This book is described as a Cinderella retelling but to me it didn’t feel like one. I didn’t find any similarities with the known tale so I won’t review it as one.

This is a dark tale of a young girl that’s been forced to work as a maid and tries to find her place in society, prove her worth and win the love of her life. However though, when the opportunity comes to turn her life around she takes the wrong choices.

I liked the plot although I didn’t find it to be the stronger part of the book. The pace was neither too fast nor too slow but felt slack in parts.

What I liked more was the main character and her moral dilemmas, even though I didn’t agree with them. The struggle to succumb to her bad choices and how she reacted to the price paid for that.

Overall, an enjoyable read.

One thing I have come to know about myself recently, I DO love a dark fairytale whether new or a retelling and this was no exception.
Set loosely on the Cinderella story, this is no happily ever after. There's no Fairy Godmother, no Prince Charming and no helpful animals. What is does have is demons, child molesters, grimy poverty and TB.


We follow Eleanor who was raised by a rich family The Pembrokes in London after the death of her housekeeper mother, and raised to be a proper "lady"
After the death of Mrs Pembroke, she was put to service in the house in the servants quarters, and she lost all status that she promised her, although Mr Pembroke remained her guardian.
Mr Pembroke though has a liking for the young girls in his service and molests them but when they get pregnant they are dismissed to the streets where they are never seen again or end up in the work houses of london.
Eleanor likes to escape the tyranny of her life by creeping out to the family library, and it's upon reading a copy of Faustus with a bloody finger that she summons a black eyed demon who promises her seven wishes in exchange for her soul. She can keep her soul until the seventh wish is made.
The book is set out in seven parts, each part is one of her wishes as she goes along her life.
Eleanor is determined to try and trick the demon by never using the final wish and therefore never losing her soul. But let's face it, has anyone ever outwit a demon, genie or jinn?
I really enjoyed the writing and world building in this book. I found myself captivated by the descriptions the author made and found myself not wanting to out it down and in part seven I was actually on the edge of my seat! I can't wait to see what else JJA Hardwood writes because this was absolutely amazing. Definitely a must for fans of the dark fairytales.

Certain things are well-executed. The ominous tone and meticulous attention to detail drew me in and made me feel entirely involved in the scene. The protagonist, on the other hand, is not sympathetic, and information about her past that would have helped me understand her motivation is never fully revealed, which is aggravating. It was only acceptable..

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for approving me for an ARC of this book. I absolutely love fairy tale retellings so when this one popped up as a dark Cinderella story I knew I had to give it a try.

I loved the dirty and dark Victorian setting, it was the perfect backdrop for this tale. When the story starts we see Eleanor at her lowest. Struggling to keep her friends and herself safe from her master she will do anything to protect them all. Luckily for her a fairy god mother appears to save the day. I thought the twist on this fairy god mother was brilliant, again she matched the dark and eerie setting perfectly. In exchange for her soul Ella is granted 7 wishes and I was very intrigued to see how she used them.

Whilst Ella always tried to do things to help herself and her friends things didn’t always plan out the way she had imagined. There were times when I questioned why Ella was making certain choices and started to question how innocent she was. The way her relationships changed with some of the other characters was also very interesting.

Whilst this is a Cinderella story the author has put her own spin on things. I loved the nods to the traditional story and the ending has definitely left me wanting more. I really hope there is a sequel as I can’t cope with that cliff hanger ending!

This was a story about survival and what one will do to keep going. It shows us how all our decisions have consequences, not all of them foreseen. A dark, gritty and twisted tale that is perfect for any fairy tale fans out there!

If you could be granted wishes what would you wish for? Eleanor was granted wishes, but, they came at a price. Follow her story you won’t regret it. A very well written debut novel .

What a dark and terrifying new spin on Cinderella! Loved the idea of a demonic contract instead of a fairy granting wishes and the underlying tension given the high stakes made for a super engrossing and riveting read.

I adored this book, it was dark, disturbing and had creepy undertones that kept me reading long after I should have put the book down. it was so well written and provided the reader with a retelling of cinderella that is magically gothic and deliciously good.

I listened to the audiobook of this book during the last week on Scribd and then got an ARC from Netgalley in the next week, which as timing goes, is impeccable and so this review is going to be interesting!

I'm always curious about retellings of fairytales, and this book for me delivers some wonderful writing, interesting characters and a unique way of delivering a story that has been around for such a long time. Dark, intriguing and twists abound, Harwood really does have a fantastic style to her writing that when listened to is brought to life to a whole new level.

I will say that I feel this book as it begin is rather slow burn, however as the story begins to grow and build, The Shadow In The Glass blossoms into a story that keeps you gripped and a gothic edge that reminds me in moments of writers such as Laura Purcell and sees Ella wishing her way into a web as she tries to protect her friends and give herself the life she wants.

I really enjoyed this book, a bold retelling that keeps you enchanted until the end.

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC anyway!

This is a dark, Gothic take on the classic tale of Cinderella and I really enjoyed the way Harwood leaned into the horror tones of the story. Here, Cinderella isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty in order to get what she wants. The central exploration of the consequences and costs of getting what you want is fascinating and I love the gorier aspects of the story. However, I never really connected with Ella that much and despised the wish-washy nature of her love interest. For a tale about the cost of independence and survival, I felt like Ella actually remained quite a passive character, particularly in terms of the abusive situations.

I've tried to read this a couple of times now, because the concept sounds like my cup of tea. I really like fairy tale retellings, and I love Faustus style stories too. But unfortunately I just could not get into this story.

I think my main problem is the pacing. It's just all over the place. What starts out strong, with plenty of tension and dark atmosphere as we see our protagonist living in an environment that can only be described as hellish. She then meets a mysterious woman with no eyes asking for a soul in exchange for seven wishes. However it just all gets messy from here on out. We never get any real motivation or back story about who this mysterious woman is or what her motives are and the world doesn't really have any depth to it in terms of world building and description. Also there are a number of loose ends that are never really explained or expanded on, with the plot preferring to meander and introduce a rather underwhelming love interest. However, it's certainly the right side of dark retelling for me. It clearly takes a lot of inspiration from both history and also the original fairy tales that are so wonderfully grim and gory. There are hints of this gritty underworld, that if pushed further, really could have made this brilliant.

Eleanor is also a difficult protagonist to warm too, and again her motives are difficult to understand. She doesn't seem to care about the plight of others at all, rather trying too hard to be overly nice in one scene then being awful again in another. It was just confusing. However, I also saw so much potential brimming under the surface. Potential for a truly magnificent morally grey character that could walk that thin line between good and evil. However, she just isn't developed enough for this.

So much potential, full of dark moments that hark back to the original fairy tales, but it needed a lot more fine tuning to really pack a punch. However, I'll look out for more from this author in the future.

A dark Cinderella! well that had me sold. I enjoyed the concept of this book, I am a fan of dark retellings of fairy tales. It’s interesting see other views of the classic tales. Of course our main character is Ella. She was likeable enough but I couldn’t connect with her. It was very dark but it was lacking something I couldn’t identify. It was enjoyable enough to read, I just had difficulties getting into it and felt it dragged a little.

This Cinderella retelling didn't quite work for me but I'm sure another reader will appreciate it much more. I won't be reviewing the book as it was a personal response.

A gorgeously deep tale perfect for getting lost in during the holidays. I couldn't put this down and look forward to more writing from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

It didn’t work for me, maybe I’m tired of fairytale being Rehashed but this one didn’t work.

I have to say I’m in the minority as many fellow reviewers liked it a lot, so give it a go snd see what you think.

I really liked this and found it a quick and gripping read. The main character of Ella was written well and there was a clear character development over the course of the novel as the wishes took affect and how the choices she made affected her. I wish that the ending had been a little better as the final chapter kind of was a let down and i wish it had ended less ambigiously. I know why they did it but it was just weak when the rest of the novel was so strong.

I am learning that I am not a period-piece kind of gal. Or maybe I'm just not into stupid, boring protagonist. Or a rehash of tired stories. Or plots that get dragged along endlessly for no apparent reason. So, this book was not my cup of tea. It appears that there are so many others who DID enjoy it, and I am thrilled for them.

My unease with this book has nothing to do with the author's ability to write eloquently, because they do. Perhaps I might seek them out in the future, but this book was torture.

Thank you so much for letting me check it out!

A darkly gothic and bleak spin on the tale of Cinderella, we follow Eleanor (or Ella) in Victorian London - as she falls from riches to rags, and tries to protect herself from her lecherous stepfather.

This was atmospherically written and excellently suspenseful. I enjoyed the very dark take on the tale, where Ella is granted seven wishes - at a cost.

Unfortunately I found it repetitive in places, and the pacing was off here and there, but the ending was fast-paced and unexpected. Am always here for a morally grey character, especially one who will do whatever it takes to protect herself and her friends.

Big thanks to the author, to Netgalley, and to Harper Voyager for the e-ARC!

A completely new way to look at the Cinderella story!

This book is filled with eerie, atmospheric, gothic fairytale vibes and Harwood has created some fantastic characters based around the tale of Cinderella.

The Shadow in the Glass was an intense story with twists and turns at every corner. I loved Harwood's style of writing and I'm excited to see what she writes next.

A brilliant debut gothic Victorian story, full of mystery and intrigue.
Eleanor was an interesting character, always trying to do the right thing whether to better herself or protect those she considered dear. I was intrigued to see what she’d wish for, as it’s obviously not as easy as you’d think to make the wish worthwhile.
The supporting characters added colour to the story and I liked seeing how the relationships between them and Eleanor changed as she grew.

Perfect for fans of Erin Morgenstern and Alix E Harrow. If you love fantasy with a gothic twist, this one is for you