A review by kriscomics
The Shadow in the Glass by J.J.A. Harwood

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

This book had a very interesting premise, but did very little to hold my interest once I started reading. The book's pacing is incredibly slow, and I feel like a lot of time is wasted describing scenery and actions. Ella's actions start off noble enough, but her wants and desires are pretty short sighted, and honestly, she's not the sharpest tool in the shed. I figured out the "twist" of the book pretty quickly, and couldn't understand why Ella never put two and two together more quickly. The author teases about Ella's past quite a bit, but we never actually uncover anything, though I do have a theory:
The black-eyed lady is actually a figment of Ella's imagination, and she has split personality disorder. The fact that she doesn't remember acting out as a child and doesn't remember killing people or committing the crimes that result as an action of her "wishes" seem pretty similar. So if anything, it could be that she is just legitimately crazy.
I respect Ella's desire to make her own way in the world when the people she trusts to keep her safe fail her, but ultimately it felt like watching a train wreck. In the end, it was an okay read, and I did want to see how it played out, but calling it a Cinderella retelling seems a bit like false advertising. If anything, it may be loosely inspired by Cinderella, but that's as far as I'd go with it. 
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