“The Shadow in the Glass” by J.J.A. Harwood
This was a book with a lot going for it. But where we were promised a dark, inverted twist on Cinderella, we're left with a story that ends on a flat, disappointing note.
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...
The Shadow in the Glass is author J.J.A. Harwood's debut novel. I can't deny that her writing is evocative and beautiful, and the setting is fleshed out and well-rounded. But there was just something lacking from the characters so that, by the end, I just wasn't engaged.
The story presents us with what is essentially a dark retelling of the Cinderella story. We have an evil stepfather for a start. The Fairy Godmother is presented as a Faustian Mephistopheles-like figure. And instead of being granted her dreams, our protagonist, Ella, is given seven wishes. Only if she uses all seven her "fairy godmother" will take her soul.
Here is where the story had promise. Ella was born into nothing but was given everything but a beautiful and kind benefactor. But then they die, Ella is left under the case of her husband, who relegates her to become one of the household staff. These wishes offer her the chance to take back was she feels should have been hers, only she discovers each time she uses one, someone has to die.
Now, this is a story with potential. But by the end, I just was no longer engaged. Other reviews I had read argue this is because Ella is too unlikeable. But I think the problem is actually that Harwood doesn't commit to making her unlikeable enough.
What I would have liked to see was Ella slowly showing how she was no better than anyone else. How all the things she wished to "reclaim" no more belonged to her than anyone else. To see her initial attempts to find loopholes in the consequences of her wishes slowly change into justifications that argued anything was acceptable if it got her what she saw as rightfully hers.
Ultimately, I wanted to see Ella corrupted. A story that shows that we see protagonists like her as "good" simply because they are downtrodden, but once they have power, they can be as horrible as everyone else in the story.
At the end of the day, I didn't dislike The Shadow in the Glass. It has an interesting concept, and Harwood's writing is details and immersive. It just lacked a certain bite that I think would have made it great. With a more hatable yet relatable protagonist to get my teeth into, I think I would have loved this book. As it is, while it doesn't put me off reading more of Harwood's work in the future, it doesn't encourage me to proactively seek it out, either.
