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Within These Wicked Walls: the must-read Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick

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Let me start off by saying that my tastes as of late have been drifting closer and closer to the horror aspect of dark fantasy, and this book gave me everything I wanted and a whole hell of a lot more. Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Libra Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Librarians Group is the official group for requesting additions or updates to the catalog, including: She spends her entire life trying to emulate Jember, which makes sense considering he’s both a father-figure and one of the best debteras to ever live, but she soon realizes that what works for him simply does not work for her. I love that Andromeda is self-aware enough to realize this without someone like Magnus or Jember having to tell her. She has no problem speaking her mind and fighting for what she believes in, even when she’s fighting against someone much older and more experienced. I’d thought Peggy just preferred her clothing to match her grim demeanor, but the three others wore that same dark grey to match the bleak walls. To be fair, it was probably less a fashion choice and more a matter of dyeing all the wool in one barrel. Even so, it was strange how well they matched the house. Like ghosts dressed in shadows. Exorcist. I forced myself not to roll my eyes at the word. It was vague, limited. We debtera led the worship services with hymns and chants, as well as performed all the duties of the priests, without benefiting from being ordained or esteemed. We were healers. Artisans. Trained to attune ourselves to the spirit world deeper than anyone else would dare to. But, I supposed, for the purpose of my employer … “That’s correct. The exorcist.”

The setting was little hard for me to understand, and I am honestly considering rereading this whole novel to understand it better, plus I do believe that I would appreciate the story more if I give it another go. 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 is to find a Patron – a rich, well-connected individual who will vouch for her abilities. And towards end nothing really even made sense. There were rules established about how the manifestations work and when they come out and then suddenly those rules don't apply because... Andi doesn't want them to? The climax really didn't make sense and never should have happened the way it did. 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. Raised by a man named Jember, who Andi considers to be her father, she was thus trained by one of the best.

The house is overtaken by the Evil Eye, which reveals itself in hideous ways. These include manifestations but more insidiously in a form that stalks at night. Andi must use her amulet-crafting skills to ward and exorcise the evil. Of course, falling in love with the owner was not in her plans, but he becomes irresistible to her. Delightfully, Magnus is both the love interest and the comic relief and their flirty encounters are blissful. The setting of the novel is shown in the words, mentions of food, and types of dress. Themes of parental love, sacrifice, and faith are included.

I’ll be honest, i loved the beginning. The writing was great and atmospheric, the vibes were ethereal, and we were being introduced to an extraordinary world. And honestly this book had so much potential. Unfortunately EVERYTHING went downhill from the moment Magnus entered the book, and my hatred for the character was magnified because there was such a build up to his introduction. We were being told things about him and already given an impression on him way before Andi (mc) meets him. It turned out to be one of those situations where you’re led to expect a certain thing and the reality is nothing close to it. Andromeda and Magnus make for an intriguing pair and one of my favourite couples out of all the books I’ve read thus far in 2021. One of the main reasons for this is definitely the banter shared between the two. There are moments of wittiness, vulnerability and feeling that I wasn’t expecting, but I am glad it was part of the tale. It’s hard to delve deeper into their relationship without giving too much away, but I will say that I think you’ll be hard-pressed to find any reasons to dislike the pairing of Andromeda and Magnus. What’s even better is that each character is just as great on their own, their joining together is just a delightful bonus.Andi's life wasn't easy. All the poor thing wanted was someone to love her; to feel like she belonged to someone, somewhere. It actually broke my heart a wee bit. I didn't feel the chemistry between Andri and Magnus, and it all felt all of a sudden. To be honest, I'd prefer if the story was without it. But more than anything, I came here for the elements of horror, and they did not disappoint. As wonderful as the romance is at balancing out this story and making it a little easier to get through for those who don’t normally read dark fantasy, the manifestations take center stage in a myriad of ways. However, ill still mention that the writing style itself was really and that speaks a lot about the author. This was not a genre i enjoyed and not a story i liked, but the author still managed to make me have a positive impression of the writing style itself so cudos the the author. And this tells me that people who truly do enjoy ya romance as genre, definitely would enjoy this book!!!

It took a me a while to read this one not because the book was bad, but I wasn't the biggest fan of the narrator. Nevertheless, this book was creepy AF. I don't think I was expecting that. This supposed to be Jane Eyre retelling, and although I can see little similarity in setting (big castle) and ghost who maybe was it's version of captured wife from the Jane Eyre, I can't agree that this is retelling.Some foreign travelers called it “exotic.” Others called it “hell.” The second was accurate, heat-wise. But to look at it? Heaven. Salt and iron crusted the land in yellow and rust, making the desert look alive with magic. But even a wonder like that wasn’t enough to get travelers to pass this way, not anymore. Andi has a job to do. And as the servants keep disappearing (or worse) and the house creeps closer toward Andi with every breath, the stakes are too high to leave. The woman shut us inside and, instinctively, I glanced around for an alternative exit. “I’m Peggy, Mr. Rochester’s caretaker. Mr. Rochester will insist you call me that, even though I’m your elder and it should be improper. No, keep your shoes on, child. You never know what you’ll step on around here.” Authors, if you are a member of the Goodreads Author Program, you can edit information about your own books. Find out how in this guide. What also confused me was how this read as fantasy but then book classics would be mentioned and at times I had feeling I was reading historical fiction with fantasy/horror elements...

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