Andromeda, or Andi, is an unlicensed curse breaker. She creates amulets that fight and cleanse places infested and cursed by the Evil Eye. When she's hired by a rich reclusive to cleanse his extremely cursed castle, Andi jumps at the opportunity for a patronage, despite the near impossibility of the task.

This was meant to be a Jane Eyre retelling, but aside from the male protagonist sharing the name Magnus, this book felt too different and distinct to make such a claim. There were some small familiar moments, especially towards the beginning, but this book quickly veered off the path.

Andi (alternate Jane) is nineteen years old and Rochester is about the same age. There were several awkward first romance moments that's common in YA books. Magnus had a rough personality, as he had in Jane Eyre, but here it was mixed with youthful awkwardness, shyness, and some other social issues. Sometimes he carried the original Rochester's tough personality, but at other & more often moments, he switched into a soft socially awkward teen. I found that off-putting. The romance didn't speak to me at all, and I skimmed through all the painfully awkward moments. There were way too many times where they overanalyzed and over enunciated their feelings and it kept putting me off.

While I found the romance to be too awkward, shallow, and very YA, I enjoyed the dark fantasy parts a lot more. The castle Andi was hired to cleanse was severely cursed. This manifested in numerous ways the castle tried to kill Andi and its other inhabitants, from dark monsters and flying murderous books to possessed servants. Andi's complicated relationship with her old mentor was another intriguing subplot. That relationship was a whole lot more fascinating and better developed than the stupid romance. It was a rough mix of years of hatred and violence and abuse mixed with mutual concern they felt for each other. It was deep and complex and twisted, and so I loved it.

This was also supposed to have an Ethiopian related cultural setting, but aside from a oblique reference or two towards the beginning, this book could've been set anywhere in the world in any culture. If anything, it felt pretty much the same as any western based fantasy book setting. Yes, there happened to be a desert with sand in it. Wow, that really makes it feel African and Ethiopian, right?

I gave this three stars because it had a mix of great and awful parts. The writing flowed nice and smoothly. I would've enjoyed it a lot more if Andi and Magnus' relationship had felt more mature than two teens with an insta love.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

The last half of the book makes up for how painfully uninterested I was in the first half. The setting confused me at times and never felt concrete which made me question things like Andi not knowing what a fork or pasta was. I liked that she still struggled with her survival instincts and feeling like she was on the streets though.

I don’t hate instalove, but the romance did feel like it accelerated more quickly than felt natural. But Magnus was very eccentric and passionate, so I could understand how his pull to Andi made her act more quickly and boldly in her actions and affection.

The romance is what finally got me interested into the story around the 40% mark, but then the chaos of trying to get rid of the manifestation had me on the edge of my seat. There was so much tension and action, and Saba might be my favorite character. The end of the book had me absolutely crying, and I couldn’t even care about the romance anymore because of the emotional rollercoaster I was taken on.

this was amazing! I really love Lauren Blackwood's writing after this, such a great, gothic, and dark East African retelling of Jane Eyre. i'm including this in my regular lineup of recommendations

This is such a unique Beauty and the Beast like retelling with Andromeda and Magnus’ banter truly at it’s center and the main reason I kept reading. Magnus inherits his father’s curse when he dies, and being that his father never tried to remove the curse, it has literally taken over their entire estate and has warped everything inside. Andromeda is a debtera, which is an exorcist, who is hired to remove the curse and whose voice the story is told through. Lauren Blackwood paints a slightly haunting tale with walls dripping blood and many other sources of evil popping out unexpectedly. I liked this book, but mainly because of Magnus for calling Andi things like his “little snapping turtle” or his “little storm cloud”, so cute and funny! 🐢

"Kiersten White meets Tomi Adeyemi in this Ethiopian-inspired debut fantasy retelling of Jane Eyre." What more could you want... vivid writing? Yup, this book has it. Twist and turns that will keep you up late reading? Yes! Creepy feelings that make your hair stand up? For sure! Writing that's strong yet easy to follow? Uh-huh! I can see why something wouldn't like this book, it isn't for everyone, and even though I didn't love everything part and there were a small handful of things that I wasn't crazy about; I do think this author is worth checking out because of the writing style. There as a few times, like two, that made the hair on my hair stand up because of the creepy scenes.
YA gothic, horror with a dash of romance set around a creepy and scary house.

I was super intrigued by the synopsis calling this an Ethiopian-inspired Jane Eyre but for some reason, I couldn't get into the story. I don't know why; perhaps it was the right book at the wrong time. I hope this review doesn't dissuade anyone from picking this book up if it sounds interesting to you. Thank you very much to the publisher for an early copy in exchange for my honest review!

This started strong for me as a creepy historical YA horror and then unfortunately turned into the usual angsty YA romance with irritating characters. Other than a few names and the gothic setting it didn't bear much resemblance to Jane Eyre as stated, although that aspect worked fine for me. I liked the unusual setting and vibe, I just didn't really care all that much in the end.

(ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley)

Andromeda (Andi) is an unlicensed debtera (exorcist) and takes a job that 10 other debteras have failed to complete. Magnus Rochester has been cursed by the Evil Eye and everyone around him eventually goes missing. Desperate for his patronage, Andi takes the job, but it is so much more complicated than she realized. Blackwood's writing style is phenomenal - the atmosphere was bleak, but the banter between characters was light-hearted - the balance was seamless. As Andi begins to exorcise the house, she is met with resistance, but also finds herself falling for Magnus - I felt the romance wasn't necessary, as it did not add, or take away from the main story. I wish there was more time spent on Andi's relationship with her mentor - he was not a likeable character but there was a bit of redemption at the end, however I don't feel I, as the reader, got to know the character enough to really care and there weren't enough redeeming qualities in him that can forgive the way he treated Andi.

I don't know why it took me so long to read as, based on the description, it would be a story I would enjoy, and I did. While it is marketed as a Jane Eyre retelling, I would actually say it is more of a book inspired by rather than a retelling. There is a power dynamic similar, but Andi brings it to Magnus's attention on numerous occasion, and while there is some angst between the two characters as the romance blossoms, it didn't take me away from wanting to find out what caused the curse and how Andi was going to help break it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced reader's copy and the opportunity to read this early. Review has been posted on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

This was an interesting take on Jane Eyre that was fairly enjoyable! Unfortunately, YA and I just don't mesh anymore so this wasn't my absolute favorite, but the world building and writing was beautiful and I can definitely see this being up someone else's alley!

Thanks to Wednesday Books for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is an intriguing take on the classic story of Jane Eyre. The writing is super descriptive and the characters are well-developed. Tavia is relatable and easy to root for, while Lucian is a complex character who keeps you guessing. There are also some interesting themes about class, race, and gender that are woven in really well

Overall, it's a captivating and well-crafted story. Even though it can be slow-paced at times, the book's strong characters and intriguing plot make it a worthwhile read. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a fresh take on a classic story..

Within These Wicked Walls is such a beautifully written YA fantasy. The world-building is outstanding. The story is well written with an enchanting storyline and well-developed characters that engage from start to finish. The world is atmospheric and feels real with vivid descriptions and rich imagery. I cannot get enough. Highly recommended. Be sure to check out Within These Wicked Walls today.

A Jane Eyre retelling that doesn't try to echo the original story beat for beat and becomes an even better novel in the crafting of it. This was one of the best and most unnerving YA gothic horror books I've read in recent memory — so much so that I had to remind myself it <i>was</i> YA at certain points. I read this one in anticipation of Blackwood's newest novel, and now I'm remembering why I was hoarding it on my TBR for so long. Spooky, romantic, emotionally heartwrenching — I'll be approaching <i>Wildblood</i> with even more enthusiasm than I did before I read this one.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book left something to be desired. For a gothic novel, it fell short on spookiness and atmosphere, instead focusing on an ill-paced romance. between Magnus and Andromeda The romance felt rushed and forced. I'd rather see a slow burn romance in a story like this. I was also bothered by Andromeda forcing her adopted father into a suicide mission and constantly bemoaning what a terrible person he is. She is so enamored with someone that she just met that she is willing to sacrifice the man who raised her? Tell me, who is the terrible person here? For that reason, it is really hard to sympathize with her.

I really enjoyed the voice of the narrator and her perspective. I loved the nods to Jane Eyre in this retelling.
I didn't enjoy the love interest, felt a little insta-love for me and a bit cringey. And, I was never able to fully get into
the world building.

It's been a while since I read a YA book and as much as I wanted to love Lauren Blackwood's debut, this just fell a bit too flat for me. This is supposed to be a "Jane Eyre" retelling with a twist but it felt like your average YA Romance with a bit of thriller/horror aspects thrown into it. There was too much time spent developing the romance between the two main characters (at times bordering on insta-love) that the world-building and character development were left to dry. I will say that Blackwood is successful in setting a creepy atmosphere that draws you in but there was just something lacking to give it more of an impact. That being said, I will definitely be giving her future books another try!

This is said to be a retelling of Jane Eyre, which I don’t believe I’ve ever read. I enjoyed this book a lot. Andromeda and her story was fascinating. Spooky read for people who enjoy dark stories. I received this book free for review.

I just reviewed Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood. #WithinTheseWickedWalls #NetGalley

I loved the world of this book, and the clever take on Jane Eyre. The writing was beautiful and well-paced, and there are some truly chilling scenes.

A fairly typical YA romance. While the worldbuilding and gothic atmosphere was lacking, I really enjoyed Andromeda's self-assuredness (especially the way that then makes the power dynamic between the two romantic leads a little more level) and stressing a non-western pov. Would be interested to see how Blackwood's writing continues to progress.