Within These Wicked Walls is an impressively rendered Jane Eyre re-telling that stands entirely on its own. The fantasy, horror, romance, and family redemptive elements lace together beautifully. From the first chapter to the epilogue I was kept entranced by the story.

The setting is eerie and immersive in it’s scope. From the opening pages, I could feel the sand gritting against Andromeda, as she described her familiarity with the dusts of the land. The castle itself is wonderfully described, as is her entrance into its icy depths. With the odd servants, weird rules, and ice cold temperature of her new home, I felt the unease from the moment she stepped foot into that dastardly castle.

Andromeda is a debtera, in other terms an exorcist, trained by her adoptive father figure, to break curses and exorcise places from the Evil Eye. When she’s kicked out of her home and forced to make her own way she finds herself in the employ of a Mr. Rochester. Nothing is what it seems though as she digs further into the home and the curse itself, only to be lead back to her home and the man who raised her.

This was a solid stand-alone novel. Immersive in it’s horror and setting, intriguing with it’s fantasy elements, romantic with it’s main characters, while also having a heartbeat resting in the palms of a father/daughter relationship that left me with an ache upon reading the final chapter.

The romance felt a bit lacking in some spots, just a bit too much insta-love, however that being said, it still works quite well. Andromeda and Magnus have a chemistry that is disarmingly enchanting and humorous. I highlighted so many of their conversations because there was just so much awesomeness between the two of them.

Overall, I highly recommend this tightly written fantasy, horror, romance. Andromeda is a wonderful character to spend time with as she navigates the machinations of her heart and her head, all while falling in love, and exorcising a psychotic house.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Wednesday Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange of an honest review.

I was hoping to really love this book but only liked it. I also am iffy on this being a Jane Eyre retelling, very loosely inspired by her would be a better description. It did hit the fantasy creepy aspect head on!

First, what a freaking absolutely gorgeous cover! 😍

We have Andromeda, a debtera (kind of like an exorcist), who is sent to a mansion to rid it of The Evil Eye. Many debteras have tried over the last 3 years and all have failed. We get to see Andi’s quest to vanquish the one killing the household.

The beginning may have been the strongest part of this book which is unique for a novel. We get this amazing fantastical world built, introduced to a variety of well thought out characters (some you like, some you love to hate) and action! The middle was slower but learning about Saba was so fun and heartbreaking at the same time. The relationship between Andi and Magnus was built super quick and definitely needed more development. Like why do they even like each other! However they were very cute and had fun, witty dialogue so I didn’t mind it. Even though Jember is an a-hole, I absolutely loved getting to see their relationship from both their sides.

The only real problem I had was that in the middle there seemed to be some missing connections. These are filled out in the end but I think they just needed more development in that moment to help us understand and not consider them plot holes.

Overall I would definitely recommend this book for those who love a mysterious, gothic romance with some magic thrown in.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

— Staci McIntyre

Unfortunately I can’t really give a review for this book. Whenever I tried to download it on the app, it would say that it already exists. I think I’ll just wait until release day to read it. I’ll just quickly mention that I really do believe it’s going to be a great read and I can’t wait for it to be in my hands !!!!

This was one of those books that I enjoyed while reading, but I never wanted to pick it up. The romance was not great for me, but the relationship between the MC and her parental figure was fascinating. The horror elements were really interesting as well.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of WITHIN THESE WICKED WALLS by Lauren Blackwood. I was excited about the idea of an African Jane Eyre retelling, and I did enjoy the Mr. Rochester/Andi (the Jane character) banter—that was probably the best part. The creepy Evil Eye cursed house was pretty cool too and had some good scary moments in the beginning. Ultimately, this book just lacked a through line of tension for me. At some point, Andi and Mr. Rochester were pretty much already together and I could tell they were going to solve the problem with the house and I lost interest and had to force myself to finish it. There wasn't as much mystery or big reveals lurking around the corner or will-they-won't-they tension as there is in the original story—there wasn't much that actually kept Andi and Mr. Rochester apart. So, I think this concept had a lot of potential but it didn't quite do it for me. Maybe it would be different for others, though.

Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood may be inspired by Jane Eyre, but it takes on the story with creativity and extra chills. It sufficiently creeped me out!

Andromeda has been trained as a debtera (an exorcist) to cleanse houses of horrible curses. She’s hired by Magnus Rochester, a broody, eccentric heir to a chocolate empire who’s been cursed with the Evil Eye. His house turns out to be unlike any “Andi” has experienced before and she quickly realizes they might not make it out alive.

So, yes, if you like gothic horror with a side of romance, I think you’ll really like this! The horror manifestations from the curse were to just the right degree of gory/scary for me, and I really liked reading about the different ways the rooms were haunted (a library ghost fond of hurling books, snowy hallways, etc.).

The magic system used was especially interesting, and I actually would have liked learning even more about the use of amulets as protection.

I found the romance between Andi and Magnus was just OK—Magnus wasn’t really a character I felt like rooting for, but I had that problem with the classic Jane Eyre, too. Jane and Andi could do better, imho.

This book does lean pretty heavy into the romance aspect, though, and I found myself wishing for less of it and more house cleansing. But, overall, I enjoyed this book and will read whatever this author writes next! (3.5 stars rounded to 4)

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press and Wednesday Books for this review copy in exchange for an honest review. I’m posting a review to Goodreads immediately and will post to Instagram/booksellers when published.

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬:
An eerie castle full of bone chilling manifestations like walls that bleed, books that hurl themselves off bookshelves and a creepy monster lurking in the night. The only hope is a young exorcist with nothing to lose and everything to gain.

𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
A dark and disturbing book that might give you nightmares and make you want to sleep with the light on. The story has little bit of everything to make this story spectacular. It's Ethiopian-inspired with horror, fantasy and a bit of romance. It's a Jane Eyre retelling that will leave you shaking in your boots while also rooting for the happy couple yet skeptical of the romance at the same time. The characters are authentic, endearing, and sometimes haunting. The story is gripping and unputdownable. Highly recommended.

This novel will provide readers with a unique experience. The well-known story sequence of Jane Eyre is followed, but this novel is much more grim and perilous. Andromeda or Andi is a young woman who was abandoned by her parents, as a child physically attacked by her peers, and feels unloved by her harsh mentor, Jember. Getting hired by the owner of a mysterious castle far into the desert is not just for independence, but survival. When she arrives, she meets the petrified staff and the charming Magnus Rochester.

The house is overtaken by the Evil Eye, which reveals itself in hideous ways. These include manifestations but more insidiously in a form that stalks at night. Andi must use her amulet-crafting skills to ward and exorcise the evil. Of course, falling in love with the owner was not in her plans, but he becomes irresistible to her. Delightfully, Magnus is both the love interest and the comic relief and their flirty encounters are blissful. The setting of the novel is shown in the words, mentions of food, and types of dress. Themes of parental love, sacrifice, and faith are included.


TW and CW: blood/gore, physical violence, animal attack,

Thanks to the Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the e-galley. My reviews and ratings are my own.

Jane Eyre is one of my favorite books, and this retelling puts such an interesting spin on it while also staying true to the themes of the original. Lauren Blackwood understood the assignment and created her Rochester to be the perfect combination of obnoxiously mean and surprisingly tender. You haven’t experienced fun, witty, flirty banter until you’ve read this book. The romance was not slow burn enough for me, but that is just a personal preference. It certainly isn’t a perfect book but it is fun and spooky and exactly what I was in the mood to read.

An incredible blend of both fantasy and horror that grips you from beginning to end. Lauren knows how to write banter in a way that will make you INSTANTLY fall in love with the love interest n his absolute adoration for the main character. Romantic and terrifying, you'll want to pick this one up.

*DNF @ 45%*
I really enjoyed this in the beginning! The Jane Eyre protagonist is an exorcist? I love the idea of a Gothic retelling with the house really being haunted. Plus the character's background and the author's writing did suck in. But sadly, as the story progressed, the plot really started ONLY focusing on the pining/romance and hardly even letting the supernatural stuff take the stage. This girl barely works on cleansing the house, and only thinks about her employer (Rochester) instead. I'm fine with the romance in a YA book but the plot was very unbalanced to include the haunted house as well. With getting nearly halfway through the book, it was so much of talking, pining, romantic drama and sadly not getting anywhere as far as why the house became haunted and such. I could give this another chance maybe one day, but I'm getting frustrated when books do this: focus on one half of the plot but ignore the other until the last half of the book. That doesn't offer a compelling enough plot to me in order to keep going. But I will read from this author in the future since I do like her writing style. Just a bummer that this one could no longer keep my interest. But I still enjoyed a good amount of this book and I think this really has an audience out there who will love this and I appreciate that it's a diverse retelling of a classic novel.

This is a Jane Eyre retelling but there is not a huge connection there. Not a deal-breaker for me personally, but you may want to know that if you're expecting more Jane Eyre. It is based on Ethiopian culture in a desert setting and it has a very interesting magic system. The beginning grabs you and there is a lot of action and suspense. It's a creepy book! It deals with exorcisms - in the desert. It's the pairing I never knew I needed. The Evil Eye is a symbol important to our main character Andromeda who is what you call a debtera - the exorcist. She does have a love interest and I like the angst between the two but the romance was just a little fast for me. If this book had been longer or flushed their relationship out more, I would totally be here for it. Insta love is just something that kind of takes away from a story for me personally. I couldn't give it 5 stars as a result, but if this is a standalone (and I haven't figured that out yet) then it would make sense that the romance is written the way it is. Still, a little more depth between the two and it would have been perfect! I would have liked to have learned how their relationship ends up too. An epilogue would have been awesome so I'm really curious to know if this is going to continue into a series or what! If so, then that will be answered in the following book. The writing was pretty great and overall the story kept me engaged. I'm a huge fan of African-inspired stories and creepy settings so I would and probably will reread this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Wooooow! I didn't want this one to end. Reallllyyyyy good writing. I enjoyed the banter of the characters, the Gothic elements, the Ethiopian culture...EVERYTHING!

Perfect mix of gore and horror, romance, and a little drama.

This book is billed as a re-imagining of Jane Eyre. It starts off that way (for probably the first 10% of the book) and then goes in a completely different direction, so it's hard for me to make that comparison.
I found myself frustrated at times with the time of the book itself- is this set now, or in the past? How much time passes from the beginning of the book until the end? It seemed really confusing.
The character of Rochester was really inconsistent as well- at first, he's much more like Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights, and then by the end of the book he's a lovestruck fool. It didn't make much sense to me.
While I thought the book was a fun read and the time passed quickly for me, I liked it but didn't love it and most likely would not recommend to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press / Wednesday Books for the ARC!

Just as the title indicates, Within These Wicked Walls was such an eerie, gothic read.

The main character Andromeda takes a job at a mansion cleansing the house of dark manifestations. As one might expect from a Jane Eyre retelling, there's also romance, which I absolutely adored. The worldbuilding of the dark household and the grim manifestations was amazing, and the magic system was unlike any I've seen before. I adored this book, and I would highly recommend it to any fans of dark, YA fantasy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, let me say, i thoroughly loved this book. Solid 4 stars!

The book is about a young woman who has been training her whole life to basically exercise an evil, called the “evil eye.” She has been raised poor and abused, but is still very optimistic. She ends up having to exercise a castle, which has been making people disappear and is just totally haunted.

I loved the plot of the book, it is super unique and very enjoyable! Spoilers ahead:
I loved the romance! I thought it happened a little fast, but it made sense for the plot of the story, and was all around very cute!
I also loved the unique relationship she had with her father figure. It kind of showed real tough love, and how he just wanted the best for her. I also enjoyed his little romance plot!
The imagery was amazingly disturbing, especially describing how the castle would sort of ingest the dead bodies. I loved how everything was described; I had no trouble imagining all the rooms and evil eye forms. The librarian was terrifying!
The characters were really enjoyable for the most part. All the characters behaved as they should’ve in the situation, so i can’t blame them for being a little annoying at times. Besides, characters with flaws are always better.
I thought the main character was fantastic! She was very strong and capable, but had flaws too. She wasn’t the basic main character that has zero flaws and never does anything wrong. She made mistakes, had inner and outer battles, and struggled with her past. She never let anything stop her and was always optimistic. I would love to be friends with her if she was real. She was a very loyal friend, and would do just about anything to protect the people she loved. I can’t wait for this book to be released and for this author to write more books! I think the author has such a bright future coming up, and i can’t wait to read everything she writes!

Hardened by the life she’s lived so far and lacking any other option, Andromeda takes on the only job available to her: the cleansing of manifestations in the household of one Magnus Rochester. As an unlicensed debtera, an exorcist, she can’t afford to be picky, but with manifestations like she’s never seen before and an Evil Eye that’s refusing to budge, she may be in over her head. Solving one mystery of the house only leads to another, and the more she ponders quitting, the more Andi knows that she just can’t leave Magnus to face this on his own. With love and life on the line, Andi must find the strength within herself to face the horrifying task before her and the strength to allow herself to love. Lauren Blackwood’s “Within These Wicked Walls” is a fascinating and clever re-imagining of a classic tale.

The spookiness of this book is top notch. The mansion in which Magnus lives is unquestionably its own character with frequent terrifying moments of blood dripping from the nooks and crannies of it. There were moments where I certainly had shivers down my spine from the setting. Those who enjoy suspense and tales of horror will be invested in the bodies galore and all sorts of creepy visions and manifestations that take place within this tale. The final battle within this setting hit all the marks I needed in terms of drama, stakes, and closure.

I absolutely adored the character of Saba, a person whose presence provided just enough push or humor to whatever scene she was in. I really appreciated that she had her own developed backstory, too. She could have easily been a throwaway character, but she added a lot of richness to the interactions she had with other characters. My second favorite character is probably Jember, the curmudgeonly debtera who raised Andromeda and frequently butts heads with her. As the story progressed and peeled back Jember’s layers, I grew to appreciate how he prepared Andi for what she might face and how he added a different way of showing care, a depiction that softened but never removed the sharp edges with which he armored himself. Honestly, the relationship between Jember and Andi is what kept me most invested in this book. I loved it!

One element of the book I didn’t care for is that of Magnus. He moves through life as if everything exists solely for him. He is childish and dramatic and seems to care little for the feelings of others (despite his protestations otherwise). What frustrated me the most is that he didn’t seem to change too much over the course of the book. While it’s clear at the end that he does have some redeeming qualities, it’s hard for me to say that those outweigh the negative for him. However, as he is this novel’s Mr. Rochester and I didn’t particularly care for him in the OG “Jane Eyre,” my opinion is more than a little biased in that respect.

If I have the chance to add this to my classroom library, I definitely will. The worldbuilding and main setting are so intriguing, and Andromeda is a character I can see my students identifying with. By nature of her own experiences, she’s a scrappy survivalist, initially interacting with everyone in a stone cold manner, but over the course of the story, she lets down her guard and allows hope and love to bloom. I would recommend this book for lovers of supernatural tales, love stories, and Jane Eyre.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

Andromeda is a debtera, hired to cleanse manifestations of the Evil Eye and create amulets to protect the wearers. Without a reference, Andromeda is forced to accept a job at a mansion with the worst manifestations seen for years.

Owned by the mysterious Magnus Rochester, the large house is filled with magic and manifestations to the point where no other debtera has succeeded in cleansing it. Not only are there spirits haunting every room and hallway, but there is a curse on the Rochester family.

As Andromeda starts working on cleansing each room in the house, she finds herself drawn to the owner of the house and his story. Over time, she wants more to cleanse the house for him instead of for the money he is offering.

But there is more to this curse than even Andromeda can fight and time is running out.

Final thoughts: This starts as a Jane Eyre retelling in Ethopia, but it goes rogue pretty soon so there really isn't much similar beyond the outlines. The magic is well done and many of the characters are interesting, but I found myself confused by the passage of time in the story and also by the Rochester character. Both time and the owner are distracting because they are inconsistent throughout.

Rating: 3/5

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Within These Wicked Walls was a amazing debut novel. Not only met my expectations but surprised me as well.

I was so excited to read this book. I love Jane Eyre and seeing with a different “vibe” is just amazing. And the culture that Lauren Blackwood presents in this book, it is so beautiful written and full of life.

I was however expecting something a little more “creepy”, but this doesn’t disappoint me to the point where I didn’t enjoyed the story (it is hard to do that, because this book was so good). The characters are very well presented and written, I loved Andromeda so much. She was brave and smart, and so beautifully designed.


My final note is 4.5

I was so excited to get this book, a Jane Eyre retelling? Yes. Set in Ethiopia?? Hell yes. I was mainly intrigued by this book, because it was a new setting that isn't that common, especially in YA. Not only did I enjoy reading Within These Wicked Walls, but I feel like I learned more about Ethiopian Culture. The food descriptions made my mouth water, and Blackwood's descriptions were vivid and visceral. Although it is a standalone novel, I am excited for more books from Blackwood in the future.