Let’s start off by saying that this novel was a phenomenal read. If you’re into light horror reads with a a slight twist romance then you don’t even need to read my review. Just jump right into the novel. You’ll thoroughly enjoy it.

For those who need reviews in order to read novels, here is what I have to say!

This is a twisted and gothic spin on the infamous Jane Eyre. Andromeda, our main character is what we know as an exorcist,or a debtera. She has been called upon by Magnus, heir to a fortune and unfortunately a curse, to be cleansed or purged of the creepy crawlies that lurk within his castle. Andromeda, all to eager to prove her worth, agrees to purge his castle of the Evil Eye, and quickly realizes she is in over her head.

Upon entering the castle the imagery the author creates is phenomenal and captivated me. It was horrific when it needed to be, enthralling, and creative. It was so well written that it felt like I was within the castle itself. I could picture it detail for detail.

The character development was good. The main character was fully developed. I truly felt like I could walk in her shoes as I was reading the novel. The other characters were developed enough to tell the story and character traits, flaws, and pasta are revealed as necessary. I understood all of this as it’s a gothic-fantasy / horror. You don’t want to spill the beans but I would have loved having more content from Jember and Magnus. A prologue and epilogue… something that lets us see who they are without it being too revealing to the wonderful plot.

I received this novel from netgalley for review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for granting me access to this ARC of Within These Wicked Walls!

Fans of Beauty and the Beast will enjoy the subtle nods to the fairy tale in this fun novel from Lauren Blackwood. Cursed castle, forbidden love, a great cast of characters.

Andromeda was a likeable protagonist, a young woman working as an unlicensed debtera (exorcist), trying to earn her way to a patronage and be able to continue to find work in her field without the help of the Church. She seems to be in over her head with her first real job. Manifestations of the Evil Eye haunt every room in the castle and she must construct amulets to get rid of them. Throw in a love triangle and some unresolved childhood issues, and you have a recipe for an exciting novel.

4.5/5 stars

a pleasant surprise! i'm not the biggest jane eyre fan, but i end up liking most of the reimaginings, like rebecca, mexican gothic, and this nicely follows in the tradition

Darkness and evil form a hauntingly, deadly background for a young woman, discovering the world beyond the walls of what she's known.

Kicked out by her adoptive father and trainer to survive on the streets, Andromeda sees a job at a mansion in the middle of the desert as her only hope to finally find footing in her future as a debtera (an exorcist, who cleanses houses of the Evil Eye's influence). All other experienced and older debtera have failed, but she knows she was trained by the best. The horrors, however, are stronger and more deadly than any she ever even dreamed to be possible. She should give up before the house destroys her, but her one fault keeps her from leaving. She can't leave an innocent victim to fall prey to the evil, especially when her heart won't let her.

In some ways, this house reminds me of the one in The Amityville Horror but with a few major twists, since the evil isn't the house but connected to a cursed person. The horrors are terrible and dangerous, but still, it doesn't have the same scary atmosphere. Andromeda and those living in the mansion are well aware of the horrors surrounding them and try to deal as best they can. So, I don't see this one as horror or really even a real thriller. It slides more into a gothic or dark paranormal realm. And it does this masterfully.

Andromeda is a trained exorcist and a talented one. She knows her skills but also realizes when she might be in over her head...something which made me like her more. Her harsh past does add a bit of sympathy, but more so, it gives a solid basis to understanding her personality, which is packed with corners and sharp edges. And yet, she does have a soft side and a yearn for the one thing she never had, friends. It makes her likeable while still allowing the basis for her hard exterior.

I did almost lay this one down about half-way through (but am so glad I didn't!) There are horrors, which she has to extinguish but this started to get lost in the background of the romance and seemed to be losing the plot. But luckily, this lull was really only a couple of pages (for me) because it immediately swooped in with an unexpected twist and shot the action back up along with the plot. So, this hiccup (and it may have just been a personal thing) was cleared up so fast that it didn't hurt the read really.

Gore, death, and paranormal evil are unforgiving in these pages, which may not be the best for more sensitive readers. It is a dark story...not horribly cruel, though, either. Just lots of haunting, brutal (but not overly graphic) deaths, and violence. Anyone who enjoys dark paranormal tales with a young adult romance are going to enjoy this one quite a bit. I received an ARC through Netgalley.

I tore through this book. I loved the subtle world building, the raw and developed characters, and I definitely want more stories from this world, even if Andromeda's personal narrative hit a natural end.

Andromeda, otherwise known as Andi is dropped off at freezing cursed castle in the middle of a desert. She is charged with removing a curse that ten other debtors before her could not- ones with far more experience and proper licenses. This job will give her a chance to get off the streets and gain employment as well as a patron to support her career. When the owner of the castle and cursed man reveals his feelings for her she is troubled with propriety verses her own feelings for the already engaged young man. Andi's life in the castle alternates between attempting to cure the bleeding walls/ body parts coming out of the walls and keeping her employer at arm's length.

This novel was a fun quick read. I wish the romances and relationships we more developed- it all was so abrupt and so much was unanswered. I truly enjoyed the scenes of hauntings.

This is a Gothic romance—a re-imagining of <i>Jane Eyre</i> in the deserts of Ethiopia—that captures the restless horror of an exorcism of a house and its occupants. Andromeda is a debtera, a person licensed to cleanse the Evil Eye from houses. However, she is unlicensed and this leads her to accept a job above her skillset, where manifestations lurk every corner. As she delves further into the house and its evil, Andromeda realizes that she is cleansing the house for personal reasons and putting her heart and life at risk.

"Within These Wicked Walls" balances suspense against romance and creates a compelling narrative in Andromeda as she strikes out on her own for the first time. Her sharp wit and prowess will captivate and keep you reading late into the night as she combats the house and her heart.

I loved this book! I loved the characters. Andromeda is someone that cleans spaces and houses from evil spirits. She enters this big mansion where there is definitly a lot of them and takes the job to cleanse it from all of it. It turns out that this chore is easier said than done. I found myself laughing in multiple occasions reading it.
The only thing from this novel that I found was lacking is despcriptions. I did not know what the main character looked like, I had trouble imagining the world this story . It felt like a realistic setting... but with spirits and amulaets ad many other details that sounded like things that could appear in a fantasy novel... It was missing a lot of world building , but other than that, it was an entertaining read

Ethiopian-influenced, fantasy retelling of Jane Eyre (with a smidge of Beauty and the Beast). Writing is a bit uneven (pace was fantastic at the beginning but really slowed down towards the latter half, some anachronistic terms e.g. “trash human”, we’re ill-laced) but overall an enjoyable, creepy read that I’ll happily recommend to my teen patrons (and the teachers at the local high schools).

NOTE FOR PUBLISHER: In addition to links below, I shared on my Instagram stories on April 15 and May 9, (so far.)

REVIEW

Demon-hunting, OH YEAH. Put this on your pre-order list and count down till November 2021.
Billed as an Ethiopian-inspired Jane Eyre retelling, I can’t say there’s much Jane Eyre beyond a nominal Mr. Rochester and a pretty neighbor that flirts with him. But this is not a bad thing – the story and the worldbuilding are both great!
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Andromeda, or Andi, comes to a big house to clear away an infestation the Evil Eye. She definitely has to get the job since she is unlicensed and has no money. The infestation turns out to be bigger than she expects.
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The cast of characters includes Magnus Rochester, gruff and mysterious owner of the house; servants who disappear one by one; Magnus’ solicitor and his pretty daughter (see above); a silent woman whose backstory gets more and more interesting; and Andi’s mentor.
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Andi fights the spirits in the house by creating amulets: silver disks carved and wound with thread. They are specific to the particular infestation and so often have to be carved in the moment, while holding off the evil. Cheers to unique way of demon fighting and the power of art.
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In a close third behind the evil-house plot and Magnus-hearteyes plot comes the sub plot about the complicated relationship Andi has with her mentor, the only person she had in her life. He saved her as a child, treated her like shit, housed and clothed and fed her, trained her thoroughly, and threw her out. Like I said, complicated.
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Their relationship grows and changes, and I liked how Blackwood brought him into three-dimensional life. There was a pivot that happened too quickly for my taste, but this is a minor thing in a well-crafted book.
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I fell right into this book and the world. Definitely check this out!!
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Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC of #WithinTheseWickedWalls by #LaurenBlackwood. Thoughts are my own.

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This is an Ethiopian inspired story that has a very Jane Eyre feel to it. I really enjoy Gothic stories and Jane Eyre is one of my favorite classics. There was a lot of horror moments (exorcisms and haunted houses...duh!) and I thought they were very effective, though I'm a wuss when it comes to scary things. I will say that I was not really a fan of the insta-love two characters had, but overall this was a solid story. I would definitely recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this novel before its release. Within These Wicked Walls is a fast-paced romantic horror that explores religion, social class and what family truly means. I found this story to read like a debut, which is not bad, but it left more to be desired. The romantic element of this story relies on the insta-love trope and it would have been more intriguing to see a slower build of the relationship between Andromeda and the love interest. The horror elements of this novel were graphic and held a magical element that makes for a brilliant concept but was not executed to its fullest potential. The ending of this story was fair and fitting. Ultimately this book could have been an outline to a more fleshed out story. I did enjoy this story to a degree, but wish it delved deeper and expanded wider to create a more tangible setting, more robust characters, and a gripping plot.

I really wanted to like this one but it was really hard for me to be immersed by it.

In the beginning we are introduced to Andromeda who has been hired to exorcise a castle in the desert. She isn’t licensed like the others but has done well for herself when it comes to finding work. Andromeda does have an interesting background story but it does take awhile to learn any information about it or why she is no longer working for the one who taught her the trade. She does have issues when it comes to love and for that reason I feel like the relationship was quick but also never made sense to me. To me, she was just an average character.

Most characters have very minimal parts besides her instructor Jember. He was the most interesting and complex character out of the bunch.

The setting was intriguing and probably the best part of the book. It had it’s creepy moments. I will say that a lot of the worldbuilding felt meh and I don’t feel like I ever understood her job as a debtera that well since the magic behind it was never explained. Andromeda just did her work and that was that. I don’t even really understand the curse of the house either.

As for the retelling aspect, I tried reading Jane Eyre once and couldn’t get into it. I can’t compare the two but I would assume like most retellings the author added her own to it to make it unique from the original.

Overall, this was okay. I was just really expecting more but nothing really jumped out at me and it was hard to stay engaged.

It’s not often that a fantasy novel will turn my head. That’s not to say that the genre isn’t filled with beautiful literature; rather, it’s just not typically a reading space where I spend a lot of my time. ‘Within These Wicked Walls’ is the type of story that makes me reevaluate this propensity, and provides a wonderfully wicked twist to the story of ‘Jane Eyre’. (And is thankfully devoid of a woman being held captive in the attic.)

Set in this world, but with magical elements, the story follows Andromeda, an exorcist (debtera) hired to cleanse households of the Evil Eye. But when she starts having feelings for her patron, Magnus Rochester, circumstances become infinitely more complicated.

One of the things this book does effectively is to immerse the reader into a magical world without bogging too much of the narrative down with over-explication. Those familiar with ‘Jane Eyre’ will no doubt identify some similarities between the original story and this iteration, but author Lauren Blackwood takes the source material and brilliantly modifies it for her purposes and makes it entirely her own.

This novel deftly explores the ideas of love and found family, and I thoroughly enjoyed the ways that Blackwood infuses emotion and angst into the story. I’d say these two elements are amongst the strongest in the narrative, and both pack quite the emotional punch.

If you’re looking for a read that is fantastical, slightly spooky, and steeped in emotion, ‘Within These Wicked Walls’ is the book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Sometimes you come across a book you know nothing about, drawn to its gorgeous cover. You say a quick prayer before you read the description, hoping the story will be captivating as the cover. With hope, you read the description and are enticed by the premise. Then, too often, you're met with crushing disappointment when you finally dive into the pages. …but I am beyond delighted to report this was not the case with Lauren Blackwood's WITHIN THESE WICKED WALLS. The story is as compelling as its gorgeous cover and the description delivers on its promise of a dark, magical, and romantic adventure.

Blackwood's retelling of JANE EYRE is everything you hope a retelling to be--all while delivering so much more. Blackwood's riveting tale of a cursed castle in desperate need of an exorcist breathes new life into a classic piece of literature in such a way that the story also reclaims and creates narrative space. Most of all, this novel is just a great example of good storytelling. The prose is vivid. The pacing is steady. The story has a beautiful arc. The main character is deeply empathetic. You will grow fond and protective of Andromeda, become endeared by the eccentric Magnus, and weep for Jember and Saba.

4.5 stars!

Andromeda is a compelling and resilient character. Within These Wicked Walls has plenty of mystery, gore, and flirty banter for readers that enjoy a bit of horror with their romance. This book would be perfect for those that loved Mexican Gothic.

When I first looked up what this book was about the description included that it was Ethiopian inspired and that it was a retelling of Jane Eyre. The Ethiopian inspiration and desert setting is the perfect backdrop for the massive and spooky mansion and the brooding, spoiled Magnus. Andromeda who takes on the impossible job of cleansing the house of the evil eye has to find a way to rid the house of all of the evil spirits before they kill her and everyone around her. Adromeda, who was stolen from a brothel as a little girl and raised by a debtera (Jember), takes on the challenge because she really has no other choice. Growing up in a dank and dusty cellar of a church, given no affection and taught only survival skills is very much the opposite of the privilege and indulgence that Magnus grows up with.

When she is kicked out on her own, she leaves with only her ability to survive, a few meagre supplies, and the inability to trust anyone. The inevitable romance between these two is no surprise and the fact that they are total opposites, only makes the love story more interesting. The mystery that surrounds both of their backgrounds keeps the reader guessing and allows for some really great character development. There is a lot of stuff to talk about in this story, the creepiness of the house (it actually bleeds), the setting in the heat of desert but a house that is impossible to warm, characters that are tragically flawed, and a setting affected by colonization.

My favorite part of the novel is the resilience of Adromeda, a character who with her background should be bitter and angry but she continues to be hopeful and loving. "Jember taught me to live by good survival habits. One of mine is well-placed optimism. If I look at all the bad in my life along with the good, the bad would bury the good in a landslide. My spirit, my will to live, would shrivel and die. So, instead, I choose to be thankful for little good I have. And I choose to hope."

So if you are looking for a gothic, mystery, romance, fantasy, with enough creepiness to keep you looking over your shoulder, this may be the book for you.

Blackwood has created a heroine in Andromeda, an orphan like Jane Eyre, but who has greater agency to influence her survival. Blackwood never specifies the novel’s setting, but the names and vocabulary suggest an Ethiopian or similar East African country. For example, Blackwood describes the characters eating injera, which is an African fermented flatbread. The setting adds to the mystery and establishes the societal differences between Andromeda and Magnus as he is part of the land-owning class and she needs a patron to support her work.
Blackwood understands fully the power of the horror genre, and her creepy descriptions of the Evil Eye’s powers are chilling. Andromeda must defeat the Evil Eye so that it does not kill anyone else, especially Magnus. Blackwood writes, “The house was holding victims hostage, but I had a feeling there weren’t going to be any happy reunions after the Evil Eye was cleansed. The house was consuming them. Sucking the corpses dry and—my God—regurgitating the victims’ blood?” Entire rooms bleed when the evil threatens, which warns Andromeda to create amulets that will cleanse the house and stop the evil from killing anyone else. The house and the Evil Eye are sinister evils to defeat, and Andromeda’s magical ability to protect Magnus transforms a classic tale of love into a fantasy romance.
I enjoyed the suspense and mystery of the curse and how Andromeda battles evil. Blackwood successfully keeps the reader engaged with the plot. However, the romance was a bit cheesy at times. Overall, I admired this book because Blackwood has created a heroine who is a powerful, Black woman and the heroine of her own story. Andromeda doesn’t need anyone to save her; she herself is the agent of change and hope.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday books for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of the best books I have read this year. The character and world building were amazing.

Goodness, this book has left me inarticulate! Wow! That's it! I really can't think of anything else to say. While I felt a lot of second-hand embarrassment on the behalf of one specific character, it was worth the personal relationships it developed. I don't know if this is based on actual Ethiopian beliefs or a fictional world that Blackwood completely created, but it's amazing and I can't stop thinking about how this book would be amazing adapted into a movie!