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rogue_sheep_reads's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It was a slow build, and fairly anticlimactic, but it still sucked me in and kept me reading for three days until I finished it. I can’t explain what kept me coming back, when I generally felt kind of bored while reading it. I will admit that the premise of the story is interesting, and when I explained it to others it sounded better than what I was reading. It was an intriguing idea that could have been done better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Gore
Moderate: Mental illness, Murder, Classism, Death, Death of parent, and Chronic illness
Minor: Miscarriage, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Grief, and Cursing
sheryl_reads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I was sent a free ebook copy of this book from NetGalley in return for a honest review
The Shadow in the Glass is a retelling of Cinderella - it follows the story of Eleanor, a housemaid who was once the ward of the lady of the house, who is granted 7 wishes by a mysterious dark lady. If she wishes 7 times, her soul will belong to this dark lady.
The premise of the book had a lot of promise and I think if the main character was more likeable, then it would be more enjoyable. However, I found Eleanor to be greedy, selfish and very difficult to root for.
Her intentions are meant to be good - helping her fellow servants and making a better life for herself. But all of her decisions are wrapped up in an overarching sense of entitlement. She was orphaned as a child, taken in by a rich lady and brought up to expect to be living a certain life. And she’ll go to any lengths to get that wealthy life, even when it becomes clear what the costs are. She comes over as bratty rather than determined.
The pace of the book is slow also. The 7 wishes feel drawn out and I felt that there was no great mystery as to how it was going to turn out. The characters life is fairly limited, so there’s only so many people she can affect by wishing. The end is also very drawn out and contrived to fit the Cinderella story. The last chapter has Eleanor waiting from 11.15 until midnight to make a last attempt to save her soul - it’s fair to say 45 minutes it too long to keep up any level of suspense...
Overall I give this 2 ⭐️- I finished it, but I didn’t enjoy it. I wouldn’t recommend it to others - there are better fairytale retellings available.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abortion, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Miscarriage, and Sexual content
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