Who would have to die to give her what she wanted?
The Shadow in the Glass
by JJA Harwood
Genre: Historical Fiction
About: Ella is powerless. A lowly servant in a crumbling household with a lecherous master - her future has already been set for her. But one day a miracle comes her way in the form of a kindly old woman with black eyes: her fairy godmother. Ella is given seven wishes. But each will come at a cost...
The Good
The writing is very good. Beautiful descriptions and an atmosphere that's easy to fall into. It's a compelling read that, while not fast-paced, has something in the pages that pulls you along. It's a retelling of Cinderella, which of course is an story that has been done so many times before, but this one feels fleshed out and presents a very different version of the characters. Ella is given complexity and a traumatic past, while Charles is engaging and believable as her love interest. The ugly side of Victorian London is brought into the fairytale and the gothic plot adds a suitable twist.
The Bad
It's a very slow read. Instead of chapters, there are seven parts and Ella's progress throughout the story happens in dribs and drabs. She wants to do things, she dreams of change, but it feels like nothing is happening for much of the book. She has the power of wishes but spends most of the time trapped in her circumstances and the reflection of this begins to feel repetitive.
I also felt that the villains of the story lacked motivation. Lizzie, Felicity, Mr Pembroke... I could understand them disliking Ella or making her life hard, but their level of vindictiveness was over-the-top at times.
The Somewhat Iffy
The wishes themselves felt unnecessary. I wouldn't have wanted Charles to have been Ella's saviour and solve all of her problems, but the fact that he could have resolved most of her problems and didn't was frustrating. For example, Charles still being engaged to Felicity after seeing the bruises on Ella didn't make sense to me. Or him claiming his father would never have dared put Ella in service if he'd been home - well, he comes home and Ella stays in service. With Ella's education and mannerism, a simple reference from Charles and she could have been a governess at the very least.
The reveal of Ella being the murderess is likely only a shock to Ella herself, but while it's evident as you read that this is the solution to the murders, it's also hard to believe. Knowing Ella's thoughts and her nature, it's difficult to picture her snapping the neck of a canary or wielding a blade. Less violent murders (e.g. poison) would have made more sense. It also wasn't clear to me whether the fairy godmother was real or not as the shoes were the only part of the wishes that seemed to prove the magic existed.
Overall
An interesting twist to Cinderella that gets darker and darker with each wish. The pace is a little frustrating at times but overall I enjoyed this.
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