The atmosphere of The Hounding is palpable—you can feel the scorching summer heat, hear the tense murmurings of Little Nettlebed’s villagers as they cast their wary eyes on the five Mansfield sisters. Shifting perspectives reveal villagers both suspicious of and sympathetic to sisters, but like witch hunts of earlier times, the suspicions of females who desire freedom run rampant until the real and imagined begin to blur. Purvis’s superb storytelling will have readers transfixed as she expertly navigates the unease of Little Nettlebed. A must-read for fans of Elspeth Barker, Sarah Perry, Rivka Galchen, and Lauren Groff.
The Hounding by Xenobe Purvis, (List Price: $26.99, Henry Holt and Co., 9781250366382, August 2025)
Reviewed by Taylor Brown, Underbrush Books in Rogers, Arkansas