by Lauren Blackwood
I received an ARC of Within These Wicked Walls from NetGalley .
Andromeda is an interesting and flawed character, with a mysterious past and complicated relationships with the men in her life. From her adopted father who purportedly bought her from her parents to apprentice her as a debtera, to her employer Magnus Rochester who hires her to cleanse his home of the Evil Eye, to her biological father who (along with her mother) attempted to sell her into child prostitution, Andromeda has plenty of reasons not to trust men. She is a talented and skilled exorcist, but because of a falling out with her trainer, finds herself unlicensed and without a patron. So when an opportunity to cleanse a wealthy chocolate baron’s home arises, Andromeda commits to the job, despite the fact that so many previous debtera have failed.
This is a love story, but it also isn’t. This is really a story about redemption, about the triumph of the human spirit in the midst of spiritual warfare, about finding purpose and capitalizing on talent. There is a lot of gore when the Evil Eye battles with Andromeda and the other tenants, but the storytelling in this particular area is original and well done.
Though this book is being marketed as an updated Jane Eyre, I didn't see so much of this reference in the story. I enjoyed the foray into Ethiopian culture, especially the idea of exorcists (debtera). In fact, I wish the story had more about the Ethiopian culture and practices at the core of the book because the little bits of it in the story left me wanting more. Developing this part of the story would help readers see this as a story that is Ethiopian in flavor where it sometimes feels like a story that could have happened anywhere. In fact, this is really the only detracting point I can find.
I really enjoyed the Within These Wicked Walls and
recommend it for fans of books like Mexican Gothic.
No comments:
Post a Comment