I am VEEEERRRRY wary of Jane Eyre retellings because JE is my favorite book of all time and I just don't vibe with anything that takes too many liberties with the story. Just a personal preference.

BUT. That being said, WITHIN THESE WICKED WALLS was enough of a loose retelling of Jane Eyre that I could really engage with it, and it had me hooked from page one. I loved how it was a mixture of witty banter, thematic & cultural depth, and bone-chilling horror. Lauren managed that blend so well!

A big thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review!

* I received an e-arc from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

A solid debut for Lauren Blackwood! I really enjoyed this fantasy and loosely based Jane Eyre retelling, which was quite fast paced and kept me intrigued by the magical elements and Ethiopian mythology.

Andromeda or “Andi” is a debtera, an exorcist hired to cleanse households of the Evil Eye. She is so desperate for a job, that she takes an offer from the young heir Magnus Rochester to cleanse his house, which is something much bigger than she has dealt with before. She quickly realizes upon arriving at the castle that she is in way over her head. There are lots of horrifying manifestations at every turn, and Magnus has been hiding more than she has been trained for. She begins to understand that death is the most likely outcome if she stays in the castle, but leaving Magnus to live out his curse alone is not an option. He has begun to worm his way into her heart.

Andi is a great main character. She is strong and determined, loyal and passionate, despite her rough upbringing. Andi has a complex relationship with Jember, her father figure in the book and I like how this was explored. There was also some romance in the book which I enjoyed, but I like that it wasn’t the main focus of the story. It was more about Andi working on cleansing the house.

I definitely recommend this one, and I think it’s perfect for fall! Just the right amount of spooky.

Disclaimer: I was granted an early copy of the book by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

THIS BOOK HAS THE PERFECT SINISTEr VIBES YOU'RE LOOKING FOR! I swear, this book is really good and it's a good read during this spooky season. You'll love the magic system, the main character and the plot itself.Book is already out, so please get a copy when you can!

Within These Wicked Walls is an Ethiopian-inspired fantasy retelling of Jane Eyre. Whilst I didn’t see too much homage to the original, all that aside it was an enjoyable read. Enjoyable… and horrifically scary! This book is definitely not for the weak of heart; I was reading this on my lunch break at work when a colleague talked to me and I jumped a mile!

But I digress… Lauren Blackwood’s novel stars Andromeda (Andi), an exorcist (debtera) raised by her very strict master Jember whom raised her up with no affection and treated her harshly to toughen her up. She leaves her master before she finishes training and therefore isn’t a licensed debtera, which makes it very hard for her to find jobs. However, she decides to take on a very tough job with Magnus Rochester. She is tasked exorcise his household from the Evil Eye, a task where 10 debteras before her have already died or left without finishing the task. There are manifestations at every turn and they only get more rough with time. She soon finds out that Magnus is also hiding much more than she’s been trained for.

With a little help from her master Jember, and her skills in welding amulets, will she be able to cleanse the house and unravel the mystery behind her employer Magnus?

I need to give the author a huge shout out. I was TERRIFIED out of my mind and wanted to quit reading so many times but her sheer skill kept me turning the pages. I was mesmerised I think 😂

Highly recommend this horror and action filled fantasy with a side of romance. Read at your own risk: teddy bear, nightlight and blanket fort to hide in also highly encouraged.



Release: 9 November



#gothicromance #laurenblackwood #WithinTheseWickedWalls #bookmages

Within These Wicked Walls is a fantasy retelling of Jane Eyre involving a debtera, Andromeda, trying to rid a house of The Evil Eye.

I read this in one sitting, it was impossible to put down. I adored the first 70%, and was sure it was gonna be a 5⭐ review, thewre were a few things I disliked about the rest. Still though, would heartily recommend it to lovers of Jane Eyre, or gothic, creepy, paranormal reads. I wouldn't classify it as scary though.

I loved how the book was adapted. It felt very fresh, not just a retelling in a new setting, but a unique story based on Jane Eyre. I will say I disliked Jane Eyre, but really liked this story. So goes to show that it's different, while keeping some main story beats and a bunch of references to the original.

Even though the romance is insta-love, I did buy into it. It might be because I have read Jane Eyre, and knew it was coming. But their banter, the build up, their chemistry, they were all well done, and I was rooting for them pretty early on.

I loved the fantastical elements. My culture (Turkish) has Evil Eye too, but it's completely different for us. After I read the book I also looked up how much of the fantastical elements were made up vs actually a part of the culture. And it seemed, based on my surface level research that the book stays true to the folklore. I loved that I got to learn more about this folk religion from Eritrea and Ethiopia via reading the book. The Evil Eye with physical manifestations, debtera, and the talisman, it was all completely new to me and so fascinating.

I did love how the author weaved the world of the house together with the Evil Eye manifestations. I loved finding out about what creepyness each room held. And loved seeing Andromeda fight them one by one. And speaking of Andromeda, I loved her as a character. She felt very fleshed out, with her flaws, and inner conflicts. She was very relatable.

As I mentioned, the last 30% is where my enthusiasm about the book changed a little. This is where I was expecting everything to come to head. The big bad vs our hero, one last battle. Instead the book slowed way down, it got repetitive and the emotional beats started feeling forced. At this point, two characters reunite. And all of a sudden, the main conflict changes. The battle with the Evil Eye feels overshadowed by these two characters trying to hash out their lifelong relationship, And every conversation between them from this point on is some deep discussion about their past. And at times, right in the middle of action too!

I'm not generally opposed to emotional resolutions. That's why I love romances, and dramas. But in this book, with how things were developing, it just didn't feel genuine. It felt forced and honestly quite out of the blue.

The end of the book is still tied neatly together. And it does feel like you get what you wanted out of the book by the time you're done. But the forced feeling of the resolution between those two characters take away a bit from my enjoyment of the book, that's why I gave it 4 stars.

Despite that though, this will definitely be a book I recommend to many. I loved the world and fantasy of it, the characters, and the romance so much. It's a great fantastical creepy read.

Thank you to St Martin's Press and Netgalley for the eARC.

Within These Wicked Walls was a mostly enjoyable but uneven debut for me. I loved the Jane Eyre inspo- retellings are usually my jam, and this was a pretty good one.

Things I loved:
The coverrrrrrrrr- so awesome.
The Ethiopian inspiration, and all of the names.
The detailed writing around the amulets.
Everything to do with debteras.
Andromeda's chemistry with literally every character except Magnus, especially Jember. And Kelela.
Pretty much everything Saba. Give that character her own book, please.
The crackly dialogue and clever writing. Blackwood definitely has some skill. (I feel like if she was in a room with Lin Manuel-Miranda, there is no chance my brain would be able to handle whatever they create.

Things that didn't work for me:
Andromeda's. chemistry with Magnus.
Magnus. Just....no. He was a man-baby.

Thanks to Wednesday books and NetGalley for the review copy!

This book was dark and magical and very different than what I normally go for. Its been awhile since I read Jane Eyre in high school English but I didn't see many of the parallels to that novel here, minus the name + the big-ass creepy house.

I don't think this is the genre for me but I enjoyed the banter back and forth between the protagonists of this novel and the strong female lead! If you like fantasy with a hint of noir mystery, you'll enjoy this one.

A retelling of Jane Eyre based on Ethiopian folklore - very well done! I wish my most recent reading of the original Jane Eyre wasn't so long ago so I would have more to compare this to, but overall I recognized a lot of the themes and characters. I really did not like the character Magnus, but I remember not liking the character of Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre either, so if the author was being true to the original, I can't blame her. I just never felt like Andromeda and Magnus' love had any real basis or foundation. That being said, I loved Andromeda's character, her growth arc over the course of the story, and the ways Ethiopian culture, food, and clothing were effortlessly woven in to the story and not explained for unfamiliar readers. I am not a horror reader by any means but this book was definitely readable for a scaredy cat like me. (In the daytime, at least.) A page turner that I couldn't put down, despite some aspects I disliked.

3.5⭐

This book was absolutely nothing like I was expecting but I had such a good time reading it. This is a loose Jane Eyre retelling set in an Ethiopian-inspired fantasy world where sins manifest literal demons. I was expecting a much more fantastical/creepy story but despite this being full of hauntings, this was so much more romance heavy than horror heavy. And I wasn't mad about it!

I think my favorite part about this book, other than the amazing world, was the characterization of Andromeda. She was such a complex character and I loved being her head. She comes from such a difficult background and definitely has the scars, literal and figurative, to show for it. But somehow she is still strong and soft all at ones. I loved the dichotomy of her personality and she was an absolutely fantastic main character.

And the world was fantastic. The setting was atmospheric and descriptive, the hauntings were creepy and terrifying (there is a spider scene that is forever imprinted on my brain), and the magic was well developed without being overdone or too heavy. Overall Lauren Blackwood just did such a fantastic job balancing all the different elements in the genre-blending story.

This is quite heavy on the romance which I loved. I just wish it had taken a little longer to develop. As much as I like Andi and Magnus together, I thought their relationship went a from 0 to in love a little too quickly. There were some dramatic declarations of forever very early on.

But overall, I thought this reimagining was unique and fresh and I loved the juxtaposition of the horror and romance elements. The ending was really emotional and impactful and I can't wait to pick up more from this author in the future.

Also for all you audiobook listeners - this is narrated by Nnneka Okay and she absolutely killed it with this narration. She brought such life to the story and I adored listening to it. Every character was distinct without feeling overdone, and I loved how she acted out the more dramatic portions. Absolutely fantastic audiobook!

This book has an interesting and unique concept. I liked the haunting aspects mixed with the magical elements. I enjoyed the relationships built throughout the book and thought that everything came together well in the end. It had some darker elements which I enjoyed.

This book touches on the complexity of family dynamics. Not all family is made up of one's own blood and I thought that the growth of the relationship between Andromeda and the man she see's as her father was well developed.

There's a bit of romance but it's not the main focus of the story which I appreciated. I liked that the story really was set around the haunting and Andromeda's struggles with trying to cleanse the house of the evil eye. The longer she stays in the house the more she realizes that the task at hand is much more than she alone can handle.

Overall I'd recommend this to other YA Fantasy readers. l picked up the audiobook and it was well done. I thought the narrator was a perfect fit for the story and kept me listening.

"The wind. The stinging cold. Those violent hands. Everything had felt so real, now all reduced to the memory of a nightmare."

Andromeda is a debtera, a spiritual cleanser capable of exorcising haunting manifestations. When hired by the wealthy, suave, young Magnus Rochester to cleanse his enormous home of the Evil Eye, Andi soon realizes she's in over her head in more ways than one. Faced with sudden death among the dangerous spirits, Andi finds that her fierce will to protect Magnus is about more than just her employment. Based in a fantasy Ethiopian setting, Within These Wicked Walls retells the classic story of Jane Eyre in a bewitching new way.

Lauren Blackwood's stunning debut had me equal parts haunted and enthralled. From the first few pages, I was utterly fascinated with this novel's premise of curses and how debteras cleanse spirits through crafting amulets. Andi is an admirable protagonist who is just as resilient as she is relatable. Her search for love tugged at my heart strings while I cheered for her independent nature and ability to be kind after facing such hardship. The romance between Rochester and Andi is tender yet brimming with tension to the very end. As a fan of Jane Eyre, I adored seeing the story revamped in a witchy tale with a wonderfully diverse cast of characters. Blackwood's writing style is richly dark and luxurious, making it easy to feel like I was creeping through the dark, bleeding halls of Rochester's mansion myself. Fans of Jane Eyre, fantasy retellings, and tumultuous romances will not want to miss this gorgeous debut.

As many reviews have already said, I was hard pressed to find the Jane Eyre retelling in this book. There was a big old house and a man named Rochester (I can think of one more comparison but I don't want to give spoilers) but there was no mentally ill secret wife in the attic, no daughter to tutor, etc.

It was a really good book though! I liked the dessert setting and the juxtaposition of the English house out in the middle of the dessert with the nearby city of local design helped make the house creepy even before the Evil Eye did its thing. The horror in this book was fun, different frights were in every room, and the fantasy, while not thoroughly explained, was original and enjoyable.

I also enjoyed the relationships between the characters, both the complicated and valued familiar relationships and the romantic relationship that slowly developed between Andromeda and Magnus. Friendships seemed to form very quickly, but I suppose the book can only be so long.

I would recommend this book to YA readers who like horror, fantasy, and romance and are looking for a setting that isn't the seemingly standard vaguely-English.

Such a fabulous October read! The right mix of thrill and fantasy! One of my favourite reads this month! I adore how the authors built the storyline and the character development

Within These Wicked Walls is a fantastic Gothic young adult debut novel that surprised me and took me by storm. We follow Andromeda, a debtera (exorcist) who is hired to work at the house of Magnus Rochester, who is being haunted by evil manifestations. Now, this book is marketed as a Jane Eyre retelling, but I wouldn’t call it that. For me, it only took certain elements from the classic and twisted them into their own thing. So if you pick up this novel hoping it’s a faithful retelling of Jane Eyre, know that it isn’t. BUT it is still a really good book!
My favorite part of the book was the whole ambiance of the story. The majority of the book takes place in Rochester’s house, who turns into a whole character on itself. It was terrifying and spooky as hell, and the author does a great job transferring that fear to the readers. The spirits that Andromeda faces only add more to the haunting aspect of the house, and kudos to her for being brave enough to face them. Another aspect of the book I enjoyed was Andromeda’s character. She was determined, brave as hell, but also hungry for affection. I was rooting for her through the whole book, even in the moments when things did not look good.
Usually, I love the world-building in books, but sadly this one lacked it. We get a very basic overview of the world, but nothing is really explained. Do the spirits answer to a higher being? How the debtera come to be? I feel a few things stayed unanswered and having a concrete answer to them would have made me understand the world in this story took place in a bit more.
If you enjoy horror, spirits, strong main characters, haunting houses that feel like a character itself, Within These Wicked Walls is for you.
P.S. I think that if you enjoyed Mexican Gothic, you will definitely enjoy this one!!

I loved this book and have been shoving a copy into everyone’s hands. The balance between banter, the romance, the cursed rooms and scary/creepy moments were just perfect!

In this Jane Eyre retelling, Within These Wicked Walls Andromeda, a debtera, is called to Mr. Rochester's house to exorcise the evil eye that is cursing the family. This YA novel takes Jane Eyre into a fantasy world and includes a touch of romance too.

I have never read Jane Eyre before, so I was not familiar with the original plot. The author does an amazing job world building, immersing the reader in this magical world where evil spirits lure and threaten to kill those that get in its way. The book also touches on class and social status, as well as race. I found the book easy to get into, but did find the pacing a tad slow in the middle half of the book.

Fantasy is not my preferred genre, so I usually pick up the audiobook to help me get into the genre a little easier. The narration was phenomenal. The narrator had the most perfect British accent, which transported me into this magic world. She kept me invested in the story and if I hadn't listened to the book, I am not sure I would have continued reading.

A beautiful, gothic fantasy with a romance that really swept me away and well deserves the bestseller title!!!

This is an Ethiopian-inspired fantasy retelling of Jane Eyre that follows Andi, an exorcist tasked with cleansing a haunted mansion of the Evil Eye. But her job is much more difficult than she expected, and so is keeping down her burgeoning feelings for the mansion’s young eccentric owner, Magnus Rochester …

I came for the atmosphere and creepiness, and boy did I get it! This book was perfect for spooky fall vibes. The manifestations Andi had to deal with were terrifying and I loved reading about them!

The book was pretty heavily focused on the romance, and at first I was really digging it — but alas, I’m a slow-burn fiend from slow-burn hell and as a result I found this a little too instalove-y for my taste.

I also started off loving Magnus, but as the story progressed I found him kind of manipulative, and it wasn’t really explored beyond acknowledging one big way he messed up and leaving it at that. I feel like his character is up to interpretation, so I’m sure other readers will love him, but I ended up not being a fan unfortunately.

A much more interesting relationship was Andi’s relationship with her father figure — who sucks big-time, but it was super interesting seeing her working through her trauma and coming to terms with her upbringing.

Overall, if you’re looking for an atmospheric, creepy read for the spooky season and you aren’t as much of a slow burn fiend as I am, I’d definitely recommend giving this a try!

I couldn't quite find the rhythm of this book. I enjoyed the Jane Eyre-like retelling through the lens of Ethiopian culture, and the battling of the various manifestations of the Evil Eye, but I couldn't square these elements with the drippy and unrealistic-feeling romance between Magnus and Andromeda. I found that I was ultimately bored by these segments, and just skimming to get to the next manifestation sequence, which isn't a great way to read a book.

WITHIN THESE WICKED WALLS has me trapped in the gloomy depths of Thorn Manor at any given moment of the day, as I am left wondering just how Andi will get Magnus out of the Evil Eye's grasp. It is a gorgeous narrative, rich with details and worldbuilding that quite frankly leaves me needing more from Lauren Blackwood. It is not fully a Jane Eyre adaptation, but I can taste the flavoring of Jane Eyre within the plot of WITHIN THESE WICKED WALLS.