Reviews with content warning for Body horror - Within These Wicked Walls

Let me start off by saying reading something from another new culture to me (this book is Ethiopian inspired) is wonderful. I love how often I am coming across new cultures in books and being able to learn little snippets of information. However, this book started off with a really exciting idea and then fell completely flat by the end. The premise of cleansing a house of monsters was set up very well-spooky, mysterious. As soon as Magnus, the love interest was introduced, the focus shifted entirely and we saw little to no attempts at cleansing the house that worked, it all happened off page. I did not find the back and forth with immediate caving in after saying she cant be with him any fun at all, it was not a dynamic I appreciated. I had a large problem with the overuse of her one gimmick - the idea of good and bad "survival habits." The first mention was quirky and I thought it was cute. But it was constantly being brought up as a reason for every action she made. It didn't need to be. I genuinely had some issues with how the main character acted most of the time, though possibly realistic based on her age and her upbringing. Speaking of which, do not get me started on Jember. What an abusive horrible man in so many ways. There was constant mention of the way he abused or hurt Andromeda, yet when Andromeda would mention it to Magnus and see how horrified he was she would yell at HIM. Telling him he had no right to be mad at Jember. WHO WOULDNT BE? YOU ARE MAD AT JEMBER. WHY CANT HE BE MAD TOO? WHY DO ONLY YOU HAVE THE RIGHT? Magnus cared about Andromeda, so he was mad at the man who treated her so poorly while he raised a child with no love. He can be mad. Jember was a walking contradiction as well. By the end of the book we see him playing a game that requires touch and we KNOW he cant stand to touch people, Andromeda mentions it every time she thinks about Jember. And its a game that requires A LOT of touch that he used to play with Andromeda too when she was little to pass time. And

what the hell was up with it being revealed he straight up kidnapped her as a kid? What the actual F***

Anyway I started off really excited and wound up disliking this book quite a bit. I did not see how this was inspired by Jane Eyre, but that didnt bother me at all as I didn't go into the book knowing that was part of its goal.

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maregred's review

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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puttingwingsonwords's review

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dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

It was a quick and engaging read. Sometimes maybe too quick; the romance went a little fast for me. I think that might be typical of YA, though. I did like how the romance was written, but it was a little hard to buy that it all happened over the course of a few days.

The atmosphere of the ice cold house in the middle of the desert was perfectly creepy. But here I also felt like the horror would have benefited from a little more time to breathe. I guess I like my gothic horror with a little less action and a little more dread. I did love the way warding off the Evil Eye worked with the crafting of amulets, magic as a precise & complex skill.

Overall it was a great book, just a little rushed at times for my taste. It works well as a Jane Eyre retelling, but it also stands on its own. I recommend it if you like YA fantasy and/or romance and gothic horror.

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toffishay's review

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dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

I loved the romance! Love Andromeda and love Magnus! Which is great because their romance is the biggest chunk of the plot, even more than the fantasy so if you don't buy into that then the rest of the book doesn't work. The fantasy elements were fine to me, they kind of fit that zone of generic YA fantasy. I like the haunted house aspect, which is a more interesting kind of story to me than other YA stories that would be more adventure based. It makes the story lean more Gothic, which makes sense because this is a Jane Eyre inspired story. The pacing is annoying and honestly, I didn't really care about the fantasy parts like all the fighting. I predicted some of the end, but that may be a reality of a retelling as well. The relationship between Jember and Andromeda was interesting too and <SPOILER> I liked that there were no easy answers with that one. <END SPOILER> The horror elements are well-done though, like I was really creeped out. Overall, a nice YA story that I could actually revisit again because I loved the romance!

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madamenovelist's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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erandle's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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rorikae's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

'Within These Wicked Walls' by Lauren Blackwood is an atmospheric reimagining of Jane Eyre that lent a little too much into the romance for my liking.
Andromeda is a debtera, an exorcist who crafts amulets to ward off spirits attached to the Evil Eye. For one of her assignments, she enters the employ of the charming Magnus Rochester. His house is home to some of the more disturbing manifestations that Andromeda has encountered and it will take her full background of knowledge to attempt to cleanse it. As she works to unravel the hold that the manifestations have, she is drawn closer and closer to Rochester.
'Within These Wicked Walls' has incredible atmosphere. Blackwood creates a truly disturbing house with arms extending out of walls and the impression of hundreds of rats at the end of the corridor. This was my favorite aspect as I was quickly immersed in the feeling of the house and understood Andromeda's quest to get rid of the manifestations. Andromeda is a compelling character that I came to care for quickly. Her determination paired with her magical abilities create an engaging heroine that is easy to root for. My one big sticking point with this story is the romance. It happens quickly and then for a third of the book it feels like Andromeda is thinking more about her feelings than the disturbing house she is living in. That felt unrealistic and the instant attraction between her and Rochester was aggravating. I think this story would have benefited from leaning more into the horror than the romance, especially halfway through. Blackwood's gift with atmosphere is exquisite though and does keep my interest in picking up another book of theirs in the future.

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