Within These Wicked Walls

This didn't strike me as a Jane Eyre retelling per se, maybe something loosely based off of it, but not a retelling. But hey, it was spooky, it was unique, it was fun regardless.

I just got to a point where I didn't care for the characters and then the story as a whole. 

I picked it up because I was intrigued by the exorcist aspect plus a possible romance. I DNF'd at only 8% which is sad. It's not that the book isn't good either. I'm giving it 3 stars more because I think other people will like it but it wasn't for me. The book was just a bit of a downer. I'm sure it gets better as you keep going but where I left off our protagonist has just escaped a rough life on the streets, and a former abusive mentor who kicked her out and now she is in a haunted mansion that has a mean staff and distant (possibly crazy) employer. It's written well and has a POC protagonist but it's just not what I was looking for.

The description of a fantasy Jane Eyre retelling is accurate. You can see the bones of Jane Eyre with some fabulous additions. I really loved the way that the female characters are given more agency and power in this story. The parental tragedies of Jane Eyre are there, but there is a little more hope infused in there. I loved the horror parts with the Manifestations. There is not a total answer wrapped up in a bow, which leaves me thinking about the story. The twist was a surprise that I didn't see coming, but is perfect. This is a fabulous book,

I really liked this loose retelling of Jane Eyre! I found the magic, folklore, and worldbuilding to be so fascinating. Blackwood puts an interesting spin on a classic.

3.5 stars. This is a gothic fantasy 2021 YA debut that's been compared to (and was inspired by?) Jane Eyre. I'm really impressed with this debut. I thought the first half was stronger than the second from its themes to pacing, but I thoroughly enjoyed this.

Many thanks to Libro.fm for the audio arc!

I enjoyed this narration, and I thought this story had some really good moments. I was interested in Andromeda and her success, and there was a solid romantic arc complete with banter. I did think the world building was a little odd/shaky, and I thought the fight scenes were rather repetitive. It can be difficult to pull off the “house as character” type of thing, and I'm not sure it was always successful. Overall, I would recommend to someone looking for something a little creepy and different who enjoys a strong, imperfect female lead.

This must be the laziest “Ethiopian inspired” Jane Eyre “retelling” ever.
The world building is nonexistent, the characters are one-dimensional and contradictory, the plot makes no sense, it has insta-love, no magic system and no conflict. Also, so much artificial DRAMA!

The beginning was fun because Magnus and Andi had some nice banter but this book is a first draft at best, not a finished novel.

Also, keep your Catholic preachiness out of my YA, thank you.

CW: bleeding walls, parental abuse, dismemberment, selling of children

Probably more of a 3.5 but I'm rounding up.

I can't say I remember reading the original Jane Eyre but I have read a couple of retellings/stories inspired by the classic, so when I saw one more retelling announcement set in Ethiopia, I was immediately intrigued and very glad when I got the advance copy.

One thing I can say, this is perfect to read during this spooky season. The castle in the novel and it's owner are haunted by the antagonist, an Evil Eye which manifests in different forms throughout the castle every night, endangering its inhabitants. The author describes this eerie castle perfectly, with its many eccentric and sometimes horrifying features, which makes the building itself feel like the main character. That's what makes this a very intriguing gothic fantasy. The plotting is also pretty fast paced, with everything moving at breakneck speeds at times, because everyone's lives are in danger. The prose is pretty easy to read and I found myself quite engaged in this mysterious story.

Andromeda or Andi is a compassionate, brave, slightly distrustful but very loving young woman who has been through a lot of hardships since childhood, and is determined to finish this dangerous job and earn a patronage. Magnus on the other hand is the owner of the castle who has been plagued by the Evil Eye for three years and is very depressed about it. He is also a slightly pretentious and snobby rich brat sometimes, but his bad qualities get offset by his charm and wit. Their romance is definitely very instalovey but it was also understandable because they are two people who have experienced a lot of loneliness, and it's easy to fall in love with the first person who shows some affection.

There are quite a few side characters too but I didn't find any of them too memorable except for Saba who was sweet and extremely loving and caring, despite her devastating circumstances. And ofcourse there's Jember, the only father Andi has ever known. They have a complicated relationship and I understand why she was quick to forgive him when he apologized after 14 years of being abusive to her. But her justification that all his abuse was ok because he was doing it out of love and to help her survive, and all his abusive teachings helped her survive when she was literally homeless and starving (because of him) - was a bit too much for me to stomach and I almost felt like she was gaslighting herself. Magnus seemed like the only voice of reason who understood abuse for what it was.

In the end, this was a very eerie, mysterious, atmospheric and sometimes horrific YA gothic fantasy novel, with very memorable main protagonists and their endearing love story. I may have some issues with some characterizations but overall it was an engaging book, and while it doesn't have too much in common with the OG Jane Eyre except some names and the haunted castle, I still think fans of the classic will enjoy this one.

Within These Wicked Walls is a fantasy retelling of Jane Eyre involving a debtera, Andromeda, trying to rid a house of The Evil Eye.

I read this in one sitting, it was impossible to put down. I adored the first 70%, and was sure it was gonna be a 5⭐ review, thewre were a few things I disliked about the rest. Still though, would heartily recommend it to lovers of Jane Eyre, or gothic, creepy, paranormal reads. I wouldn't classify it as scary though.

I loved how the book was adapted. It felt very fresh, not just a retelling in a new setting, but a unique story based on Jane Eyre. I will say I disliked Jane Eyre, but really liked this story. So goes to show that it's different, while keeping some main story beats and a bunch of references to the original.

Even though the romance is insta-love, I did buy into it. It might be because I have read Jane Eyre, and knew it was coming. But their banter, the build up, their chemistry, they were all well done, and I was rooting for them pretty early on.

I loved the fantastical elements. My culture (Turkish) has Evil Eye too, but it's completely different for us. After I read the book I also looked up how much of the fantastical elements were made up vs actually a part of the culture. And it seemed, based on my surface level research that the book stays true to the folklore. I loved that I got to learn more about this folk religion from Eritrea and Ethiopia via reading the book. The Evil Eye with physical manifestations, debtera, and the talisman, it was all completely new to me and so fascinating.

I did love how the author weaved the world of the house together with the Evil Eye manifestations. I loved finding out about what creepyness each room held. And loved seeing Andromeda fight them one by one. And speaking of Andromeda, I loved her as a character. She felt very fleshed out, with her flaws, and inner conflicts. She was very relatable.

As I mentioned, the last 30% is where my enthusiasm about the book changed a little. This is where I was expecting everything to come to head. The big bad vs our hero, one last battle. Instead the book slowed way down, it got repetitive and the emotional beats started feeling forced. At this point, two characters reunite. And all of a sudden, the main conflict changes. The battle with the Evil Eye feels overshadowed by these two characters trying to hash out their lifelong relationship, And every conversation between them from this point on is some deep discussion about their past. And at times, right in the middle of action too!

I'm not generally opposed to emotional resolutions. That's why I love romances, and dramas. But in this book, with how things were developing, it just didn't feel genuine. It felt forced and honestly quite out of the blue.

The end of the book is still tied neatly together. And it does feel like you get what you wanted out of the book by the time you're done. But the forced feeling of the resolution between those two characters take away a bit from my enjoyment of the book, that's why I gave it 4 stars.

Despite that though, this will definitely be a book I recommend to many. I loved the world and fantasy of it, the characters, and the romance so much. It's a great fantastical creepy read.

Thank you to St Martin's Press and Netgalley for the eARC.

3.5
Great lead character. Loved the writing and the mood is