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

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Pixieltd on Reading The Wheel of Time: Taim Tells Lies and Rand Shares His Plan in Winter’s Heart (Part 3) 1 hour ago

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. Dancing dust and shadows looked like ghosts come to protest our intrusion. But there was nothing to fear here . . . only memories. Those could only hurt you if you let them.”I could tell instantly that Peggy was the only one who didn’t do any work out of doors, because her face was the color of concrete while the faces of the other three were rosy from the sun. Never in my life had I seen so many white people in one place. We hadn’t been colonized like other countries, so my experience was limited to the occasional missionary or activist, who were all nice enough. 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. 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. 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 Rorschach 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.

Andromeda, known as Andi, is a debtera, essentially an exorcist hired to cleanse households of the Evil Eye.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. It was a survival habit Jember had taught me to live by since the age of five: Protect your amulet better than it protects you.

Andi and Jember have a complicated relationship, which is on full display over the course of this story. No matter how much she seeks his love and acceptance, she never seems to get it. 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... The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life. The romance was just gross, maybe because I hated Magnus so much, but it was definitely compounded by Andi constantly acting like his mom. UghI 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.