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

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Like many male literary potential love interests, I didn’t like Magnus and would not be mad if he had just died right away. That’s my usual solution to this problem, and rarely does the author decide to go down that route (regrettably). The interesting thing about that suggestion this time around, though, is that it’s actually the best way to solve most of the conflict in the books. Kill this one random, annoying rich guy? You’ll save the lives of all of the remaining staff members plus Andromeda’s mentor. I expect selfishness on the part of the wealthy douchebag in question, but Andi deciding the life of her new boyfriend that she’s known for like a week and stole from another woman is worth more than all the working class people around her is not very good class solidarity in my opinion!!! Oh, also, he’s the one possessed and killing people in the first place so you’d definitely be justified in this case. 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. You say that every single time, Tom.” The woman with bright orange hair and bizarrely blue eyes frowned at me. “She can’t be older than sixteen.” 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.

This is Tom,” Peggy said. “He takes care of maintenance around the house. Emma here, the two of us share the task of cooking and mending. And Edward”—the old man nodded at me with a small smile, his eyes glistening kindness—“he keeps the horses. We all clean around here.” She gave me a pointed look. “That includes you.” 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.

I have to admit this is not Jane Eyre’s retelling: the only resemblances with the classic are claustrophobic mansion/ castle premise, names and resilient, young heroine. fernandan on Reading The Wheel of Time: Taim Tells Lies and Rand Shares His Plan in Winter’s Heart (Part 3) 3 hours ago FINALLY that day came and I tore into this book... only to be, uh, disappointed? The world-building felt really flat for me, like this could have been interchangeable with half a dozen other YAs. I liked that the heroine was plain and really passionate about her job, but those are the only really notable things about her. Our girl has NO HOBBIES and one of her favorite activities is pooping (I am not kidding). What in Galahad is going on here? (And don't even get me started on her "creative" method of ersatz tampon substitution.) I also thought that entire plot (romance, relationships, pacing, and all) was just.... chef's kiss. Really nice. I have no complaints besides a few spots that felt slowly paced. Magnus is your typical ya rich brat who’s inheriting his rich fathers money. Yeah... LIKE LITERALLY YOUR TOKEN YA love interest. And god the interactions were cringey. The dialogue in terms of how he flirts. Idk why im critical of this but it just urked me so much. Whenever Magnus is present its just an embarrassment HOW COULD THIS BOOK GO SO WRONG WITH THIS ONE THING??? Pretty much the banter was horrible and that one scene when they first kiss was so... uncomfortable to read about??? Yikes 😬.

The romance was just gross, maybe because I hated Magnus so much, but it was definitely compounded by Andi constantly acting like his mom. Ugh 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. 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 loved characters and the main plot, including all the horror elements and action scenes, but I didn't like the love story. I am not as well versed in Ethiopian lore, so I can't personally attest to the hyenas and their role, but they seemed to work at least as out of sight out of mind villains. I wish there were a bit more about their appearance than what horrors they rendered.But I supposed it made sense. No local would dare step foot in a house so saturated by the Evil Eye. Hiring foreigners who were unfamiliar with the curse guaranteed employees would stay, as long as they were paid well.

So when an offer for a house cleansing comes her way riddled with warnings, she's too desperate to refuse. 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. GOODREADS, "The Most Anticipated YA Books of October" and "The 36 Most Anticipated Upcoming YA Novels" Many times.” To rooms. Not an entire house, let alone a castle. But God knows when—or if—I’d ever get another job offer, not without a debtera license. A little lying was warranted. Whew, here we go. Well it took me months and months but I FINALLY got this out of my DNFs, so that's exciting.

I loved Andi’s characterization. Her resilience, her survival instincts, her hunger for affection, intensity, friendship, her determination made me connect her. Magnus was charming, entertaining, a little spoiled brat who needs to be slapped a few times but I loved his snarky comments and dark sense of humor. Love story and chemistry between Andi and him was adorable. For the most part, though, those tiny things really didn't hamper my enjoyment of the story. This is an absolutely excellent debut. POP SUGAR, "The 55 Best New Books of October" and "11 New YA Books You Won't Want to Miss This October" Simply put, i did not like this book and i don’t have a lot of positive things to say about this book.