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maregred's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Body horror, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Violence, Child abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Colonisation, Sexism, and Racism
puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, and Blood
Moderate: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Classism, Death of parent, and Violence
Minor: Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, and Suicidal thoughts
toffishay's review against another edition
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!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Blood, Gore, Violence, Death, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, and Body horror
Minor: Sexism, Racism, Trafficking, Infidelity, Gun violence, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Murder, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury
beingsimba's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
3.5
In terms of vibes, I really enjoyed Within These Wicked Walls! Spooky and dark, following Andromeda as she works as a debtera is a lot of fun (in the the-situation-sounds-horrible-but-I-enjoy-reading-it kind of way.)
Where this book falls incredibly flat is in regards to the interpersonal relationships. Romantic, parental, friendships, all of them just didn't play out very well in this novel. Too much developed too fast for there to be any real weight behind any of them. And essentially all characters except Andromeda were fairly annoying.
Would be interested in more by Blackwood but this one was not for me. Very much did enjoy the audiobook.
Where this book falls incredibly flat is in regards to the interpersonal relationships. Romantic, parental, friendships, all of them just didn't play out very well in this novel. Too much developed too fast for there to be any real weight behind any of them. And essentially all characters except Andromeda were fairly annoying.
Would be interested in more by Blackwood but this one was not for me. Very much did enjoy the audiobook.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Gore, and Death
madamenovelist's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Violence, Murder, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Addiction, Abandonment, Blood, Gore, Grief, and Confinement
Minor: Trafficking
There is a brief mention of a child being rescued from sex trafficking. The emotional/physical abuse, blood, gore, and violence are all very graphic. Not for the sensitive.onemamareads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Read my full review here: https://onemamassummer.weebly.com/book-reviews/within-these-wicked-walls
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Blood, Murder, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
silver_valkyrie_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I can be a bit hard on retellings of Jane Eyre because I love it the original so much, but this one hit a great balance of sticking with the familiar structure while making the world and characters totally fresh. A very enjoyable read, and one of several books that have surprised me with having some amount of Christian worldview despite not being 'Christian fiction' per se, and I'm loving that!
I do feel like I should address the way the abusive relationship in this book is handled. For me, it came across as 'people are complicated' in a Saving Mr Banks kind of way that I really appreciated. It is possible to extend undeserved love and forgiveness, and understand why a person behaved unacceptably, without excusing the unacceptable behavior. That said, while I was able to take the story in that light, I also think the author could have done a better job presenting all sides of that complexity in the ending of the story. Because of that, I would be hesitant to recommend this book to either people who take abuse and trauma too lightly already, or to people who are struggling because of past abusive situations.
I do feel like I should address the way the abusive relationship in this book is handled. For me, it came across as 'people are complicated' in a Saving Mr Banks kind of way that I really appreciated. It is possible to extend undeserved love and forgiveness, and understand why a person behaved unacceptably, without excusing the unacceptable behavior. That said, while I was able to take the story in that light, I also think the author could have done a better job presenting all sides of that complexity in the ending of the story. Because of that, I would be hesitant to recommend this book to either people who take abuse and trauma too lightly already, or to people who are struggling because of past abusive situations.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Child abuse
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Addiction
haylzno's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.5
I truly loved this story!! My only gripes is that sometimes the dialogue got a tad cringey and I wish we got to know Magnus and Andromeda a bit more. But other than that, I had a blast reading this.
The perfect October read (I mean, seriously. Haunted house? Super evil demonic forces? Say less)
I loved the pacing of this book, I was never bored and the banter between Andi and Magnus was just perfect.
This will absolutely be one I re-read over and over again!
The perfect October read (I mean, seriously. Haunted house? Super evil demonic forces? Say less)
I loved the pacing of this book, I was never bored and the banter between Andi and Magnus was just perfect.
This will absolutely be one I re-read over and over again!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, and Blood
Moderate: Drug abuse, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Child abuse
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Panic attacks/disorders
nannahnannah's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is a very impressive debut with some of the most witty dialogue I’ve ever encountered.
Representation:
- all characters but one are Ethiopian
- the love interest has depression
- one of the characters has chronic pain & a wooden leg
Within These Wicked Walls is a loose Jane Eyre retelling that takes place in an Ethiopian-inspired world. The MC, Andromeda, is a debtera (exorcist) who takes on the very dangerous job of cleansing a castle of the Evil Eye. Only four other people have successfully done this, and of those one is still alive to tell the tale. Even more dangerous, Andi falls in love with Magnus, the Evil Eye’s host.
This book has one of the most fascinating magic systems I’ve ever seen before: church-sponsored debtera cleanse places of their evil hauntings and their manifestations through use of silver amulets (the worst evil haunting is, of course, the Evil Eye). These amulets are created by sensing welded strokes and looping different colors of thread. It’s this magic system that immediately drew me in.
What kept me intrigued was the dialogue and Andromeda herself. Andi is an incredibly nuanced character, with her no-nonsense attitude, her own messiness when it comes to Magnus, and the fact she knows she’s being ridiculous. And even though I have some gripes with the relationship she has with her old guardian, Jember (I’ll get to that in a moment), most of the time Andi’s response to her past trauma and the way she decides to deal with it is incredibly realistic and evocative.
Jember was, and is, an abusive guardian. It’s a fact. There are a lot of scenes describing this abuse -- sometimes in great detail -- and even more in hints and mentions. Sometimes it’s incredibly overwhelming (I’m a survivor of child abuse and very sensitive to things like this, but I think this would be intense for anyone). Though Jember does apologize for his actions, it feels like Andi’s way too casual about the past and current abuse, and I didn’t appreciate the jokes made about it (“shouldn’t tell him about Jember choking me,” etc.). And the line, “Every girl wants to marry someone like their father” is like a slap, especially. No abuse victim wants to hear that said.
I also think Magnus gets off way too easy when it comes to what he keeps from Andromeda (this story’s version of Bertha). I just want him to acknowledge that he actually does something wrong! Andi is the one who is made to apologize and feel ashamed -- and only when there’s a threat of losing her does he feel any sort of repentance.
But overall I think these are the only two issues that come to mind (other than wishing there was more lore about the amulets!). Each character is vibrant and full of their own quirks and flaws and manner of behaving, and though this is a dialogue-heavy book, the dialogue sure makes it worth it. There are also scenes and lines written with such care they’ll stick with me for a long while (as I eagerly await Lauren Blackwood’s next novel).
Representation:
- all characters but one are Ethiopian
- the love interest has depression
- one of the characters has chronic pain & a wooden leg
Within These Wicked Walls is a loose Jane Eyre retelling that takes place in an Ethiopian-inspired world. The MC, Andromeda, is a debtera (exorcist) who takes on the very dangerous job of cleansing a castle of the Evil Eye. Only four other people have successfully done this, and of those one is still alive to tell the tale. Even more dangerous, Andi falls in love with Magnus, the Evil Eye’s host.
This book has one of the most fascinating magic systems I’ve ever seen before: church-sponsored debtera cleanse places of their evil hauntings and their manifestations through use of silver amulets (the worst evil haunting is, of course, the Evil Eye). These amulets are created by sensing welded strokes and looping different colors of thread. It’s this magic system that immediately drew me in.
What kept me intrigued was the dialogue and Andromeda herself. Andi is an incredibly nuanced character, with her no-nonsense attitude, her own messiness when it comes to Magnus, and the fact she knows she’s being ridiculous. And even though I have some gripes with the relationship she has with her old guardian, Jember (I’ll get to that in a moment), most of the time Andi’s response to her past trauma and the way she decides to deal with it is incredibly realistic and evocative.
Jember was, and is, an abusive guardian. It’s a fact. There are a lot of scenes describing this abuse -- sometimes in great detail -- and even more in hints and mentions. Sometimes it’s incredibly overwhelming (I’m a survivor of child abuse and very sensitive to things like this, but I think this would be intense for anyone).
I also think Magnus gets off way too easy when it comes to what he keeps from Andromeda (this story’s version of Bertha). I just want him to acknowledge that he actually does something wrong! Andi is the one who is made to apologize and feel ashamed -- and only when there’s a threat of losing her does he feel any sort of repentance.
But overall I think these are the only two issues that come to mind (other than wishing there was more lore about the amulets!). Each character is vibrant and full of their own quirks and flaws and manner of behaving, and though this is a dialogue-heavy book, the dialogue sure makes it worth it. There are also scenes and lines written with such care they’ll stick with me for a long while (as I eagerly await Lauren Blackwood’s next novel).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Child abuse
Minor: Slavery
amandadevoursbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
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
3.75
I loved the setting. I loved the description of Ethiopia and Ethiopian culture. The mystism and rituals involved with being a debterra were intriguing. The white staff refusing to take it seriously was apt.
The story was a quick, thrilling read. The relationships are messy. The cross the tracks, employee/employer relationship was what I expect from YA. The silly banter for the ages of the characters
The resolution of the child abuse story arc
is decidedly un-Western, and it will likely make some people, myself included, uncomfortable.
The relationship
while riveting, reinforces the damaging ideas that there's only one person who you can truly love, that relationships should be filled with arguments, that some amount of physical abuse is expected and tolerated from women to men, and that long term relationships are great when forged in the fire of crisis.
I'd recommend reading this book with a critical eye and enjoying the story for what it is: a thrilling novel with a love story.
The story was a quick, thrilling read. The relationships are messy. The cross the tracks, employee/employer relationship was what I expect from YA. The silly banter for the ages of the characters
The resolution of the child abuse story arc
The relationship
I'd recommend reading this book with a critical eye and enjoying the story for what it is: a thrilling novel with a love story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Classism, and Death
Minor: Domestic abuse