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A review by fazila
The Shadow in the Glass by J.J.A. Harwood
4.0
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DISCLAIMER : Thank you, Netgalley, Harper Collins UK and Harper Voyager for providing me with an ARC of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The Shadow In The Glass is a dark, gothic retelling of Cinderella by J.J.A.Harwood. The story is set in Victorian England and takes us through the truly terrible times women had to face on a daily basis. The story takes place in Grandborough House where Mrs. Pembroke took in the recently orphaned Eleanor known as Ella. She is treated like a daughter and grew up with all the privileges that a child would get. Mrs. Pembroke passes away and Ella is forced to earn her keep by the housekeeper. Mr. Pembroke is an alcoholic and is drinking away the wealth and the riches that Mrs. Pembroke had managed wisely. As Ella grows up in the household doing household work she starts to see the difficult lives the household staff has to endure. Her only escape from her daily chores is when she gets to escape into the library at night and lose herself in the books. When one of the girls who worked at Grandborough house is turned out for getting pregnant by Mr. Pembroke Ella gets angry at the injustice. She ends up in the library and accidentally cuts herself on a book about Faustus and a deal he made with the devil, thereby summoning a woman who gives Ella 7 wishes to transform her life. Things take a turn for the worse when each wish used comes with a heavy price. Can Ella stop the Faustian deal? Will she be able to stop herself from making wishes despite the horrors it could bring about?
This story truly is a Faustian deal with Cinderella and the dark turn it took really surprised me as I wasn’t expecting it. The character of Ella and her story connects with the audience because of the injustices she had to endure in the house that used to be her home. However, the means and ways she goes about transforming her life truly shows us her need to control her destiny and take charge. She relishes the power as she moves forward in the story. She craves success and is not afraid to take the step that could destroy her humanity once and for all. One could also argue that this was not a fantasy story but the imagination of a woman who is unwilling to admit, she did commit horrendous crimes against people who wronged her. She does create an alternate reality that helps her to keep her sanity while at the same time take the law into her own hands. The lines between reality and fantasy is very small and is often blurred in my opinion and this creates an atmosphere of dread and eeriness to the story.
Overall, if you love fantasy historical fiction and fairytale retellings that have a dark theme and gothic vibe, I would recommend checking this one out. This is a quick read and quite an engaging read too. I gave the book 4 stars. I highly recommend checking this out.
SUBSCRIBE TO MY CHANNEL : YOUTUBE
FOLLOW ME ON : TWITTER INSTAGRAM
FR REVIEW :
DISCLAIMER : Thank you, Netgalley, Harper Collins UK and Harper Voyager for providing me with an ARC of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The Shadow In The Glass is a dark, gothic retelling of Cinderella by J.J.A.Harwood. The story is set in Victorian England and takes us through the truly terrible times women had to face on a daily basis. The story takes place in Grandborough House where Mrs. Pembroke took in the recently orphaned Eleanor known as Ella. She is treated like a daughter and grew up with all the privileges that a child would get. Mrs. Pembroke passes away and Ella is forced to earn her keep by the housekeeper. Mr. Pembroke is an alcoholic and is drinking away the wealth and the riches that Mrs. Pembroke had managed wisely. As Ella grows up in the household doing household work she starts to see the difficult lives the household staff has to endure. Her only escape from her daily chores is when she gets to escape into the library at night and lose herself in the books. When one of the girls who worked at Grandborough house is turned out for getting pregnant by Mr. Pembroke Ella gets angry at the injustice. She ends up in the library and accidentally cuts herself on a book about Faustus and a deal he made with the devil, thereby summoning a woman who gives Ella 7 wishes to transform her life. Things take a turn for the worse when each wish used comes with a heavy price. Can Ella stop the Faustian deal? Will she be able to stop herself from making wishes despite the horrors it could bring about?
This story truly is a Faustian deal with Cinderella and the dark turn it took really surprised me as I wasn’t expecting it. The character of Ella and her story connects with the audience because of the injustices she had to endure in the house that used to be her home. However, the means and ways she goes about transforming her life truly shows us her need to control her destiny and take charge. She relishes the power as she moves forward in the story. She craves success and is not afraid to take the step that could destroy her humanity once and for all. One could also argue that this was not a fantasy story but the imagination of a woman who is unwilling to admit, she did commit horrendous crimes against people who wronged her. She does create an alternate reality that helps her to keep her sanity while at the same time take the law into her own hands. The lines between reality and fantasy is very small and is often blurred in my opinion and this creates an atmosphere of dread and eeriness to the story.
Overall, if you love fantasy historical fiction and fairytale retellings that have a dark theme and gothic vibe, I would recommend checking this one out. This is a quick read and quite an engaging read too. I gave the book 4 stars. I highly recommend checking this out.