ARC REVIEW: Within These Wicked Walls - Lauren Blackwood

 Dates read: June 22, 2021-June 23, 2021

Genres: Fantasy, Retellings, Romance, Gothic

Audience: Young Adult

Trigger/Content Warnings: Death, blood, gore, child abuse, physical abuse, animal death (view more here).

Synopsis: Andromeda is a debtera, which means she exorcises houses of the Evil Eye for a living. When wealthy heir Magnus reaches out to her with a job offer, she is quick to accept—however, as she soon realizes, this job may be more than she can handle.

Review: I LOVED this book. All of the relationships—between adoptive father and daughter, love interests, and more—were so complex and interesting to read about. I also loved reading about the debtera’s work, including the amulet making and the demons/spirits Andromeda had to deal with. All in all, this was a beautiful, gripping story that you will not be able to put down.

Read this... if you want a fresh fantasy that doesn’t feel like the rest of them!

MINI REVIEW: Where the Crawdads Sing - Delia Owens

 Dates read: May 30, 2021-May 31, 2021

Genres: Historical, Mystery

Audience: Adult

Trigger/Content Warnings: Domestic abuse, sexual assault, rape, child abuse, racism, racial slurs (view more here).

Synopsis: Dubbed the “Marsh Girl,” Kya has always been an outsider in her own town. This didn’t bother her much, until one day she is blamed for murder.

Review: Although the backstory is a bit much, I feel like this aspect didn’t have much of an effect on me. Besides the beginning, the pacing was fine and fitting for the story. This book had a lot of imagery, which really helped with this particular story. Besides the obvious murder mystery, this also explored themes such as coming-of-age, loss, independence, and love.

Read this... if you like murder mysteries and/or historical fiction!