I'm a straightforward reader with simple tastes. When I see "Cinderella retelling" and "Erin Morgenstern" in the same tagline, I instantly add the book to my wishlist without a second thought. Unfortunately, having read the book, I feel a bit misled. The marketing seems off to me—I went in with certain expectations, none of which were met. The connection to Cinderella is quite tenuous (a girl below stairs, wishes falling apart at midnight), and the story is more accurately described as a Victorian gothic reimagining of Marlowe’s *Dr. Faustus*. This misalignment put me at a disadvantage right from the start, and I don't think the author deserves to have readers approach her work with a sense of disappointment.

Once you get past that, though, it’s not a bad debut. Harwood occasionally has a beautifully lyrical touch, and I admire the ambition of the book. However, despite its literary mashup nature, *The Shadow in the Glass* never quite feels original. The characters are vaguely sketched, the villainous Lizzie is almost cartoonishly evil, and the wish fulfillment trope plays out in predictable ways. The devil as a prim, middle-aged woman with black eyes feels clichéd. While I appreciate a morally complex heroine, Eleanor’s self-pity and near-entitlement can be grating. The book shows promise but falls short of its potential.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Harper 360, HarperVoyager. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Fantasy, Fairy Tale Retelling

This is Cindrella in a creepier, grittier setting.

I loved how Eleanor is disobeying the master from page one—and what a complicated relationship that is. Give me your female characters who choose to go their own way! When her money is stolen, you know that's going to lead to lots of trouble. I never really liked Eleanor that much as she kept justifying her actions in different ways—and there was really one simple solution. But enough said so I don't spoil it for you.

I don't know if I loved it, but I appreciated the book.

I think feminists and fairy tale retelling lovers will get a kick out of this book. Be ready for a dark and twisted ride.

Happy reading!

I love all kinds of fairy tale retellings, and I was thoroughly intrigued by the idea of a Gothic style, historical take on Cinderella.

Ella's fortunes have fallen from beloved ward to abused housemaid. With a ferocious housekeeper, a lecherous master of the house, and the returned prodigal son her life becomes more and more difficult. When someone shows up and promises her seven wishes, she takes it, not understanding the real price of her own wishes coming true. And when she does learn, that might not be enough to stop her.

To be honest, this wasn't for me. Harwood's historical setting was pretty good, and the characters are fairly interesting. But the farther we got into the story, the less I was rooting for Ella. And with the difficult topics of a man taking advantage of the young girls employed under his care, the stark realities of what happened to women who became pregnant while so vulnerable, this book ended up not being enjoyable to read. However, this kind of retelling may be exactly what someone else is looking for.

I will say that the ending of this book surprised me in a good way. Setting itself up as a fairy tale, even a Gothic style fairy tale sets up certain loose expectations for the ending. Expectations that I was dreading. But the way the story finally ends up resolved felt in keeping with the tone of the rest of the book, and upended my expectations in a way I was satisfied with.

My thanks to both NetGalley and Harper 360 for this arc.

I'm a dedicated fan of twisted fairy tales and have read many, some good, some not so good. This one, is excellent. JJA Harwood built the story line loosely along the lines of Cinderella, very loosely. She weaves the characters within their true intentions, they will show both sides of the story, taking care of Eleanor then breaking promises. Her only escape, reading books that would be kept from her new position in the household. Then the fairy godmother.....yep, can't have Cinderella without a faory godmother.....appears but she is not goodness and light. She's not here to save Eleanor, she's her to deal. And that is all I'm telling. But the story gets much, much better.

Did not finish. I personally cannot justify continuing given certain triggering subject matters, which I was not aware of at the time of request.

I apprecitate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I found this a really interesting read and the characters are quite engaging. it kept me reading until the end. I highly recommend.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for granting me access to an early copy of this book*
Why I Requested It: This was pitched as a dark Cinderella retelling, with a wicked step father instead of step mother and wishes may cost more than they are worth. Over the past couple of years, I've made an effort to read a variety of retellings to see what they do different and familiarize myself with lesser known myths/ fairytales, and at first glance it seems like this would try to avert vilifying women and instead highlights men in power abusing those beneath them which would give this story a modern update (Spoiler Alert: boy was I wrong about that)

What It's About: Forced to work as maid in a household that constantly mistreats those at the bottom, Ella receives refuge in the form of her mysterious fairy godmother. She is granted seven wishes, but with every wish she makes, the price of it increases. Now Ella begins her slow descent as she grapples with her darkest desires.

Cons: All of the faults I found with this book all stem from one overarching issue; this was a misogynistic book which stands in direct contrast to what was promised in the synopsis and is frankly worse than the original fairytale. I've noticed that authors who are trying to strive for "realism" interpret that as "make this world/ story as brutal and as immoral as I want" and women are there to just be the villain and/ or victim. That approach was clearly on display in this book. Despite Ella's bad situation, being trapped in an abusive household, I don't feel sympathetic toward her because she neglects the other girls who need her help, becomes almost obsessed with vengeance and selfish gain, and blatantly disregards the repercussions of making wishes because even though it always results in death it doesn't personally effect her (until it does and then she responds in a rather cowardly fashion). Almost all the women exist to just be under the thumb of various men and take delight in abusing Ella, and the few women that are actually nice to Ella are there to just be removed from the story (whether killed or just forgotten about). Again despite the synopsis indicating that her step father would be the villain of the story, he is barely in it and as far as I can remember doesn't suffer any severe consequences (he may be killed off but if he was it wasn't a satisfying moment and wasn't as graphic as I remember the women's deaths being portrayed). The main takeaway I got from this book was that women abuse those under their employee or protection in order to feel some sense of power and that that makes them the real villains. Not exactly an inspiring message.

the pacing (dragged because by the first wish it was obvious what this book was going to be like and where this was all going)

Pros: The setting was decent. It wasn't nearly as developed as what I would prefer for a story that's really trying to have that "historical" feel but it did have a distinct Victorian impression.

Finishing Thoughts: This was a book that I would definitely say was mismarketed, which I've noticed with newer releases is frequently a factor in my disappointment. While there are allusions to Cinderella, the story is far more in line with Faust than anything else. I admit I have never read the original story of Faust so I can't say how this book compares as a retelling. Even if the marketing of this book more accurately reflected its contents, I still don't think I would have liked it. Occasionally I'm in the mood for dark books, but I generally try to avoid books where the characters, particularly the females and adults, are just nasty and mean spirited. On top of that problem, this book just dragged because by the first wish it was obvious what this book was going to be like and how things were going to end up. So my reading experience felt akin to watching a row of shelves knock each other over like dominos. Just not a book for me but also not one I would recommend to a general audience.

An atmospheric and exciting Cinderella retelling that’s much darker than the original, which is already quite a dark tale.

The world-building was rich and interesting, with a cast of characters just as dynamic as the world. The author slowly builds the tale until the last 1/4 where readers are treated to an unexpected and welcome twist.

All told, a fantastic debut, and one I’ll certainly revisit again in the future. 4 stars.

The Shadow in the Glass is a dark retelling of Cinderella. The writing is very lyrical. However, I could not connect with the characters. The world building was also very confusing. Still, I recommend this for fans of dark fairytales!

A cute retelling but just felt a little young for my taste. I loved the gothic elements. Cute and magical with a twist!

A cross between Cinderella and Dr. Faustus, this dark fantasy kept me on the edge of my seat. Tou know the feeling you get when you're watching a suspense thriller and you yell at the tv "don't do that thing!" Well that was me the entire way through the book. Ella seemingly has all her prayers answered in the form of a 'fairy godmother,' there to grant seven wishes all at the inconsequential price of her soul. But things take a turn and she realizes that the price for the things she wishes for may be too high, it may be too late to turn back.

This book absolutely fell flat. The writing was good and I really wanted to enjoy the story but it really didn't go anywhere and I felt like I had wasted my time.

This was a beautifully done dark fairy tale, I loved the story and going on this journey. The author has a great style of the gothic and the dark. I look forward to reading more from the author.

Wow. Finishing this book was like coming up for a breath of fresh air. I started reading The Shadow in the Glass back in March, made it 25% in and stopped. I picked it up again a day or two ago and fought for my life through the rest of it. J.J.A. Harwood is NOT a bad author- in fact I like her writing style a good bunch. This story was just awful. I absolutely despised the main character, she was young and so stupid. I felt like I was watching a horror movie where the victim says "Hello?" instead of getting the hell out of there. Ella just had a way of taking a bad situation and making it worse with an incredible amount of ignorance. I am so so happy this book has been laid to rest.

The Shadow in the Glass is wonderfully gothic. It follows Ella, a servant girl in Victorian England who wants a better life for herself. A shadow comes to her and grants her 7 wishes in exchange for her soul. Ella takes the deal, but soon realizes that her wishes have deadly consequences. Apart from the need to tighten up plotting, I thought the book was well written. The writing was also very good with good use of language. On the whole it really sold the story, was verbalized well.
Full review to come on my YouTube channel.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Shadow in the Glass randomly happened to be another Cinderella retelling for me. Not sure how I came across two within the same week.. but I'm not mad about it one bit. In it, you will meet Eleanor, aka Ella, and she loves to read books. She secretly sneaks throughout the house when certain people are asleep or out on business and just sits quietly in the library to read by candlelight.

After meeting Eleanor, I absolutely adored the heck out of her. It did make me sad that she was the only one of the maids that could read due to Mrs. Pembroke taking her under her wing when she was little. It also broke my heart when maids were sent away, or let go, after becoming pregnant by the master of the house. On top of that, there's so many other things that are happening within this Victorian world that made me sad.

For example, poverty.

Besides that, this is definitely a different take on Cinderella. Instead of a Fairy Godmother.. you get a Demon Godmother. Which, yes, definitely sucked me in because I wanted to see how dark this was going to get. Devils, evil men, and wishes - oh my!

It was all very entertaining and kept me on my toes. I had no idea what was going to come my way until it was revealed. Wishes come at a deadly price and I was intrigued to see how Eleanor was going to handle the consequences of it all. In the end, I'm very happy that I got the chance to dive into this book and I can't wait for my next devilish retelling.

The Shadow in the Glass is a fascinating novel that animates a compelling story of murder, mystery, power, ambition, family secrets, supernatural twists, consequences, and beautifully depicted in Victorian London. The historical aspect of nineteenth-century London is brought alive with vivid intensity, as the two worlds of the rich and those that serve them are brought to life. The sights and sounds, attitudes, and the ramifications of being poor and abandoned in nineteenth-century London are distinctly reinforced throughout this novel.

Eleanor Rose Hartley uniquely experienced those two worlds while never truly belonging to either. When Eleanor’s mother, a close personal maid to Mrs Pembroke, died, she became the ward of Mr and Mrs Pembroke of Granborough House. She lived an early life that promised so much potential and opportunity, an early life where she was treated as a daughter, a life where she bonded with Pembroke’s only son Charles, where she was taught to dance and behave with etiquette and read. When Mrs Pembroke died, the master had no intent on continuing with Eleanor’s privileges. She became a seventeen-year-old servant in the household under the command of the conniving head housekeeper. A Cinderella-type fall from grace, openly scorned and ill-treated by the master and the senior housemaids. Her only friends are other young female maids who also suffer at the hands of Mr Pembroke - with unwanted pregnancies and discharge without references, condemning them to extreme poverty and homelessness.

Eleanor’s only refuge is the library for which she has a secret key, a room hardly ever used now. One evening as Eleanor read an unusual book, she cut her finger, and the blood dropped onto the latch revealing a fairy godmother offering her seven wishes.

“ ‘I can grant wishes. I will grant yours, if you let me.’ A horrible certainty stole over Eleanor, like frost creeping up a window pane. ‘And what would you ask in return?’ she said, already knowing the answer. The woman’s eyes flickered to the book. ‘Perhaps I should’ve let you read a little further. Your soul.’ ‘What? No, I – no!’ ‘I’m not unreasonable,’ the woman said mildly. ‘I would only collect my due if you made all seven wishes. I’ve no wish to cheat you, my dear.’ ”

Imagine if the devil had appeared to Cinderella in the guise of a fairy godmother and granted her several wishes, the consequences would have been so much different. Nevertheless, don’t let me suggest this is a demonic themed story, but certainly, the essence of evil men of position and how they abused servants will make your blood boil.

With each necessitated wish from Eleanor, there is a deadly price to be paid as death surrounds the outcomes, but it all works for the benefit of Eleanor. I know the presumption is, why not wish for riches, but being the ward of Mr Pembroke, he would get possession of the money until she turned off independent age. It is also not worth jumping to conclusions too early as there are twists in this clever plot. As the police get involved, there is a sense of impending reckoning and a race to see whether Eleanor pays the ultimate price with her soul or freedom.

I loved the balanced touch on all the themes being woven together, including the historical setting, a supernatural and demonic contract, intriguing characters, and a thriller fuelled with ambition. I would highly recommend this absorbing book from JJA Harwood, and I would like to thank Harper 360 and NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in return for an honest review.

Did not read this book as it was archived and I lost access to the title. My score is not relating to the quality of the book or writing, but rather the fact I did not get to read it.