Within These Wicked Walls

I liked the spooky stuff very, very much. There was a cool, creepy system to learn about. I did not find the romance at all compelling. ( )

The horror stuff was cool, but holy cow both of the love interests were so immature. ( )

An unusual tale that felt like I was riding an escalator that periodically went over an invisible rock. Andromeda and Jember seem to have little save for antagonism between them when this story begins. He's trained her as a debtera, but was abusive in the process and withheld the credential needed for her to work in her profession. When she's hired to exorcise multiple evil spirits in a remote castle, she's pretty much the last hope for Magnus Rochester who inherited the place. What, at first seems to be a straightforward series of banishings, becomes ever more complex, made so by murky history between Magnus and people living in the haunted residence, as well as a growing relationship between he and Andromeda. As bad things happen to people at the castle, the tension relating to what she must do in order to succeed at the task for which she was hired skyrockets, along with the revelation of more secrets about the players and their messy history. Everything comes together, but not without pain and loss. A very good tale for lovers of complex fiction with a blend of gore, romance and the supernatural. ( )

Darkness and evil form a hauntingly, deadly background for a young woman, discovering the world beyond the walls of what she's known.

Kicked out by her adoptive father and trainer to survive on the streets, Andromeda sees a job at a mansion in the middle of the desert as her only hope to finally find footing in her future as a debtera (an exorcist, who cleanses houses of the Evil Eye's influence). All other experienced and older debtera have failed, but she knows she was trained by the best. The horrors, however, are stronger and more deadly than any she ever even dreamed to be possible. She should give up before the house destroys her, but her one fault keeps her from leaving. She can't leave an innocent victim to fall prey to the evil, especially when her heart won't let her.

In some ways, this house reminds me of the one in The Amityville Horror but with a few major twists, since the evil isn't the house but connected to a cursed person. The horrors are terrible and dangerous, but still, it doesn't have the same scary atmosphere. Andromeda and those living in the mansion are well aware of the horrors surrounding them and try to deal as best they can. So, I don't see this one as horror or really even a real thriller. It slides more into a gothic or dark paranormal realm. And it does this masterfully.

Andromeda is a trained exorcist and a talented one. She knows her skills but also realizes when she might be in over her head...something which made me like her more. Her harsh past does add a bit of sympathy, but more so, it gives a solid basis to understanding her personality, which is packed with corners and sharp edges. And yet, she does have a soft side and a yearn for the one thing she never had, friends. It makes her likeable while still allowing the basis for her hard exterior.

I did almost lay this one down about half-way through (but am so glad I didn't!) There are horrors, which she has to extinguish but this started to get lost in the background of the romance and seemed to be losing the plot. But luckily, this lull was really only a couple of pages (for me) because it immediately swooped in with an unexpected twist and shot the action back up along with the plot. So, this hiccup (and it may have just been a personal thing) was cleared up so fast that it didn't hurt the read really.

Gore, death, and paranormal evil are unforgiving in these pages, which may not be the best for more sensitive readers. It is a dark story...not horribly cruel, though, either. Just lots of haunting, brutal (but not overly graphic) deaths, and violence. Anyone who enjoys dark paranormal tales with a young adult romance are going to enjoy this one quite a bit. I received an ARC through Netgalley. ( )

Lauren Blackwood’s Ethiopian-inspired retelling of Jane Eyre is a thrilling, haunting, and emotional journey. It’s got gothic horror (murderous mansions and cursed souls); a swoony romance with delicious kissing; a fascinating magic system of exorcism; incredibly imaginative characters; and the beating heart of friendship, love, and family through it all. ( )