This was most definitely one of the best books I read in 2021. I have never read Jane Eyre so I cannot remark on how Blackwood retold the tale. However, the book surprised me with its Victorian Gothic vibes. Readers are immediately drawn into the story as Andi is tasked with ridding an estate of the Evil Eye. I am shocked that this book is a debut as it reads as if Blackwood has perfected her writing craft already. The writing was truly remarkable, being able to engage readers with only a glance from a character. The romance was unexpected but absolutely lovely, balancing out the dark, tense plot with some hope. I am so excited to read whatever Blackwood writes next!

This one was a bit disappointing. I think I was expecting something with a faster pace, but it read slow.

This title wasn't for me. I have tried for months to read it, and I can see the merit and quality contained within its pages, but I had to pick up and put down this a lot.
Blackwood has created a descriptive and well-written world full of religious questions, the supernatural, and characters seeking love and acceptance. Fans of gothic romance will and do love this, and I can see why even if it is not a book I will seek out reading again in the future.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Overall Rating: 4 Stars

“I think I could’ve survived on that laughter alone, if surviving in this world didn’t require money.”

Within These Wicked Walls is a gorgeous, gothic fantasy reimagining of the classic novel Jane Eyre set in Ethiopia that will draw you in and keep you on your toes. It follows our main character Andromeda, an exorcist who is hired by a rich, handsome man named Magnus Rochester to cleanse his mansion of the evil eye.

Right, when I heard the premise of this, I was immediately interested, and I’m so glad that I finally picked it up. Though I can’t say much about how true it stayed to the story of Jane Eyre I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. The fantasy elements were so refreshing and unique and I loved the setting of this “haunted mansion”. The whole idea of the curses was so creepy and interesting. Honestly, I think if a book is set in an old victorian mansion I’ll automatically love it even more.

I really loved all of the characters and their relationships, especially the one between Andromeda and Magnus. Andromeda was a very smart and optimistic individual and I found that she and Magnus balanced each other out quite well. The banter between these two was one of my favourite things about the whole book. Seriously it was so good. I’m always here for some good banter. The side characters were also enjoyable to read about and I especially loved the development of Kelela and her friendship with Andromeda.

Overall, I had so much fun reading this and I definitely recommend it to anyone who’s a fan of gothic fantasy!!

Content Warnings: Blood/gore, death, disturbing imagery, body horror, physical/emotional abuse from a parental figure, spiders, references to suicide/suicidal ideation.

This book was a solid debut - I’ll be interested in seeing how Blackwood continues to develop as a writer. That said, the pacing was rushed - when did Andi go from wanting to do physical damage to Magnus to being in love with him? I don’t know and neither does she. The Jember stuff was infuriating - the easy forgiveness of an abusive parent is just. Bad. But I think Blackwood has some good ideas!

This was one of my favorite books of 2021. A modern horror adaptation of Jane Eyre set in Ethiopia, this book is full of magic, true love, found family, and bloody monsters. Like the original Jane Eyre, I'm not sure how I feel about the romantic relationship of the main characters, but there is something lovable in Magnus' erratic selfishness, and Andromeda is a powerhouse. I will definitely recommend this to our school library and to my students.

I absolutely loved this book and had a hard time putting it down because the story was so compelling and well written. I will admit it didn’t really scream Jane Eyre to me, but as a creepy story with exorcising creepy manifestations in a haunted house with a side of love story it worked fo me. The world building was excellent and the characters were interesting and compelling. Andromeda has been in training as a debtera, one who crafts talismans to banish evil spirits her whole life. She was sold to the best debtera when she was five and he is the only father she has ever known. He threw her out without completing her training but she finds a job in a haunted castle with a cursed billionaire barely a year older than her. She is being well compensated to cleanse the house, but these manifestations aren’t like any she has faced before.

This book, based on the synopsis, was going to be amazing. Sadly, the characters were not. I enjoyed the magic system. I thought the amulets were an interesting concept as they protected the wearer from harm. Debtera's (excorcists) are really cool to read about and I don't think there are a lot of books written about them. However, that's pretty much where the things I liked ended. While the chapters weren't long, they certainly felt like it. I think it had to do with the flatness of the characters. Magnus was absolutely horrible yet there was an insta-love (my least favorite YA trope) with Andromeda that just completely made me lose interest in the actual plot. The horror wasn't scary and I found myself very annoyed at every scene with both the MC and Magnus, which was just about every one. I was interested until he showed up. After he was introduced, Andromeda became inconsistent. I will say that I never read Jayne Eyre, which this book is a twist of, so I'm not sure if it was like this as well. I found myself skimming with around 50 pages left because I just wanted the book to be over.

To this day, I am still not sure about how I feel about the book. The author's writing and storytelling were wonderful. The emotion balanced well with creepiness and the eerie atmosphere. However, this was said to be a re-telling of JANE EYRE (my favorite novel of all time), and I just didn't get that from it. It was a well-crafted story, just not what I was expecting.

Within These Wicked Walls, which is set in a desert region of Ethiopia, introduces Andromeda, an unlicensed debtera, who exorcises the manifestation of the Evil Eye. When she is hired to cleanse Magnus Rochester's mansion, she leaves Jember, her mentor/father figure and moves into the mansion. Her relationship with her moody employer quickly heats up and complicates the exorcism. She loses confidence in herself when she finds out several other debtera have failed and Jember refuses to help her. It turns out he has a prior relationship to the situation and is reluctant to get involved. The fast-paced battle against the evil spirits and Magnus and Andromeda's angst-filled romance will keep readers turning pages until the dramatic final conflict.

This was amazing. The humor, the magic...everything about this book was amazing. Blackwood comes out of the gate as an incredible voice to the fantasy genre.

The book was pitched to me as a Jane Eyre with fantasy retelling and it had me stoked to read it!

However, I don't quite think it was a Jane Eyre retelling. The elements were there but it's loosely and so I think it's much more than that. The story itself is really entertaining and keeps you flipping the pages to find out what happens next!

It was gothic and beautifully written, a very promising debut and it has solidified the author as someone who's other work I look forward to reading in the future!

Overall, I would highly recommend this beautifully written book to fans of gothic and fantasy literature!

“He had no charm to speak of and all of it at once, made of unruly hair and awkward pauses and shy smiles.”
― Lauren Blackwood, Within These Wicked Walls

This was such a sweet and spooky story about believing in yourself and finding the courage to love and hope.
I really love the very unique magic system of the Evil Eye.
Our main character Andromeda has been trained all her life to exorcise and cleanse houses of dangerous curses that lurk inside and can manifest itself in different ways
After being called to a nearly impossible job by the young and quite handsome Magnus Rochester, Andromeda is determined to be successful and get her official license
However, she quickly realizes the horrors that lurk in his home and how difficult this task will truly be
With her curiosity towards Magnus and desperation for success growing, Andromeda makes the decision to stay and get the job done
Will she be successful or will the true horrors overtake them all?

Eeeeek this book! I have a very hard time with stand alones but this was such a solid one with very warm underlying themes of forgiveness, hope, perseverance, and love. It was also spooky and super unique, watching Andromeda in action was super cool and I was at the edge of my seat many times. The romance was SO swoonyyyyy… it has one of the most beautiful declarations of love I have ever read. Magnus is seriously a cinnamon roll that must be protected at all costs. He is charming and clueless and hilarious and his banter is top notch. This book has one of the best sunshine\grumpy tropes ever!
I also got emotional at one point which I loveee when books put me in my feels
Overall, this was such a great debut and I cannot wait for more from this author

This book immediately captured my attention. I cried actual real tears twice 😳
Definitely an auto buy author from now on.

Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood is a fantastic Ethiopian-inspired fantasy retelling of the classic Jane Eyre. In the novel, readers follow Andromeda, a debtera – an exorcist trained to purge households of cursed manifestations of the Evil Eye. On her own, after being abandoned by her mentor and guardian, Jember, Andromeda is recruited by Magnus Rochester to cleanse the castle he has inherited from his father. This YA novel does not hold back on the elements of gothic horror and romance in the midst of Andromeda finding her way on her own.

The Ethiopian Influence
Within These Wicked Walls extends readers’ landscape of fantasy and mythology past Greeks, Romans, wands, and staffs. The details of the magic system in the novel and its ties to religion are well-explained. Debteras are, in fact, legitimate components of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Andromeda’s natural calling to the craft allows for intimate moments that reveal its intricacies. Fittingly, these moments slow the pace of the story down, which allows the reader to get a better understanding of the world Blackwood has built; it creates tension in high-stakes, action-heavy scenes.

Within These Wicked Walls broadens the readers’ landscape of fantasy and mythology past Greeks, Romans, wands, and staffs.

Blackwood skillfully introduces the profession of the debtera by incorporating their other duties at the periphery of the narrative in a way that leaves the reader intrigued but not distracted. This choice of a magic system worked well within this “haunted house” genre, reinvigorating the standard exorcism procedure.

Bring On the Gothic Romance
Magnus Rochester, the filthy rich, spoiled, but haunted host appears in the midst of Andromeda’s cleaning of his far too large castle. Magnus delivers the snarky banter, pompous outbursts, and requests whilst having some disturbing secrets that unfold throughout the story. The chemistry between Andromeda and Magnus is undeniable and the rising stakes as mysteries unravel and the Evil Eye unleashes its wrath, make their relationship worth rooting for. When Andromeda recognizes a power imbalance between the two, Blackwood takes care to give Andromeda enough agency to look past her feelings for Magnus. The collision of their lives keeps the last third of the book intense with emotion, revelations, and sacrifice.

The Concept of Family
A major theme throughout the book is the need to feel loved. Outside of the romance, familial ties are vital to how Andromeda and Magnus, interact with each other and the world around them. Their ideas on what makes a “good parent” are often at odds with one another and believably so. It is revealed early on that Andromeda was sold by her birth parents when she was five. Her guardian, Jember, not only raised her but also trained her as a debtera. Their tumultuous relationship is littered with “tough love”, and unspoken feelings. Because Jember suffers from nerve damage, making all skin-to-skin touch unbearable, Andromeda has never experienced a true embrace until Magnus. This lack of physical affection morphed into the aforementioned “tough love” as Jember would dole out harsh lessons, brash reprimands, and often simulate dangerous situations, such as drowning, to build Andromeda’s survival skills. Blackwood really leans into the complexity of the relationship through Andromeda’s mixed feelings of both resentment and love. We see her often think about her harsh upbringing while unable to deny how much Jember provided for her. Magnus, in contrast, has no desire to empathize with his father and finds more constructive forms of love in his housemaid, Peggy. At no point does the book preach a right or wrong way for a family to exist, thus endearing us to these depictions that feel flawed but real.

The chemistry between Andromeda and Magnus is undeniable and the rising stakes as mysteries unravel and the Evil Eye unleashes its wrath, make their relationship worth rooting for.

Within These Wicker Walls includes both horror, with its threats of death, dangerous Manifestations, and surprising on-page gore, and romance in an unexpected meeting under unfortunate circumstances. Gothic is the perfect umbrella to wrap this narrative in, blending an attention-grabbing fantasy with enough mysteries to keep you turning the page. Lauren Blackwood leaves her mark on the fantasy genre with this solid debut.

I wanted to enjoy the book, but I found myself so bored and did not finish it. The pace was too slow moving for my tastes.

I am a big YA fan. I think that YA novels can be just as intense and nuanced and important as adult novels. BUT I also think it's important to judge them by their own standards. If you are a YA fantasy fan, I think you will really enjoy this book.

For me, it's not enough to just have a book starring a female character - she needs to be strong, determined, interesting, flawed, and driven. I am not a huge fan of "girl overcomes trauma" but I do like "girl has to work through some $hit." 

Within These Wicked Walls has an incredible protagonist in Andromeda. She has a complicated backstory, a flawed relationship with her father, and a chip on her shoulder. Oh yeah, she's also an exorcist. She's smart and driven and capable and you will find yourself cheering for her throughout the entire story.

This book also had some of my favorite elements: a creep factor, that combo real world/speculative fiction setting (is it the past? is it the future?), and :: tiny spoiler :: a female nemesis who turns out to be on the right side after all.

I can't forget to mention the romance between Adromeda and Magnus, the boy whose home she has come to exorcise. Honestly, it was my least favorite part of the novel. That isn't to say it was bad! I like Magnus, and I like the slow burn romance - I just didn't like it as much as Andromeda getting stuff done.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books, and the author for access to this title in exchange for my honest review.

⭐⭐⭐.5/5

Thank you to Netgally for an early ARC of this book.

This was pitched as an Ethiopean-inspired retelling of Jane Eyre, but with many a twist to the plot line. Our main character Andromeda is a debtera (someone who is trained to attune themselves with the spirit world deeper than anyone would dare to). To everyone that hires her she is simply and exorcist.

The main character definitely had Jane Eyre energy. She was orphaned at a young age, well educated, independent and outspoken to a fault and also starved for attention and affection.

Andromeda gets hired by Magnus Rochester to get rid of some very evil, very dangerous spirits inside his house. He is rich and is demanding, secretive and a bit selfish. He radiates Mr. Rochester energy.

Other than the energy our main characters radiate, there isn't a ton this book has in common with the original telling if Jane Eyre. There are so many differences between this story and Jane Eyre, and it is pretty much too many differences to see much relation to the classic tale.

I also found this book super insta-lovey. We got 25% of the way into the book when they suddenly became completely in love with each other. We only had a handful of account of them interacting.

The character growth transitions were a very weak point in my opinion. The transition from aquatances to true love was one. It felt a bit unhinged in terms of how characters developed and grew. It was more like stairs instead of a smooth ascending incline.

I did fall in love with some of the side characters though. Although Jember was overall likable, he was extremely endearing and flawed. He was a gray character that was pronounced in his imperfections, but in many ways felt I felt more understanding towards him than Andromeda and Magnus.

We also had a long time servant, Saba who is a long time servant in the house of Magnus. She was such an endearing friend to Andromeda and I loved her. For me all the side characters is what made this book for me.

The overall atmosphere of the relationship between Andromeda and Magnus was way more playful at times than the relationship between Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester. It lightened the overall atmosphere of the book and kept it from swan diving into a full out dark read.

Overall I did enjoy this book and the characters. I enjoyed the desert setting and how Andromeda has a father figure. I enjoyed the outright spookiness and the dark hauting we got from this.

Wow! This book was nothing like I was expecting, but I was fun and spooky ride! Jane Eyre is one of my all-time favorites, so when I saw this was a retelling, I was immediately interested. This loose retelling takes you on a journey of expelling manifestations/evil eye. The world building is phenomenal as was the character building; the setting is atmospheric and the hauntings definitely provide the creep factor. The relationship between Andromeda and Magnus was a slow burn that did not disappoint. Overall Lauren Blackwood did such an amazing job with this!

Loosely based on Jane Eyre, with Ethiopian inspirations, *Within These Wicked Walls* also brings to mind Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic. Andromeda (Andi) is a debtera, a healer-in-training with exorcist-type skills and responsibilities. She’s been contracted to rid Mr. Rochester’s mansion of its curse — in which walls bleed, books fly at your head, and other nasty, scary Manifestations occur courtesy of the Evil Eye. This YA fantasy novel’s plot is action-packed, but the insta love story seemed super-sappy. I was not a fan.