Within These Wicked Walls

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.