WITHIN THESE WICKED WALLS is YA Ethiopian hist-fantasy meets Jane Eyre, with exorcists, haunted houses, secrets and so many things you won't expect.
This book was a wild ride, nothing I've ever experienced before. In truth, it is a mix of fantasy, horror and romcom (yes, you heard that right). And the best part? It iworks!
We follow our protagonist Andromeda, a debtera (exorcist) who is hired by this young, mysterious owner of a castle in the middle of the desert, to cleanse it of the Evil Eye—a curse that make the occupants of the castle disappear, and worse.
I'm not exaggerating when I say this story is almost perfect. The author manages to blend angsty moments of terror and hilarious banter, perhaps the best I've ever read in a book. As a reader, you end up being invested in Andi's mission, caring for her and (almost, not you Peggy) all the characters. The sweet little moments I would have never expected in a story like this were just as precious, saying a lot about Andi's character even if we don't know her past. The plot got even better as the incarnation of the Evil Eye was revealed, and from there I simply couldn't put the book down.
The only regret I had was that the ending felt a bit too rushed, but other than that we get our pay-off, and overall this was an amazing reading experience.
You all aren't ready for this book! 4.5/5 stars, I strongly recommend!

Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood is an excellent book that has it all: mystery, suspense, a spooky/gothic feel, romance, and wit and banter abound. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

This novel has a relation to the classic Jane Eyre. Here we have an awesome female main character, Andromeda, that enters into a very creepy, gothic, eerie home that has a whole host of problems. Andromeda is hired by the mysterious, brooding, complex, and complicated owner of the possessed home, Magnus Rochester. Chemistry abounds. Wit and banter are perfectly added to make the relationship have a lighter/fun component to help balance out the darkness and evil that is also part of the narrative.

Are they able to work together, rid the residence of said evil, and come out alive (and together) at the end? I will let the reader enjoy the ride and find out. Let’s just say, once you start reading...you won’t want to stop.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Wednesday Books/St. Martin’s Press for this awesome arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.

I am finding this book particularly hard to review. I enjoyed it. It was a fun read and I really liked the main character. I really liked the supernatural aspect and the whole evil eye/haunted house as well. I generally love a romance as well, but this one just kind of seemed to come out of no where and I just didn't really believe it. I also was just confused by the whole backstory of the curse. Not much was mentioned about the why, although assumptions could be made. It was just confusing how the cursed was passed on from father to son and the whole network of interlaced relationships that came to be. I wanted more info on that. The more time I spend thinking about this story after finishing it, the more questions I have. My rating would be more like a 3.5 to be honest, but I'm gonna go with the 4 because I did enjoy it.

This book has great characters. I enjoyed the banter between them, but there was a lot more romance and less focus on the creepy haunted castle than I thought there would be. If you like romance with a little horror, then this is the book for you. I liked all of the characters, but Saba was my favorite.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Horrific, claustrophobic, YA fantasy version of Jane Eyre meets Exorcist and Mummy series!What a tempting, astonishing, dreamy combination of extreme fans of horror and action packed fantasy premises like me!

I have to admit this is not Jane Eyre’s retelling: the only resemblances with the classic are claustrophobic mansion/ castle premise, names and resilient, young heroine.

Story is taken place a terrifying mansion: but instead of its claustrophobic theme and the master of the name is Rochester and heroine is abandoned young woman who sharpened her survival skills to stay alive, living at the streets, there are not much common things with Jane’s story and poor Rochester’s haunted life because of his wife.

Andromeda is raised by her master Jember who never showed any sign of affection for nearly 14 years, treated her harshly to force her toughen up at the young age. She’s only 19 and she leaves her home, penniless, suffer from hunger, taking the suicide mission to cleanse household of Magnus Rochester from the Evil Eye. 10 other debteras a.k.a exorcists like her took the same job and they died or they left the place without looking back before finishing their mission.

Andromeda has nothing to lose. She needs money. She needs a place to sleep and food to help her survive. Enigmatic, quirky, spoiled but also charismatic 21 years old Magnus picks her interest at the first sight. He is everything she normally detests: he’s pretentious, privileged, sarcastic, but his charms eventually affect her and confuse the hell of her mind.

But as soon as she agrees the terms and rules of staying at the castle where everyone lives in the premises disappear out of nowhere and dangerous manifestation lurking around the corridors, attacking each human being when the clock shows ten o’clock, she realizes she doesn’t have enough experience to defeat the hyenas.

The evil existence at the castle too powerful, too threatening, too vicious to destroy by 19 years old girl who is not licensed debtera and hasn’t finished her proper education because of the conflicts with her master which resulted with her departure. Now she needs his help because if she accepts the defeat, this means Magnus will lose his life and she is not ready to let him go. She already fell too hard for him.

I honestly devoured this exciting, action packed, terrifying story which has promising, intriguing, tempting premise.

I loved Andi’s characterization. Her resilience, her survival instincts, her hunger for affection, intensity, friendship, her determination made me connect her. Magnus was charming, entertaining, a little spoiled brat who needs to be slapped a few times but I loved his snarky comments and dark sense of humor. Love story and chemistry between Andi and him was adorable.

The book’s pace was fast, whirlwind, heart throbbing and conclusion was well wrapped up as it was expected.

I was about to give four stars but I liked the unique, exciting, mind blowing story line and characterization. So I added extra half star and rounded up 4.5 stars to 5 exhilarating, riveting, nail biting, soul crushing stars!

That was one of the best YA fantasy/ thriller reads I’ve lately devoured.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Wednesday Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

Within These Wicked Walls is a is a wonderful and incredibly rich fantasy novel, so well built and fast paced that I wasn't able to put it down till I reached the end. I was absolutely captivated by the atmosphere, and the characters.

This novel submerges the reader in a landscape so imaginative and detailed that the information of the world building/plot never feels forced, and is never difficult to understand or picture in one's mind. I had an enjoyable time reading this and it held my attention the entire way through that I finished it within the day! I enjoyed every page and thought that the plot/story was very unique. Would recommend to anyone!

I was so intrigued by the synopsis for this and the buzz - it seemingly has everything that I could want in a novel; Gothic tones, Jane Eyre retelling of sorts and it's Ethiopian inspired fantasy - check, check and check! I quite enjoyed this novel and how it sprung off the source material provided within Jane Eyre but Lauren Blackwood makes it utterly her own. I liked the cultural elements which were intertwined within the story too which added extra layers to the story, with explorations of race and power, even though this wasn't the focal point of the novel. I thought the idea of the evil eye - which is a commonly held belief in many cultures and religions, worked well to add a chilling sense of horror and the 'manifestations' were pretty gruesome to read about too.

Magnus aka Mr Rochester has been reimagined too and given more of a detailed backstory and I liked him for the most part, despite there being a sort of insta love situation between him and Andromeda. They're kindred spirits in many ways and despite the aforementioned insta love, I'm a sucker for romance. This was all hushed whispers, clasped hands and clandestine confessions in a library and I'm here for it!

I thought some of the most interesting moments were between Andromeda and Jember, a gruff older man who took Andi in as a child but was withholding emotionally and taught her some harsh lessons. I think there was some great analysis here of relationships, of what family means and of trauma carrying forward.

I would definitely recommend this to readers who enjoy retellings of classics + specifically fans of Gothic horror or romance. Eery, atmospheric and haunting are three words that come to mind.

So this book had me at the get go before I even read the first word. According to Goodreads: An “Ethiopian-inspired debut fantasy retelling of Jane Eyre.” Fantasy? yes! Jane Eyre? triple yes! (my favorite classic novel.) Ethiopian- inspired? yes (a chance to learn about a land and culture I don’t know too much about.) Gothic horror? YES! (my new favorite genre.)

I loved this story. It was a 5 star read for me. The story was well written and witty. It was perfectly paced and kept me interested throughout the entire book. This is one that you could read in one sitting, it is that good. The characters are very realistic and multidimensional, showing different aspects to their personalities. Magnus could be immature, a tad sappy, and had annoying “little” nicknames for Andromeda, but he was a complicated and complex character and I loved him. Andromeda was wonderful! I adored her honest candor and straightforwardness.

I also love when a book gets me wanting to learn more about a topic discussed in the book. I found learning about the Debterat of the Ethiopian Churches fascinating. I read up on the subject afterwards to learn more about them.

I personally would not call this a retelling of Jane Eyre. It’s been too long since I have read Jane Eyre, so I don’t know if any of the quotes from Jane were used in this book. There is definitely a nod to Jane Eyre, but if Magnus’s last name wasn’t Rochester, and if the castle wasn’t called Thornfield that one and only time, I wouldn’t have even seen a connection. One of the hauntings did send Andi a message by circling a passage in the novel Jane Eyre. But otherwise, besides both being Gothic love stories, I thought them to be very different stories.

It wasn’t too dark, but it was definitely suspenseful, and it had a haunting feel. It was a love story, but not just in romantic love, but in the recognition of the love between a parent and a child whose relationship had been complicated. The story was beautiful!

This book was fantastic! It is a story that not only teens would love, but many adults who enjoy the gothic genre would as well. I highly recommend this well written, intriguing book.

It was creepy, it was mysterious, it was different, it was swoony... There are a lot of things to like about this book. However, I struggled with her relationship with her "father" Jember. He wasn't a ogre with a heart of gold, he was abusive. He totally crossed the line, and I didn't understand why she loved him.

The author did a great job with the world building as I could picture this horrible mansion, and I could picture her little hovel of a home and I had a great visualization of the characters.

I want to thank the author, the publisher and #netgalley for the ARC which did not impact my review.

I had high expectations, but was a little disappointed. This was a highly anticipated release. Jane Eyre spin set in an Ethiopian fantasy? I couldn’t wait to request an ARC sooner.

The first half dragged for me. The characters felt one dimensional and I wish we got more world-building. I wanted more between Andi and Jember. I wanted to read about a past experience. Why did she stay with him? Why did he throw her out? This half was a 2.5 ⭐️ for me.

It picked up about 47% in and I started to enjoy it a bit. The banter between Andromeda and Magnus was the highlight for me. Also wish we had more tension between them because it felt a bit insta to me. I wanted to know more about Magnus’s past to understand the curse a bit more and also how his mother came to know a certain character. When did that happen?

The ending felt rushed to me. It need a bit more especially in that epilogue. I wanted to know where the characters were going; what was going to happen to them next.

Still, this last half is a solid 3 ⭐️

Trigger Warnings*: abandonment, blood (bleeding walls, injury), child abuse (parental figure beats the MC), gore (dismemberment), murder, slavery (mentioned that the mc's parents sold her to a brothel), toxic parent/child relationship

*This is not an exhaustive list. These are just the triggers I have picked up on, and I have done my best to describe them as accurately as possible. But do not that there may be others, so read with caution.

Within These Wicked Walls follows protagonist Andromeda and her aim to achieve patronage by cleansing Magnus Rochester and his castle from the Evil Eye. I want to start of by saying that I really enjoyed the Gothic element of the book, and think it was quite well done. From the instant Andromeda stepped inside the castle, and described it's mismatched, chaotic decoration and how it was freezing cold compared to the scorching heat of the desert, I was able to form a picture of the setting. It was very tangible, and immediately set the Gothic scene. The further descriptions of the house, and the manifestations such as the blood dripping from the walls, the random snowy hallway, and the nasty Librarian created that otherworldly and creepy feeling.

However, I think I expected this to be a bit creepier than it was. But I do think that could largely be due to my expectations of genre (very limited, but what I've read has been creepy) and because of the audience - YA. Since this is written for a specific age group, which I'm not in, I have to take that in to consideration when making my judgement. With that said though, I do wish we got to see more of the House and all the things going on because it often felt like many different books - the romance plot with Andromeda & Magnus, Andromeda vs the House, and Andromeda vs Jember. All these elements were great, but I think the book struggled to balance them.

Regarding Andromeda and Magnus, I thought they had a complicated relationship with great banter. It did feel a bit insta-lovey, and as another character stated on in the book, it seemed as if Andromeda fell for the first person who reciprocated her love. Now, I do think that Magnus and Andromeda were drawn to each other because they were able to relate to each others loneliness. So, I do wish there was a bit more exploration in their relationship, but overall I did like it.

Jember and Andi was a complicated one for me because of how he raised her. I found it difficult when Andromeda admitted to herself that she knows he treated her wrong, but that he essentially did it out of love and to teach her to survive (which he later echoes). She forgives him for his treatment of her because it made her stronger. I'm not sure how to write about this other than to say their relationship is extremely complex and we do see how his behaviour gave Andromeda trauma and explains why she acts the way she does. But I do not think Jember should be excused because he suffered from chronic pain, nor because he wanted to give her 'survival skills' and I'm glad Magnus acted as the voice to tell Andi that 'he was abusive to you'. There is just ultimately a LOT of layers to this relationship and Andromeda's feelings about it.

I also struggled with the setting of this book in terms of time. When was this set? This is not incredibly important, but I did find like I was missing a lot of detail because of it, especially when Andromeda left the chaotic confines of the castle.

Ultimately, this was a decent book with some Gothic vibes and tension, and an interesting protagonist. But sadly I did not love it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is very loosely based on Jane Eyre, with an innocent young woman entering a gloomy castle called Thornfield owned by a man named Rochester, mixed in with Ethiopian Christian elements and magical elements. It's billed as a YA romance/horror, but the romance didn't work for me. It's pretty much instalove with no grounding in the relationship, and they seem entirely mismatched--Andromeda is more world-weary and feels much older than she is, and Magnus is a "brat" as Andi calls him and acts like a spoiled rich boy a lot of the time. Andi deserved someone more mature. The tone of their relationship is off as well--they banter a lot, like rom-com couples, but there are serious issues going on around them, and the Gothic horror vibe to the rest of the story makes this banter feel wildly out of place.

I wish the story had been more grounded in sense of place and time. I wasn't sure when it took place and wouldn't have known where if not from the blurb and from some cursory research about debteras. I also wanted more world-building around the magic systems and its relationship to religion--the religious aspect of the debteras' work is unclear to me.

Blackwood creates sympathetic characters in the women, especially Andi and Saba, and writes beautifully, but this fell flat for me, unfortunately.

I don’t have enough good things to say about this book. I had previously never been a huge Jane Eyre fan so I was unsure how I’d like a retelling but this story was so unique and beautiful! I loved learning about the debtera and watching the relationships within this book as there were many different types. We had the love of friendship with Saba, the conflicting relationship with Jember and first love with Magnus.

My favorite part of this whole book has to be Magnus. He was such a cinnamon roll and I’m going to say brat too, but in the most endearing way possible. His indignation at ridiculously small things was precious and his affection for Andi was so sweet. Saba was a close second with her enduring friendship and constant dealing with the brat owner of the house and panicky debtera. She was a no-nonsense character and I adored her.

The creepy factors of this book was so very well done. It was just enough to get me creeped out while also not taking away from the bonds within the book. I will say I was conflicted with her bond with Jember just because of the harsh way he raised her and how she was so starved for love she even admitted to being okay with any form of touch, even a slap, to receive love. But after finishing the book I was content with how the relationship played out.

P.S. I don’t know if it was intentional, but I feel like there was a Pride and Prejudice reference in here with Magnus joking to Andi about her trying to intimidate him while she watched him play the harpsichord. I really hope it was a reference because I got a lot of enjoyment out of that!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

A Jane Eyre-inspired story set in Ethiopia with magic and horror? Absolutely. Sign me up! That's what I loved most about this story – the worldbuilding, the magic, the Jane Eyre-like atmosphere. The writing was stellar and I was hooked from the very beginning. I literally sat in one place for a few hours until I finished it.

Andromeda is exactly the type of protagonist that I like – tough, wary to trust, whip-smart, and with a dry/sarcastic sense of humor. What I didn't love was that it all seemed to go away when she started liking Magnus – found that to be a bit unreasonable that fourteen plus years of trauma disappeared over the course of the novel (about a month).

If the romance hadn't been so instalove and a bit more believable, I would have given this book 5 stars. It was literally the only part that I didn't like. They were kissing already in the first third of the novel. And Magnus dropping that he was setting up a wedding without asking her first? No thank you. Andromeda girl, you can do better.

Overall: 3.5 stars.

I came for the horror and I stayed for the romance. What a ride this book was, let me tell you.

This book was set in a haunted mansion and had the most chilling atmosphere ever. I was fascinated by the concept of debteras and the world building seemed really well developed.

What stuck with me the most after finishing this novel were its lovable characters and the heart wrenching romance between our two main characters.

Definitely worth a read if you’re a fan of atmospheric horror, gothic romances and Jane Eyre!

(A big thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this wonderful book!)

This story was amazing I couldn't stop reading it and ended up finishing it under 7 hours. The story follows Andromeda who is a debtera or an exorcist that is hired to cleanse the castle of Magnus. The banter between them was humorous and flirty which had me pausing to collect myself. Andromeda was a beautifully written strong Black female character that I just fell in love with. This easily became one of my favorite stories and I cannot wait for everyone to get a hold of this one.

*3.5 stars
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Wednesday books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Jane Eyre is one of my favorite classics, so once I saw that this was a Jane Eyre retelling, I was immediately sold! I had so much fun reading and spotting all of the callbacks to the original novel, and I fully believe this book did the story justice.

I adored the main character, Andromeda. She's a young girl just trying to survive, and I found myself immediately rooting for her. Mr. Rochester is certainly more likeable in this book than in the original novel, but I ultimately found the romance to be a little rushed. That's definitely more personal preference, however, considering the romance in Jane Eyre is also very rushed.

I found the plot to be a little slow to start, but by the halfway point I was hooked and wanted to keep reading to unravel the mystery. This is definitely a YA fantasy that I think should be on everyone's radar.

Atmospheric, Romantic and Immersive

The quality of this book is extraordinary, particularly for a debut. I loved Jane Eyre and have read it several times, and it’s extremely rare to find a book that captures that same unearthly-within-everyday life atmosphere so naturally. The reader falls into it immediately.

The magic system is so creative and unique, a combination of spirits, curses and amulets. It draws on sources as diverse as classical mythology, African/black culture and Christian theology with other elements that are universal across cultures. Similarly, the characters are diverse in a way that mixes a range of human skin tones with unearthly elements, such as brown skin blending in a complementary way with blue hair. As a black woman myself, it is affirming and restoring to inhabit the main character, Andromeda, and enter a world where diversity exists but is not the point of the narrative. Andromeda contains galaxies and so does this book. The visual descriptions are vivid and wondrous. The house contains endless landscapes within it thanks to a multitude of Manifestations juxtaposed with mundane details such as scarred wood and peeling paint.

The writing is stellar and really breathtaking in its ability to combine economy and beauty. The heroine, a young girl who is trying to survive on her own, is instantly sympathetic and you begin rooting for her right away. We see through her eyes and make discoveries as she does, and you can feel it all as it happens. Her character is complex, initially revealed in hints that eventually lead to revelations. The character building in general is excellent and we quickly feel the essence of each person and of the mysterious house itself. The interaction between her and the enigmatic man of the house is romantic in the purest sense in the world, and it’s hugely enjoyable to watch their relationship unfold.

This is a book best experienced without knowing much about it, so it is difficult to describe. Everyone should have the joy of falling into it and discovering its wonders. I recommend it highly and this author is now an automatic “must buy” for me. I hope we won’t have to wait long for her next book!

I was a little bit wary and a bit excited to read this retelling of Jane Eyre, but I have to say I enjoyed it. Andromeda is still a strong woman, Magnus (Rochester) is still a bit weird and moody, and all in all it was fun. I loved learning about Ethiopian culture a little through it and will likely read other things by this author.

Book Review for Within These Wicked Walls
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