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

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I spent part of the three-mile walk to Thorne Manor dusting myself off with one of my clean dresses, and the rest of it gaping at the castle itself. It looked like something from a fairy tale—brown stone ground down unevenly and undefined by dust storms, parapets where ancient emperors might have stood, carved-out windows with glass added to them. There were castles like that in grassier lands, I knew, but here? Who would want to be emperor of the hottest desert on the planet? POP SUGAR, "The 55 Best New Books of October" and "11 New YA Books You Won't Want to Miss This October" 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.

Simply put, i did not like this book and i don’t have a lot of positive things to say about this book. We spend most of our time in this castle—the curse’s impact on it creates a horror-infused atmosphere, making it a character in its own right. It’s always cold in the building despite the desert heat—so cold, in fact, that it sometimes snows inside. And the malevolent spirits inside make going out of their bedrooms after 10 p.m. a death sentence. The inhabitants—just a few servants along with Magnus and Andi—are at the mercy of the curse, and Andi starts doing what she can to cleanse each room from the Evil Eye’s influence.

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Now add in a romance, a ghost story, and a claustrophobic atmosphere on par with Mexican Gothic, and you have a STORY. But this is a job like no other, and Magnus is hiding far more than she has been trained for. Death is the likely outcome if she stays, the reason every debtera before her quit. But leaving Magnus to live out his curse isn’t an option because, heaven help her, she’s fallen for him. I really enjoyed this story. The atmosphere was fantastic, dripping with danger and dark gothic vibes. Andi was an incredible main character to follow; I felt like I could really get behind her.

Thus, she finds herself at the cusp of adulthood on her own. She needs to start making her own way. When she gets offered a position to cleanse the mysterious Rochester household of a crippling case of the Evil Eye, she accepts. She vows to herself to do everything she possibly can to help him, even if it means putting her own life at risk. 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. The master of the house, Magnus Rochester, is charming and endearing, but also a bit of a rascal. Andi feels an almost instant attraction to him. Frankly, it would be hard not to. 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.Andi’s grit and ability to love when the world was so unloving to her make her a character you want to root for. And you’re right there with her as she faces the terrors of the castle and the complicated relationships she has within and without those walls. Again, with my disclaimers at the beginning of this review aside, I thought this was a fantastic story. I read it over the course of one evening—and basically one sitting, if you don't count tea breaks! This was such a random read for me- the cover caught my eye and I decided to give it a try. But i'm actually so glad I decided to read this a Magnus, as well, was a delight. I wanted to help him as much as Andi did; he was in so much trouble when she came to him. The stakes were extremely high and time was of the essence. 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.

overall, a decent debut. definitely some areas that could be improved upon as the author grows, but a pretty eerie story that comes out just in time for halloween. It’s not much of a spoiler, especially if you’re familiar with Jane Eyre, that Magnus and Andromeda fall in love and end up together. I couldn’t help thinking, however, that Andi could do better. Yes, Magnus is a chocolate magnate and all, but it was hard for me to understand what Andromeda saw in him, as he seemed to spend much of his time whining and waiting for others to save him. The story also touches on how his expectations of what their relationship will be in the future differ from what Andi would like. And there’s no real resolution of that. If there was a sequel, I’d be perfectly happy if the two were no longer together—there’s a whole world out there for Andi, and she doesn’t need a man, and certainly not a man like Magnus, to see it.Amazing atmosphere, loved the fresh take on a very different—and minimally inspired—Jane Eyre retelling. Loved the magic components, the haunted house, the Ethiopian-meets-gothic vibes… ahhh so good. 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.” fernandan on Reading The Wheel of Time: Taim Tells Lies and Rand Shares His Plan in Winter’s Heart (Part 3) 3 hours ago 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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