I absolutely loathe every single character in "The Hounding" by Xenobe Purvis, and honestly, I hated reading it. That being said, don't let my rating fool you into thinking it's poorly written or just plain bad. In fact, I think "The Hounding" nailed exactly what it set out to do: expose the raw ugliness of male ego and how, when that ego feels threatened, it lashes out with violence against anyone perceived as weaker – women and animals, specifically. The core of the book is all about toxic mas...

Local Man Offended by Lack of Girlish Grins: A Warning (more on this later).

But seriously, *The Hounding* by Xenobe Purvis? Absolutely brilliant.

Gonna let this one simmer and add more to this review soon… watch this space!


Reading this for my next Aardvark book review vlog!


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




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This book wasn’t groundbreaking, nor did it explore girlhood in a particularly novel way, but I devoured it nonetheless. It was HIGHLY reminiscent of *The Virgin Suicides* in its atmosphere and narrative style: told through the perspectives of everyone *except* the sisters themselves. I also adored the sweltering heatwave setting; there’s something so captivating about the festering ugliness of a scorching hot small town where everyone drinks, reeks, and gradually loses their minds. Xenobe Purvi...

True to form, a man's the root of the problem, but the women end up taking the heat. This sums up Xenobe Purvis's "The Hounding" perfectly. A great read if you are looking for a book with strong female characters.

I don’t know how I feel about this one.

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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 **Review Keywords:** book review, Xenobe Purvis, The Hounding

This turned out to be a far more subdued read than I anticipated. Xenobe Purvis' prose is wonderfully dark and gloomy, and her characters are well-developed, but I would have liked to see the themes explored in greater depth. If you're looking for dark fantasy book reviews, this might help you decide if it's for you."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 ha...

I guess there are worse ways to spend your time than believing you're turning into a dog. I was pretty much guaranteed to enjoy this book, given my fondness for stories about women losing their minds, books exploring the violence inherent in being a woman, and a general soft spot for canines, but... …it just wasn't very good. It's full of really muddled and inconsistent imagery, and a thousand viewpoints that all sound exactly the same. Plus, there's a real lack of insight into the girls act...

This was... not good at all. Similar to Hungerstone, this is a retelling that doesn't deviate nearly enough from the source material. From the synopsis alone, you can guess exactly where it starts and ends. The entire book builds up to a foreboding denouement, only to breeze through it with the most heavy-handed dialogue and a predictable conclusion.The book follows the general plot arc of The Virgin Suicides directly, and borrows an identical narrative style (e.g., the five sisters themselves a...

Ugh—god forbid women have hobbies. Let me tell you, Xenobe Purvis's *The Hounding* is less a thrilling read and more a tedious trudge through a bog of overwritten prose. This book is the literary equivalent of a dog chasing its tail, going nowhere fast and exhausting everyone involved. If you're looking for captivating suspense or even a halfway decent mystery, steer clear. This one's a bark worse than its bite. Seriously, save your money and find a better book review, because this one is going...

Update: I've read *The Hounding* for the second time in a year, and I'm still completely obsessed. Described as "*The Crucible* meets *The Virgin Suicides*," I knew I was going to love this book right away. *The Hounding* is absolutely delicious and atmospheric. It centers around the five Mansfield sisters and is told through the perspectives of their blind grandfather, the village ferryman, the town barmaid, and two young boys hired by the Mansfields to help with the hay harvest. Even though ...