Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood

21 reviews

aformeracceleratedreader's review

dark sad medium-paced

4.25

I read Jane Eyre in high school and was down for a retelling. Overall really enjoyed this, teared up a little towards the end even. I could've gone with a little less of the romance and a little more of the Evil Eye though. Enjoyed the characters and the setting. Would love to read more from this author.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, and Death

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief

Minor: Alcoholism, Racism, and Colonisation

saliwali's review

adventurous dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Emotional abuse, Blood, Child abuse, Death, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Addiction, Bullying, Drug abuse, and Gaslighting

jennaniho's review

challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book was...a ride, to say the least. I was afraid to pick it up because it was promoted (or whispered, more likely) to be an "Ethiopian-inspired Jane Eyre retelling" and I personally don't like Jane Eyre that much. But, when I read that it had ghosts and exorcism in it probably set in the Caribbean, I gave it a chance and I wasn't that disappointed. 

The book is good, but I felt the pace was too slow for my taste. Still, I enjoyed reading it. Andromeda (Andi) became my favorite character. She was a no-bullshit kind of gal, but had the normal insecurities of any late teenager, which made her relatable. She was also honest, and incredibly powerful. Her character reminded me a lot of the Japanese anime series, Witch Hunter Robin, where the main character is also incredibly powerful, but very naive. 

What I didn't like at first was the "romance" between her and Magnus. I felt it was a bit vague and a bit non-consensual. Maybe is because I was seeing him through Andi's eyes. There were moments when their interactions felt a bit bland, but in others you truly felt the connection between them. 

Yet, what I absolutely loved about this book was the mystery surrounding the house and how detailed the author described every important aspect of it. Lauren's writing style made you feel like you were in the dammed place and I remember jumping a bit every now and then whenever a scary or tense scene came on because it kept you on the edge of your seat (or the bed, in my case). You had bleeding walls, sinister manifestations, an abusive father figure, and a deep secret that made you anxious to know about it but didn't want to find out so soon in the book. To this, the author delivered that perfect wait. I also loved the Ethiopian-inspired elements, which gave the story more nuance and color. It is a very dark tale, so these details allowed it to keep the story interesting. 

Within These Wicked Walls was better than I expected. It was what I wanted 'Mexican Gothic', by Silvia Moreno-Garcia to feel like. The story Lauren weaves is unique, nail-biting, and with a killer storyline. I might read it again and probably will comprehend some of the elements I didn't like. But, overall, it is a great book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, and Death

Moderate: Grief, Child abuse, and Physical abuse

Minor: Racism, Slavery, and Trafficking

wrensreadingroom's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Vomit, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Grief, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Animal cruelty, Colonisation, Cursing, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Chronic illness, and Emotional abuse

puttingwingsonwords's review

dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

It was a quick and engaging read. Sometimes maybe too quick; the romance went a little fast for me. I think that might be typical of YA, though. I did like how the romance was written, but it was a little hard to buy that it all happened over the course of a few days.

The atmosphere of the ice cold house in the middle of the desert was perfectly creepy. But here I also felt like the horror would have benefited from a little more time to breathe. I guess I like my gothic horror with a little less action and a little more dread. I did love the way warding off the Evil Eye worked with the crafting of amulets, magic as a precise & complex skill.

Overall it was a great book, just a little rushed at times for my taste. It works well as a Jane Eyre retelling, but it also stands on its own. I recommend it if you like YA fantasy and/or romance and gothic horror.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, and Blood

Moderate: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Classism, Death of parent, and Violence

Minor: Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, and Suicidal thoughts

toffishay's review

dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

I loved the romance! Love Andromeda and love Magnus! Which is great because their romance is the biggest chunk of the plot, even more than the fantasy so if you don't buy into that then the rest of the book doesn't work. The fantasy elements were fine to me, they kind of fit that zone of generic YA fantasy. I like the haunted house aspect, which is a more interesting kind of story to me than other YA stories that would be more adventure based. It makes the story lean more Gothic, which makes sense because this is a Jane Eyre inspired story. The pacing is annoying and honestly, I didn't really care about the fantasy parts like all the fighting. I predicted some of the end, but that may be a reality of a retelling as well. The relationship between Jember and Andromeda was interesting too and <SPOILER> I liked that there were no easy answers with that one. <END SPOILER> The horror elements are well-done though, like I was really creeped out. Overall, a nice YA story that I could actually revisit again because I loved the romance!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Blood, Gore, Violence, Death, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, and Body horror

Minor: Sexism, Racism, Trafficking, Infidelity, Gun violence, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Murder, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury

madamenovelist's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Violence, Murder, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Addiction, Abandonment, Blood, Gore, Grief, and Confinement

Minor: Trafficking

There is a brief mention of a child being rescued from sex trafficking. The emotional/physical abuse, blood, gore, and violence are all very graphic. Not for the sensitive.

haylzno's review

emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I truly loved this story!! My only gripes is that sometimes the dialogue got a tad cringey and I wish we got to know Magnus and Andromeda a bit more. But other than that, I had a blast reading this. 

The perfect October read (I mean, seriously. Haunted house? Super evil demonic forces? Say less) 
I loved the pacing of this book, I was never bored and the banter between Andi and Magnus was just perfect. 

This will absolutely be one I re-read over and over again! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, and Blood

Moderate: Drug abuse, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Child abuse

Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Panic attacks/disorders

rorikae's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

'Within These Wicked Walls' by Lauren Blackwood is an atmospheric reimagining of Jane Eyre that lent a little too much into the romance for my liking.
Andromeda is a debtera, an exorcist who crafts amulets to ward off spirits attached to the Evil Eye. For one of her assignments, she enters the employ of the charming Magnus Rochester. His house is home to some of the more disturbing manifestations that Andromeda has encountered and it will take her full background of knowledge to attempt to cleanse it. As she works to unravel the hold that the manifestations have, she is drawn closer and closer to Rochester. 
'Within These Wicked Walls' has incredible atmosphere. Blackwood creates a truly disturbing house with arms extending out of walls and the impression of hundreds of rats at the end of the corridor. This was my favorite aspect as I was quickly immersed in the feeling of the house and understood Andromeda's quest to get rid of the manifestations. Andromeda is a compelling character that I came to care for quickly. Her determination paired with her magical abilities create an engaging heroine that is easy to root for. My one big sticking point with this story is the romance. It happens quickly and then for a third of the book it feels like Andromeda is thinking more about her feelings than the disturbing house she is living in. That felt unrealistic and the instant attraction between her and Rochester was aggravating. I think this story would have benefited from leaning more into the horror than the romance, especially halfway through. Blackwood's gift with atmosphere is exquisite though and does keep my interest in picking up another book of theirs in the future. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Body horror, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

frantically's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

kinda weird but i still liked it well enough.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Chronic illness, Death, and Abandonment

Moderate: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Classism

Minor: Trafficking and Grief