About the Book:

Title: Within These Wicked Walls 

Author: Lauren Blackwood

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Release Date: October 19, 2021

Pages: 336

Genre: YA Fantasy, YA Retelling 

Synopsis:

What the heart desires, the house destroys…

Andromeda is a debtera—an exorcist hired to cleanse households of the Evil Eye. When a handsome young heir named Magnus Rochester reaches out to hire her, Andromeda quickly realizes this is a job like no other, with horrifying manifestations at every turn, and that Magnus is hiding far more than she has been trained for. Death is the most likely outcome if she stays, but leaving Magnus to live out his curse alone isn’t an option. Evil may roam the castle’s halls, but so does a burning desire.

Kiersten White meets Tomi Adeyemi in this Ethiopian-inspired debut fantasy retelling of Jane Eyre.

 

 

 

 

Review:

* I received an e-arc from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

A solid debut for Lauren Blackwood! I really enjoyed this fantasy and loosely based Jane Eyre retelling, which was quite fast paced and kept me intrigued by the magical elements and Ethiopian mythology.

Andromeda or “Andi” is a debtera, an exorcist hired to cleanse households of the Evil Eye. She is so desperate for a job, that she takes an offer from the young heir Magnus Rochester to cleanse his house, which is something much bigger than she has dealt with before. She quickly realizes upon arriving at the castle that she is in way over her head. There are lots of horrifying manifestations at every turn, and Magnus has been hiding more than she has been trained for. She begins to understand that death is the most likely outcome if she stays in the castle, but leaving Magnus to live out his curse alone is not an option. He has begun to worm his way into her heart.

Andi is a great main character. She is strong and determined, loyal and passionate, despite her rough upbringing. Andi has a complex relationship with Jember, her father figure in the book and I like how this was explored. There was also some romance in the book which I enjoyed, but I like that it wasn’t the main focus of the story. It was more about Andi working on cleansing the house.

I definitely recommend this one, and I think it’s perfect for fall! Just the right amount of spooky.

About the Author:

Lauren Blackwood is a Jamaican American New Yorker living in Virginia who writes Romance-heavy Fantasy for most ages. When not writing, she’s a PTA and violinist who really doesn’t know how to settle on one career field. Within These Wicked Walls is her debut novel.