A period gothic with the delicate feel of historical fiction, The Shadow In The Glass is an ominous and atmospheric fantasy that questions what price you would pay for the things you desire most.

When I read that this was a dark spin on the classic Cinderella fairytale, I was instantly intrigued. And while the synopsis emphasises that this is a twisted tale, I still wasn't expecting it to be quite this dark. But the darkness doesn't come from gruesome descriptions or aching details of abuse, rather it's the hard-hitting impact of the unsaid events that happen in the background.

Harwood uses great detail to describe the setting and paints each character in full colour. Ella is complex and flawed, but easy to relate to in her care for others. She wants for herself and for her female friends what any girl should grow up to have - a safe home, and loving company. But with the circumstances that Ella is faced with, she is forced to turn to an unwelcome guest who promises her hope of a better life.

What drew me in so deeply about this story is that there are a number of ways that you can read it. Ella's intentions don't appear selfish from the outside at least, but the hints about her past suggest something much more sinister is going on. But sometimes fairy tales do happen, even without the happily ever afters, so it's up to you to decide how you want Ella's story to unfold.

The ending is one that will undoubtedly divide readers as it's the kind that you either love or hate. But when you take into account the influence of Cinderella, I loved how the final image left nothing more that needed to be said.

The Shadow In The Glass was a great surprise for me. I expected some dark magic and the odd consequence of wishes too grande, but I wasn't expecting the harsh realities that actually lay before Ella. This is definitely a book that I will be thinking about for a while to come, and has proven to me that I need to be more open-minded about the genres that I typically read as I wasn't expecting to enjoy this as much as I did.

Once a lady and now a maid working under a man who's gaze lingers a little too long... Ella learns the truth about making wishes - they always come at a price.

This was a really interesting take on Cinderella mixed with a dash of Rumpelstiltskin. The pacing was great, but I did wish the characters were a little deeper and Ella didn't revolve so heavily around 'I can't make these wishes or bad things will happen."

Thanks to HarperCollins UK for a review copy.

The Shadow in the Glass may be a new spin on a well known fairy tale but this is most definitely not a book for children.

The basis for the story is Cinderella, here Eleanor (known as Ella) has found herself working as a housemaid in her guardian’s home after his wife, who took her in and treated her like a daughter, passes away. Ella’s life is undignified and the house in which she works and which once would have been her home, is decaying around her as her guardian drinks his way through the remains of the family’s money. He also abuses and periodically rapes his staff who are unceremoniously dismissed when they inevitably become pregnant, to survive on the streets as best they can. Ella’s only salvation is to sneak into the library at night and escape into the stories held in its books.

It is against this backdrop that the tragedy unfolds. One night, much to Ella’s surprise, a woman appears to her as she is reading and offers her seven wishes in exchange for her soul. Given that the novel Ella was reading at the time of this manifestation was Doctor Faustus it is a safe bet that this is not going to be a good deal – magic, after all, always has a price and Ella certainly did not read all the small print before signing up, in blood of course.

The rest of the novel follows Ella as she tries to use her wishes to extract herself and her fellow maids out of the clutches of her evil guardian and set up a new life as the lady she always wanted to be. Needless to say things don’t always work out quite as she intended.

I felt deeply sorry for Ella and her friends as I read this book. They were all in an awful situation which was not of their making and from which they had little chance of escape. Small wonder then that Ella was desperate enough to gamble her soul for a chance of happiness and love.

The book mainly focuses on the exploitation of ‘the servant classes’ and the hypocrisy and downright snobbery of those born into money. Ella’s willingness to try any way out is heart breaking as is her concern for her fellow maids. Two of these are obviously engaged in an illicit relationship with each other and their obvious love for one another despite their circumstances shines through. This makes it all the more tragic when the evil Mr Pemberton sets his sights on one of them to be his latest conquest.

I enjoyed the book both as an exciting story and as a way of shining a light on the suffering that went on to make the ‘right’ people be seen with other ‘right’ people wearing the ‘right’ clothes. Households were scrutinised in church to assess any changes on family fortunes or whether a master’s ongoing rapes of a servant mean that a dismissal is soon to be in the offing. Whilst I appreciate that this is a fictional portrayal of a very gothic environment much of it would be very close to the truth and I feel very fortunate not to have lived in that era.

I felt as though there was a thread running through the story about Ella’s behaviour when she was a child which seemed to have no obvious resolution. Each time it was referred to I hoped that it would be linked more into the main plotline but this never happened. I wonder if it belonged to a subplot which was later excised or whether it was intended to seed some of the happenings in a future sequel.

The end of the book was a little disappointing unless a sequel is planned. I don’t think that it is in any way a spoiler to say that the ending is not happy by any means but I was not sure that I altogether understood exactly what had happened, though perhaps the author intends to clarify that in a future novel.

It is a book to read by the fire on cold, windy nights and a salutary tale – there is always a price.

Dark, atmospheric, and deliciously Gothic, The Shadow in the Glass is a brilliant new fairytale retelling.

It combines the best of historical fiction and fairytale fantasy, weaving an exciting tale filled with suspense. With twists and turns a-plenty, this is a well-written Young Adult story.

The main character is a young woman named Eleanor (nicknamed Ella). She is a maid in her guardian's household, demoted from a respectable young lady when her stepmother passed away. Eleanor is determined to return to her rightful place in society, and when a mysterious lady offers her seven wishes - in exchange for her soul - Eleanor jumps at the chance to improve her fortunes.

As the book progresses, Eleanor becomes more and more embroiled in a web of her own making. Her life spirals increasingly out of control and she is forced to go to desperate lengths to obtain her heart's desires.

The book is well-paced but it picks up towards the end as it progresses towards its conclusion. Eleanor is a complex and flawed character, yet she is also relatable and has some important redeeming qualities. She is a good friend, protective and loyal to those she cares about. She is driven and determined - and while this is problematic, she knows what she wants and she isn't afraid to go for it.

It's clear that the author has done plenty of research into the historical period where this book is set. So many little details are included that really paint a lifelike picture of what life was like in London at this time. Dirty, noisy, and crowded, yet with unique individuality and character. This really brings the story to life and adds to the rich atmosphere.

I loved this book and I look forward to reading more from the author in the future!

What an amazing read. Ella is forced to work hard as a maid for the man who she once thought of as family. He is the sort of man who makes maids pregnant and then discards them. Ella’s only escape is in the books she reads by candlelight in the library she is not allowed in here she meets the evil creature who wants her soul and will grant her wishes to do so. Eleanor tries to outwit her by not using all her wishes.
Her love for the son of the house is reciprocated but his fiancée is a problem, one of many Ella has to overcome.
It is only half way through the novel that doubts about Eleanor begin to surface. Is she really responsible for the deaths that start to happen or is it the evil creature she conjured up? You must make up your own mind in this atmospheric gothic thriller.

Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.

A dark and gothic tale set during the Victorian times, The Shadow In the Glass is a compelling and engrossing story of a young girl’s struggle to better her life.


J J A Harwood’s debut novel has parallels of Cinderella and YES, it is being publicized as the dark re-telling of the fairy tale but I beg to differ. The author has definitely used the outer crust of the fairy-tale but filled it with such intense emotions and sentiments that by the end of it all, there’s not even a semblance of “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo”. It takes time to get into the meaty part of the story but once it does, there’s no keeping this book down coz like Ella, we are addicted to the play of light and darkness that revolves around her life.


Ella as a character is not easy to like. The whole story is being narrated in the third person and that could be one of the contributing factors. However, there’s also the fact that she’s a reflection of how we humans behave in a particular situation. She’s kind, loving, and extremely set on improving her life and also saves her loved ones and to that end, she doesn’t hesitate in using whatever means available; and if one is forced to pay an extreme price for the same, then SO BE IT. It is this attitude that confuses the reader, there’s no good or bad there’s only the GREY shade of Ella’s miserable life as a housemaid. To have known the pleasures of a good lady-like life and then have a rotten fate play such a cruel trick, it is easy to understand the desperation that forces Ella’s hand. In fact, whenever the circumstances coerce her to call in for a wish, the reader can’t stop sympathizing with her desperate attempts.


The quintessential question as to if there is any supernatural or fantasy element in the story or if at all just a bag of tricks pulled by the author kept me hooked till the end. I am not a huge fan of open-ended storylines, but for Ella’s story, I couldn’t think of a better ending. Charles’ love for Ella is bright and filled with a pure glow and his efforts to circumvent the state of affairs touching.


There are abundant reasons why this story will appeal to most readers of gothic fiction but the primary reason would be the Victorian London that Harwood has depicted. There are, of course, no rosy hues to the colors of London, it is the London that is viewed thru the eyes of housemaids and laborers and as such is dark like the story.

Awesome debut!

This review is published in my blog https://rainnbooks.com/, Goodreads, Amazon India, Meduim.com, and Twitter.

I found this book well written, with an interesting cast of characters and world building but the story didn't keep my attention and it fell flat.
I suppose it's my mood and will try again to read it later.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Shadow in the Glass follows a young girl Ella who's unfortunate circumstances leads her to becoming a maid.
When Ella's mother passed away, a friend took her in to look after and try do her best by her, but when she too passes away, Ella is left to her husband who wants no reasonability for her and makes her a member of his household staff.

Ella soon stumbles across a book that calls forward a creature that offers her a deal of a lifetime. Seven wishes to make as she pleases in return for her soul when she has made her final wish.
Ella takes the deal hoping to improve her circumstances and of those friends around her, all she has to do is not make that final wish and all will be well, right?


This is a dark re-telling of Cinderella, which is what initially first caught my eye, the blurb sounded intriguing.
My problems with this first started after Ella had made her deal. From this point the story just really seemed to slow down and drag. I really had to force myself though this one.

I didn't enjoy any of the characters, I found Ella to be really childish, I know she is probably around 16-17 but it felt like she never really though her decisions through.

I almost DNF'd this a few times, I didn't like the pace, the writing or the characters. But I kept going hoping it would pick up for me.

The only thing I did enjoy was the the Epilogue this was the dark plot I had been waiting for and even then it felt like it had been cut short.

I'm not sure if it was because I was reading an advance copy, but there were no chapters on 'parts' which for me I didn't like. I have to say the cover for this is really stunning, it's just a shame for me I didn't enjoy what was in the inside.

Thank you to Harper Voager and NetGalley for an e-arc of this.

Disappointing. This book just didn't work for me. One night Ella is offered 5 wishes by a spectre in exchange for her soul. She accepts because she is miserable and overworked. She was put into the guardianship of her mother's friend when orphaned, but when her adopted mother died, she was put to work as a maid. Her adopted father was also a sexual predator.

The basic premise of the story is good but Ella is not a likeable character and uses her wishes even when she knows the price that has to be paid. She doesn't even use them wisely.

This is an honest review of a complimentary ARC.

This Faustian retelling of Cinderella, is a dark delight! Ella's dreams of a good education and a bright future are destroyed when Mrs Pembroke dies, leaving her the ward of her husband, Mr Pembroke. He refuses to respect his wife’s dying wish for Ella to be sent to school and instead demotes her to a maid and moves her from her luxurious bedchamber into the attic with the other servants. Ella keeps up her education by sneaking into the library after midnight, where one evening she finds a very special old book, one that can help her dreams and wishes come true...

"Blood, of course, and wanting. That is all magic, at its core."

Cinderella, but if she wasn't that good and the fairy godmother was more like a demon.

This was something that started off really childish but got better along the way. I really appreciated the element of the fairy godmother actually being a demon and Ella really having to think of the choices she had to make. I love that she actually chooses to make wishes even when she knows people will die, and takes charge of things.

A wonderful book, with fairy tale vibes. For me a book which involves books is always a winner, but this one has an enchanting fairy tale- with a twist - style. Loved every minute of it.

*I was given an arc of The Shadow in the Glass in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Harper Collins and JJA Hardwood*

CW: alcoholism, drug use, miscarriage, abortion, sexual assault, descriptions of violence, murder and death.

Rating: 3.5/5

Synopsis:

Eleanor or as she is called by some Ella is a maid for the man she once called stepfather. After the death of her mother when she was a child, the wealthy Pembroke family took her in. During this time she was brought up to be a lady by Mrs Pembroke and forms a friendship with their son Charles.

Unfortunately, three years before this story is set Mrs Pembroke died and Ella is now forced to earn her keep and the once-grand Granborough house is now in disrepair. Mr Pembroke is a lecherous man who takes advantage of the young women in his service and when Ella’s friend is dismissed due to her condition she wants to find a way to get herself and her friends out.

After reading a strange book in the library of Granborough house Ella is visited by a mysterious black-eyed woman who makes her a deal. In exchange for her soul, she will grant her seven wishes. However, each wish comes with a price that Ella is not sure she is willing to pay.

Review:

As you may be able to tell from the synopsis this book is a play on the Cinderella trope. It is not something that is massively evident when reading, just little references every now and then. This isn’t a bad thing though, I actually liked that even though it is based on that story the classic Cinderella plot never overshadowed what was going on in this story.

This ‘retelling’ was a clever one with some great twists and shocking moments. I guessed quite early on what was actually happening with the black-eyed woman, but it did not hinder my reading experience. If anything I gained more enjoyment from waiting to see what could become of my discovery.

I’m sitting very much in the middle with my thoughts on this book. Well maybe just slightly more on the liking it side hence my rating of 3.5 stars. It starts out very slow and at times I was not sure whether I wanted to continue. The Shadow in the Glass is not separated by chapters, but parts. This definitely hindered my reading experience.

Not being able to see clearly when I could put the book down and take a break and seeing that each section was around or over an hour-long, I found it quite daunting at times. This may just be a feature of the arc copy so do correct me if I’m wrong. I’m definitely a fan of shorter chapters as it makes me feel like I am making progress. With the huge sections, it felt like it was taking a very long time to get to the next part and I would often lose focus.

This wasn’t so bad once the story got going as every wish would pull you in further and the plot would get more exciting. However, it did take quite a while to get to this point.

The overall plot was interesting and exciting and as I said above and once it really got going it was great. For the second half of the book I was hooked on the story, but it’s just a shame that it took so long to do so.

The characters were likeable enough and Eleanor was quite interesting. Slowly over time, you can see a difference in her as she contemplates making a wish and wonders how the outcome would affect her. She was quite a complex character who at just seventeen had to make life-altering decisions.

Although she could be seen as quite selfish in the end, she did always have her friends best interests at heart. Most of the things she wants in life are to better her own position in society, however, her main wish was to help the other young girls around her to stay safe.

There is a romance sub-plot that is highly predictable, but not everything needs to be a deep-seated mystery or a shock. I liked the romance between the characters and thought they were very sweet together.

I’m never once to post major spoilers and I definitely won’t here, this is more of a minor spoiler that does not give away any plot points for revelations. If you do not wish to read even a minor spoiler then skip the next paragraph.

There was no way I would have guessed exactly how the book was going to end, but oh my was it lacklustre. It was such a non-ending. No explanation as to what has happened nor do you have any sort of conclusion. It just ended. Some people may really like this and honestly, it would work if this were going to be a series, but it’s not so I’m left feeling quite confused by what happened.

Overall I really did enjoy the plot and I loved reading a chilling story set in a gothic Victorian London. The Shadow in the Glass was an inventive retelling that plays on the darkest parts of the Cinderella story.

I enjoyed and was also frustrated by this book.

It’s an excellent book, my frustration comes from the behaviour of the main character Ella. She’s unhappy with her working as a servant in a house, a job forced on her when her benefactor dies and promises are not fulfilled. All very well, all she wants is a better life for her and to care for her friends. What frustrated me was her choices...she picks up a book, states that she knows making deals always turns out bad, then instantly makes a deal! Without hesitation! And then just makes the most stupidest decisions when one would have solved all her problems! Then again...this would have made for a short, boring book...

I liked Ella, but she’s utterly stupid! I finished the book thinking that I should see her for who she was...was she selfish? But I can’t...I liked her....but she drove me nuts!

This is an excellent book which provoked many emotions in me!! I recommend!

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review

Likes
The Shadow in the Glass was a particularly easy read. The story itself feels like an interpretation of both Cinderella and Aladdin; a young girl saved from ruin, later forced into service to pay her keep. Along comes a very mysterious fairy god mother figure, who grants Eleanor wishes in return for pieces of her soul. Whilst the narrative remains quite light, despite the opportunities to delve deeper into darker themes, I liked the gothic elements that were twisted into the story. I'm glad Harwood chose to stick to the intended gothic style, as it would have been oh so easy to fall back into the fairy tale genre and abandon those gripping, darker elements she played with.

The black-eyed woman was a favourite character of mine. I say character, yet we are never informed of what she truly looks like, or if she is indeed a human or spirit. I enjoyed the role she played within the narrative, as she wasn't there to simply grant wishes and conjure this grand life for Eleanor. She played the role of a devil on her shoulder, taunting her into making wishes she perhaps didn't want to make. The black-eyed woman initially lingers the shadows, yet as more wishes are made, she appears more frequently and becomes quite sadistic in her ways. The interactions between Eleanor and the black-eyed woman were my favourite in this novel, I only wish the author had included more of them.


Dislikes
As above, I longed for more page time for the black-eyed woman. I can see why the author kept her on the fringes of the novel, yet I found her so intriguing as a character I wanted to know more about her and see what devilish things she could do.

I must say, I did not like the ending of the novel. It felt rushed, due to the time of the night and the clock striking twelve, and I didn't completely understand what had happened. I checked the page numbers to see if I had missed something, as I felt the narrative came to a very abrupt finale. That being said, I could have gone back to re-read the final pages, yet I did not feel compelled to do so as the author lost me in her rush to finish.


Final thoughts
Those of you who particularly enjoys rewrites of fairy tales, should consider this book. Whilst there are clear elements of fantasy; wishes, hopefulness and magic, the author has doused this book with a dark, gothic twist. An enjoyable read with some very intriguing characters along the way.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins and J.J.A Harwood for allowing me to review this book prior to publication.

I had to DNF this book at about 40%. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with it but a lot of things triggered me and I am in no shape to keep reading this book.

As a young girl Ella had a taste of the high life.  After her mother passed away she was taken in by her mother's friend, Lady Pembrome, and raised to be a Lady herself.  After Lady Pembroke dies things take a turn for the worse though, and Mr Pembroke. Her remaining guardian, forces her into service.  Ella will do anything to return to the life she was meant to have, even trading her soul to the devil in exchange for her seven wishes.

A debut novel from J.J.A. Harwood, this is a very dark retelling of the Cinderella story.  I had expected this to be much more of an adult tale than the fairy tales we read as children, but even I was surprised by quite how dark this went at times.  It is very Gothic, and really focuses on the concept of power and how it corrupts. 

Ella is a mixed bag protagonist.  At the start of the book she was a girl you had some sympathy for, although she was wistful for her previous life, she had a good heart and did her best to help the other maids I the Pembroke house.  As Eleanor begins to see the power of the wishes, and also the price of them, we start to see another side of her.  I really liked how Harwood progresses the changes in Eleanor as she uses the wishes, almost as if this is the true cost of them.

There was a few things that didn't work as well for me.  The story felt a little jumpy at times, it didn't always flow seamlessly between sections, and I wonder if having chapter breaks in there would help with this. 

There are mentions of Ella being wild and vicious as a child, and a suggestion of some reason for why she was able to make a deal for these wishes, but this isn't ever explored properly.  It left me with unanswered questions, and seemed an odd thing to bring in but not fully explain.

I wasn't entirely sure about the ending, it left things very open ended for me, but I can only see one other way Harwood could have ended it.  I did like how she rounded out the story with some nice ties back to the Cinderella story we all know though, it was a nice touch.

This was definitely an interesting book to read, and in a lot of ways had many of the things I was looking for in a fairytale retelling.  A great debut, and I'll be interested to see where the author goes next.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger warnings: rape, abortion, child abuse

Let me start by saying this isn't a fairytale retelling of Cinderella, it's dark & twisted with a creepy undertone.

Ella, our main character, I would struggle to consider a heroine because of her behaviour in the book, though some of her behaviour is very heroic as she tries to help her friends but also equally questionable in some if the decisions she makes. The character development & setting were great making for a really visual read with a satisfying ending

Bits of the book were a bit repetitive with Ella's repeated struggle over the use of her wishes & what will become of her. I would also have liked to know more about Ella's early life & when she first came to Gainsborough house which she couldn't remember, it kept being referenced but never came to anything.

An entertaining debut which you'll enjoy if you like your fantasy with historical setting & dark, gothic tones.

Look, I’m a simple girl with simple pleasures. If I see ‘Cinderella retelling’ and ‘Erin Morgenstern’ in the same tagline I will add a book to my wishlist no questions asked. Unfortunately for all involved, having read the book I can honestly say I feel mislead. It’s not the correct marketing tactic as far as I’m concerned: I went into the story with a certain set of expectations and absolutely none of them were met. The story is tenuously linked to Cinderella at best (girl below stairs, wishes crumble when the clock strikes twelve), and actually it is much more assuredly and explicitly a Victorian gothic, female reworking of Marlowe’s Dr Faustus. This puts both me and the book on the back foot right from the beginning, and I don’t think the author deserves to have readers begin with a sense of let-down.

Once we get past that? Well, it’s not a bad debut. Harwood does at points have a lovely lyrical turn of phrase and I admire the gumption of this book. But despite the fact that it’s essentially a literary mashup, The Shadow in the Glass never quite feels original. The characters are hazily drawn, the villainous Lizzie is just about as two-dimensional as it’s possible to get, the wishes inevitably go wrong in predictable ways. And the devil as a prim, middle-aged woman with black eyes? Can you say ‘done to death’? While I appreciate a morally grey heroine, there’s something a little grating about the self-pitying, verging-on-entitled Eleanor. This book is almost on to something, but as far as I’m concerned it never quite gets there.

Any retelling of a fairy tale is enough to get me to pick a book up. This was dark, grimy, seductive and beautiful all at the same time.

Eleanor is pulled from high society to the downstairs and I did enjoy the 19th century setting of the novel.

It is Cinderella for adults. Some of the plot lines were really dark and upsetting but nevertheless set the tone of the story the whole way through.

We have all dreamed of what we would wish for if there were wishes to be granted and initially Eleanor’s path of wishes annoyed me (a pair of shoes?!)

The dark monolithic presence she has around her was an enigma. (Fairy godmother) She frightened the life out of me and I could picture her vividly.

I really did enjoy this.