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

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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. Andi's life wasn't easy. All the poor thing wanted was someone to love her; to feel like she belonged to someone, somewhere. It actually broke my heart a wee bit.

She raised her eyebrows, her gaze lingering too long on my face, but not looking me in the eye. My scar. I rubbed my cheek like I was soothing a sudden itch, wishing I could take the long mark on my skin with it. I always forgot it was there until I met someone new, and they stared at it like I’d grown a third eye.

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. Raised by a man named Jember, who Andi considers to be her father, she was thus trained by one of the best.

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. A dazzling retelling of ‘Jane Eyre,’... promises readers a fantastical, edge-of-the seat, swooning-over-Magnus kind of experience.” - THE SEATTLE TIMES Stunning... An inventive, original, and legitimately scary debut, this is a must for fans of witchcraft, horror, and romance." - NERDIST, "Contemporary Witchy Reads for a Magical Spooky Season"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?

I’d thought Peggy just preferred her clothing to match her grim demeanor, but the three others wore that same dark grey to match the bleak walls. To be fair, it was probably less a fashion choice and more a matter of dyeing all the wool in one barrel. Even so, it was strange how well they matched the house. Like ghosts dressed in shadows. The book’s pace was fast, whirlwind, heart throbbing and conclusion was well wrapped up as it was expected. When a handsome heir named Magnus reaches out to hire her, she takes the job without question. Never mind that he’s rude and eccentric, that the contract comes with outlandish rules, and that the many previous debteras had quit before her. If Andromeda wants to earn a living, she has no choice.

‘Within These Wicked Walls’ hit store shelves on October 19, 2021

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.