Name: The Shadow in the Glass
ISBN: 9780008368098

J. J. A. Harwood

A deliciously gothic story of wishes and curses - a new dark fairy tale set against a Victorian backdrop full of lace and smoke.

The Shadow in the Glass

Jennifer

I'm usually in for atmospheric writings and keep an open mind when it comes to fairytale retellings (since it provides authors an opportunity to flesh out a unique perspective), but The Shadow in the Glass is one of those books that I should like but didn't for various reasons.

It's hard to pin down what exactly didn't work for me but nevertheless, these are the glaring flaws in the book:

- Characterisation: To put in simple terms. The characterisation felt awfully flat to me. Despite the book being centred around Ella's headspace, I found her worldview quite inconsistent and lacking in substance. So I didn't feel very invested in what Ella was going through.

- The writing: There are two issues about the writing that I want to address here.

1) I think Harwood tried to shoehorn one too many details and failed to allow everything to converge nicely towards the end of the novel. There's something that felt quite unresolved, both thematically and plot-wise in the book because of the lack of follow through in thematic terms.

2) I feel like... the atmospheric writing is also Harwood's Achilles' Heel. While this style is good that enhances the imageries, it also makes the horror elements seem more graphical to me. I'll discuss it a bit more in the following point.

- Content: If you have known me or have read my past reviews, you've probably noticed that I'm not very fond of overly graphical elements in books. I personally find the excessive blood & vomiting mention triggering. I nearly grossed out several times trying to push through this book.

To sum it up, The Shadow in the Glass is an empty shell of an atmospheric Cinderella retelling. Beneath the prose, this book is severely marred by poor execution, lack of resolve, and lack of thematic coherency in the writing. And in personal point of view, it's also a tad too triggering for my taste.

N.B. This novel contains following content warnings: corpse, blood mention, vomiting, illnesses, abuse, and violence

(1.5 stars out of 5)

Celia Adams

I WANTED to like this book so much more than I actually did. I don't know guys I don't want to post hate but I can't honestly review this book without going into all the things I didn't like. It's a dark and twisty Cinderella, if your into that give it a try.

Jess Wragg

4.5⭐️

“Eleanor tried to be good, she tried to be kind, but she wanted so many things that she could feel them gnawing at her from the inside.”

If you were granted 7 wishes, but the price of using them all could cost you everything….what would you do? 

This is a very dark, gothic and twisted retelling of Cinderella. Ella is a maid working for a terrible master, who is granted a chance to change her life through 7 wishes. She has to weigh the consequences of her wishes, against what she wants most in life, is she willing to let people die for her own good fortune? 

This story is beautifully written, Hardwood creates a Victorian world of hardship, suffering and class privilege. The characters are complex, and the storyline surprising. 

It is not a face paced read, I found myself slowly drifting through the story, desperately trying to work out how the story would end. 

If you enjoy dark retellings, then this is a great read….however….there a some emotional triggers in this and I personally do not feel it is a YA read. 

⚠️ Trigger Warning - Rape, abortion, miscarriage, abuse ⚠️

Plot - 5/5
Character Development - 5/5
Pacing - 4/5 
Escapism Factor - 5/5
Emotional Connection - 4/5

Heather Harrington

*I received a copy of this via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Ella has always wished for more out of her life. She has always dreamt of being a proper society lady, and after being taken in by the Pembroke's after the death of her parents, Ella believed she would one day achieve that goal. But then her beloved Mrs. Pembroke passed away, and Ella was forced into servitude by the same man she once called step-father. The only joy Ella has in life is sneaking into the library and reading books by candlelight. On one such night, Ella throws a plea out into the universe and she's shocked when a mysterious fairy godmother appears and tells Ella that she will grant her seven wishes. Eager to finally live the life she believes she's owed, Ella agrees, but she soon learns that each wish comes at a steep price.

If you've ever wondered what Cinderella would be like if Tim Burton directed it, here you go. This isn't your typical Disney fairy tale. It was dark, twisted, and more akin to a Gothic penny dreadful. Ella has gone through many hardships in her life and believes that she's entitled to a better life than the one that was given to her. This leads her to make a rash decision by entering into a bargain with a fairy godmother who's more like a devil in disguise. With each wish Ella makes, someone around her dies and as the story progresses, you see the guilt of that weighing on her yet she can't bring herself to stop. So much of this story is fueled by bitterness and desire, and the limits one would go to have the life they've dreamed of. My only issue with this was that it felt incredibly long and drawn out at times which lead to it feeling quite repetitive. Other than that, if you're a fan of darker retellings, this would be a good one to pick up.

ashley larsen

it was good. it was dark and twisted and took unexpected turns. i’m still confused about the ending. but it was enjoyable.

Mariya Tuchinskaya 

While reading this book I kept thinking back on a popular phrase from the TV series Once Upon a Time. Rumpletiltskin would often tell the other characters “magic always comes with a price” when offering them a bargain. To me this seems to be a major theme of “The Shadow in the Glass”. As children we believe that a wave of a magic wand can make everything better. JJA Harwood’s story wants us to recognize the fact that there really is no “magical” solution to our problems and relaying on a force we often don’t understand typically results in more harm than good. This is a lesson that Ella, the main character, learns too late.

“The Shadow in the Glass” is definitely not your typical Cinderella re-telling. Set against the backdrop of Victorian London, Eleanor “Ella” is an orphan forced to become a maid by her depraved guardian. Yet the more we learn about her the less innocent she seems. There are numerous disturbing reports of violent childhood outburst and dark, often murderous thoughts. Ella’s “fairy godmother” bares a striking resemblance to the demon from Kit Marlowe’s “Doctor Faustus”. And Ella’s love interest, Charles Pembroke, proves himself time and again not to be Prince Charming. As a result the reader discovers a grittier, more sinister story than the one we have come to expect.

Though there are fantastical elements to this story, I thought “The Shadow in the Glass” did a great job of giving us a glimpse of both glittering London society as well as the seedy underbelly of Victorian London. As the reader we get to experience the glamour of a London ball, but not too far off there are people begging for their bread. Female servants are often at the mercy of their lecherous employers. My heart particularly broke for a character, who was raped and then fired after her unwanted pregnancy couldn’t be hidden anymore. Even worse she was seen as the responsible party rather than her employer.

Overall, I give this book a 4 out of 5. I found myself enjoying the beginning and the end of the story much more than the middle. In my opinion, that has less to do with the writing than with the fact that I found myself losing sympathy for Ella as she began to make a lot of questionable choices. Also be warned that there is a fair amount of violence and tragedy throughout this story. I will say that I thought the ending was very well done. Following the darker theme Cinderella manages to lose her slipper, but not in a way that we could possibly expect.

If you are a fan of dark fairytale re-tellings or historical fantasy then I think you’ll definitely enjoy this book.

For more reviews like this check out my blog at reviewsbym.com

Manon van Heumen

The beginning of this book was incredibly slow, and I was afraid I wasn't going to like it. However, about 20-30% in, it really got better, and I found myself enjoying the story more and more. The ending was insane. I can definitely recommend this.

Suzanne

I give this book 2.5 stars. Once again the tagline "A smouldering, terrifying new spin on Cinderella – perfect for fans of Laura Purcell and Erin Morgenstern." set it up for disappointment. I am a huge fan of Erin Morgenstern, and this book is just different than that. Much more Gothic, dark and destitute. Erin's work always has bright spots and light.

A very dark retelling of Cinderella, Ella (Eleanor) after losing her mother is taken in by a wealthy family, but after the woman of the house dies, Ella is forced into service.
The book is a classic deal-with-the-devil, that you know won't end up well but you still hold onto the hope. Ella is 17-18 years old and the book and though her many many thoughts and considerations would belong to someone that age, it dragged on too much for me. One is responsible for their bad deeds, and most of the book she is trying to justify it.
I believe the book is set somewhere around 1800, and the reality of life for a lot of people was told and explained very well ( I learned tons of new words), but so incredibly sad for a lot of people, especially for women. 
The book is well written and sucks you in to olden-days London, but for me the book would have been more powerful if more was edited out.

The Shadow in the Glass

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