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A review by toffishay
Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood
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!
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury