“You’re a surprisingly slow learner, Andromeda.”
“Quick learner,” I said, my mind too tired to keep an annoyed bite from peeking through. “Slow follower.”
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Within these Wicked Walls is THE PERFECT read for spooky season. Andromeda is a debtera, an Ethiopian exorcist, who is desperately trying to earn a patronage so that she can continue working. She leaves her mentor and life in the town’s church to take on an impossible job. Magnus Rochester’s house is cursed by the Evil Eye which manifests in all sorts of spooky, hair-raising ghosts and demons. Rooms fill with blood, residents go missing and turn up dead and a terrifying hyena stalks the castle. In order to banish them she must create an amulet to diffuse each one and clean the house of all evil. When she realizes that a lot of the curse resides with Magnus, the owner of the home, who she is inexplicably drawn to, things become complicated.
The imagery in this novel was so immersive, I love a horror novel where you can see the evil in your own mind. I loved the description of the making of the amulets and how Andromeda saw the way to banish each baddie in her mind. I actually wanted more of that… hoping that the print version has some drawings! The main love story part was my least favorite part, it was a bit too contrived and it turned Andromeda from a shrewd exorcist into a bit of a simpering fool at times. But I did love the secondary love story (no spoilers!). I wanted more backstory for each of the other characters in the house, we got a taste of it but I really wanted more of how they came to be in this strange dwelling. Andromeda was a great strong female heroine who well balanced her youth, her courage and her vulnerability.
This one is perfect for fans of Raybearer or A Song of Wraiths and Ruin.
Thanks to Netgalley for a copy. All opinions above are my own.
What’s the last hair-raising book you read?
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