Within These Wicked Walls can best be described as a young adult horror fantasy novel. Horror is not usually a genre that I pick up, but I was intrigued by the description of an Ethiopian-inspired fantasy retelling of Jane Eyre, and this book delivered on that. Overall, I enjoyed this read.

Andromeda, the main character, is a debtera, a person trained as an exorcist and hired to cleanse households from spirits and the Evil Eye. When she’s hired by a young heir in a castle, she’s quickly thrown into a job like nothing she’s ever seen. There’s horrifying manifestations throughout the building, and it’s clear that from the beginning that she’s not getting the whole story from everyone in the castle. As she sets of to cleanse the castle of the Evil Eye, she’s faced with the hardest challenge of her young life, and the cost of failure may be death.

The story takes place in a castle, and the gothic, haunting vibes were present from the first time we see the castle. The story had its creepy moments, but I wouldn’t call it too heavy on the horror. Personally, I loved the magical system that developed in the story, and I enjoyed the relationships between the characters, both in the platonic and romantic sense. The people living in the castle are some of the highlights of the story for me, and it was enjoyable seeing them interact with Andi as she sets about trying to save them all.

I didn’t immediately feel that this was a Jane Eyre retelling as I was reading it (and it’s been a long time since I’ve read Jane Eyre myself), but I wasn’t looking for a very accurate retelling in the story. The world and premise were enough to draw me in, and this is the perfect atmospheric read for autumn.

Warning: This book discusses some sensitive topics that may be triggering for some readers including blood, violence, gore, death, and murder.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Since Jane Eyre is one of my favorite classics, I was intrigued but ultimately disappointed by this reimagining. I know, objectively speaking, there’s nothing inherently wrong with an adaptation whose roots in the original are barely recognizable … but this was so unlike Jane Eyre — completely different plots, completely different character names, arguably very different moods — that I felt baited and misled by the marketing.

Setting all that aside, unfortunately I couldn’t get into this book on its own merits either. The fantasy elements felt disjointed, leaving me confused as to how it all fit together and how it affected the story. The drama felt one-sided and overexaggerated in many scenes. The romance, one of the pillars of Jane Eyre’s appeal, wasn’t particularly compelling either: the chosen terms of endearment were more awkward than endearing, banter seemed to take the place of much-needed relationship building, and I just wasn’t convinced that there was actual chemistry between the Jane and Rochester analogues.

within these wicked walls is an intriguing ethopian inspired gothic fantasy debut. with the backdrop of an imposing, mansion cold and scary on the inside, is brought to life with the spooky descriptions. this definitely didn't miss on the horror part!

my main complaint is the insta love. sure magnus has a sad backstory along with being tied to haunting events and the mansion but i would've liked this a lot if andromeda and magnus were given some time before jumping into the attraction, which was a main aspect of the story. but overall a good book and easy read!

Touted as a fantasy reimagining of Jane Eyre, Within These Wicked Walls in truth bears little resemblance to the classic, but it does have its own merits to speak of.

Andromeda, or Andi, is a fierce protagonist. Raised by a strict disciplinarian in stark poverty, Andi also benefited from training with the only debtera in recent history to ever vanquish an Evil Eye and live to tell the tale. It was clear from early in her childhood that she had an uncommon talent for building amulets - a skill few even begin to practice until the age of 16. But now, having barely reached adulthood, Andi finds herself alone and living on the streets, without a debtera license, and desperate for any work that may come her way.

Magnus is an equally desperate fool, but a rich one after inheriting his father's chocolate empire. Having gone through ten debtera before Andi, he has now exhausted nearly all other options and needs to find someone as desperate for his patronage as he is to have the evil Manifestations expelled from his creepy castle. Otherwise, he is doomed to repeat being drowned alive in a room of blood or watching his house guests get devoured by hyenas. And while Andi was raised to ignore even the slightest burgeoning affection or desire, there is something irresistible about this man, his easy banter, and the deference he shows to her despite being her employer. They both allow themselves to start wondering what their future may hold...if only they can make it out of the house alive.

Overall, I struggled to figure this book out. I couldn't tell if the author intended a deeper allegory at play or if the story should be taken at face value. Regardless, the portrayal of Andi and Jember and their relationship left me thoroughly uncomfortable. It's one thing to love people despite their flaws, in the way that all people are flawed. It's another entirely to excuse abuse and even glorify abusers in the name of having suffered oneself. The idea that the only way to adequately prepare children for a harsh world is discipline and deprivation is a fiction that perpetuates true vulnerability of young girls entering adulthood. Maybe Magnus is really a great guy, or maybe Andi was just raised to fall for the first man who showed her a hint of respect and affection - that's truly dangerous, and it's a direct result of the way Jember raised her; it's not a relationship I could root for, and it ruined this story for me. Perhaps others can look past that in a different way. Regardless, my thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the review copy.

Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood is an engaging, fresh Gothic thriller that recasts the story of Jane Eyre into an Ethiopian YA context. Readers follow the journey of Andromeda to claim her role as a debtera - no matter the cost.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

my quest to get through old Netgalley arcs before 2021 has begun~
I had no idea this was a Jane Eyre retelling so once I found that out I went into it with lower expectations. That being said, it still wasn’t bad but nothing memorable unfortunately. I thought this would focus more on the fantasy but there was a lot of romance and it was insta-love. I don’t know even know what Andi saw in Magnus. He was a spoiled brat and I feel like their romance was forced so I didn’t care for that. Overall, a solid book that was also a quick read. Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy.

This was an exciting debut marketed as an "Ethiopian-inspired retelling of Jane Eyre." I have yet to read Jane Eyre, so I cannot properly compare the two stories. At first, I wasn't sure if this book was going to keep my interest, but I was pleasantly surprised that it did. I was quite impressed by this story. It was very atmospheric, creepy, had great character development and plot.

I DNF’d this book pretty early on. The premise sounded like something I would enjoy, but I was finding it hard to make myself read this book. I definitely think it’s me not the book though. I need to stop requesting YA books because I rarely enjoy them.

I’m a fan of Jane Eyre in a big way and I was one of those people who read it as a teen and like came out digging Rochester and jane and then had to deal with everyone I know ragging on me about it for the last 10 years. Yes Rochester is weird but he’s not nearly as weird as freaking Heathcliffe and I see way more people unironically swooning over him. Frustratingly enough, every time in the last 5 years when I’ve come across a Jane Eyre retelling I feel like the maker of the retelling is further mocking me and a couple of them have devoted a bit of time to basically calling Rochester a creepy old dude and tearing Jane and Rochester down. All of this has been very very frustrating. It’s left me with a bad taste in my mouth and throwing my hands in the air saying WHY ARE YOU DOING ADAPTING JANE EYRE IF YOU DON’T LIKE THE ORIGINAL AND ARE MAKING FUN OF THE FANS? But oh well, I digress. I was very close to just washing my hands of all interpretations of Jane Eyre altogether and sticking with the original when I heard about Within These Wicked Walls from a friend of mine who knows of my love of Jane Eyre and Rochester and my disappointments in the past. She was careful to say that this was not a strict retelling and took many creative liberties, but given how I’d been burned in the past, this was a perk, not a detractor, Honestly, I find it more refreshing when the spirit and the idea and some of the threads and beats from the original are there in a new spirit and form than a carbon copy with the same names and setting.
I feel like this is where Within These Wicked Walls shone the most. While Jane Eyre certainly had supremely Gothic vibes and ghostly nods, WTWW took it all several steps farther, creepier in terms of mood and plot, and then, in terms of location, all the way to Ethiopia and out of England altogether. I think that was genius. Given this was Blackwood’s debut, this gave her a chance to draw people in with the hook of a Jane Eyre inspiration and then dazzle us with the changes and the execution by showing off her style. I really enjoyed the choices she made as far as the haunting and the setting and ages and just everything. She nailed the atmosphere. I also enjoyed the way she laid out the story, how she’d introduce Andromeda and the manor and the characters and various dynamics and slowly get us comfortable with the dynamics of things and all the while slowly dialing up the creep factor in the background without me noticing it. Until a character would point something out or reveal something and I’d just be goggling at the page and going WAIT WHAT? OH GOD, THAT’S CREEPY. AND OH MY GOD THAT’S JUST BEEN LURKING AND BUILDING THIS WHOLE TIME.
So on one hand -shakes and shudders in the creeps- on the other let’s slow clap it out for Lauren on the great subtle build and delivery. Horror and the creeps are not normally my thing and I had a few moments reading this that horrified my but it was the frame of the story and the heart: Andromeda that kept me going. Also, credit where credit is due, I was satisfied with the adaptation of Rochester and Jane for the romance because yeah, this was better. And it managed to be better and less problematic without completely slamming the original which I appreciated. I’d had a hot moment at the beginning where I was afraid that we were gonna be going with Esjay and Andromeda instead but I was glad to be wrong. That being said, Magnus and Andi could be a little melodramatic at times but like…they’re teenagers in a high emotion and difficult situation, and also…just look at Jane Eyre. If they weren’t a little melodramatic it just wouldn’t be right.
Overall, Within These Wicked Walls was an incredibly strong debut. Creepy and atmospheric as hell but also very well executed and so very thoroughly and enjoyably its own creature while still making this classing Jane Eyre fan very happy. So two very big thumbs up and a read with a night light on from me!

( The Author Reached Out To Me ) And I Was So Happy And I Am Beyond Grateful Because This Book Is Worth Reading

3.5 stars. Within These Wicked Walls is described as an Ethiopian-inspired retelling of Jane Eyre. Andromeda is a debtera desperate to prove her skills at exorcising the Evil Eye, but she finds a more sinister challenge than she bargained for when she agrees to cleanse Magnus Rochester’s manor. The magic system, inspired by Ethiopian practices and folklore, was fascinating, and the desert is such a unique setting for a gothic tale. However, while the book has a creepy gothic atmosphere (including some downright chilling, gory scenes) and the story clearly takes some inspiration from Jane Eyre, the story didn’t live up to my expectations for a retelling.

This book is full of strong characters with complicated pasts. The strongest moments of the story explored Andromeda’s relationship with her father figure Jember, as well as Saba. However, The central romance was disappointing. I didn’t particularly like Magnus as a character, and I didn’t understand what Andromeda saw in him, although they did have some entertaining banter and emotional moments.

I just think this book could’ve used a little bit more. At only 336 pages, this fantasy could’ve used a bit more development of the world, romance, and side characters to be a truly effective standalone. However, the writing was very good, and I would pick up future books by this author.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance review copy.

Beautiful, very atmospheric read. A great mix of scary ( the haunted house) and cute (Andromeda and Magnus's relationship). If Jane Eyre + Ethiopia + supernatural sounds appealing to you, this is a perfect book!

This was a super quick read, which I appreciated, but I struggled to care about anything that was happening. I loved the parts about Andromeda and Jember and them starting to understand each other as people for what seemed like the first time, but the rest of the story was confusing and the rest of the characters (including Andromeda) were kind of boring and/or unlikable. Magnus was not interesting to me in the slightest, and his relationship with Andromeda didn't make any sense to me. I struggled with understanding the world, the religion, etc. Like I said earlier, it was a very quick and easy to get through read, but I struggled to care about much of anything.

I really wanted to like this books and it started out intriguing enough. The world and setting felt unique and atmospheric, but as the story progressed there was too much that bothered me about it.

For a character-driven book the character's personalities weren't properly worked out in my opinion. There were way too many inconsistencies in their behaviour. Especially the protagonists just seemed to switch their entire worldviews from scene to scene, which was very annoying and made it hard to see them as more than just some interchangeable book characters.
The love story was very insta-lovey and not very plausible to me either.

The writing varied between being completely confusing, as if there are sentences missing to properly grasp what is going on in a scene, to being redundant and having characters realize things that are going on that just seemed plainly obvious much too late. I just had a lot of moments that threw me off, because stuff didn't make sense either logically or structurally. The vocabulary also seemed a bit limited and many expressions were repeated to the point that it was very noticable to me.

Unfortunately, I struggled getting through towards the end. It's too bad, because the story really had a lot of potential that could have been brought out by better editing.

Thanks to Wednesday books and NetGalley for an early copy in exchange for my honest review.

Within These Wicked Walls is a gorgeously written retelling of Jane Eyre, filled to the brim with Ethiopian-inspired lore and a gripping, poignant romance. But don't be fooled; this is not a replica of its original inspiration. Andi's story takes on a life of its own as readers are transported into the haunted halls of the home she's hired to exercise, and her fated meeting with a boy who depends on her success for his survival. I absolutely loved how Blackwood brought the story to life through lush and lyrical writing that blurs the boundary before the magic and the mundane, reality and madness. Overall, it's a strong debut with an intriguing magic system and a world packed with refreshing lore.

This was a thoughtful, immersive, satisfying Jane Eyre retelling! I love the increased agency to the protagonist, the propulsive exorcism plot, and the developed, nuanced characters. A creative, important retelling!

What a unique and incredibly cool book! Within These Wicked Walls is pitched as an Ethiopian-inspired Jane Eyre retelling, which it absolutely is, yet I still feel like the read I experienced is very different than what I expected going in (but in a good way!)

Blackwood’s writing is extremely vivid, which lends itself well to this kind of story. During quieter moments of the story, the reader can easily picture the dusty, old gothic mansion and feel the heaviness of its cold seep into their bones. There’s the perfect balance of enough detail to visualize everything just right, but without being bogged down by excessive descriptions. Especially in a story like this one, where the environment brings so much of the tension and at times acts almost as a character itself, this balance feels especially valuable to the effectiveness of the story and Blackwood absolutely hits it spot on.

And for all her skill establishing a setting and creating palpable atmosphere, she also excels when writing fast-paced action sequences. There are some truly horrific scenes within this book and I respect that Blackwood doesn’t gloss over the gritty details. It’s far from gratuitous, but enough to make an impact and leave the reader thoroughly grossed and/or creeped out (depending on the scene – sometimes you even get two for the price of one!)

One thing I especially enjoyed in this book is the thorough exploration of family dynamics and the different ways people can be connected to one another. I won’t dive too deeply into this so I don’t spoil anything, but we explore many different forms of parent/child relationship, sibling relationships, and several peer relationships. We also see how class disparities and various power dynamics can impact these relationships. Exploring these connections gives the reader a lot to reflect on and I applaud the author for so seamlessly working something so touchingly crafted into a book brimming with curses, monsters, and brutal attacks.

The only aspect of this book that I struggled with a bit was the romance. There were times when something felt somewhat off and I couldn’t quite determine where Andi and Magnus stood with one another. There were other occasions where these feelings seemed to flip drastically with no clear reason, which felt confusing and I often found myself backtracking to make sure I hadn’t missed something. Even a non-romance reader like myself knows that this will they/won’t they can be intentional and very effective, but this did not feel especially successful, in my opinion. I found myself wishing there was a bit less vague back-and-forth and more of a clear trajectory in their relationship.

Overall, this was a really great read and I’m glad I got to experience it. For all the horror and tension, there are some very impactful and poetic moments within these pages. I’ll be on the lookout for whatever this author decides to publish next.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for a review copy.

I picked this book up for the retelling of "Jane Eyre". While there were some similarities, this book takes a turn and heads off on it's own. I found myself compelled to keep reading and to continue Andromeda's story. The setting and atmosphere in this story added to the storyline and the mysterious castle. I also enjoyed reading the components that are unique to Ethiopia. Andromeda is fearless and was a likeable character!

Within These Wicked Walls, Lauren Blackwood’s debut YA fantasy novel, is marketed as an Ethiopian-inspired imagining of Jane Eyre. The description fits, but I’d argue that it doesn’t do the book justice—there are elements of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, yes, but Within These Wicked Walls is its own story, one that has magic and heartache as well as romance.

We follow Blackwood’s tale through the eyes of Andromeda, Andi for short. She’s a 19-year-old debtera, a person trained to create intricate amulets that break curses and ward off the Evil Eye, a malevolent magical force that gloms on to those who have particular sins or vices. At the beginning of the novel, Andi is on the streets just trying to survive—Jember, the man who had trained and raised her, had thrown her out.

She’s so desperate, in fact, that she takes on a job for Magnus Rochester, a young heir to a chocolate enterprise that bears a curse from the Evil Eye. That curse plagues him and his castle, and we start the novel with Andi walking through the grit and sand toward the building, which has a cold gothic ambiance, a stark contrast to the hellishly hot air of the desert that it resides in. [rest of review at link below.

On this episode of Everything is Canon, Steve talks to Lauren Blackwood all about her debut novel, Within These Wicked Walls, which is described as, “An Ethiopian-inspired Jane Eyre retelling in which Andromeda—an unlicensed debtera—is hired to rid a castle of its dangerous curses, only to fall in love with the boy whose life hangs in the balance.”

Those picking up Within These Wicked Walls looking for a beat-for-beat Jane Eyre retelling are probably going to be disappointed, but I highly encourage you to forget about all that and read this incredible thriller from Lauren based on its own merits. Filled with all the horror tropes you could want, including a somewhat unconventional romance, a top-to-bottom great cast of characters, and a haunted house you won’t soon forget, this is a wonderful debut from Lauren, perfect for this time of year.

Steve and Lauren talk about her many passions including playing the violin, she’s a professional after all, the insta-love trope and why it’s totally okay, the Jane Eyre connection to the book, Within These Wicked Walls of course, and much, much more.

For the full interview, click the link below...

https://www.cinelinx.com/off-beat/shows/everything-is-canon-within-these-wicked-walls/