Sand didn’t bother me. My insides were so coated with it, at this point I was immune. But I wasn’t so sure my employer would appreciate my appearance. Yes, but she’s seen war,” he said, pointing to my scar. I fought the urge to cover it with my hand.

As we’ve moved from the damsel in distress storylines for female characters, we charged full steam ahead into the territory of the “strong female character.” My problem with this characteristic is that some writers tend to create a female character with masculine traits and call it a day. Just change their name, and they could be a man. Oftentimes, these women are emotionless automatons that don’t feel, they just act (or react). I don't know if this book is in ya category as the main character Andri is 19 years old, but to me it definitely read as ya horror. If the gothic imagery or the magic don’t pull you in, there’s a good chance Andromeda will. As her story unfolds, we find out about her past—her childhood years with Jember, who kept her alive but at arm’s length and acted in ways that were clearly abusive. You also learn how she got that scar that runs down her face, something she’s uncomfortable about, appearance-wise, in the beginning of the book.

I held the woman’s skeptical gaze firmly, secretly praying she wouldn’t ask for it. Nineteen was an adult, according to law. Old enough to live on the streets, to starve daily. But not, in my experience, old enough to be taken seriously by the elder generation. The less she could judge me on, the better. I just... really didn't like this. I was expecting brooding slow burn romance in a haunted Gothic mansion with a side of horror. What I got was immature insta-love with a repulsive LI and the occasional MG level "horror" scene. I loved Andi’s characterization. Her resilience, her survival instincts, her hunger for affection, intensity, friendship, her determination made me connect her. Magnus was charming, entertaining, a little spoiled brat who needs to be slapped a few times but I loved his snarky comments and dark sense of humor. Love story and chemistry between Andi and him was adorable. Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Andromeda is a debtera―an exorcist hired to cleanse households of the Evil Eye. She would be hired, that is, if her mentor hadn’t thrown her out before she could earn her license. Now her only hope of steady work is to find a Patron―a rich, well-connected individual who will vouch for her abilities.

But I supposed it made sense. No local would dare step foot in a house so saturated by the Evil Eye. Hiring foreigners who were unfamiliar with the curse guaranteed employees would stay, as long as they were paid well. Again, with my disclaimers at the beginning of this review aside, I thought this was a fantastic story. I read it over the course of one evening—and basically one sitting, if you don't count tea breaks! When a handsome young heir named Magnus Rochester reaches out to hire her, she takes the job without question. Never mind that he’s rude and demanding and eccentric, that the contract comes with a number of outlandish rules… and that almost a dozen debtera had quit before her. If Andromeda wants to earn a living, she has no choice. What I like about the story: The heroine, Andromeda, is strong, pragmatic, and focused despite the bizarre dangers and her growing attraction to Magnus. This is a story where she is going to have to save the “hero.” He is both the damsel in distress and the dragon she has to defeat, and not just by true love’s kiss or something easy like that. She has to actually fight, intellectually and physically, to save him. The evil manifestations in the cursed mansion are both terrifying and intriguing—bleeding walls, snowfall inside a room, an angry library where book fly at her like projectiles. I like the fact that Magnus is not the traditional alpha hero. He is alternatively charming, childlike, vulnerable, artistic, gruff, tearful, cynical, and sweet. I also enjoyed the side characters, including Saba, a supernatural manifestation who protects Magnus and befriends Andromeda, and Jember, Andromeda’s former teacher and surrogate father with whom she has a fraught relationship.I was about to give four stars but I liked the unique, exciting, mind blowing story line and characterization. So I added extra half star and rounded up 4.5 stars to 5 exhilarating, riveting, nail biting, soul crushing stars! POP SUGAR, "The 55 Best New Books of October" and "11 New YA Books You Won't Want to Miss This October" Well… you’re a skinny little thing,” she said, as if the fact was both important and relevant. She opened the door wider and I stepped inside the frigid castle, forcing myself not to rub my shivering arms. “Then again, the grander-looking debtera didn’t do us much good, did they?” Dinner will be served in an hour,” she said, looking over my simple, sandy dress. “I trust you have something better to change into?” Second disclaimer: I did not go into this book wanting, or requiring, a faithful interpretation of Jane Eyre.