a pleasant surprise! i'm not the biggest jane eyre fan, but i end up liking most of the reimaginings, like rebecca, mexican gothic, and this nicely follows in the tradition

Darkness and evil form a hauntingly, deadly background for a young woman, discovering the world beyond the walls of what she's known.

Kicked out by her adoptive father and trainer to survive on the streets, Andromeda sees a job at a mansion in the middle of the desert as her only hope to finally find footing in her future as a debtera (an exorcist, who cleanses houses of the Evil Eye's influence). All other experienced and older debtera have failed, but she knows she was trained by the best. The horrors, however, are stronger and more deadly than any she ever even dreamed to be possible. She should give up before the house destroys her, but her one fault keeps her from leaving. She can't leave an innocent victim to fall prey to the evil, especially when her heart won't let her.

In some ways, this house reminds me of the one in The Amityville Horror but with a few major twists, since the evil isn't the house but connected to a cursed person. The horrors are terrible and dangerous, but still, it doesn't have the same scary atmosphere. Andromeda and those living in the mansion are well aware of the horrors surrounding them and try to deal as best they can. So, I don't see this one as horror or really even a real thriller. It slides more into a gothic or dark paranormal realm. And it does this masterfully.

Andromeda is a trained exorcist and a talented one. She knows her skills but also realizes when she might be in over her head...something which made me like her more. Her harsh past does add a bit of sympathy, but more so, it gives a solid basis to understanding her personality, which is packed with corners and sharp edges. And yet, she does have a soft side and a yearn for the one thing she never had, friends. It makes her likeable while still allowing the basis for her hard exterior.

I did almost lay this one down about half-way through (but am so glad I didn't!) There are horrors, which she has to extinguish but this started to get lost in the background of the romance and seemed to be losing the plot. But luckily, this lull was really only a couple of pages (for me) because it immediately swooped in with an unexpected twist and shot the action back up along with the plot. So, this hiccup (and it may have just been a personal thing) was cleared up so fast that it didn't hurt the read really.

Gore, death, and paranormal evil are unforgiving in these pages, which may not be the best for more sensitive readers. It is a dark story...not horribly cruel, though, either. Just lots of haunting, brutal (but not overly graphic) deaths, and violence. Anyone who enjoys dark paranormal tales with a young adult romance are going to enjoy this one quite a bit. I received an ARC through Netgalley.

I tore through this book. I loved the subtle world building, the raw and developed characters, and I definitely want more stories from this world, even if Andromeda's personal narrative hit a natural end.

Andromeda, otherwise known as Andi is dropped off at freezing cursed castle in the middle of a desert. She is charged with removing a curse that ten other debtors before her could not- ones with far more experience and proper licenses. This job will give her a chance to get off the streets and gain employment as well as a patron to support her career. When the owner of the castle and cursed man reveals his feelings for her she is troubled with propriety verses her own feelings for the already engaged young man. Andi's life in the castle alternates between attempting to cure the bleeding walls/ body parts coming out of the walls and keeping her employer at arm's length.

This novel was a fun quick read. I wish the romances and relationships we more developed- it all was so abrupt and so much was unanswered. I truly enjoyed the scenes of hauntings.

This is a Gothic romance—a re-imagining of <i>Jane Eyre</i> in the deserts of Ethiopia—that captures the restless horror of an exorcism of a house and its occupants. Andromeda is a debtera, a person licensed to cleanse the Evil Eye from houses. However, she is unlicensed and this leads her to accept a job above her skillset, where manifestations lurk every corner. As she delves further into the house and its evil, Andromeda realizes that she is cleansing the house for personal reasons and putting her heart and life at risk.

"Within These Wicked Walls" balances suspense against romance and creates a compelling narrative in Andromeda as she strikes out on her own for the first time. Her sharp wit and prowess will captivate and keep you reading late into the night as she combats the house and her heart.

I loved this book! I loved the characters. Andromeda is someone that cleans spaces and houses from evil spirits. She enters this big mansion where there is definitly a lot of them and takes the job to cleanse it from all of it. It turns out that this chore is easier said than done. I found myself laughing in multiple occasions reading it.
The only thing from this novel that I found was lacking is despcriptions. I did not know what the main character looked like, I had trouble imagining the world this story . It felt like a realistic setting... but with spirits and amulaets ad many other details that sounded like things that could appear in a fantasy novel... It was missing a lot of world building , but other than that, it was an entertaining read

Ethiopian-influenced, fantasy retelling of Jane Eyre (with a smidge of Beauty and the Beast). Writing is a bit uneven (pace was fantastic at the beginning but really slowed down towards the latter half, some anachronistic terms e.g. “trash human”, we’re ill-laced) but overall an enjoyable, creepy read that I’ll happily recommend to my teen patrons (and the teachers at the local high schools).

NOTE FOR PUBLISHER: In addition to links below, I shared on my Instagram stories on April 15 and May 9, (so far.)

REVIEW

Demon-hunting, OH YEAH. Put this on your pre-order list and count down till November 2021.
Billed as an Ethiopian-inspired Jane Eyre retelling, I can’t say there’s much Jane Eyre beyond a nominal Mr. Rochester and a pretty neighbor that flirts with him. But this is not a bad thing – the story and the worldbuilding are both great!
.
Andromeda, or Andi, comes to a big house to clear away an infestation the Evil Eye. She definitely has to get the job since she is unlicensed and has no money. The infestation turns out to be bigger than she expects.
.
The cast of characters includes Magnus Rochester, gruff and mysterious owner of the house; servants who disappear one by one; Magnus’ solicitor and his pretty daughter (see above); a silent woman whose backstory gets more and more interesting; and Andi’s mentor.
.
Andi fights the spirits in the house by creating amulets: silver disks carved and wound with thread. They are specific to the particular infestation and so often have to be carved in the moment, while holding off the evil. Cheers to unique way of demon fighting and the power of art.
.
In a close third behind the evil-house plot and Magnus-hearteyes plot comes the sub plot about the complicated relationship Andi has with her mentor, the only person she had in her life. He saved her as a child, treated her like shit, housed and clothed and fed her, trained her thoroughly, and threw her out. Like I said, complicated.
.
Their relationship grows and changes, and I liked how Blackwood brought him into three-dimensional life. There was a pivot that happened too quickly for my taste, but this is a minor thing in a well-crafted book.
.
I fell right into this book and the world. Definitely check this out!!
..
Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC of #WithinTheseWickedWalls by #LaurenBlackwood. Thoughts are my own.

#bookstagram #BookLover #BookNerd #BookDragon


#yaFantasy #yaHorror #yaFantasyBooks #GothicNovel #GothicFiction #YoungAdultFiction #yaRomance
#FantasyBooks #SpeculativeFiction #BlackSpeculativeFiction #BlackFantasyBooks
#JaneEyre #JaneEyreRetelling

#ReadBlackWriters #ReadBlackAuthors #BlackAuthors
#AuthorsOfColor #pocAuthors #bipocAuthors
#DebutAuthors

This is an Ethiopian inspired story that has a very Jane Eyre feel to it. I really enjoy Gothic stories and Jane Eyre is one of my favorite classics. There was a lot of horror moments (exorcisms and haunted houses...duh!) and I thought they were very effective, though I'm a wuss when it comes to scary things. I will say that I was not really a fan of the insta-love two characters had, but overall this was a solid story. I would definitely recommend.

I really wanted to like this one but it was really hard for me to be immersed by it.

In the beginning we are introduced to Andromeda who has been hired to exorcise a castle in the desert. She isn’t licensed like the others but has done well for herself when it comes to finding work. Andromeda does have an interesting background story but it does take awhile to learn any information about it or why she is no longer working for the one who taught her the trade. She does have issues when it comes to love and for that reason I feel like the relationship was quick but also never made sense to me. To me, she was just an average character.

Most characters have very minimal parts besides her instructor Jember. He was the most interesting and complex character out of the bunch.

The setting was intriguing and probably the best part of the book. It had it’s creepy moments. I will say that a lot of the worldbuilding felt meh and I don’t feel like I ever understood her job as a debtera that well since the magic behind it was never explained. Andromeda just did her work and that was that. I don’t even really understand the curse of the house either.

As for the retelling aspect, I tried reading Jane Eyre once and couldn’t get into it. I can’t compare the two but I would assume like most retellings the author added her own to it to make it unique from the original.

Overall, this was okay. I was just really expecting more but nothing really jumped out at me and it was hard to stay engaged.

It’s not often that a fantasy novel will turn my head. That’s not to say that the genre isn’t filled with beautiful literature; rather, it’s just not typically a reading space where I spend a lot of my time. ‘Within These Wicked Walls’ is the type of story that makes me reevaluate this propensity, and provides a wonderfully wicked twist to the story of ‘Jane Eyre’. (And is thankfully devoid of a woman being held captive in the attic.)

Set in this world, but with magical elements, the story follows Andromeda, an exorcist (debtera) hired to cleanse households of the Evil Eye. But when she starts having feelings for her patron, Magnus Rochester, circumstances become infinitely more complicated.

One of the things this book does effectively is to immerse the reader into a magical world without bogging too much of the narrative down with over-explication. Those familiar with ‘Jane Eyre’ will no doubt identify some similarities between the original story and this iteration, but author Lauren Blackwood takes the source material and brilliantly modifies it for her purposes and makes it entirely her own.

This novel deftly explores the ideas of love and found family, and I thoroughly enjoyed the ways that Blackwood infuses emotion and angst into the story. I’d say these two elements are amongst the strongest in the narrative, and both pack quite the emotional punch.

If you’re looking for a read that is fantastical, slightly spooky, and steeped in emotion, ‘Within These Wicked Walls’ is the book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Sometimes you come across a book you know nothing about, drawn to its gorgeous cover. You say a quick prayer before you read the description, hoping the story will be captivating as the cover. With hope, you read the description and are enticed by the premise. Then, too often, you're met with crushing disappointment when you finally dive into the pages. …but I am beyond delighted to report this was not the case with Lauren Blackwood's WITHIN THESE WICKED WALLS. The story is as compelling as its gorgeous cover and the description delivers on its promise of a dark, magical, and romantic adventure.

Blackwood's retelling of JANE EYRE is everything you hope a retelling to be--all while delivering so much more. Blackwood's riveting tale of a cursed castle in desperate need of an exorcist breathes new life into a classic piece of literature in such a way that the story also reclaims and creates narrative space. Most of all, this novel is just a great example of good storytelling. The prose is vivid. The pacing is steady. The story has a beautiful arc. The main character is deeply empathetic. You will grow fond and protective of Andromeda, become endeared by the eccentric Magnus, and weep for Jember and Saba.

4.5 stars!

Andromeda is a compelling and resilient character. Within These Wicked Walls has plenty of mystery, gore, and flirty banter for readers that enjoy a bit of horror with their romance. This book would be perfect for those that loved Mexican Gothic.

When I first looked up what this book was about the description included that it was Ethiopian inspired and that it was a retelling of Jane Eyre. The Ethiopian inspiration and desert setting is the perfect backdrop for the massive and spooky mansion and the brooding, spoiled Magnus. Andromeda who takes on the impossible job of cleansing the house of the evil eye has to find a way to rid the house of all of the evil spirits before they kill her and everyone around her. Adromeda, who was stolen from a brothel as a little girl and raised by a debtera (Jember), takes on the challenge because she really has no other choice. Growing up in a dank and dusty cellar of a church, given no affection and taught only survival skills is very much the opposite of the privilege and indulgence that Magnus grows up with.

When she is kicked out on her own, she leaves with only her ability to survive, a few meagre supplies, and the inability to trust anyone. The inevitable romance between these two is no surprise and the fact that they are total opposites, only makes the love story more interesting. The mystery that surrounds both of their backgrounds keeps the reader guessing and allows for some really great character development. There is a lot of stuff to talk about in this story, the creepiness of the house (it actually bleeds), the setting in the heat of desert but a house that is impossible to warm, characters that are tragically flawed, and a setting affected by colonization.

My favorite part of the novel is the resilience of Adromeda, a character who with her background should be bitter and angry but she continues to be hopeful and loving. "Jember taught me to live by good survival habits. One of mine is well-placed optimism. If I look at all the bad in my life along with the good, the bad would bury the good in a landslide. My spirit, my will to live, would shrivel and die. So, instead, I choose to be thankful for little good I have. And I choose to hope."

So if you are looking for a gothic, mystery, romance, fantasy, with enough creepiness to keep you looking over your shoulder, this may be the book for you.

Blackwood has created a heroine in Andromeda, an orphan like Jane Eyre, but who has greater agency to influence her survival. Blackwood never specifies the novel’s setting, but the names and vocabulary suggest an Ethiopian or similar East African country. For example, Blackwood describes the characters eating injera, which is an African fermented flatbread. The setting adds to the mystery and establishes the societal differences between Andromeda and Magnus as he is part of the land-owning class and she needs a patron to support her work.
Blackwood understands fully the power of the horror genre, and her creepy descriptions of the Evil Eye’s powers are chilling. Andromeda must defeat the Evil Eye so that it does not kill anyone else, especially Magnus. Blackwood writes, “The house was holding victims hostage, but I had a feeling there weren’t going to be any happy reunions after the Evil Eye was cleansed. The house was consuming them. Sucking the corpses dry and—my God—regurgitating the victims’ blood?” Entire rooms bleed when the evil threatens, which warns Andromeda to create amulets that will cleanse the house and stop the evil from killing anyone else. The house and the Evil Eye are sinister evils to defeat, and Andromeda’s magical ability to protect Magnus transforms a classic tale of love into a fantasy romance.
I enjoyed the suspense and mystery of the curse and how Andromeda battles evil. Blackwood successfully keeps the reader engaged with the plot. However, the romance was a bit cheesy at times. Overall, I admired this book because Blackwood has created a heroine who is a powerful, Black woman and the heroine of her own story. Andromeda doesn’t need anyone to save her; she herself is the agent of change and hope.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday books for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of the best books I have read this year. The character and world building were amazing.

Goodness, this book has left me inarticulate! Wow! That's it! I really can't think of anything else to say. While I felt a lot of second-hand embarrassment on the behalf of one specific character, it was worth the personal relationships it developed. I don't know if this is based on actual Ethiopian beliefs or a fictional world that Blackwood completely created, but it's amazing and I can't stop thinking about how this book would be amazing adapted into a movie!

**I received this complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review.**

Even though this novel definitely has spooky elements, it read a lot like your typical summer read: sweet and fast. I loved the fresh take on being an exorcist, and the magic system is just present enough to make it feel paranormal, while still feeling very historical.

The relationships in the book definitely fall into the found family trope. The romance between Magnus and Andie is present almost from the start, and while there is some bantering, it's mostly very sweet. Saba becomes an instant, reliable friend, and we get to see the full evolution of Andie and Jenner's relationship throughout the book. Andie definitely has a sense of finding her place in the end, and I loved getting to see her growth.

However, I don't think the magic system was fully explored. The manifestations definitely seemed to happen at random, and there often wasn't further explanation for what was going on or what was causing something to happen. The occurances in the library were fully fleshed out, but those seem to be the only ones. The manifestations reminded me a lot of regular old ghost hauntings: cold spots, something grabbing at your arms or ankles, etc, but it's never actually explained that way.

All in all, I loved the story. It's a quick read with strong characters, and I'd definitely recommend it.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4072970280

Andromeda is a debtera, which means she exorcises houses of the Evil Eye for a living. When wealthy heir Magnus reaches out to her with a job offer, she is quick to accept—however, as she soon realizes, this job may be more than she can handle.

I LOVED this book. All of the relationships—between adoptive father and daughter, love interests, and more—were so complex and interesting to read about. I also loved reading about the debtera’s work, including the amulet making and the demons/spirits Andromeda had to deal with. All in all, this was a beautiful, gripping story that you will not be able to put down.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an ARC of Within These Walls in exchange for an honest review! I absolutely devoured this YA fantasy retelling of Jane Eyre and I predict it’s is going to rock your world this fall! ⁣
⁣
In an Ethiopian inspired fantasy land, Andromeda is a debtera - an exorcist who cleanses manifestations of the Evil Eye. Desperate for her next job, she agrees to cleanse the young Magnus Rochester’s decrepit country estate, but she finds a curse that’s more than she bargained for… ⁣
⁣
You say Jane Eyre retelling and I’m instantly sold. Lauren Blackwood has done a fabulous job reworking the story into a snappy YA fantasy. It’s not a word-for-word adaption, but it takes the spirit of Jane Eyre and turns it into a delightful new story. Andromeda is a wonderful heroine and it turns out that I like Rochester a lot better when he’s a moody, cursed teen. ⁣
⁣
The one thing that diminished my enjoyment was the rather cliched and stereotypical plot for a disabled character. I feel like the author really slipped up on that and it was disappointing. However, I hope some final edits will smooth out the story. This was a riveting read that I could not put down. I have no doubt that this book will become one of my favorites of 2021. Don’t miss Within These Wicked Walls when it releases on November 9th! ⁣