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A review by catapocalypse
Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Disclosure: I received an e-ARC of this book that was openly available to NetGalley users in exchange for an honest review.
This is a YA retelling of Jane Eyre, set in Ethiopia and involving actual supernatural evil forces! Andromeda has taken on the dubious job of cleansing the heavily-cursed estate of Magnus Rochester. She's a 'debtera' from the church who exorcises such manifestations of the Evil Eye by crafting holy amulets by intuition--or she would be, if her master, Jember, hadn't thrown her out before she could attain official licensing. Andromeda quickly finds she has a lot to learn about dealing with the ultimate manifestation of the evil eye, coming to terms with her hard upbringing, and the peculiar experience of falling for the rich young recluse who employs her.
I loved this premise, the setting, and the magic system. There was a fair bit of good creepiness, and as a YA read, it didn't go overboard on the gore or grimdark. The story moved at a fast pace that kept me interested, and likely will satisfy plot-driven readers. While I still enjoy plot-driven narratives, as someone who really loves character-driven reads, I found a few things wanting in this regard. I loved the idea of Andromeda, but her characterization was a little all over the place, to me. She had supposedly learned a lesson about the dangers of showing compassion for others from her life on the streets, but in practice she seemed to care quite a lot very easily. She was meant to be a pragmatic character, but made some odd decisions here and there. Her pragmatism also made for clunky chemistry with the eccentric and often immature Magnus.
To be fair, I am very picky about romance, and I hadn't noticed at first that this was also YA. And to its credit, the angst wasn't overdone, so this is still approachable for adult readers. Even with the ways it fell flat to me, I still found it enjoyable and feel it's a solid 3-stars.
This is a YA retelling of Jane Eyre, set in Ethiopia and involving actual supernatural evil forces! Andromeda has taken on the dubious job of cleansing the heavily-cursed estate of Magnus Rochester. She's a 'debtera' from the church who exorcises such manifestations of the Evil Eye by crafting holy amulets by intuition--or she would be, if her master, Jember, hadn't thrown her out before she could attain official licensing. Andromeda quickly finds she has a lot to learn about dealing with the ultimate manifestation of the evil eye, coming to terms with her hard upbringing, and the peculiar experience of falling for the rich young recluse who employs her.
I loved this premise, the setting, and the magic system. There was a fair bit of good creepiness, and as a YA read, it didn't go overboard on the gore or grimdark. The story moved at a fast pace that kept me interested, and likely will satisfy plot-driven readers. While I still enjoy plot-driven narratives, as someone who really loves character-driven reads, I found a few things wanting in this regard. I loved the idea of Andromeda, but her characterization was a little all over the place, to me. She had supposedly learned a lesson about the dangers of showing compassion for others from her life on the streets, but in practice she seemed to care quite a lot very easily. She was meant to be a pragmatic character, but made some odd decisions here and there. Her pragmatism also made for clunky chemistry with the eccentric and often immature Magnus.
To be fair, I am very picky about romance, and I hadn't noticed at first that this was also YA. And to its credit, the angst wasn't overdone, so this is still approachable for adult readers. Even with the ways it fell flat to me, I still found it enjoyable and feel it's a solid 3-stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Infidelity, Slavery, and Trafficking