A review by whenjessreads
Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood

mysterious

2.0

I…. did not like this book. I spent most of the read just wishing it would end.

The premise was so exciting! An Ethiopian-inspired fantasy with exorcists and the Evil Eye and on top of that, it’s a fantasy retelling of Jane Eyre!

No. Just no. None of that is correct at all. Ethiopian-inspired? Says who? The characters certainly didn’t suggest it - the main character was a POC, but the setting was a rich white man’s mansion filled with his white staff, with a level of culture equivalent to an undercooked bowl of white rice. His last name was Rochester, but if a similar last name is all you need to be labelled as a retelling, then Pocahontas is a retelling of Orwell’s 1984.

I don’t mean to rant - I mean, I do, but I don’t mean to be so rude. I just get so frustrated when a book is described as one thing and ends up being another.

I hated the MMC, he was so uncomfortable and immature and obnoxious and embarrassing and OH LOOK I BLINKED AND THEY’RE IN LOVE.
The father figure was LITERALLY abusive and yet portrayed as someone to be respected and loved.
The FMC was inconsistent and confusing. Her talents were fascinating but got buried very quickly under the romantic drama.

To pull back for a bit. This book had such a great premise. The fantasy aspect was so unique, and I really do wish I had been able to learn more about it, and though the writing was a little clunky, it wasn’t badly written. 

I was just so bored and so frustrated and I’m sorry this is one giant rant. At least now I’m done with this book and can move on.
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