Those of you who follow me know that I love a new version of a classic, and I’m particularly a sucker for a Jane Eyre retelling, so when I saw that there was a Jane Eyre retelling set in Ethiopia with a fantasy twist, I requested immediately. Wow, did Lauren Blackwood’s Within These Wicked Walls satisfy my every hope and expectation!

This book does what the best retellings do: it takes its source material as inspiration and then spins out a new story and a new world. Here, the Jane character is Andromeda, a debtera—a type of exorcist—who can cleanse homes of the Evil Eye. In desperate straits after her mentor cast her out, Andromeda takes on a job at which ten other debteras have failed. She’s employed by the mysterious Magnus Rochester who lives in near-solitude at the far end of a desolate desert. All but a few servants and the nanny who raised him have abandoned him, apparently scared away by the curse no one can defeat.

We experience the story through Andromeda’s eyes, and what a fabulous protagonist she is. Like Jane, she’s been raised in unusual circumstances, and her values differ from those of her world. She calls herself plain but cares little about her appearance. Instead, she values her strength and skills in her profession and communicates with a blunt honesty that shocks Magnus. He, in turn, is lacking social graces after having grown up as an outsider from his family and from society, so for a while, their bluntness seems to put them at odds. And then, of course, things change.

I loved SO much about this story. Andromeda’s narrative voice is so much fun—I love her strength and her defiance of convention. Watching Magnus meet his match in Andromeda is so satisfying, and their chemistry is great. I also, however, appreciated the secondary characters: Saba, the silent and mysterious woman who takes joy in helping others; Jember, the debtera who raised Andromeda, whose complexity I found to be appealing; and even Kelela, the beautiful young woman who is Andromeda’s rival for Magnus’s affections.

Most of all, I reveled in Blackwood’s development of the magic behind the curse that Andromeda is fighting. The way it manifests throughout Magnus’s estate is haunting and imaginative and creepy: it preys on characters’ compassion for others and on their unique weaknesses, and watching Andromeda strategize the best way to fight each new Manifestation shows her intelligence, her perseverance, and her strength.

I was shocked to find out that Within These Wicked Walls is Blackwood’s debut, and it is certainly a confident, brilliant first novel. I can’t wait to see what she tackles next.

Full of haunted horrors, gothic intrigue, and unexpected romance, Within These Wicked Walls was a perfectly spooky October read that brought a new eerie take on the classic Jane Eyre story.

Trained to cleanse houses from restless spirits and manifestations, Andromeda is sent to exorcise a mysterious estate from the evil lurking beneath its walls. Once she begins her work, she discovers a tragic curse brought upon those who live there and is determined to find a way to save them before it’s too late.

This story blended the inspiration of Jane Eyre and its gothic elements into an Ethiopian retelling that completely swept me away! I loved how Blackwood subtly wove in nods to the original story while adding in new twists and turns, including a different take on our Jane and Rochester-inspired characters.

Andromeda was fierce and strong, and Magnus…sweet, sweet Magnus stole my heart. He had a light and endearing personality, filled with adorable little quirks that offset the horrors happening around him. The romance, as well, added a great balance to the dark plot bringing life and humor to the story and making readers feel for the characters and become invested. (Also, the banter was downright ADORABLE!)

With strong themes of love and family, Blackwood created a beautiful story with a mix of horror, action, and romance that is sure to give you chills and touch your heart.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Within These Wicked Walls was pitched as an Ethiopian-inspired Jane Eyre retelling, it is a very loose retelling. The story definitely had a Gothic paranormal feel (young woman arrives at a creepy mansion, hired by a surly but attractive guy). Though the story definitely didn’t have all the characters and plot elements of the original, it did have the overall give and I was amused that Jane Eyre is referenced right in the story.

I loved Andie, who is smart and determined and loyal. In order to expel the Evil Eye, she needs to carve intricate amulets, as taught to her by Jember. There’s a great side cast of characters, including a brother and sister who are friends of Mangus. The female characters – Andie, Saba, and Kelela.

I haven’t read a lot of paranormals lately, but really liked the paranormal vibe of this one. The story is gripping and exciting, with a lot of action! I would love to know more about the inspirations behind the book, from the desert setting (Ethiopia) to the incorporation of Coptic Christianity.

Definitely try Within These Wicked Walls if you love paranormals and Gothic fiction and are looking for something different and really good!

I really really liked this book. The characters and the setting and the story were all just fantastic. I loved Andi and Magnus from the get go. Andi was no-nonsense, Magnus was the complete opposite and they balanced each other out. Also, this book was perfect for spooky season! I know it's a retelling of Jane Eyre, but the cursed walls, the hyena, disappearing bodies, the amulets, it all made for the perfect haunted house story. I also loved the found family aspect, Andi with Jember, Andi with Saba, Magnus with Saba and Peggy. Everything flowed so nicely in the story and it came to the most satisfying albeit sad conclusion. I have never actually read Jane Eyre, and I'm not sure I'd want to trade the original for this version, because I loved this version so much. I highly recommend this for those that like spooky season and are looking for a fun, creepy read.

I waver on YA. I was super excited about this one especially after reading (and LOVING) Legendborn and being immersed in the Children of Blood and Bone series - and it's set in Ethiopia?! I also love a classical retelling with a diverse set of characters. However, I didn't get too much of that. I'll give it more stars than what reflects my honest feelings about the book because exorcisms and evil spirits aren't really my jam (yes, as mentioned above I do love Legendborn but I can only take so much in a year - I'm a squeamish scaredy-cat).

4.5 // 5 stars

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy for review. This is a spoiler free, honest review and all thoughts and feelings are my own.

To start off, I've never read Jane Eyre. I couldn't even tell you the basic gist of the book. So, heading into this book, I had an open heart and open mind.

First things first - Andromeda (Andi) is a hardened girl who has not truly lived life, only survived. Growing up under her adoptive father and mentor, Andi has learned how to survive and keep herself alive. So when she's lost her mentorship, and gets hired to cleanse Magnus Rochester's home of the Evil Eye, she will do anything to succeed. 

Personally, I loved Andi's character and I could see how her past has shaped her yet doesn't truly break her. While she had a hard life growing up, she still cares deeply for people and acts selfishly for them. Especially for the people she cares about. Her relationship with Jember, her mentor, is complicated to say the least, but I loved watching them heal their relationship over the course of this book. Every moment with Jember is a mix between comedy and violence which made his character likeable yet unlikeable. If that makes any sense. 

As for Magnus, I wasn't sure if I liked him as a character at first. But the more I got to know him and see his interactions with Andi, the more I started to fall in love with him. He doesn't mind Andi's bluntness or honesty - in fact, he loves it. And his goofy, sarcastic nature paired well with Andi's serious personality. It was like they were meant to be. And then we have Saba - the quiet, well technically non-verbal, friend. Even though we never hear Saba speak, it's clear she has much to say in this book and I loved every interaction between her and Andi. Watching their friendship bloom was so heartwarming! It brought me a lot of joy to get to know her, though I wished we could have gotten a little more of her backstory. 

The characters were absolutely 10/10 for me. But the only issue I had with this story, and really it's a small issue, is the plot repetition. We have almost the same series of actions happening back to back; the repetition was really obvious and it took me out of the story the second time it happened. And while it kind of made sense in the story the second time, it was so jarring having it happen back to back that it felt unnatural. Andi tells us multiple times that she doesn't get scared easily and is tough, but then twice she gets scared away from the home. But, like I said, looking back it's a small issue. The rest of the plot is excellent and well makes up for the one issue I wasn't a fan of. 

Besides that, this book was so, so good. I loved the characters, I love the world, the plot, the history, the development - everything about this story was so good! There were several scenes where I was on the edge of my seat terrified to read what would happen next. If you're looking for a spooky book to finish out spooky season, or to read beyond then, definitely add this one to your list!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really didn't enjoy this book. I was bored throughout most of it and really struggled not to DNF it. The characters were all really annoying with the main characters being YA cliches. Andromeda is the lovesick girl who wants to fix things but in the end can't do it alone. Magnus is your typical YA rich boy who the girl saves.. yay... I guess. And then there's an old man who right before he dies comes to terms with love being there all along! This is just so not for me. I expected something quite different and maybe that's why I'm so disappointed with it.

Lauren Blackwood’s debut novel, Within These Wicked Walls is a stunning and spooky Young Adult fantasy. It is a clever remix of the classic, Jane Eyre by Emily Bronte with Ethiopian inspiration!

The story follows Andromeda, our protagonist as she takes a job to cleanse the rich heir’s, Magnus Rochester’s castle. She is a debtera (I googled this – a debtera is a religious figure from Ethiopia and surrounding areas who perform exorcisms and other religious acts). As Andromeda cleanses the manifestations in the castle, she finds that this job might be her most challenging yet. She knows she needs help so enter, Jember, her mentor or actually he’ll most likely ask you to exit.

Will Andromeda be able to cleanse the castle and save everyone she cares about? Or will the terrifying manifestations force her into turning away?

This book is creepy and the vivid descriptions of the manifestations that the characters encounter will make your heart race. Halfway through the book I was spooked but then there were less and less of these encounters and honestly, I wanted more of the creepy!

Andromeda is a headstrong and determined character and I really enjoyed reading her. On the other hand, while Magnus is mysterious and alluring at first, I felt he was quite whiny throughout. I’m also not a fan of instant love and this is definitely that. I wish I’d known more about the background of the haunted castle and Magnus himself because some pieces somehow fell together and I didn’t even realize it. And can we please take a moment to appreciate Saba? Because wow.

Overall, a very atmospheric read that is perfect for spooky season!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Netgalley & Lauren Blackwood for this advance review copy in exchange of an honest review. Within These Wicked Walls is out on October 19th, 2021!

CW: bleeding walls, parental abuse, dismemberment, selling of children

Probably more of a 3.5 but I’m rounding up.

I can’t say I remember reading the original Jane Eyre but I have read a couple of retellings/stories inspired by the classic, so when I saw one more retelling announcement set in Ethiopia, I was immediately intrigued and very glad when I got the advance copy.

One thing I can say, this is perfect to read during this spooky season. The castle in the novel and it’s owner are haunted by the antagonist, an Evil Eye which manifests in different forms throughout the castle every night, endangering its inhabitants. The author describes this eerie castle perfectly, with its many eccentric and sometimes horrifying features, which makes the building itself feel like the main character. That’s what makes this a very intriguing gothic fantasy. The plotting is also pretty fast paced, with everything moving at breakneck speeds at times, because everyone’s lives are in danger. The prose is pretty easy to read and I found myself quite engaged in this mysterious story.

Andromeda or Andi is a compassionate, brave, slightly distrustful but very loving young woman who has been through a lot of hardships since childhood, and is determined to finish this dangerous job and earn a patronage. Magnus on the other hand is the owner of the castle who has been plagued by the Evil Eye for three years and is very depressed about it. He is also a slightly pretentious and snobby rich brat sometimes, but his bad qualities get offset by his charm and wit. Their romance is definitely very instalovey but it was also understandable because they are two people who have experienced a lot of loneliness, and it’s easy to fall in love with the first person who shows some affection.

There are quite a few side characters too but I didn’t find any of them too memorable except for Saba who was sweet and extremely loving and caring, despite her devastating circumstances. And ofcourse there’s Jember, the only father Andi has ever known. They have a complicated relationship and I understand why she was quick to forgive him when he apologized after 14 years of being abusive to her. But her justification that all his abuse was ok because he was doing it out of love and to help her survive, and all his abusive teachings helped her survive when she was literally homeless and starving (because of him) - was a bit too much for me to stomach and I almost felt like she was gaslighting herself. Magnus seemed like the only voice of reason who understood abuse for what it was.

In the end, this was a very eerie, mysterious, atmospheric and sometimes horrific YA gothic fantasy novel, with very memorable main protagonists and their endearing love story. I may have some issues with some characterizations but overall it was an engaging book, and while it doesn’t have too much in common with the OG Jane Eyre except some names and the haunted castle, I still think fans of the classic will enjoy this one.

I found the worldbuilding really interesting, and this concept was really fascinating. I wanted to know more about the side characters though, and was more interested in them than I was Andromeda and Magnus.

From the characters, to the romance, to the writing, to the creepiness - this book really has so much going for it. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed reading a fantasy book as much as I did with this one. The author did a great job of making all the characters feel fleshed out, the setting eerie, the stakes high, the romance sweet, and the horror of the mansion come to life all within a standalone novel.

4.5 STARS

I can't really judge it as aLet's start with the fact that this book got me out of a reading slump. It hooked me from page one and kept me interested all the way through.
retelling because I'm not VERY familiar with Jane Eyre. However, as a book about evil spirits and exorcism, it was pretty amazing.

The characters themselves are great too! They are definitely very well-developed and I found myself sympathising with all of them and looking forward to see how they will develop.

There is a romantic sub-plot, which personally I wasn't a big fan of, but it kind of grew on me. At the beginning, I saw the main character as a very strong and independent main character who did not need a relationship. There was some power imbalance in the relationship, she saw it and refused (which I loved). However, the relationship developed further and I just wasn't the biggest fan (therefore the 4.5 stars)

This story, although a retelling of Jane Eyre, is one of the most original that I've read in quite some time.

Andromeda is a debtera--basically an exorcist. She has found herself employed by Magnus Rochester who has found himself the victim of quite a horrible curse. And when Andromeda takes on the job, she realizes how difficult this job is going to be--for her safety and her heart.

I thoroughly enjoyed the parallels this story had with Jane Eyre, seeing has how that's one of my favorite novels. I felt that Andromeda was a worthy heroine to compare to Jane. She was strong, caring, and extremely good at her job.

Magnus was a great Rochester--there was some silliness combined with just the right amount of self-loathing and despair. Although, this Rochester's secret isn't the same as his namesake's. Although, I would say poor Magnus has is really rough.

This story was haunting, thrilling, and kept me wondering until the end... I would definitely recommend this one if you're in the mood for a haunting and scary read.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book! My review will be live at the link given, on October 19, 2021.

Set in an Ethiopian-inspired setting and drawing (vaguely) on elements of classic Jane Eyre (I would not consider this a retelling), Within These Wicked Walls is a dark story of love and terror in a haunted house.

Andromeda, a scrappy street kid cum unlicensed debterra (exorcist/magic worker) desperate for work, takes on the live-in job of trying to cleanse a house that has been cursed by the Evil Eye. This turns out to be a bigger, more terrifying job than she realised, but once she meets the owner of both the house and the curse, quirky richboi Magnus Rochester, she can't just walk away either...

This is a truly dark and creepy story - we have horrifying manifestations, rooms filled with blood, murders... not for the faint of heart! The magic system and the world building of the curse is very unique and interesting, not like anything I've read before.

Where this one really fell down for me, unfortunately, was in the interpersonal relationships. A lot of the interactions feel very awkward and not always natural. I found Magnus to be an incredibly unlikeable character and was honestly surprised when I realised he was being moved into position as love interest. I felt like their interactions went from "I feel confusingly attracted to you" to "I'm in love with you and want to be with you forever" way too quickly for my taste. They felt infatuated, not in love, but they (and others) kept calling it love. I felt a lot of their dialogue was just cringingly awkward and I didn't feel their relationship as a vibe at all.

I didn't really love the redemption and almost romanticisation of the abusive parent. All those years of emotional and physical abuse and suddenly it's all "I love you, I forgive you"... sorry, doesn't wash with me. Childhood abuse is not that easy to forgive and forget.

The ending of the nominally final chapter felt extremely abrupt, and the epilogue is really just a final chapter.

I enjoyed the creepy haunted house storyline. The "amulet versus Evil Eye" concept was interesting and well employed. The personal relationships left a lot to be desired. I think there's potential here and I'd read future work from the author. Unfortunately this one just had some aspects that didn't work for me.

Andromeda (Andi) was kicked out of her home where she was raised by Jember and considered herself to be a debtera, an exorcist. Her problem is that she is unlicensed and needs a job to survive. She applies and is accepted to rid a home of manifestations of the Evil Eye.

Andi arrives at the Rochester home and is greeted by a dowdy caretaker, Peggy, that doesn't think much of her. Andi meets Tom, Emma, and Edward and wonders how four people can manage to care for a house of its size.

Andi's boss is Magnus, who is eccentric as a result of the Evil Eye, and requests for Andi to call him by his first name. Magnus divulges that he inherited the curse from his father and inquires if Andi knows why she was hired. Andi is shocked to learn that there were ten others hired before her, including Jember. Magnus has house rules that everyone is to obey, the first of which is everyone must be in their rooms at 10 pm. Andi breaks it because she feels she needs to find out how to dispel the manifestations beginning with the easiest.

Soon Emma informs Andi that Edward has vanished and it doesn't take long before Andi realizes that she might be in over her head.

I found myself immensely disliking Peggy and Jember. Peggy looked down on Andi and Jember was just mean and nasty. As some of the story unfolds there are snippets that show Jember has a heart. I found Saba intriguing. Magnus and Andi were the only ones to see her but she was so sweet to Andi. It was surprising to learn who she was. An unexpectedly sweet romance develops between Magnus and Andi. I enjoyed this debut story!

I received an ARC from NetGalley via St. Martin's Press and I have voluntarily reviewed this book.

Unfortunately I haven’t been able to finish this book, it’s just not for me.
I do thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title and hope to work with you in the future!

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

I'd describe this as a loose retelling of Jane Eyre. There are definitely shared elements where it's fun to see how certain aspects are reimagined for this setting and time, but this story also does its own thing. The pacing was good in general, though the middle went down a path full of YA moments with crying and angsty romance that I felt pretty ambivalent about.

There were some really interesting ideas here, and I did like the setting in Ethiopia with these debteras (exorcist type people) who make amulets against the Evil Eye. I really liked the different manifestations and how creepy some of them are! Some of these moments leaned into horror which was very fun to see. I wanted even more of this and definitely missed it during the more "traditional YA" moments. Still, I think the ending does pull the story back together in a nice way. I would definitely read more in this world!

This book deals with a lot of family issues. Andromeda has an interesting background that isn't the most healthy, but I really liked some of the development we get with her. Magnus has this family curse that's been passed down from his father, and he had a strained relationship with his parents.

Andromeda was a very enjoyable main character overall. She's strong and determined, and I liked how skilled she is at making amulets and fighting the Evil Eye. She accepts this job as a way to make a life for herself because having a patron will help her get the jobs she can't currently get because she's not a licensed debtera. She's never really had anyone who's been physically or emotionally affectionate with her, so she doesn't entirely know how to handle her attraction to Magnus. I appreciated that she acknowledges this though!

I found Magnus to be a bit naive and controlling. I get why he has certain reasons for rules and why he's isolated himself, so I do feel bad for him. On the other hand, he has horrible timing for things (this fed into the YA trope moments) and doesn't always listen to Andromeda with what she says she wants. I'm rather ambivalent about the romance that develops here. I initially felt that there was more of a spark between Andromeda and someone else!

We also have Andromeda's father figure here. He's a rather complicated guy who's certainly more of the tough love type of person, though this does cross the line at times. That being said, he does also have a heart, and I liked getting to know him more and see him involved with Andromeda. I really liked Saba, a person in Magnus's household. She's very sweet, and I loved getting to know about her past.

In general, I had a good time with this book! Jane Eyre is one of the few classics I enjoy, so I had a fun time with this retelling. Aside from the crying and angsty romance moments, I thought that there were some really great ideas here. I would definitely recommend this and would read more from this author!

Content warnings for some abusive relationships

My video review can be seen on my booktube channel (around minutes 6:17-10:40 of this video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pXp6DvIA6I

Within These Wicked Walls tells the story of a young woman who’s hired to exorcise a young man’s home. She’s desperate, a little bit unprepared, but mostly desperate. Sold as a child, she’s rescued by a surly old man who teaches her a trade – but throws her out before she earns her license. If she can somehow miraculously cleanse this house, when others before her have failed, she’ll have a chance at a future.

Andromeda is stubborn, talented, and righteously angry at having to resort to potentially dying to be able to secure a future. She’s mouthy and a bit rude to cover up her insecurities, but doesn’t feel like she has any other options but to try to survive. Then she falls in love with Magnus, and adds complications of the heart on top of trying-to-survive.

I didn’t care much for Andi’s attitude, honestly, even if I rooted for her. Magnus kinda creeped me out, he’s so smarmy. And what a jerk to he is, knowing Andi’s desperation and totally willing to take advantage of it. Jember (the surly mentor) is prickly-ouch, until you find out that he saved Andi from a life in a brothel – I mean, he’s still prickly-ouch, but you’re more willing to put up with it. Whereas Magnus stayed smarmy. I’d have liked him better if he were more like the Beast (in personality; he does have a fabulous library – even if it does try to kill Andi). That would’ve made the insta-love more palatable in my opinion. As it is, I wanted to shake some sense into Andi.

I loved the creepiness of Magnus’ haunted mansion, where people disappear and the rooms try to kill you. I didn’t much like any of his friends or his house servants, except for Saba who shows Andi some compassion. And I enjoyed Blackwood’s weaving of magical elements in this story, enough to tell you to pick it up if you like Jane Eyre retellings or YA romances.

drey’s rating: Pick it up!

I won't lie this book was hard to get into, because I was so lost in the beginning (which is good and bad). It's good because I hate reading books that are easy to understand, I love to struggle a bit but It's bad because it got me in a reading slump, but by the time I reached to chapter 10 I finished this book quickly. I also feel as though Andi and Magnus's relationship felt kind of off... I didn't feel much chemistry from them, and would've prefer if the story was without it. Also, can we talk about the main characters name?? Andromeda. that's it. I was hooked and as an Ethiopian, I had to keep reading. If your looking for a fast paced, Ethiopian inspired- fantasy retelling of Jane Erye than you should read this book!
(3.5 rounding up to 4 stars)
- Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the EARC

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this advanced copy. Here is my honest review. Within These Wicked Walls is pitched as an Ethiopian-inspired fantasy retelling of Jane Eyre. I haven’t read Jane Eyre, so I won’t be sharing anything regarding that aspect of this story. I’m going to review it more as a regular fantasy story.
The story follows Andromeda, or Andi, a debtera that’s been hired to exorcise the Evil Eye in Magnus Rochester’s house. She creates different amulets to get rid of the Manifestations. But it’s a dangerous job. She must seek out her old mentor for help, which he might not give, if she wants to succeed in removing the Evil Eye from Magnus’ house.
There were some aspects of this story that I really loved and others that I didn’t like at all. So, I’m going to start with what I liked. The world building and the magic were really well done. The setting of the Rochester house was a really good one. It’s huge, and creepy as hell because each room has its own weird magical issues because of the Evil Eye. But the weird magical things were fascinating. The library had a ghost that would communicate with passages from books. There was one room that was covered in ghost spiders. I was fascinated by all the different Manifestations. The debtera aspect of the story was really interesting too. I liked learning about her past and her training with Jember (the previously mentioned mentor).
I liked Andi. She had an interesting backstory. She was amazing because despite all of the bad in that backstory, she was still mostly an optimist. There were some really well-done emotional parts of this story involving Jember. I loved their relationship. It wasn’t traditional and they both had their issues, but they loved each other. I really liked Andi, right up until she and Magnus pledged their love to one another.
The romance is the only thing I didn’t like about this book. I was coming up on 40% of the way through the story and thought their relationship was developing really well and naturally when all of a sudden, they’re making out in the hall and pledging their love to one another and that just came out of nowhere. It didn’t feel like they were anywhere near that point in their relationship, when suddenly, it happened. And in the next chapter after they’ve pledged themselves to one another, there’s a huge betrayal revealed. I felt like I was getting emotional whip lash and I didn’t care for it at all. I felt like I couldn’t get invested in their romance again after all of that because it genuinely made me mad.
Overall, I really did enjoy parts of this story. I loved the setting and the magic. I liked the relationship between Andromeda and Jember. I liked all of the characters as individuals. I just really didn’t care for the romance between Andi and Magnus after the halfway point.