Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood is a reimagining of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, infused with Ethiopian-inspired fantasy and supernatural horror. The story follows Andromeda, a debtera (an exorcist for hire) who takes on the dangerous job of cleansing a haunted manor owned by the mysterious Magnus Rochester. Blackwood’s writing shines with vivid descriptions and a unique magic system that sets the novel apart. While the romance and character development are engaging, some plot elements feel rushed or underexplored, leaving certain aspects wanting more depth. Despite this, the novel’s fresh take on Gothic themes and a strong heroine make it a compelling read for eerie, romantic fantasy fans.

What to listen to while reading...
The Last Beat of My Heart by Siouxsie and the Banshees
Pon Mi by Noori Belai
Paint it Black by Ciara
Long & Lost by Florence + the Machine
Control by Halsey

Haunting, creepy, and atmospheric. The juxtaposition of an ice-cold house in the middle of the desert on its own was eerie. then throw in the whispering closets, the bleeding walls, the spectral hyena roaming the halls and its undead ceramic servant made for a fun spooky season haunted house read. Very different from any other haunted house I’ve read before.

Although Magnus and Andi shared some swoon-worthy scenes, Jember and Andi’s relationship felt like the real core of the book. It did feel somewhat repetitive by the end, Andi running back and forth between the house and her mentor, but the final scenes with Jember at the mansion with them, clearing the air, having some human moments, and giving his life for Andi’s protection, solidified why she kept running back to him.

I started this book about five times before I realized I couldn't get into it. And I really wanted to. I loved the idea of a YA book based on Jane Eyre with spirits and romance. And other reviews promised a great read. Another case of not connecting to a great story and fully regretting it.

Billed as a Jane Eyre retelling set in a fantastical haunted mansion, Within These Wicked Walls follows Andromeda, a debtera whose task is to cleanse the mansion’s charmingly obnoxious young owner of the curse laid upon him by the Evil Eye.

So, aside from the cursed mansion, wealthy homeowner, and plucky young heroine there is really not that much in this book that is similar to Jane Eyre. Let’s just abandon that comparison and review this book as a standalone concept.

I think most of all the novel suffers from a lack of worldbuilding. I would have loved to dive more deeply into the Ethiopian folklore that inspired the setting, as well as the details of Andi’s job. She’s a magical exorcist who carves amulets that repel pieces of the curse in the house. This is great, but if it had been fleshed out a bit more to add details such as how the shape of amulets affects different curses, what materials are chosen and why, how the curse creates the complex magical illusions that are perceived as hauntings, etc. I just felt like I came out of the book knowing none of this, and it was such an interesting premise to start with!

A lot of the novel is focused on the romance between Andi and Magnus, which is another aspect that felt a bit forced to me—I think to read the book honestly I prefer thinking that Magnus is a little sleazy and obnoxious, because if not then nothing he does comes across as super interesting or romantic. It felt like Andi was really charmed by a lot of flash and a lack of substance. This relationship was very insta-lovey which is not a trope I tend to read a lot of or appreciate.

The more interesting relationship to me was that between Andi and the man who adopted her and trained her to be a debtera. Something happened between them that resulted in Andi losing her position, which is why she needed to take on Magnus’ job in order to obtain a certification for more work. This fallout was interesting to me, and provided motivation to understand more of Andi’s backstory as we progress further in the novel.

There are a lot of side characters, but you get the sense that none of them really matter. They’re kind of disposable for the sake of the plot, and Andi doesn’t spend much time interacting with most of them. No one else gets a B-plot, so I never invested in any of their stories. There’s also not a lot of detail surrounding the society this story takes place in—there are a few literary references, but few details on other uses of magic, any other debtera, or anything that gives the reader interest in anything beyond the mansion.

Blackwood’s writing is particularly clear in the action scenes. The horror aspect definitely comes through in these scenes and she adds in a layer of tension that adds to the generally chilling tone. I did like these scenes where Andi would “confront” different rooms of the house or aspects of the Evil Eye for that reason.

I don’t know… it’s not a bad novel at all, I just really struggled with the lack of substance behind much of the premise. It just seemed like there could be many interesting tangents to go on with the world and the magic, and these were never properly explored. I expected a sprawling fantasy based on the framework of Jane Eyre from the way this is described, and instead it’s kind of a specific, bare bones story. There are still motivating and interesting aspects though, and Andi as a character is compelling, so I’d have a tough time defending anything under 3 stars.

Within These Wicked Walls is both chilling and romantic, bringing together two people as they battle off a cursed house.

I picked up Within These Wicked Walls because it was marketed as an “Ethiopian-inspired fantasy retelling of Jane Eyre.” While I loved the story, it was perfectly creepy, and I failed to see the retelling aspect of the story.

Storytelling

Within These Wicked Walls follows Andromeda, a debtra and an exorcist. She has taken the job at the Rochester house to expel a powerful haunting that strikes at any time.

She has to unravel the house’s mystery and why it has been cursed. And what’s really interesting is she has to go through the house one room at a time, expelling the evil eye whenever it appears.

The curse is connected to a family secret, which in some ways does make this similar to Jane Eyre. Even though that is part of the book’s marketing, I’m not upset that it wasn’t more similar.

Usually, I am because when you tell me something is supposed to be a retelling, I expect more similarities than this book provides. However, the way the story takes hold, the way it develops this haunting aspect, the magic system, and the character dynamics make the story have its own weight. Calling this a Jane Eyre-inspired story does the overall narrative a disservice.

Blackwood has crafted an eerie story, one with vivid hauntings. Every scene where the curse manifests takes hold of the reader, even some of the sweeter moments, like the snowball fights in the cursed hallway. Because even though it’s a beautiful scene between Andromeda and Magnus, you don’t forget that something is lurking around the corner.

And the romance between the two is remarkable. Andromeda feels unloved. Unloved by her parents, who sold her, and her mentor, who constantly pushes her to her limits, she has difficulty believing that Magnus loves her.

It’s heart-wrenching to see the way he lifts her up and tells her she is more than he deserves, remarking on her skill and mind. Magnus lifts her up and pushes her to believe in herself. He repeatedly puts his life at risk for her, making their dynamic swoon-worthy.

Final Thoughts
Within These Wicked Walls was a little hard to follow at times. Still, I loved the haunting atmosphere, the eeriness, the magic system, and the dynamic between Andromeda and Magnus. Blackwood knows how to craft a story to suck you on.

Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood is a perfect fit for readers who crave a dark, mysterious, and romantic tale with a strong female protagonist, atmospheric settings, and a blend of magic and gothic elements, especially those who enjoy Jane Eyre retellings and are looking for a captivating and suspenseful story with a slow-burning romance.

Thank you Netgalley for the E-Arc in exchange of a review.
I started listening this one but didn't hold my interest. I thought the concept was good but I wish I could have connected with the characters and plot more.

Thank you for a review copy of this book. I really enjoyed this book. I loved the world building, magic system, and the characters. The writing was well done. The story held my interest until the very end. Overall, this is a book I would highly recommend.

Billed as a retelling of Jane Eyre, I feel like this was more of an Ethiopian inspired Gothic novel, than the retelling of the classic. Andromeda or Andi is a debtera or exorcist who has spent her life under the thumb of her master Jemper. Broke and homeless she accepts a job to exorcise the dark energy that haunts a large mansion that all previous debtera have failed to cleanse. The owner of the mansion is Magnus, a spoiled and pretentious young master. As Andi begins her work she discovers that there is far more to the mansion and Magnus than she initially thought. Andi must face not only the darkness lurking in the mansion, but also the trauma from her abuse at the hands of her master. The book is fast paced, almost too fast. The ending comes before you know it and it felt a little underwhelming. Aside from that I loved the gothic feel of the story and the sprinkling of Ethiopian culture throughout.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

I was so excited for Within These Wicked Walls. I love Jane Eyre and this was marketed as a more fantastical retelling. Sign me up. Overall I liked this story. Creepy house-check! Strange mysterious male protagonist-check! But that's about it. This is a fun haunted house story though. Some parts didn't seem to make sense however. The reason the house acted the way it did, was not entirely clear. Still a decent debut.

Andromeda, or Andi, is an unlicensed curse breaker. She creates amulets that fight and cleanse places infested and cursed by the Evil Eye. When she's hired by a rich reclusive to cleanse his extremely cursed castle, Andi jumps at the opportunity for a patronage, despite the near impossibility of the task.

This was meant to be a Jane Eyre retelling, but aside from the male protagonist sharing the name Magnus, this book felt too different and distinct to make such a claim. There were some small familiar moments, especially towards the beginning, but this book quickly veered off the path.

Andi (alternate Jane) is nineteen years old and Rochester is about the same age. There were several awkward first romance moments that's common in YA books. Magnus had a rough personality, as he had in Jane Eyre, but here it was mixed with youthful awkwardness, shyness, and some other social issues. Sometimes he carried the original Rochester's tough personality, but at other & more often moments, he switched into a soft socially awkward teen. I found that off-putting. The romance didn't speak to me at all, and I skimmed through all the painfully awkward moments. There were way too many times where they overanalyzed and over enunciated their feelings and it kept putting me off.

While I found the romance to be too awkward, shallow, and very YA, I enjoyed the dark fantasy parts a lot more. The castle Andi was hired to cleanse was severely cursed. This manifested in numerous ways the castle tried to kill Andi and its other inhabitants, from dark monsters and flying murderous books to possessed servants. Andi's complicated relationship with her old mentor was another intriguing subplot. That relationship was a whole lot more fascinating and better developed than the stupid romance. It was a rough mix of years of hatred and violence and abuse mixed with mutual concern they felt for each other. It was deep and complex and twisted, and so I loved it.

This was also supposed to have an Ethiopian related cultural setting, but aside from a oblique reference or two towards the beginning, this book could've been set anywhere in the world in any culture. If anything, it felt pretty much the same as any western based fantasy book setting. Yes, there happened to be a desert with sand in it. Wow, that really makes it feel African and Ethiopian, right?

I gave this three stars because it had a mix of great and awful parts. The writing flowed nice and smoothly. I would've enjoyed it a lot more if Andi and Magnus' relationship had felt more mature than two teens with an insta love.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

The last half of the book makes up for how painfully uninterested I was in the first half. The setting confused me at times and never felt concrete which made me question things like Andi not knowing what a fork or pasta was. I liked that she still struggled with her survival instincts and feeling like she was on the streets though.

I don’t hate instalove, but the romance did feel like it accelerated more quickly than felt natural. But Magnus was very eccentric and passionate, so I could understand how his pull to Andi made her act more quickly and boldly in her actions and affection.

The romance is what finally got me interested into the story around the 40% mark, but then the chaos of trying to get rid of the manifestation had me on the edge of my seat. There was so much tension and action, and Saba might be my favorite character. The end of the book had me absolutely crying, and I couldn’t even care about the romance anymore because of the emotional rollercoaster I was taken on.

this was amazing! I really love Lauren Blackwood's writing after this, such a great, gothic, and dark East African retelling of Jane Eyre. i'm including this in my regular lineup of recommendations

This is such a unique Beauty and the Beast like retelling with Andromeda and Magnus’ banter truly at it’s center and the main reason I kept reading. Magnus inherits his father’s curse when he dies, and being that his father never tried to remove the curse, it has literally taken over their entire estate and has warped everything inside. Andromeda is a debtera, which is an exorcist, who is hired to remove the curse and whose voice the story is told through. Lauren Blackwood paints a slightly haunting tale with walls dripping blood and many other sources of evil popping out unexpectedly. I liked this book, but mainly because of Magnus for calling Andi things like his “little snapping turtle” or his “little storm cloud”, so cute and funny! 🐢

"Kiersten White meets Tomi Adeyemi in this Ethiopian-inspired debut fantasy retelling of Jane Eyre." What more could you want... vivid writing? Yup, this book has it. Twist and turns that will keep you up late reading? Yes! Creepy feelings that make your hair stand up? For sure! Writing that's strong yet easy to follow? Uh-huh! I can see why something wouldn't like this book, it isn't for everyone, and even though I didn't love everything part and there were a small handful of things that I wasn't crazy about; I do think this author is worth checking out because of the writing style. There as a few times, like two, that made the hair on my hair stand up because of the creepy scenes.
YA gothic, horror with a dash of romance set around a creepy and scary house.

I was super intrigued by the synopsis calling this an Ethiopian-inspired Jane Eyre but for some reason, I couldn't get into the story. I don't know why; perhaps it was the right book at the wrong time. I hope this review doesn't dissuade anyone from picking this book up if it sounds interesting to you. Thank you very much to the publisher for an early copy in exchange for my honest review!

This started strong for me as a creepy historical YA horror and then unfortunately turned into the usual angsty YA romance with irritating characters. Other than a few names and the gothic setting it didn't bear much resemblance to Jane Eyre as stated, although that aspect worked fine for me. I liked the unusual setting and vibe, I just didn't really care all that much in the end.

(ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley)

This book was so good! It was such a great Jane Eyre retelling but made even better with curses and exorcisms. The setting was so good and so atmospheric. I loved Andromeda and Magnus was grumpy and sweet. I really loved this world and I would love to learn more about it.