gathering on the roofs of people about to die. But when the villagers start to hear barking, and when one claims to see the Mansfield sisters transform before his very eyes, the allegations spark fascination and fear like nothing has before.

The truth is that the inhabitants of Little Nettlebed have never much liked the Mansfield girls—a little odd, think some; a little high on themselves, perhaps—but they’ve always had plenty to say about them and, as the rotating perspectives of five of the villagers quickly make clear, now is no exception. Belief in witchcraft is waning but an aversion to difference is as widespread as ever, and these conflicting narratives all point to the same ultimate something isn’t right in Little Nettlebed, and the sisters will be the ones to pay for it.

As relevant today as any time before, The Hounding celebrates the wild breaks from convention we’re all sometimes pulled toward, and wonders if, in a world like this one, it isn’t safer to be a dog than an unusual young girl.



A strange, haunting historical debut about the Mansfield sisters: five wild girls who are rumoured to turn into a pack of dogs

'Extraordinary . . . clever, strange and beautifully written' THE TIMES

'Prompts thoughts of both THE CRUCIBLE and THE VIRGIN SUICIDES . . . Purvis is an exquisitely accomplished wordsmith.' DAILY TELEGRAPH

'A taut, tense tale, impeccably told' FINANCIAL TIMES

'Feverish, finely wrought and unforgettable.' DAILY MAIL

'An unflinchingly strange and savage novel – a rare and twisted pleasure, and an unmissable must-read for every girl who has ever been made to feel strange.' LUCY ROSE, Sunday Times bestselling author of THE LAMB

'Haunting and beguiling, this fever dream of a novel draws you in and colours your mind all shades of doubt and suspicion.' STACEY HALLS, Sunday Times bestselling author of THE FAMILIARS

'Melancholy and bittersweet.' OTEGHA UWAGBA, Sunday Times bestselling author of LITTLE BLACK BOOK

'A novel of rare grace and skill, exquisitely wrought and simmering with feral violence.' ROWE IRVIN, author of LIFE CYCLE OF A MOTH

Genres: Historical Fiction, Horror, Fiction, Fantasy, Audiobook, Historical, Mystery

272 pages, Paperback

First published August 5, 2025

About the author

Xenobe Purvis was born in Tokyo in 1990. She read English Literature at the University of Oxford, has an MA in Creative Writing from Royal Holloway, and was part of the London Library’s Emerging Writers Programme. She is a writer and literary researcher, with essays published in the Times Literary Supplement, the London Magazine and elsewhere.

Her debut novel THE HOUNDING will be published in 2025.

Reviews

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

dog- errr god forbid women have hobbies

[emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

seems like there are worse ways to live than being convinced you're turning into a dog.

i felt destined to like this book, due to my love of books about women going insane, and books about the violence of womanhood, and a general appreciation for canines, but...

this was not that good.

it has a lot of really confused and inconsistent imagery, and 1000 perspectives that are pretty identical, and a lack of actual insight into the girls becoming dogs in question that at first feels purposeful and eventually, as it becomes clear nothing much is going to happen, just gets boring.

i'm all for books with no plots but they should at least be character-driven.

barring that, give me some excitement in the form of a look in the mind of a girl barking.

bottom line: i like dogs and i like books but i may not like the twain where they meet.

(thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)

[Elizabeth (Plant Based Bride) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Young girls don’t smile at local man: A Cautionary Tale (more at eleven)

In all seriousness, this was great.

I’ll let my thoughts percolate and expand on this review at some point…


Read for my upcoming Aardvark reading vlog!


Trigger/Content Warnings: murder, death, animal death & cruelty, sexual harassment, misogyny, toxic masculinity, infertility, alcoholism, grief




You can find me on...

Youtube | Instagram | TikTok

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

As per usual a man is the problem but the women get the blame.

[Alexia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I loathe every single character in this, and I hated reading this book.
That said, the rating I gave should not be taken as an indication that the book is poorly written or not good. In fact, I believe the book was successful in achieving its primary goal, which is to portray the story of man's ego and how, when it feels threatened, it tends to resort to violence against any perceived weaker individuals, such as women and animals. The central themes of the book revolve around toxic masculinity, misogyny, and how these attitudes cause suffering for women, animals, and even men who are viewed by other men as feminine.

The reason behind my rating is that I was expecting and hoping for a different kind of narrative. Honestly, I found it difficult to enjoy reading about the men's fragile egos and their violent tendencies. I initially thought the story would focus more on the sisters and the rumors that they transform into dogs, exploring that supernatural or symbolic aspect in depth. However, the book ended up being more about the male characters and their perspectives on the girls, which I found very unenjoyable. I did not care for any of their opinions or views.

The novel vividly portrays how toxic and insular the entire village is — how suspicion and hatred are directed at the girls simply because they are different. The girls desire to live freely and without the oppressive restrictions imposed on women during that time period, but instead, they are viewed with suspicion and hostility, with blame unjustly thrown onto them for the problems within the village. It highlights how society's narrow-mindedness and repression contribute to the village’s dysfunction.

And then we have Pete, or Peter, or whatever his name was. Honestly, I didn’t care enough to remember it. He raised my ire and disgust so much because of his behavior. He exemplifies toxic masculinity perfectly, embodying arrogance, violence, and ignorance. His character felt like a relentless source of torment, as I was forced to spend time inside his mind, hearing how stupid, idiotic, and vile he could be. He is undoubtedly one of the most repulsive characters in the book.

In conclusion, while the book is highly effective at conveying its intended message, making it clear and impactful, I had hoped for a storyline that concentrated more on the sisters and their supposed magical transformation into dogs, a metaphor or symbol that intrigued me.

[Marcus (Lit_Laugh_Luv) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was... not good at all. Similar to Hungerstone, this is a retelling that does not deviate nearly enough from the source material. From the synopsis alone, you can guess exactly where this starts and ends. The entire book builds up to a foreboding denouement, only to breeze through it with the most heavy-handed dialogue and predictable conclusion.

The book follows the general plot arc of the The Virgin Suicides directly, and borrows an identical narrative style (e.g., the five sisters themselves are never given explicit POV chapters). Where The Virgin Suicides leaves a lot of intrigue and mystery surrounding the sisters and their true motives, The Hounding simply does not. The very literal dialogue squashes any sense of intrigue, and the 'mystery' at the core of the book is one that exists only to the characters and not the reader. Given we know the truth and the characters are unwilling to change their perspectives regardless of the evidence presented, you're left slogging through 200+ pages just to end up exactly where you expected on page 1.

The thesis of the book essentially boils down to "misogyny is bad" which is true but hardly novel or explored with any nuance. It doesn't help that several recent titles use the same imagery (women as dogs is a central theme in both Organ Meats and Nightbitch) or use a similar closed, historical setting but with more subversions for the reader (Lapvona and The Water Cure).

I think if you have never read The Virgin Suicides and only like a bit of ambiguity in your books, you might enjoy this more. But if that's the case, I'd recommend reading The Virgin Suicides instead and saving yourself the disappointment.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC.

[Quirine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book wasn’t groundbreaking or even relating the girlhood experience in a new way, but I still ate it up. It was VERY reminiscent of The virgin suicides in atmosphere and the way the story is told: through the eyes of everyone but the sisters. I loved the feverish heatwave setting too, there’s something so alluring about the nastiness of a blistering hot small village where everyone drinks and stinks and slowly goes insane

[Hannah Greendale (Hello, Bookworm) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This proved to be a much quieter read than expected. Purvis' prose is wonderfully dark and gloomy, and her characters are well drawn, but I'd have liked to see the themes explored more deeply.

"Come to think of it, there had been several occasions when people had found something unusual in the girls. Sharp teeth—yes, they'd always had sharper-than-normal teeth. And dark hair. And glowing eyes, like the eyes of hungry dogs."

Some thoughts now that I've finished the book:

- We spend a lot more time getting to know the villagers of Little Nettlebed than expected.

- It takes much longer than anticipated to arrive at any whisperings of the Mansfield girls turning into dogs.

- While the blurb promises a village where strange, uncanny things happen, we see few examples of that throughout the book.

- There's only a peripheral exploration of the book's themes of toxic masculinity and female persecution, most notably when Peter blatantly thinks to himself that he hates women and again when the Mansfield girls acknowledge that they're being punished for being nonconformist girls.

- The ending didn't scratch my itch, especially given that the most crucial scene is witnessed by... someone with considerably impaired vision. There's probably a deeper meaning at play here about our willingness to see and/or our ability to see the truth, but that doesn't change the fact that I wanted more.

- The writing style sometimes brought to mind We Have Always Lived in the Castle and O Caledonia. In other words, the moody prose was my favorite part of the book.

My heartfelt thanks to St. Martin's Press for sending me this highly anticipated book.

[Ashley (new account: neartothewildheart)]

i don’t know how i feel about this one

-

i got the physical arc!! i will read ANYTHING akin to the virgin suicides


thank you so so much to henry and holt for the physical copy <33

[Fern · Rating 4 out of 5]

for the girls that love dogs and hate men.

[aliciareadingbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe all folklore tales are simply women having the courage to have fun

[Brandy Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

God forbid girls have personalities

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Xenobe Purvis discovered a true story about five sisters in the 1700s who were said to be "seized with the frequent barking in the manner of dogs." Little information exists about these sisters beyond a doctor's note. This was during the Age of Enlightenment, when customs dictated that if a woman died in childbirth, the pallbearers must be pregnant women, so they understood the risks of childbirth. It was a time of putting females in their place by labeling them hysterical, when women were forbidden from appearing in public unchaperoned. Gossip was currency, and rumors were the lifeblood of a community.



In The Hounding, five sisters: Anne, Elizabeth, Hester, Grace, and Mary Mansfield, live with their elderly and nearly blind grandfather. The girls have just lost their grandmother. Their mother died in childbirth, and when their father died, they were left with their kind grandfather, who appreciated their independence and fierce nature, even though the villagers judged them. The town ferryman, an angry alcoholic who blames everyone else for his misfortunes, takes a strong dislike to Anne, the eldest. She is not deferential to his liking. Though he's known for spreading lies and rumors, he tells villagers that he saw the sisters turn into dogs after some hens are found killed by what appears to be dogs.



Purvis shows how quickly and easily rumors spread, especially when people feel threatened. The novel reveals how groupthink is contagious and rational thinking evaporates. This story makes one pause and consider how an atmosphere of paranoia, ignited by rumors and false claims, can spark bloodthirsty behavior... even in this current age. Hate is so very contagious.



Wonderful quotes:

"The gossiper not only gave but took; something was required by the listener."



"Summer was the season of strangeness... it was the heat that did it. It addled people's minds."



"If violence was their god, then the alehouse was their church."



"A treat for drinking men could only mean one thing: something was going to be hurt that evening."

[gabbie (trying to catch up &#x1f972;) · Rating 3 out of 5]

"We were too free, and this—all of this—is our punishment. It has nothing to do with the idea of us becoming dogs, and everything to do with the fact of us being girls."

I'm struggling to rate this one, because I quite liked it, but also... basically nothing happened? When I first started reading, I was like “this is exactly what Shy Girl wishes it was” and I was really excited for it to stay true to my first impression. Every few chapters I’d check in with myself and think, “yep, still a good start.” And it never stopped being a good start. The entire book felt like one long prologue that never took off.

The prose is lush and evocative. Reading this felt like lying in the grass on a quiet summer afternoon, sunlight filtering through the canopy, no sound except the buzz of an insect... but something is slightly off about the idyllic image: odd things are happening in Little Nettlebed. Strange animals are washing up on the river Thames, and crows seem to know when someone is going to die. And the townsfolk are convinced that the five Mansfield sisters are turning into dogs.

At its core, this book is about misogyny and the persecution of women for simply existing and maybe being bold enough to not conform to the societal molds we are expected to fit into, and I felt like it was starting to say something powerful and meaningful, but not enough happened for it to really hit the way I wanted it to. It was saying the right things, but not loudly enough.

I wouldn’t call this horror. I went in expecting some kind of dog transformation chaos, but that’s not really what happens. The story is told through the eyes of the townsfolk, not the girls themselves, so you’re left wondering if anyone actually turns into a dog or if everyone just needs to get a new hobby and stop gossiping. I get why it’s done this way, but if you’re here for horror, I don’t think you’ll find it in this book. To me, it felt more like literary fiction with the dog thing as a metaphor for misogyny. There are a couple of suspiciously human-sounding barks and a potential trick of the light, and that’s about as wild as it gets.

[Taylor Penn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Update: read for the second time in a year and still just as obsessed with the Hounding.

Described as "The Cruible meets the Virgin Suicides" I knew I was going to love this book from the jump. "The Hounding" is delicious and atmospheric- centered around the five Mansfield sisters told through the perspective of their blind grandfather, the village ferryman, the town bar maid, and two young boys hired by the Mansfields for the hay harvest. Despite being set in the eighteenth century, the language is easy to follow. It does not rely on the headiness of old english to spin a devastatingly beautiful prose. Every single word is deliberate and necessary- creating an all too real sense of dread. The ending leaves us with the heavy question: Is it safer to be a woman or a dog?

Thank you, Netgalley, Xenobe Purvis, and Henry Holt & Co for the eARC. I really, truly loved every second.

[Christy fictional_traits · Rating 4 out of 5]

'They were not normal, those girls. The story confirmed for everybody what they had always known: there was something unnatural about the five sisters.

Anne, Elizabeth, Hester, Grace and Mary are five sisters growing up in rural 18 Century Oxfordshire but they've had a hard time of it. Both of their parents passed years ago and now their beloved Grandmother has also passed, leaving just their nearly blind Grandfather to try and keep them in line, keep the farm going, but he requires more help than he can give. The girls are in effect on their own and their forced independence has locals questioning just what is going on with them, no one more than the local ferryman Pete, 'It was as though they spoke a silent language he couldn't understand, it unsettled him. It made him feel less strong, less good....'. As Pete increasingly worries about his future marriage and his business rapidly drying up as the summer drought persists, he insists that these girls have turned into dogs, yes real b**ches, in front of his very eyes. Like a flame set to the tinder dry grass that surrounds them, the rumour takes flight, even among those loathe to truly believe it.

Such a unique and beautifully written story, it's hard to believe it's a debut. In true literary style, there are many messages in its lovely prose but how you interpret them is up to the reader. Told across a few POVs, the overarching point is how a vicious rumour can spread like a cancer, infecting the good sense of people who feel vindicated of their jealousy find themselves thrilled at the drama of cancelling those who defy convention. I feel that many literary lovers will enjoy contemplating this one too.

'We went out when we weren't supposed to, we were too free, and this - all of this - is our punishment. It has nothing to do with the idea of us becoming dogs, and everything to do with the fact of us being girls'.

[Wynter · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

A book in which a drunken misogynist that nobody likes being around can spread vicious rumors about a group of young girls turning into dogs (bitches) and somehow that’s more believable than the possibility that those girls just like to play outside in the dirt and don’t want to smile at random men.

Thank you so much to Henry Holt for gifting me an ARC of this strange, wonderful little book and a huge congratulations to Xenobe Purvis on her debut novel!

[Ilenia Zodiaco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un rovesciamento molto solido - forse poteva azzardare di più - di "Abbiamo sempre vissuto nel castello". Se lì il punto di vista era quello di due sorelle che si tenevano lontane da un villaggio da cui diffidavano, "La persecuzione delle sorelle Mansfield" è, all'opposto, il racconto di diversi abitanti di un villaggio diventato isterico per la siccità che comincia a diffidare della ricca e anticonvenzionale famiglia Mansfield. Si iniziano a diffondere malevoli pettegolezzi secondo i quali le cinque sorelle sarebbero capaci di trasformarsi in cani pericolosi. Sarà vero? Non leggiamo mai la loro prospettiva ma questo è il punto del romanzo: non dobbiamo sapere, dobbiamo dubitare, insospettirci, accusare. È così che funziona il pregiudizio. Avevo letto critiche severe al libro, invece ha un tono di voce molto convincente. E non è facile. Niente di rivoluzionario ma un solidissimo romanzo d'atmosfera per la spooky season.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

All it takes is one sonofabitch to stir up an entire village. Grrrr.

The Hounding is a historical fiction novel about five sisters living on a farm in a small village filled with superstitious people. The sisters have been raised by their grandparents after being orphaned and are mourning their recently deceased grandmother. Many of the townsfolk are wary of them because they’re not demure, mild-mannered creatures. Their grandfather has allowed them to run free and wild. They’re a little loud, they laugh freely, and they keep themselves to themselves. So, OF COURSE, that makes some of the local men feel a certain way. One day their grieving is mistaken for howling and rumors spread that they are able to change into dogs. They then get blamed for everything ailing the town.

It’s an infuriating look at human nature but it makes for an interesting read. I loved learning more about these unconventional siblings, their lovely grandfather who fears he’s failed them, and the decent men and boys in the community. There are some beautifully written passages here.

“He and his wife had brought them up as they had brought up their own son with interests and dreams. Perhaps it had been a mistake, he thought. To let them believe they could reach beyond what the world expected of them, the world expected so little.”

If that doesn’t break your heart, I don’t know what will. When compassion and freedom and equality are seen as a flaw/impossibility for some, it allows the dredges of humanity to act on their worst urges.

Anyhow, some terrible things happen here but they’re very much implied and not on the page which was perfectly fine by me because I was absolutely not in the mood to read that kind of explicit detail. I thought during reading, and especially after I finished reading this book, that turning into a dog wouldn’t be the worst thing in their world and also in this one because people can be atrocious.

I see this book being compared to a lot of things, but it kept giving me shades of We Have Always Lived in the Castle and I’m sticking with that mood. Most of it was its own thing and I’m glad to have listened to it on audio. The narrator has a lovely cadence that suited the time period and material.

I received my audio copy from Netgalley after my very long absence from ARC reviews and I’m glad I chose this one. This review, like all of the reviews I write, are nothing but my initial feelings and gut reactions after having finished.

[josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is based on the true story that, in the 1700s, a doctor reported that five sisters in Oxfordshire, England were said to have been “seized with frequent barking in the manner of dogs." The Hounding imagines what happens to 5 sisters after a ferryman (who happens to be the absolute worst character in the book, Pete when i catch you…) starts a dangerous rumor about them. she changes the location to ‘Little Nettlebed’ but keeps the story true with historical details.

it is unclear throughout the novel if these rumors that the 5 girls are turning into dogs is true or not. it is a play on misogyny and the danger of being an eccentric or strange young girl in a society that feeds off of drama and allegations, whether true or false. it seems that the bad things happening to the village may or may not have actually been caused by the sisters as dogs, or if they are used as a scapegoat. the storytelling is very eerie, and i absolutely love it. the author is amazing with her writing, and throughout the book every chapter is a different point of view, from 5 different townspeople in Little Nettlebed, but never the perspective of any of the 5 girls. the perspectives are contradicting, so you can’t clearly discern who is telling the truth from who is correct, if anyone. everyone is biased in one way or another.

the real historical details are sometimes disturbing, especially when i found out they were real. trust me this isn’t a spoiler, but in one chapter it describes the strange tradition in the village of, when a woman dies in childbirth, all pregnant women (no matter how far along or anything) have to carry her coffin through the town as pallbearers. it was very shocking, but so well written, and the fact that that specific chapter was from the perspective of the only female we get a perspective from in the book is perfect.

the last few chapters went by so fast but they were genuinely amazing. even the ending was up for interpretation. i genuinely do not know if the girls were actually turning into dogs. this was a beautiful novel and i recommend it a hundred times over.

“…the villagers were more afraid of the girls themselves than they were of the dogs. Girls—normal human girls-people could contend with; they were weak and small. And dogs too could be trained. But girls who became dogs, or who let the world believe they were dogs, were either powerful or mad: both monstrous possibilities.”

4.5/5 ⭐️ (rounded down)

[J. L. R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Hounding is a debut novel by Xenobe Purvis that chronicles a particularly sweltering summer in a 17th-century English village, where a rumor spreads that a group of standoffish and rebellious young sisters are transforming into dogs. We alternate within the heads of several other members of the community, from the girls’ loving and blind grandfather and caretaker, to a love-struck boy helping on the farm, to the kind-hearted childless bartender appropriately named Temperance, as everyone struggles to make sense of these five weird girls, and yet never actually see from their perspectives.

The metaphor of women as dogs is obvious - with even recent cultural touchstones as the book-turned-movie Nightbitch and Sabrina Carpenter’s upcoming album Man’s Best Friend floating around the culture. With that premise along, I came into the book expecting an unsettling tale of paranoia, fearmongering, body horror, and the ways women are forced into submissive roles in society and will be in turn demonized for straining against them. What I got was…essentially that, with lots of the color drained out. There's not much horror here, not much vivid imagery, not much energy at all, like the book itself is too tired from the heat to do much more than shrug.

It’s not that the book is bad, per se - everything is perfectly competent, and yet I never could tell what about this version of this idea compelled Purvis to write it. It’s a blunt metaphor, simply assembled and pointed to, without any new angle or insight. Nowhere is this bluntness more evident than in it’s central villain figure: the misogynistic, likely gay and repressed drunkard Pete. Pete never thinks in anything other than the most obvious, unsubtle ways possible. This isn’t to say that the world isn’t filled with Petes - it definitely is - but every time we slip into his head he’s only thinking the most pointed “I hate women and myself!” thoughts. He, like most other people in this story, aren’t really characters in a grounded psychological drama. They stand in for various ways to be positioned within the confines of gendered expectations: the parental figure who loves their daughters’ idiosyncrasies but tries to rid them of it because the world won’t let them have it, the well wishing older woman who loves their bravery but is powerless to stop the town’s anger, the boy who actually likes these strange girls but can’t conceive of them outside his romantic intentions. This would be okay if the book was going for more of a surreal, mythic atmosphere, but as it stands, it’s a lukewarm middle ground between realism and mythic that fails to have the strengths of either.

The Hounding just never achieves anything beyond what its initial premise promises. A group of young girls are incoherently different from the restrictive world around them, and the petty judgments of their fellow townsfolk turn from dislike to fear to violence. It’s a spare novel with simple prose that leaves any confirmation of actual supernatural transformation vague. Personally, I find these kinds of stories boring and cowardly. It’s like several generations of writers feel that it’s too gauche to portray the supernatural, so they have to leave us like the spinning top at the end of Inception, forever caught between a dull reality and a winking dream. It just leaves me cold, wondering what was the point of the whole endeavor.

This review has ended up being a little harsher than maybe I intended originally. Like I said before, I think the book is perfectly competent, but it sits as an example of a type of book I’m just not much interested in.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts expressed are my own.

Read more of my book reviews at https://terrasomni.substack.com

[Julia Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exquisite and bizarre

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done, Miss Purvis!

​As a father of two beautiful girls, I’ve always told them: "Girls, make sure you smile at and speak to strange men—especially if they are the town drunkard—lest nasty rumors get started about you being possessed by the devil, leading to the only possible end result: murder, chaos, and general unpleasantness." It's sort of a rule I’m teaching them to live by.

​As I returned this to my local library, my "friend," the ever-beautiful Delores, was behind the desk. As I slid it across to her, she asked me what I thought of Xenobe's debut novel, The Hounding.

​Well, Delores, I enjoyed the weird, quirky town and the... peculiar (that’s probably the right word) girls the story centered around. I highly enjoyed Miss Purvis’ writing style; it's a fantastic mix of dark and elegant that is absolutely masterful.

​As for the deeper meaning, I’m not so dense that I completely missed the fact that this was more than an interesting and fun story about five weird girls who live on the outskirts of town. But I’m also not smart enough to make a statement about the point Miss Purvis was making. You’ll have to read it and decide for yourself.

It was a wonderful book and fun to read. I highly enjoyed it.

[DianaRose · Rating 4 out of 5]

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc and an alc!

4.5 stars — kicking myself for not listening to this sooner, because for such a short novel, it was jam packed with small town drama and fear that spread like fire.

i saw a mutual compare this novel to the virgin suicides, and while i hated that classic (it was so boring and misogynistic) it is a very good comp; we never get the pov of any of the five sisters — the whole story is about them, but only told through the povs’ of the townspeople. yes, the houndings emphasizes misogyny and mob mentality, but did it in a better way than the virgin suicides.

all the men in this book sucked except for robin wildgoose😭 he was such a gentle young man and although he was a coward at times due to his conforming to what the men in town expected of him, ultimately he was the only good man in town.

as for the narrator, she did a great job!

overall, this was a phenomenal read!!

[Jude Nichols · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tis the season of strangeness in Little Nettlebed Village…

The year was…umm, I didn’t catch the year so let’s just say the year was olden times. Like ankle-length dresses, bonnets, haymaking (whatever that is), alehouses, and butter churning (probably) times. And what was making this olden times village so strange? Well, the Mansfield sisters of course. They’re, to put it impolitely, the local weirdos.

And what exactly had the villagers’ bloomers in a bunch over these five sisters? Well, all sorts of things. The sisters were rude for one. No demur smiles and handkerchief waving from them. Nope, they kept their hankies to themselves. They just strode into town with their baskets filled with whatnot, went about their business, and strode right back out. Can you imagine?! What a bunch of basket cases!!!

And another thing was their attitude problem, high and mighty party of five! They’re not biddable. Or meek. Or weak. What gives!! They walk with their shoulders back, heads held high. Umm, disturbing much!! It’ll take me a fortnight to get that image out of my head, a gaggle of confident young women, get me a cup of ale, my nerves are shot!!!

What has gotten into these sisters?! Healthy self-confidence. A spark of independence. Wild, free, and spirited. Spirited, now there’s a village trigger word. The spirit of the devil perhaps. Yup, this sisterhood of the traveling petticoats is clearly working in the dark arts. And when pushed, they show their teeth (and tails). They growl, they bark, they bite. They really give the villagers something to talk about.

But when misfortunes befall the village, like a drought so punishing their river runs dry, the people grow restless. They’re scared. They’re angry. They’re looking to someone to blame. Like a pack of odd girls, or dogs, or dog girls whatever they are. Yes, grab your pitchforks villagers and round up the dogs, or the girls, or the bitches as some of you sharp-tongued folk say after an ale too many. Someone needs to pay when dark times come a knockin’, so why not them?

This book does not beat you over the head with a pitchfork, it has a gentler, more subtle touch. Yes, girls turn into dogs. There is witchy business afoot, but when it comes to the sisters it’s more done in a whisper, a hush, than a roar (or a bark). It was a slow burn, quiet on the set, read and I was here for it. Woof woof witchy women.

[Liz Hein · Rating 5 out of 5]

This reads both so old and so new at the same time. Like it could have been written during the Salem Witch Trials or in August of 2025. I loved pondering the question: is it safer to be a dog than an unusual young girl? We think on this through the lens of different villagers as things get more and more unsettling and you want to turn the pages faster and faster. This was a strange little book, bizarre yet beautiful, and is leaving me grateful for the women (dogs?) I surround myself with.

[Brenda ~The Sisters~Book Witch · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

It's the season of strangeness in Little Nettlebed, 18th-century England, and the strangeness begins with the five Mansfield sisters - Anne, Elizabeth, Hester, Grace, and Mary. Living on a farm with their blind, recently widowed grandfather Joseph, the sisters quickly become the center of fear, rumor, and hysteria.

What Lit My Mood
A unique and beautifully written gothic tale with sharp feminist themes. I loved how it explored paranoia, scapegoating, and the way rumors can warp reality until the whole village is vibrating with fear. Seeing the story through the eyes of five different villagers but never the sisters themselves heightened the unease and tension of the rumors.

Where My Mood Flickered
Even though I adored the themes and atmosphere, the pacing dragged in places. My focus wavered, and there were moments I didn’t feel pulled back to it as strongly as I wanted.

Audiobook vs. Reading
I dipped into both formats and enjoyed them, but the audiobook pulled me in more. The narration carried the eerie atmosphere beautifully.

Witchy Mood Reader Rating
Almost Aligned: The vibes were rich, haunting, and atmospheric, but the slower pace kept the spell from fully enchanting me.

Verdict
Add it to your altar and summon it when you crave a gothic tale where rumor turns to ritual and fear prowls like a hound at the door.

I received an audiobook from the publisher through NetGalley and an a copy from Edelweiss

[Zea · Rating 1 out of 5]

the nightbitchification of culture... oh my god and they were dogs?? wild and ungovernable and hated by sexists who wanted to control them?!? damn that's crazy ive never heard of anything like that before



arc provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

[Ten Cats Reading · Rating 1 out of 5]

*edit
Dear fellow reviewers:

I realize many of you love this book for its clear feminist overtones. I did too! But there is a thread to this text that bothers me because it is an ableist trope of the worst kind-- that hormonal young girls can't be trusted, or rather, can only be trusted to be animals. I know a lot of you did not see this thread, which is great! You get to read and interpret books however you want! And as a disabled woman with mental illness, and with a graduate degree in writing fiction, and with many decades of reading experience, I am confident in how I read books. Don't stop commenting how you didn't see what I saw, you're allowed! But I thought I would just add a short explanation here, where it doesn't seem like I'm arguing with anyone. Happy reading!

Pre-Read Notes:

I know very little about this book book going in, only that it is a strange coming of age story about some sisters. I love creepy sister stories, and this title seems to refer to a strange culture, maybe a cult. It looks good and weird!

"Come to think of it, there had been several occasions when people had found something unusual in the girls. Sharp teeth—yes, they’d always had sharper-than-normal teeth. And dark hair. And glowing eyes, like the eyes of hungry dogs." p80

Final Review

(thoughts & recs)Well I loved this book until the second to last paragraph. And I was turned off enough by what I read there that it made me dislike the entire book. Let me say this loudly for the "feminists" in the back: women and girls with mental illness are not animals. We wouldn't be better off as animals or happier as animals. We like being human; the problem is society, not us. This trope stigmatizes women with mental illness in a dangerous way.

I don't recommend ableist books and I don't recommend this one.

My Favorite Things:

✔️ "The way they held themselves, the whispering folds of their dresses, their habit of tucking their hair behind their ears— it was at once both fascinating and foreign. Last year he had seen for the first time a bear being baited at a tavern in town, and he felt now a little as he had then. He’d marvelled to encounter the creature up close: its greasy fur and persistent scent, the pink of its tongue, the chain biting into its neck. The bear had left him light-headed, and these girls had done the same." This paragraph is extremely forboding and clever in its construction, where genteel girls are compared to a grisly trophy. This is excellent foreshadowing.

✔️ "She believed herself to be better than him, that was what he’d come to understand. The look she gave him sent violence coursing through his body. It made him want to do unmentionable things." p40 Men are so good at blaming their violence on the victims of their violence. This kind of peek into the thoughts of secondary characters, their reactions to the sisters, is actually great setting work. Life is hostile for the sisters because they reflect everyone's fear back at them.

✔️ "“Why should they want to scare you?” He gave her an ugly smile. “They’re wilful girls. They need no reason.”" Independent girls are evil to this town. I love the old feeling of the setting. It raises the stakes, because these people were bored, and boredom always leads to trouble for the least members of a community.

✔️ A little slow moving, but the pace works for the suspense and mystery, which play with each other I interesting ways in this story.

✔️ The style is concise, which I like. but sometimes the descriptions are too tight and I can't visualize what the author is describing to me.

✔️ I feel a keen desperation reading this and all I can say is this is exactly what it feels like to be a mentally disabled girl or woman. No one sees who you are and everyone thinks they know what you are.

✔️ "He longed not to be there, in the crackling heat. He longed to be far away— far from Pete, who seethed with anger, and Thomas, deliriously faithful to the girls, and Richard, biting his lip behind Robin, and the Mansfield sisters, whom he feared might actually turn into dogs and eat Pete Darling before his very eyes. He wanted no part in the rage which ringed them all together. It horrified him; it made him sick." p161 I feel this. The suspense is thick!

Notes:

1. content warnings: mental illness stigma, possession, devils, animal attacks, dogs, gaslighting, dangerous heresay, alcohol consumption, alcoholism, drunkenness,

Thank you to the author Xenobe Purvis, Holt, and NetGalley for an accessible digital arc of The Hounding. All views are mine.

[Jillian B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone in Little Nettlebed knows the Mansfield girls. After losing their parents young, the five sisters, now ranging in age from six to 18, have been raised by their grandparents. They’re always together, wrapped up in their insular sisterly world. And then the rumours start. A local man claims that he saw them transforming into dogs, and people begin to look at them with suspicion. Soon, a full-blown canine witch-hunt has begun. But is there any truth to the rumours?

I loved this book. The comparisons to The Virgin Suicides are apt, because while this book is told from several POVs, we never get a glimpse inside the girls’ heads. This casts the readers as part of the crowd, on the outside looking in. So much of this book is mysterious and ambiguous, and it really does feel like trying to piece together the facts behind a rumour. I also found some of the depictions of misogyny in this book to be incredibly realistic and relevant, despite its 18th century setting. Characters like the ferryman who bitterly resents the girls for not making conversation with him and the male friend who tries to act tough around crowds of other men will feel sadly familiar to many female readers.

This was one of my most anticipated summer releases and it did not disappoint!

Thank you to the publisher for giving me access to an eARC.