This is one of those books that’s been mis-marketed to its detriment. While sold as a fairy tale retelling, the Cinderella connection is quite loose; it’s actually more of a psychological thriller, with much of its tension generated by questions about how far its protagonist will go and what secrets she’s hiding from the reader. Set in Victorian London and with its fantasy elements minor/arguable, it’s also perhaps better classified as historical fiction than fantasy. That said, I enjoy historical fantasy and can appreciate a good psychological thriller, and loved many elements of this book, though it falls apart a bit at the end and fails to reach its full potential. But The Shadow Glass adds a whole new layer to the awesomeness that is The Bone Witch books. We are introduced to the idea that the stories we have grown up on, the legends, the folklore, the gods themselvevs, could very well not be what we know. That in our world, our history, our foundational texts have the power to be written over, obscured, and altered. But for what purpose? And, is it just me, or does this feel a little too real to anyone else? The Bone Witch, The Heart Forger, and now The Shadow Glass have been some of my favorite books of all time. I am in love with Tea, her journey, and the rich world Rin Chupeco has created. Summary A story only kept going if people remembered it, if they lived it over and over again. If it was forgotten, it My main gripe was the ending. we are left wondering did Ella actually commit these crimes herself or was it actually magic? What is the point in this magical being anyway? It was never really cleared up. And Ella still ends up punished in the end.

The Shadow Glass by Josh Winning Book Review The Shadow Glass by Josh Winning Book Review

Tea is a bone witch with the dark magic needed to raise the dead. She has used this magic to breathe life into those she has loved and lost…and those who would join her army against the deceitful royals. But Tea’s quest to conjure a shadowglass—to achieve immortality for the one person she loves most in the world—threatens to consume her heart. 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. Ella, being the kind of stupid that the plot needed her to be, says yes without thinking it through. It's only a matter of time before Mr. Pembroke turns his eye on Ella—and to Ella's worry, on the even younger Aoife—and Ella feels this is her only choice. First off... DISCLAIMER:I beta-read this book. Also, Titan Books provided me with an evaluation ecopy via NetGalley (thank you!). Neither facts influenced my review in any way. In a time of typewriters and steam engines, Iris Winnow awaits word from her older brother, who has enlisted on the side of Enva the Skyward goddess. Alcohol abuse led to her mother’s losing her job, and Iris has dropped out of school and found work utilizing her writing skills at the Oath Gazette. Hiding the stress of her home issues behind a brave face, Iris competes for valuable assignments that may one day earn her the coveted columnist position. Her rival for the job is handsome and wealthy Roman Kitt, whose prose entrances her so much she avoids reading his articles. At home, she writes cathartic letters to her brother, never posting them but instead placing them in her wardrobe, where they vanish overnight. One day Iris receives a reply, which, along with other events, pushes her to make dramatic life decisions. Magic plays a quiet role in this story, and readers may for a time forget there is anything supernatural going on. This is more of a wartime tale of broken families, inspired youths, and higher powers using people as pawns. It flirts with clichéd tropes but also takes some startling turns. Main characters are assumed White; same-sex marriages and gender equality at the warfront appear to be the norm in this world.

I really enjoyed the novel’s predominant theme of power; through the power imbalance of employer and employee, societal social standing and also the magical elements He is senior film writer at Radio Times, writer at Total Film, SFX and Den of Geek, and the co-host of movie podcast Torn Stubs. He has been on set with Kermit the Frog (and Miss Piggy), devoured breakfast with zombies on The Walking Dead, and sat on the Iron Throne on the Dublin set of Game of Thrones.

The Shadowglass by Rin Chupeco | Waterstones

Then my problems with the book start. Ella is so high and mighty that she thinks she'll do right, because she is a good person, isn't she? She waits with her wishes till something bad happens and she has to use one to fix things from turning even worse. She doesn't act, she reacts, and is appaled by the consequences she gets. This debut novel of historical fiction/fantasy seemed, at times, repetitive and dragged a bit. A taut, more compact version would have increased this reader's enjoyment. That said, the last third of the book was atmospheric, suspenseful and barreled toward a satisfying, unexpected ending.Struggling to adapt, constantly under the watchful eye of the house keeper or the leering gaze of Mr Pembrokeshire, Ella long for escape. She frequently goes into the library at night to escape. Content warnings: alcoholism, poisoning, drug use, death of parents, miscarriage, abortion, sexual assault, murder, adultery. I did appreciate the distinctiveness of the story, and I was engrossed right up to the sudden and surprising conclusion.

THE SHADOW GLASS by Josh Winning (BOOK REVIEW) THE SHADOW GLASS by Josh Winning (BOOK REVIEW)

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 to decide whether it’s one she’s willing to pay it. There’s no shortage of action in this book and the characters became so real to me it felt like I was fighting alongside them. I don’t know how it’s possible to feel nostalgia for a movie I’ve never seen and doesn’t exist (yet) but here we are. What’s going to stay with me the most, though, is this book’s heart.This is supposed to be a dark, gothic Cinderella retelling. It is one, I suppose - a boring one! But I admit the twist was cool. Flash Book Review: A love letter to 80s fantasy film like The NeverEnding Story (1984), Labyrinth (1986), and The Dark Crystal (1982). Josh Winning is a nostalgia nut, book/film lover and author of The Shadow Glass, which is like Labyrinth meets Stranger Things, and Burn the Negative, which is like Scream meets My Best Friend's Exorcism. In the Eight Kingdoms, none have greater strength or influence than the asha, who hold elemental magic. But only a bone witch has the power to raise the dead. Tea has used this dark magic to breathe life into those she has loved and lost...and those who would join her army against the deceitful royals. But Tea's quest to conjure a shadowglass, to achieve immortality for the one person she loves most in the world, threatens to consume her. The discussion of female agency and the historic predation of women was just...not handled to my satisfaction. I know that this novel did not set out to be a feminist retelling, or even contain female-agency themes. But my lingering feelings after reading this novel were sour when it came to the female representation and agency. Mr. Pembroke violates girl after girl in an abuse of his power and place in society. His son's plotline with Ella was essentially a socially-acceptable version of that abuse of power, in a supposedly "romantic" way. Again, I realize that this novel didn't set out to do anything with these historically accurate concepts, but at the same time this was a fantasy with a female demon and a girl who bargained for 7 wishes to literally escape that kind of predation and then...the plot went in different ways for a majority of the time.

The Shadow Glass by Josh Winning | Goodreads The Shadow Glass by Josh Winning | Goodreads

This immediately felt like a love letter to every great fantasy movie from the 1980s and 90s. We get mentions of Labyrinth, Gremlins, Dark Crystal and Willow among others, in a plot that is rife with common tropes associated with these movies, from a chosen one to a quest for a magical item. It plays heavily into the nostalgia for an 80s child like myself, and I think people of a similar age who grew up with similar cultural references will love this. Its fast paced, with punchy dialogue and ultimately really captivating. You can almost imagine that The Shadow Glass really was a film we all watched growing up, and I kind of wish I had a VHS tape of it to watch.What if you were granted 7 wishes to do as you please by a woman who is sort of like a godmother? You would probably be so excited and would want the best kinds of things, right? Well, this is what happens in this new take based on the classic Cinderella of a young woman who is granted 7 wonderful wishes but sometimes what she wishes for doesn't necessarily have the best outcome. Bob Corman is referred to by their fans and by various media outlets simply as ‘Bob’. I realise this is a stupid thing to get caught up on, but I struggle to suspend my disbelief to the point where any Bob could possibly be famous enough to just be ‘Bob’. There’s a reason Bill Gates, probably one of the most famous people on the planet, is not referred to simply as ‘Bill’. In specific subcultures maybe, but in general media? It’s just not going to happen. Sorry Bobs. I had hope that somehow the ending would make the book better, but unfortunately it was an unsatisfying ending that was just as depressing as the rest of the book. 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.