The shadow in the glass.
Horror and fairytales combine in this dark, menacing, creepy Gothic story, that reminded me of Dorian Grey.
Eleanor is the central character, once taken in by a wealthy family, dressed in the finest clothes, educated and wanted for nothing, all this changed when the lady of the house died, and Eleanor was reduced to the rank of housemaid.
Her guilty pleasure is reading in the library late at night, and wishing her life would improve. One night, an old lady appears, and offers to grant her seven wishes , after which time her soul will be forfeit.
Eleanor agrees, but secretly resolves not to use the last wish in order to cheat her destiny. She finds that each wish has unintended consequences, initially to the benefit of Eleanor, but the later ones are really quite macabre and chilling.
I was fascinated by these wishes, and amused myself by trying to guess what the consequences would be, and would Eleanor learn from these events. How many times a day do we idly wish for things to change, but would we be more careful if what happened carried such a penalty?
The love story between Eleanor and Charles, the young master of the house is beautiful. He adores her, but life conspires against them in a cruel way.
Her step father is odious, lecherous, and a menace to all the young females that work in the house. He really gives the Victorian man a bad name. The street life of London, the poverty, filth and grime is well portrayed and the harshness of life for women and children is obscene and chilling described.
My husband’s Grandmother was in service and ended up pregnant, and a husband was found for her, and an estate cottage, not all employers were bad, perhaps she was just very lucky.
The ending of this story was abrupt, but upon reflection, where else could it have possibly gone? I like to think Eleanor continued to cause trouble.
A debut novel that was so twisted and enjoyable, what a film that would make! My daughter is already reading this upon my recommendation and is sharing her views with her Zoom reading group. She frequently contacts me to say something is either gross or sick, that is praise indeed!
I rate this as a five star read, and look forward with great expectation and curiosity to see what the next novel will be.
Thank you Harpervoyager UK and Netgalley for my ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

For those who love a fairy tale for grown-ups then "The Shadow in the Glass" by JJA Harwood is a must-read. A cross between Aladdin and Cinderella, the story focuses on Eleanor's aspiring climb in social ranks where she was taken in by Mrs Pembroke when she was younger. Like many fairy tales, the good character dies and Eleanor is forced to work as a servant. A faustian-twist affords her 7 wishes in return for her soul. Will she use them wisely or fritter them away? A clever and engrossing story that transports you away from everyday life.

A fun read! Horror mixed with dark fairytales. Although this was billed as being a dark retelling of cinderella I found the nods to The Picture of Dorian Gray a lot more closer to the truth. Several wishes granted to a girl who wants to escape her humdrum life. The price? The lady with the black eyes who steals her soul for the granting of these wishes.

I loved the romance thread of the girl and her master. Nicely and believably done. The dark forces at work in this house were captivating and think this would make a great movie as it was very visual and mysterious. Imagine the special effects that could bring the magic from page to screen!

Not my usual read but I really enjoyed this.

‘I’d like to propose a bargain. I will offer you seven wishes. Whatever you ask for, I shall grant you. There are few limits.’

In this dark retelling, Eleanor is our Cinderella. After the death of her parents she was cared for by Mrs Pembroke, who Eleanor remembers fondly. It’s been three years since Mrs Pembroke’s death and in that time Eleanor’s once soft hands have reddened and cracked, the result of her new role as one of Mr Pembroke’s housemaids.

Eleanor’s life is a daily struggle; her body aches from the work she does, she is never warm enough and she is always hungry. Then there is the constant threat of Mr Pembroke himself. Reading is Eleanor’s only escape.

“The dark spines of the books were rows of windows, waiting for the shutters to be pulled back.”

Eleanor imagines what she would wish for if she were granted some like the characters in books she’s read. Eleanor wishes that she could live a life without poverty, hunger and danger.

“Eleanor tried to be good, she tried to be kind, but she wanted so many things that she could feel them gnawing at her from the inside.”

Eleanor needs to be careful what she wishes for, though, because her fairy godmother isn’t the one who made you believe bibbidi-bobbidi-boo was a real spell. No, wishes have some serious consequences in this fairytale.

Set in the nineteenth century, you know things are going to be pretty dire for women in general, but the teenagers who work at Granborough House also live with the constant threat of danger inside the house. I empathised with all of the housemaids but never connected with Eleanor. I didn’t like her, which made it difficult to become invested in the potential the wishes had to improve her circumstances.

I found some parts of the book repetitive and it felt like a longer read than it actually was, predominantly because the settings and the majority of the women’s lives were quite bleak.

I enjoyed anticipating how Eleanor’s wishes would be granted and seeing how she would react when she was given what she asked for, especially when expectation and reality didn’t line up.

I am left with a few unanswered questions but none that will keep me up at night. I expect the ending may not be for everyone but I loved it.

‘If you want something, my dear, you must ask for it.’

Content warnings include abortion/miscarriage, physical abuse and the consistent threat of sexual assault, along with mention of previous instances.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and HarperVoyager, an imprint of HarperCollins UK, for granting my wish to read this book. I’m rounding up from 3.5 stars.

This was just OK for me, I liked the writing style but when it went into the fairy tale side to it I just couldn't enjoy it as much, but overall I am sure it will appeal to many, but just an OK read for me.

This story was not one I was ready to like as much as I did. I was rather reluctant to get into it because I felt like another fairy tale wasn’t going to pull me in- I was completely wrong.

The Shadow in the Glass was exciting, thrilling, gothic, dark, atmospheric and all things that Fairy tales really should be. I love a Victorian time period novel so there I was up until the wee hours of the morning, dry eyes from staring at a screen and my mind scrambled from all I had read- incredible. The world JJA Harwood has created is steeped in elegance and black, a real gritty and beautiful story loosely inspired by Cinderella- but it is not to be confused with the happily ever after we all have come to expect.

“Once upon a time Ella had wished for more than her life as a lowly maid.
Now forced to work hard under the unforgiving, lecherous gaze of the man she once called stepfather, Ella’s only refuge is in the books she reads by candlelight, secreted away in the library she isn’t permitted to enter.”
One night, among her beloved books of far-off lands, Ella’s wishes are answered. At the stroke of midnight, a fairy godmother makes her an offer that will change her life: seven wishes, hers to make as she pleases. But each wish comes at a price and Ella must decide whether it’s one she’s willing to pay…



Fans of Erin Morgenstern and OUAT will devour this gripping and often bitter and twisted novel with such dark elements that really transform this novel into one of the strongest reads of 2021 I’ve read so far. Read this book, you will not regret it. A gothic Cinder for the ages.

Thank you HarperVoyagerUK and NetGalley for giving me an ARC ebook copy to read and give an honest review.

The Shadow in the Glass tells the story of Ella, a young housemaid who dreams of a better life. Having been taken in by a wealthy family for a few years before being cast aside, Ella knows that she can’t live without the wealth and security that the world owes her; so when an empty-eyed woman appears and promises seven wishes, Ella jumps at the chance to start a new and better life. As she begins to twist the world to her liking, however, she quickly realises that this may not be quite the bargain she thought it was.

Before I read this book, I was convinced that every possible Cinderella retelling had been done, but The Shadow in the Glass completely proved me wrong. It was a new, dark twist on the tale that would be perfect for readers who prefer their fairytales a little more Grimm and a little less Disney. The overlap between the two stories was expertly done and, although I definitely have a few unanswered questions, so much of the story was answered either by aspects of the original tale or by inventions from JJA Harwood’s imagination that I was completely satisfied.

Ella was a fascinating protagonist. I’m still unsure how I feel about a number of her decisions and her moral position, but it was interesting trying to justify her actions and wondering what I’d do in the same position. I loved her transition too, from indecisive and doubtful in the first part of the story, to committed, serious and downright dangerous when she realised what she wanted.

This book took the darkest parts of Cinderella and made them darker, twisting this into a gothic and grim tale of dangerous magic. A number of incredibly serious themes are tackled from the very beginning and these hinted at how dark this book might get, but I was completely taken aback by how gothic it ended up being.

What started out slow and descriptive with only a hint of magic turned quickly into a gripping page-turner that had my mind wandering back to it every time I managed to put it down. I would recommend this book for adult readers, young adult readers, lovers of fantasy, fairytales and historical fiction. I don’t have too many to compare it to, but this was possibly the most compelling fairytale retelling I’ve ever read, and I’m excited to see what JJA Harwood will write next.

This was a really enjoyable gothic take on the familiar cinderella type tale. Eleanor before the death of the lady of the house enjoyed a life of education and privilege treated like a much loved daughter. However that ends when the master refuses to see her as anything other than one of his servants below stairs whom he can treat as he wishes. I loved the vivid descriptions of Victorian Mayfair with all the sights and smells bought to life. Ella escapes the brutal regime of household tasks by secretly reading in the library and living through the characters stories. One night an old woman appears and offers to grant her seven wishes to make her life of drudgery and limited prospects better. All of this comes at a price Ella is not sure she is willing to pay when she learns that every decision has a consequence.
The descriptions of the hard life of domestic servants during these times was very well written and the limited prospects of women no matter their status. This was an intense, creepy read that I could not put down. I loved the characters and gothic atmosphere created along with the mystery as it unravels with shocking consequences.
Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced read of this in exchange for an honest and fair review.

A gripping and dread inducing read at times.
Eleanor meets a woman with black eyes, who grants her seven wishes, once she uses them all her soul is forfeit. But will she? That is a question I do not wish to answer or it would spoil the ending. A real page turner, an absorbing read. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me an advance copy.

Thank you Netgally for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
This is a dark, creepy retelling of Cinderella and how dreams do not come true. I must start by saying that I loved the premise, but some of the reviews I read seemed to condemn the book, however I decided to start it and absolutely loved the book.
The first part is a bit slower, but once she makes her first wish it picks up pace and it kept me wanting to read and find out what happens next. The writing is phenomenal, and J.J.A. Harwood does an amazing job bringing Victorian London to life through her vivid and realistic descriptions.
This is the story of Eleanor (Ella) who makes a deal with the devil and thus hopes that her life will improve. You know from the beginning that a deal with the devil cannot have a happy ending, but you still hope. Elle is someone who cares deeply about those she loves, and she uses them and their misfortunes and tribulations to justify her actions. He dreams big and wants to better herself in life, but her options are limited by her gender and the age she lives in. She is desperate and each wish she makes brings her closer to her fall.
This is a page turner, and I am glad I read it. One of my top reads this year.

With The Shadow in the Glass, Harwood gives us a gritty tale of riches to rags, and back again, with the use of an eerie Victorian setting, a helpless protagonist, and demoniac interventions.

After the death of her mother, Eleanor is taken in by the wealthy Mrs Pembroke and adopted as a lady in training. She is used to fine things, and is confident she’ll go on to live a luxurious life. When Mrs Pembroke dies, Eleanor is relegated to the position of housemaid, with all dreams of finery eradicated. Her only consolation is sneaking into the library of the large house when everyone else is in bed. Here, one night, a black-eyed woman appears to her, and offers to grant her seven wishes in exchange for her soul.

We are soon catapulted into a supernatural tempest as Eleanor begins to make wishes and discover the price she pays for these won’t just be her soul. There are twists and turns, ‘will she, won’t she’ implications, and a whole host of obstacles for Eleanor to navigate - most of which aren’t in any way paranormal.

Many questions are posed here. Although said to be a dark retelling of Cinderella, we have never thought of Cinderella to be dark herself. Eleanor is a complicated and desperate protagonist, willing to commit the most terrible of acts. Sometimes she is looking out for others, sometimes she is only looking out for herself. It’s a very human and realistic characterisation of desire and ambition, yet Harwood forces us to wonder who the real villain is here - demon or human?

I did find the pacing to be a bit frustrating; the novel seems to take an age to kick into action, and although engagement does improve the further in you venture, I felt there were a lot of filler passages containing Eleanor’s ponderings, woe is me floundering, and self-chastisements.

Despite this, Harwood has painted an excellent, if grim, picture of Victorian London and the hardships faced by women in this prejudiced environment. Her setting is consistently bleak - fogs, clouds, grime, rain - which helps to cast a forbidding tone throughout the entire plot.

A forbidding and bleak look at the power of longing, the desperation of intent, and the stark necessities required of a lower class woman in the 1800s. And not forgetting demons.

I enjoyed this book from the beginning. It really caught my attention and I was hungry to find out more

Who of us would enjoy the chance to have our wishes come true, even with the threat of the last one meaning having our soul being owned?

An enjoyable read and an author I will enjoy reading from again

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for ARC

The Shadow in the Glass

Dare to make a wish?...

Eleanor (Ella) Hartley wishes she is more than just a lowery house maid. Forced into service, once the lady of the house passes away. She has to work hard under the unforgiving, lecherous gaze of the man who is now her guardian. Eleanors’ only escape is in the books in the library, where she is not allowed to enter.

One night, amongst her beloved books Eleanors’ wishes are answered. At the stroke of midnight, a fairy godmother appears and makes her an offer that will change her life: seven wishes, hers to make as she pleases. But each wish comes at a price.

A beautiful, gothic and creepy debut by JJA Harwood. This is undoubtedly a dark retelling of Cinderella where happily-ever- after comes at a price. I was truly captivated and wanting more with each page.

I loved the character development of Eleanor throughout, as well as the other characters as they respond to her actions. The author has done a superb job at bringing Victorian London to life through her gorgeous and vivid writing.

Such a gripping and chilling read that will make you think twice about making a wish.

5/5⭐️’s

Thank you HarperVoyagerUK and NetGalley for giving me an ARC ebook copy to read and give an honest review.

✨The Shadow in the Glass is set to be published 18th March 2021 by HarperVoyagerUK✨

Be careful for what you wish for ...

What starts out as a story about an orphaned maidservant, Ella, who wishes for a better life for herself and her friends, soon becomes a cautionary tale of how wishful
thinking and ignoring consequences can quickly get out of hand despite best intentions and best laid plans.

I found parts of the story went on a bit and a little repetitive - how many times Ella returned to the house, or woke up the following day; and the inspector turning up after each incident.

That said, the story did have a sense of creepy curiosity compelling me to read on and find out what Ella does next.

Just sleeping with a light on ... in case there's something in the shadows ...

Thank you to Harper Voyager and Netgalley for an eeek-Arc and to JJA Harwood for making me wary of things that might go bump in our night!

I was super excited for this book and desperately wanted to love it but I just didn't feel hooked. The synopsis provided didn't seem to fit the book? Which confused me. All in all, it was a solid book but it wasn't really for me.

Wow, the synopsis did call The Shadow in the Glass gothic but I was not prepared for just how dark this book is! I totally get the comparison to the work of Laura Purcell but the comparison to Erin Morgenstern is a misleading one and one that seems automatic when magic is involved in a story. While Morgenstern’s work feels quite hopeful, infinite and even freeing, open the possibilities of the impossible, The Shadow in the Glass is rather more the opposite in it’s theme.

This is an incredibly creepy book and the ‘fairy godmother’ that Ella strikes her bargain with is menacing and really creates an atmosphere on the page, particularly near the end of the book. Once she is granted 7 wishes, Ella will give the fairy godmother her soul, however what she doesn’t realise that the price of this magic is that for each wish, there will be a death. As Ella’s family circumstances grow more dire, stepfather more dangerous, her love Charles further from her reach, her desperation leads her back to the wishes and, in turn, potentially her destruction. The deaths don’t necessarily appear on the page but the 3rd wish is particularly disturbing and the writing certainly makes you see it!

Ella isn’t always particularly likeable, but then that isn’t always the role of a protagonist, what she is though is a survivor, one who has endured crushed dreams, the perverted reach of her stepfather and who constantly strives for the best for her and her loved ones. Yes she is selfish, sometimes infuriating, but she is a young woman who thought she had been saved as a young girl and who lost her dream, a dream that forever feels just out of reach. You understand her, even if you don’t like her always, or at least some of her decisions.

This isn’t a light read, it’s dark and disturbing, but well done, sadly I think the comparison to Morgenstern just creates the wrong impression and may lead to disappointment.

Thank you NetGalley for the early copy to review

I loved the world of this book. It's a unique gothic fairytale that added layers of depth, which I really appreciated in a novel that could otherwise have been a lot of fluff. Thanks for the ARC!

This book is tense, gothic and so creep; a very dark retelling of Cinderella. It takes time to warm up but towards the end, it's fast-paced. Harwood does a great job of bringing the characters and Victorian London to life which made the story that much more interesting. It was a super riveting read that got even better as it went on,

The Shadow in the Glass by JJA Harwood is an excellent novel that has it all: historical fiction, suspense, mystery, fantasy, fairy tale elements, and kept me enthralled throughout.

I really, really enjoyed this story. At first one thinks it is purely a fantasy novel, but gorgeous cover aside, there is so much more.

Yes there is an element of the fairy tale of Cinderella, but that is where the comparison stops. This has a much more real, dark, heavy, and Victorian element to it. The grit and grime of London really was a great backdrop for the feel of the book. At times it even sprouts a moment of gothic and eeriness to it that gave me chills. It slowly draws the reader in initially, but as the story heats up, so does the pace.

I was on the edge of my seat, quickly turning pages to see how the story of Ella and the choices/decisions she had to make based on her circumstances and the wishes that were granted (or not). I enjoyed the twists and turns as well.

I enjoyed Ella as the main character. She was like able, yet imperfect and flawed. I found myself in her corner from the very beginning. I really enjoyed the journey I was able to take with her. The supporting cast of characters really added to the novel as well.

5/5 stars

For anyone that loves a good, dark, gothic, and historical novel that has a dash of fairy tale added.

Thank you NG and HarperVoyager for this arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

The Shadow in the Glass promised a dark retelling of the classic fairy tale Cinderella that would appeal to fans of Erin Morgenstern, and to be frank these were the only reasons I had wanted to pick this book up. Not exactly the combination I had expected, but I saw two aspects I liked and I was game. Of course, then I had come in with such high expectations. Whether or not Harwood delivered, is another question.

After the death of her stepmother, Ella has gone from lady in training to Maid within her household controlled by her lecherous stepfather. Her only salvation is burning candles and sneaking into the library to escape into the world of a book. One night, she is visited by a shadow of a black-eyed woman who offers her 7 wishes — the exchange being her soul once all seven wishes are complete. However, each and every wish will come with a price and Ella must decide if the price is worth paying.

I am glad I discovered this book. I’m usually into dark books in general, but there’s just something I always appreciate with twisted retellings of classic fairy-tales. The Shadow in the Glass infuses the classic Cinderella story with a layered, sensual, and embittered flavour. Harwood spares no time for nice yet empty platitudes, preferring to jump into the dark and destitute reality of Victorian London instead. Gone is the often-preached message of “kindness and valor triumphs over all,” and what is left is a darker, more humane story of passion, desperation, desire, and power.

Eleanor, or Ella, is such a riveting character to read. Her background, while reminiscent of the Cinderella archetype—a kind girl hurled into life of destitution and abuse—with all the expectations readers familiar with the classic tale might have for her, hints at a more twisted side that becomes more apparent as the book goes on. She does project the classic traits of being kind and caring to the people she loves, but yet in her lies a darkness buried deep within that begins to surface the moment she gets seven wishes (well, six that she seeks to use anyways) on her hands. Ella cares deeply for her friends, loves passionately, and wants desperately. Ella’s journey is a breathtaking race full to the brim with tension, passion, and desperation. What happens when her desires, both selfish and selfless, rapidly flourish to a rate she can’t control? Temptations are abound, of course. A combination of circumstances, desires, and blooming passion eventually drive Ella’s life to a series of decisions that come with their consequences — and this drives home the question what lengths would one go to for their happily-ever-after, and would that all be worth it?

One of the many things Harwood does well in The Shadow in the Glass is how she engages with her influences in this story. The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Dr. Faustus aptly becomes the catalyst to Ella gaining her Faustian bargain of seven wishes for her soul. This book is, to me, one of the more successful takes on the concept of Faustian bargains as it borrows many influences from the original work, yet comes together on its own. There are several moments throughout the book where the parallels between the two become apparent, but The Shadow in the Glass strips away the philosophical and religious grandeur from Dr. Faustus and taps into its more human potential. I found this to work incredibly well in Harwood’s favour as I was able to sympathise more with Ella and understand the temptations she fails to resist. Brought together with the dark and destitute reality Victorian London pose to women of lower social status, The Shadow in the Glass presents an exploration of darker Cinderella archetypes while giving its protagonist ample reason to desire a more active role in her wishes. The vibrant prose and sense of magical realism, while reminiscent of Erin Morgenstern’s works (in a good way), also make way for mysteries, speculations, and multiple readings into what truly happened in this scenario. Was there truly something supernatural involved? Was the truth a lot more mundane then we might think? We’ll never truly know (although if you ask me, I’m in team supernatural), and there’s just something alluring about it.

The Shadow in the Glass had a lot going on in one package, and it all came together with a sense of a twisted beauty. I am honestly surprised at how much I ended up liking this book. Harwood pulled out all her stops for her debut delivering such a unique, dark, chilling, and deliciously sensual book; and she also manages to blend her source materials sophisticatedly to build a brilliant, vivid story of her own. Passion, desperation, and desire run high in The Shadow in the Glass, and with every tick on the clock the tension gradually ramps up until Harwood swings her last heart stopping blow.

I will leave this review with this one question to keep in mind for future readers who plan to pick up this book: who, truly, is The Shadow in the Glass?

The Shadow in the Glass is indeed a Cinderella retelling, but make no mistake: it’s creepy, it’s undeniably gothic; and it’s clear happily-ever-after is not without cost, at least not here.

Dare to make a wish?