Blog Tour: ‘The Shadow in the Glass’ by JJA Harwood

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for ‘The Shadow in the Glass’ by JJA Harwood.

This tour was organised by Random Things Tours. The novel was published in hardback on 18th March, 2021.

Thank you to the tour organiser and publisher for my review copy – this has not influenced my views and opinions are – as always – entirely my own.

From the Publisher:

A new dark fairy tale set against a Victorian backdrop full of lace and smoke – perfect for fans of Laura Purcell and Erin Morgenstern.

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, while among her beloved books, 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…

Melding history and fairy tale, this is a dark and intelligent new take on the story of Cinderella that looks at women, the price of labour and the cost of hope.

My Review:

I was immediately sold on this book by the Victorian setting (my favourite) and the promise of a dark, gothic story. It wasn’t until I attended a book launch event online that I really registered that it was a spin on the Cinderella story – so I read it looking out for the links to the fairy tale!

The story is about Ella, a maid working in the house where she used to be the adopted daughter of the family. After the death of the mistress of the house, the master moves her below stairs where he has a sinister reputation for interfering with the housemaids. One night, taking refuge in the library she is not permitted to use, a fairy godmother arrives and offers Ella seven wishes. Unfortunately, these wishes come at a price and it may be more than Ella is willing to pay.

So, clearly there are some similarities to Cinderella with iffy stepfathers and a fairy godmother. However, do banish any thoughts of a cosy Disney-fied fairy tale from your mind! This is a creepy fairy godmother and Ella finds herself in a hellish pact, struggling to understand the terms of what she has done. The iffy stepfather isn’t just cruel – he’s attacking maids and casting them out when pregnant. The anticipated ‘prince’ isn’t perhaps as honourable as he could be. And Ella herself is….let’s just say she is maybe not as virtuous as our expected heroine.

I absolutely loved this book! It is compulsively creepy and deliciously dark. The setting of the Pembroke house is beautifully done – a house that has reminders of its former glory but is descending into shabbiness as the money dwindles. As someone who reads a lot of books set in or about Victorian times, I found it convincingly portrayed and immersive – I could feel the damp seeping into Ella’s garret bedroom and the icy coldness of the house deprived of coal for the grates.

Ella is also a fascinating character – the reader is caught up in her story and roots for her throughout. She seems kind and her motives pure, but there are also little hints that she perhaps isn’t wholly ‘good’, especially given the choices she makes and the narratives used to justify them. In fact, she seems wholly credible and flawed in a very human way – something that lifted the story out of being a simple morality tale and took it in interesting and more nuanced directions.

As a life-long cynic, I was worried that the fairy tale elements might the book unbelievable or incredible in all the bad ways. I was wrong. JJA Harwood has crafted a story that has supernatural elements, but these never cloud the story. At the heart of the book is Ella and the choices she makes, grounding the story in something much more worldly and disturbing than a fairy godmother waving her wand. There is nothing magical about the results of Ella’s wishes.

I would whole-heartedly recommend this book to anyone who loves well-plotted and immersive historical fiction. It doesn’t even need to be read as a spin on Cinderella – other influences are evident, not least Dr Faustus and his pact with the devil or even Freud’s ideas of suppressed desires. Fans of Laura Purcell or Sarah Waters’ spookier books will love this.

About the Author:

JJA Harwood is an author, editor and blogger. She grew up in Norfolk, read History at the University of Warwick and eventually found her way to London, which is still something of a shock for somebody used to so many fields. When not writing, she can be found learning languages, cooking with more enthusiasm than skill, wandering off into clearly haunted houses and making friends with stray cats.
THE SHADOW IN THE GLASS is her debut novel.