Within These Wicked Walls

A Novel

By: Lauren Blackwood

Narrated by: Nneka Okoye

* Reese's Book Club Fall 2021 YA Pick *

"Lauren Blackwood’s can’t-miss debut is a magical, Ethiopian-inspired remix of Jane Eyre." (Harper's Bazaar)

What the heart desires, the house destroys....

Andromeda is a debtera — an exorcist hired to cleanse households of the Evil Eye. She would be hired, that is, if her mentor hadn’t thrown her out before she could earn her license. Now her only hope of steady work is to find a Patron — a rich, well-connected individual who will vouch for her abilities.

When a handsome young heir named Magnus Rochester reaches out to hire her, she takes the job without question. Never mind that he’s rude and demanding and eccentric, that the contract comes with a number of outlandish rules… and that almost a dozen debtera had quit before her. If Andromeda wants to earn a living, she has no choice.

But she 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, the reason every debtera before her quit. But leaving Magnus to live out his curse alone isn’t an option because — heaven help her — she’s fallen for him.

Stunningly romantic, Lauren Blackwood's heartstopping debut, Within These Wicked Walls, ushers in an exciting new fantasy voice.

"An intricate magic system, a grimly humorous Black heroine, AND a heart-thumping romance? This book leaves nothing wanting." (Jordan Ifueko, New York Times best-selling author of Raybearer)

©2021 Lauren Blackwood (P)2021 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

* REESE'S BOOK CLUB FALL 2021 YA PICK *

* A NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 KIDS' INDIE NEXT PICK *

ESSENCE, "19 Black Children's Books To Share With The Little Ones In Your Life"

BUZZFEED, "26 New Science Fiction And Fantasy Books To Read This Fall" and "18 Epic Fantasy Books Starring Magical Black Leads"

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, "Hot New Books with Hollywood Appeal"

CULTURESS, "21 exciting YA book releases we can’t wait to read in Fall 2021"

BOOKISH, "20 YA Books by Black Authors for Your 2021 TBR"

BOOK RIOT, "20 Must-Read 2021 Young Adult Fantasy Releases"

SHE READS, "Most Anticipated YA Books of Fall 2021"

GOODREADS, "The Most Anticipated YA Books of October" and "The 36 Most Anticipated Upcoming YA Novels"

POP SUGAR, "The 55 Best New Books of October" and "11 New YA Books You Won't Want to Miss This October"

DEN OF GEEK, "Top New Fantasy Books in October 2021"

BUSTLE, "The Most Anticipated Books Of October 2021" and "9 Must-Read New Books Out This Week"

EPIC READS, "24 Books to Read After You Watch ‘Fear Street’"

"Lauren Blackwood’s can’t-miss debut is a magical, Ethiopian-inspired remix of Jane Eyre." - HARPER'S BAZAAR

"[A] creepy, immersive, romantic and thrilling retelling." - MS. MAGAZINE

"A fast-paced and heart-wrenching tale...Perfect for lovers of light horror, romance, and suspense, Within These Wicked Walls will be a surefire pick for the coming autumn nights." - BOOKLIST (starred review)

Only One Thing Missing

The narration was great, as was the overall story. The only thing missing was more detail/information about the curse (Evil Eye). Some things weren't really explained...Overall, I think this audiobook would be good for young adults or older teenagers.

Really loved it

The story was very entertaining. That’s what matters to me most. However, it was quite irritating listening to Ethiopian characters with English accents. Can we stop doing that in 2021? I don’t know, maybe in 2022, 2023, at some point we have to stop catering to white supremacy. Regardless, I love the story. It’s very inventive. But the best part where the relationships between the characters. They were all heart.

Loved it!

Read this! What a great story and a great reader! I am so glad I gave it a chance.

Not as grand as Jane Eyre, but interesting

I found the main character horribly grating at first because she's SO misanthropic, and also slightly ethnocentric. Both things make sense with the character's backstory, but that didn't make her any easier to listen to. I've never read anything with such a hateful protagonist, but I pushed past it and she did get better eventually.

Reimagining one of the greatest novels of all time is very bold, not least because you're inviting comparisons between your work and the original. This story didn't have the same degree of mystery, grandiose romance, or slow-burn intensity as Jane Eyre, so it doesn't really compare favorably to the original in my opinion. Granted, the original was arguably too slow, and there is romance in this one. It's not bad; worth a read just for the fun of hearing how the author decided to recreate different elements of Jane Eyre.

I have no criticism for the quality of the writing itself except that the author had the protagonist remind herself that she wasn't on the street anymore far too many times.

The narrator is a good actress, but she read descriptions of confrontations with demons with the same emotional intensity she gave to touring the house. Whenever she got to dialogue, I was always startled by the fact that she *could* emote well after all.

Great read

As the book started I immediately thought it wasn’t for me. I held in there and boy am I glad I did. Loved it. Great book and the narrator’s performance was very engaging

done too soon.

loved it. wish there was more to the story. When I got to the last page I wanted more.

What A Spooky Read!

I really enjoyed this story very much. It wasn't at all what I was hoping for, but it was an enjoyable read. Would I read it again? Probably not. Would I recommend it? Most likely. Do I wish the characters were more relatable? Oh most definitely. The narration was pretty amazing at least. I didn't hate the book. It just wasn't what I was expecting.

Great read!

Struggle, love, mythical, loved it. Not sure what I was expecting from this book but it was so good. Narrator did amazing as well.

Great story, weak love interest

I greatly enjoyed this book, but I wouldn't say I loved it. My biggest issue was with the love interest, Magnus. He doesn't do anything throughout the entire story. He sits around throwing a pity party and occasionally says a romantic line or two. I couldn't understand what the main character saw in him. She does so much to solve his problems so they can be together, but not once did I read something Magnus did for her.

Overall, I thought the story was good. The cleansing scenes are frightful and gave me goosebumps. I loved the character arcs with the main character and her father figure. The love interest is the only part I didn't like.

Excellent narration

One of the best narrators I’ve heard. Loved what she brought to the story. Made it a great experience