DNF @49%

I'm calling it quits. For now. Maybe. (I'm kinda holding out hope that I will try picking this up again. Maybe someday?)

I love the strong beginning. I love Andi and I enjoyed learning about the Manifestations and the amulets and the Eye (which reminded me of Sauron everytime I read it) and everything that has to do with being a debtera. But once the romance kicked in? It came out of nowhere. It's all awkward (and not in a good way) and didn't feel at all authentic. I like Andi and Magnus separately. But these two tangled in romance? Yeah, not so much. I honestly could have gone without it.

I received an ARC via Netgalley to read and review.

Thank you, Wednesday Books and NetGalley, for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First off, congratulation to the author for her debut book. I have mixed feelings about Within These Wicked Walls. I LOVED the book’s concept. The Ethiopian-inspired fantasy retelling of Jane Eyre was the best part of this book; I never read anything about Ethiopia before, and I found this book very interesting for that reason. The hint at the Ethiopian food, culture, and names were well done. The premise itself was intriguing: a curse that turned a house into an ice cube in the middle of the desert? Tell me more!


The writing style was so unique and beautiful. My only problem was with the following:

1-Insta-love. I understand the Insta-crush. It’s dreamy and beautiful. But taking only three days or 4 to say that “I can’t live without you” is simply not realistic. I understand that Andi lived in conditions where she longed to be loved; I would understand if she would say that first. But Magnus? Why did he say that to her only a few days of knowing her? Because she was the only girl who he could look into her eyes? Then again, any girl with a “proper amulet” could be loved by him.


Sometimes, Andi’s reactions were off and not understandable and not “related” to the situation. I found it hard to cope with her mood changing.

Magnus supposes to be annoying. I got that, but I think he was “weird” more than annoying. And I don’t get how a woman could be attracted to someone who said to her, “What an ugly scar you have” when they first met. Can’t we appreciate ourselves more, girls? If a man said that to me, I would make sure he would regret it. At least, I won’t give him my heart until he proved that he worth my carrying and love, not just by words and not just three days later. Yet again, I got Andi’s needs to be loved, and her mixed feelings toward Magnus were told brilliantly.

Overall, this book was a good read, and I enjoyed it so much. I recommend the book to young girls who like Fantasy books.

Within These Wicked Walls tells the tale of Andi, a debtera, or exorcist for spirits, who takes on a uniquely challenging job. I had high hopes for this book and for the first 50 or so pages I was satisfied with the direction of the story, but things went downhill with the beginning of the romance between Andi and Magnus. First off, we're told a million times how sheltered and jaded Andi is due to her rough, abusive upbringing, with it even being mentioned that she has a slight aversion to touch, and yet she ends up being the one to initiate a kiss with her boss before we've even hit the 100 page mark? And the issue of the power imbalance is brought up multiple times, but other characters treat Andi like she's being ridiculous for not wanting to date her boss, never mind the fact that she is at risk of being thrust into poverty, especially since she's an unlicensed debtera, if she loses her job working for the wealthy Magnus. As for the character of Magnus, I can't say I enjoyed reading about him one bit. He constantly badgers and pesters Andi into giving him (romantic) attention and generally disregards her hesitations, which I assume we are meant to see as charming and doggedly persistent romantic pursuit, but it really just comes off as creepy, disrespectful behavior that we should absolutely not be romanticizing for teen girl readers. The world building that's present is intriguing, but too many holes are left that prevent the world of the novel from being all that tangible. All in all, Within These Wicked Walls has an interesting premise but the troubling male characters and Andi's relationships with them prevent the book from reaching its full potential.

A Jane Eyre retelling painted in broad, ghostly strokes. I love the blending of African-inspired folklore with true gothic horror.

After fleeing her master, Jember, Andromeda takes on the mission of cleansing the mansion of Magnus Rochester. This is not any normal cleansing. Andromeda is a debtera, someone who performs exorcisms on houses to rid of the Evil Eye. Suffering from hunger, homelessness, and pockets full of sand, she takes this challenging role, but soon learns, this is much, much different from any before. Whatever Magnus is hiding within his walls, Andromeda realizes, she is not trained for.
This book kept me turning the pages at a magnificent speed. While it is labeled as a “Jane Eyre retelling,” not many similarities were found. Yes, it has the claustrophobic mansion setting and some names and characters are similar, but I felt this book was everything of its own. Andromeda’s character was so well structured, as was everyone else in the story. The gothic fairy tale that everyone needs is beautifully written in this. The story progressed at such a great pace and the ending came together in all the right places.

This book has a fantastical magic building system with a heroine to love. The intricate plot didn't allow me to become bored once, the pace was steady throughout the entire read.

It is a new take on haunted houses and exorsists. Andromeda is a debtera (an exorsist) who has a complicated relationship with her ex mentor/adoptive father and ends up taking a job which becomes more than it seems. What starts as a job, turns into an unexpected romance with the last person she would have expected.

I really enjoyed reading this book, I feel like the author has managed to create a beautiful piece of work that I would definitely be reading again.

Such a magnificent retelling of Jane Eyre!! While I enjoyed the original, I have to say I enjoyed this one more! I thought the author did an amazing job at writing such enthralling characters and story.

I absolutely loved this book and couldn't put it down from start to finish. This book takes on magic in a whole new way from what one normally sees. I enjoyed that the evil eye isn't just a curse on a person, but a physical manifestation of that curse in some way - for example snow in the house or an angry librarian bent on killing anyone who touches a book.

In this book a young debtera (someone who cleanses the Evil Eye) is looking for a rich benefactor to help her gain other jobs since she doesn't yet have a liscence. She finds herself at Magnus' doorstep, a wealthy man with many material possessions and a jealous streak who inherited a lot of the Evil Eye curse from his father and gained even more himself. She works through her feelings for him as well as his disappearing house staff as she tries to cleanse the house and him of the curse.

Lauren Blackwood’s Ethiopian-inspired retelling of Jane Eyre is a thrilling, haunting, and emotional journey. It’s got gothic horror (murderous mansions and cursed souls); a swoony romance with delicious kissing; a fascinating magic system of exorcism; incredibly imaginative characters; and the beating heart of friendship, love, and family through it all. A must read!

Tense, eerie and romantic by turns, WITHIN THESE WICKED WALLS is more than just an homage to Jane Eyre--it's a reimagining that improves on the original in numerous places. An absolute standout read for me.

I absolutely loved this book! The romance, magic, the suspense, the eerie setting. I could go on and on. Andromeda was extremely relatable and down to earth and I liked her from the start.

The world building was incredible and made you feel as if you were a creepy, eerie estate listening to odd noises and haunted corners.

I loved the banter between her and Magnus and although their relationship was very "insta-lovely", I enjoyed it!

A gorgeous reimagining of Jane Eyre! I was not a fan of the original, but Blackwood made a dull story exciting, romantic, and suspenseful. I loved it.

This was quite a unique book!
I don't usually enjoy books that "scare" me. This book had many scenes that gave me anxiety for the characters' lives!
This was brilliantly written.
The house that was being cleansed was amazingly horrifying. EEK!
Andromeda has a heartwarming past and Magnus does too.
I may have cried about Magnus' mom. What a beautiful scene.
I just loved everything about this book.
Looking forward to Lauren's next book!

I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect when I started it, but saying I was surprised is an understatement.
I loved this book. It was everything I thought it would be and then some!
This book weaves a perfect blend of a creepy gothic fairy tale, atmosphere with heartfelt emotions.
A combination of magic, romance, banter, humor, and atmospheric creepiness this will be a story you won't be able to out down!
The writing.... It was beyond fantastic! Smooth, creative, wonderful. Just amazing!
One of the best books I've read so far in 2021!

I seriously can't thank St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books and the author for this advance ebook copy!

This is nothing like the Jane Eyre retelling promised in the blurb because many of its key elements are not present. It greatly affected my reading experience, and besides the slight resemblance through Magnus' surname, an evil castle, and an orphan employee, there was no Gothic horror or exploration of human evil.

I finished this book only for two reasons: the unique amulet system I have not encountered in other books and Jember and Andi's relationship. I was hoping it further explored the relationship of the church and the debteras, but nah, it was all discarded in favor of a poorly developed romance between Magnus and Andi.

Imagine a Jane Eyre reboot mixed with a tough of the Mummy and this is the book for you. Andromeda has been cast out of her home and her profession when she takes a job, because she is desperate for money, trying the banish the Evil Eye from her employers home. What ensues is fast paced, even love moves quickly here, qnd engaging as Andromeda works to create amulets to ward off the Evil Eye and keep the people she loves safe. A quick fun read!

This was so good! The fantasy / horror elements were very well done, the writing was great, and our heroine is scrappy and witty and strong.

I absolutely loved seeing Ethiopian culture effortlessly woven into the story. Casual references to food and clothing and ceremonies and traditions that never felt overexplained. I would, of course, defer to Ethiopian readers and reviewers for their reflections, but many parts felt true to my Black experience (wrapping your hair before bed, yesssss).

I'm a little meh on the love interest, only cuz I don't find his personality traits attractive. But I kinda knew that going in. There were parts of the romance that I felt were rushed, but there were also so many scenes where I was like, "Omg, the yearning, the pining, the chemistry, yes, yes, yes!"

The story has messy characters doing shitty things but also... doing the best they can. I anticipate 1 or 2 of the story arcs won't sit well with some readers, but I enjoyed the explorations of humanity (in all its flaws), trauma, and forgiveness.

All in all, I can unequivocally say that I preferred this retelling over the original Jane Eyre! I would enjoy rereading this,, and will definitely pick up a copy when it releases.

Within these Wicked Walls was an enjoyable, unique read set in a lush, interesting world. With a castle plagued by evil manifestations, danger, romance, and complicated characters, the story had it all. I finished this one in a matter of days!

A delightfully spooky tale. I loved the style of writing. Very reminiscent of Jane Eyre. I basically loved everything about it. My one complaint was a little romance heavy and less on the horror but that is more of a preference than anything.

I was definitely thankful to have been introduced to this author. I look forward to reading more from her.

WTWW draws on Jane Eyre's themes, setting, and characters, but tells a haunted house story entirely its own. The horror images are visceral, and the threads of longing for romantic and familial love deeply colour the heroine's voice, but Blackwood keeps the overall tone surprisingly light. We shift swiftly from bloody chambers and severed limbs to blushing glances and quippy dialogue, while the banter-y romance remains centre stage throughout the novel. Because of this choice, I suspect the novel will resonate more with genre romance lovers than it will with those looking for a deeply atmospheric horror story, though elements will appeal to both readerships. Bronte fans will notice parallels in the scenes between the two leads, and in the heroine's struggle to believe she's worth love, despite her inner fire. Blackwood also takes the parental figure from the source material (the heartless Aunt Reed) and fleshes out the adoptive parent role in some truly unique ways that support the novel's themes on found family and forgiveness. It's a layered story, an unexpected blend of genres, and a tribute to the source material unlike anything I've ever read.

Unfortunately I think I will be giving up on this book at 41%. I hate to DNF an ARC but I just can't bring myself to keep reading. There's very little redeemable about this book.

I had extremely high hopes for this one. The description sounds wonderful and the first few chapters promise atmospheric creepiness that just never comes to fruition. The MC is a Bella Swan-like personality-less paper cut-out who's every waking thought is about the selfish rich boy she inexplicably and immediately falls for. Andi, the MC, *tells* us he is adorable and intriguing but all we actually see is a volatile, immature man-child. When Andromeda first arrived at the house, the book seemed to be hinting at a romance between Andi and the handsome lawyer character, which would have made so much more sense. Instead, she falls for the least charming person possible simply because he's attracted to her and she's too insecure to turn him away.

Speaking of the lawyer— this book would've been 4 or 5 stars with just a few minor changes, which makes it all the more frustrating, because it had great potential for setting, world building, magic system, and horror but it didn't deliver on any of that. If the lawyer had been the love interest with Magnus portrayed as the creepy, tantrum-throwing shut in that he was, and if the book had been written in 3rd person so we could get out of Andi's head with her exhausting, constant circular "he loves me, he loves me not" thoughts, this could have been so good. But alas.

On a final note: don't go into this book expecting horror. By 40% there was no horror at all, just some occasional, cookie cutter paranormal occurrences and the stakes are so low because Andromeda tells us over and over that the ghosts can't make physical contact. I just couldn't bring myself to care about the characters in any way and after 150 pages of boredom I'm admitting defeat.