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zias's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcohol
sam_fielder_137's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Yet another YA insta-love. For that genre though, not bad, though I despised the love interest. I don't see what the main character saw in him. The fact that he broke down sobbing when a girl he'd known for a week rejected him made me gag. The things I wanted explored were not nearly touched on enough. Not enough backstory or setup for a book of this nature
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
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, Death, and Gore
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: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
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.stardust_heidi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
4.0
I listened to this one and often found the audiobook really difficult to follow. The narrator was pretty timeless, and there were odd tonal shifts while listening. I think they were supposed to be special effects, but I didn’t really like them.
The story was interesting but again, I had a difficult time following at times due to the narration. I might give it another go in another format sometime.
The romance was….meh. I mean, I guess it was fine, but it was clearly built off trauma and that’s not really the most solid setting for a budding romance.
Also, I can’t figure out if Magnus knew he turned into the hyena. That’s what the curse did to him, right? He’s shown wiping blood from his face but seems to have no idea what the curse does to him when it transforms.
The story was interesting but again, I had a difficult time following at times due to the narration. I might give it another go in another format sometime.
The romance was….meh. I mean, I guess it was fine, but it was clearly built off trauma and that’s not really the most solid setting for a budding romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Blood
erandle's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Addiction, Bullying, Suicide, Death of parent, and Colonisation
onemamareads's review
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: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Murder, and Classism
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: Child abuse and Death
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Addiction
aishallnot's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, and Blood
Moderate: Slavery
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: Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Fire/Fire injury