Ironskin

Honestly, I was really into this book until the part where everything is supposed to come together in the end, and then it didn't work for me. Too easy? Too predictable? Something. I love the concept: steampunk Jane Eyre, where Jane has rage issues (yes!) and is a veteran from the fae wars. Great concept, and like I said, started well. I love the fairy tale touches throughout as well. I think I just don't buy her sudden superpowers, or really believe in the fae plot. Your mileage may vary, don't let me put you off.

Pros: interesting world-building, great protagonist

Cons: banter between Jane and Rochart didn’t quite match Jane and Rochester

Jane Eliot has worn an iron mask over half of her face since the end of the fae war 5 years ago, when she was cursed with rage. The mask keeps the rage at bay, but marks her as an ironskin, a reminder of worse times, and shunned by society. Upon the engagement of her sister to an aristocrat greatly above their station, she takes a post as governess to a young girl who’s… different. Jane believes she knows how to reach the child, but Dorie is not an ironskin like Jane. And as Jane starts to fall for her brooding new master, she wonders if she’s the right person to help Dorie after all.

This is a fantasy show more retelling of Jane Eyre. But while the plot remains largely the same, there are a lot of major and minor differences. At times when she diverges from Jane Eyre, Connolly writes in a nod to the original. For example, Jane in this one never went to a boarding school, but she did teach at one and comments that she’s glad she never had to attend it, given the horrible conditions the girls faced. The ending is noticeably different, so don’t think that having read Jane Eyre will preclude your enjoying this book or remove all the plot surprises.

I really enjoyed the fae aspects of the book, from the war to the curse to learning about the dwarvven and their interactions with the fae. I liked that the fae had understandable reasons for the war (that you discover at the end of the book). And I liked that the book kept much of the traditional view of fairy stories (the Irish and Welsh versions where someone who know someone was kidnapped by the fairies and later returned), rather than modern literary fairy tales.

Jane, as with her namesake, was a great protagonist. Though young she’s determined and hard working, stubborn and loving. I didn’t feel the same connection between her and Rochart as I did between Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester, their banter not hitting quite the same notes, but the relationship did grow naturally over time, which I appreciated. Their ending surprised me as things got pretty bleak fast and I wasn’t sure how the author would be able to resolve things.

One of the main divergences from the original is the fact that Jane has a living sister with whom she has a complicated relationship. Both of them envy and resent things about the other. It was nice to see how things developed between them as well as Jane’s relationships with the other female members of the staff.

This is the start of a series and I’m curious to see where the author will take things, as book two is from her sister’s point of view. show less

Originally posted on A Reader of Fictions.

An alternate history set in the era around WWI plus paranormal elements? Umm, yes! At least, that's my first thought, though The Sweetest Dark made me cautious, as it totally failed the wonderful premise. Ironskin has those things plus Jane Eyre. Be still my heart, I think I'm in love. Of course, these things can be a let down, not coming close to living up to possibility. Not this one, though. Ironskin is masterfully crafted, a truly impressive retelling with a sublimely unique paranormal twist.

As a retelling, I found Ironskin incredibly powerful. Though there are many things that are quite different from Jane Eyre, even some of the major, integral moments, the story and the characters maintain show more the precise feel and mood that I've always felt on readings of Jane Eyre. I do find it curious, though, that Connolly apparently didn't originally think this was a retelling at all. Or so Unabridged Chick said. Assuming that's true, and I don't think Audra would lie to me, I wonder whether the story was changed greatly by an editor who saw possibility or if the author just did not see the influence.

Jane Eliot has much in common with Jane Eyre, though they are not one hundred percent the same. Both are intelligent, artistic, snarky and unimpressed with high society. And, like her classic counterpart, Jane Eliot does not care for her visage. Not only is she plain, but she also wears Ironskin, a mask of iron which keeps the fairy curse of rage on her cheek from leaking out and infecting others. This mask marks her as damaged, lesser, cursed.

You see, in this world, WWI was fought against the fey. Though the fey lack physical bodies, they had the power to infect humans and then take over the bodies when the person was killed. Yup, they basically made themselves into a zombie army. They created bombs that would curse people to this fate. Those that survived wear iron over the infected area, like Jane does, to prevent the leaking of whatever terrible emotion they bear. The fey are weak only to iron, thus the iron for dampening. This whole conflict is so completely mind-bogglingly cool that I just can't even.

The humans won WWI, but they struggle now, having grown used to using fey technology for pretty much everything: lights, cars, etc. Now, without the fey, they have to start back over from scratch. There remains a deep-seated fear of the fey, of their possible return, and a mistrust of the ironskin. Also, this right here is totally how you make a statement about something without being preachy. Connolly totally used this as a metaphor for first world countries getting everything from overseas, and it's so much more effective than the book I'm reading now that just tells you this and that are bad.

Back to Jane. Her sister, Helen (a change!), has gotten engaged and Jane, unwilling to sit around and live off her brother-in-law's kindness, finds herself a position at Silver Birch Hall as a governess. Immediately, the oddness of Silver Birch Hall becomes apparent. Mr. Rochart has an odd sense of humor and is oft-absent and the servants are strange. The Hall itself is half-destroyed, wreckage from the war unfixed. Weirdest of all, though, is Dorie, Edward Rochart's daughter. She has a touch of the fey, to such an extent that she can move things with her mind. This would likely see her killed were it known, which is why Mr. Rochart has trouble finding non-kooky servants and why he needs a governess. Jane's job is to try to convince Dorie to act normally, to use her hands, clumsy and awkward though they are from disuse, rather than her fey talents.

While most of Ironskin feels like Jane Eyre, deliciously moody and mysterious, Connolly adds some straight up horror. There's a scene at the end that literally makes me twitch to think about. I wish I could say more about that, because it is so COOL and GROSS and AHHHH, but I will leave you to be horrified when you read this yourselves.

Much as I completely adored the writing and the storyline, I never really connected with the characters. They were well done, in that they fit the retelling perfectly, but I just didn't get particularly caught up in them. Jane was the only one I really cared about, and, though I suppose I like this guy better than Rochester, it's not by much. The one character I really did not like was Helen. She completely lacked depth, and just didn't feel right, since Jane supposedly loves her so. I didn't get any of that affection spilling over to me at all. This wasn't a huge drawback, since everything else kept me highly engaged, but kept the book from being perfect for me.

Ironskin has a gorgeous, somewhat creepy, cover and I can tell you right now that it perfectly matches the book's contents. Jane does even wear a dress like that at one point in the book. I am so excited to find out what the next book will be like! Go forth and procure this book, you lovely fans of gothic and retellings, for it is not a trap. show less

It's easily apparent from the very start of this deceptively good novel that Ironskin is a story loosely based on Charlotte Brontë's beloved classic Jane Eyre. Fortunately for me, I have never read the original, and that's one of the reasons I think I was free to enjoy this supernaturalized version as much as I did. I had no predispositions or favorites or even opinions going in - Connolly was free to do whatever she wanted with any of the characters, or with the plot, and it all worked out amazingly for me. Ironskin was a creative outlet of steam (really more fey-)punk, that managed to be both entertaining, and full of surprises. A few twists were expected, but Tina Connolly managed to pull the rug out from under my feet more than show more once before this short-ish novel was over. With a solidly built world, and a strong protagonist who changes and develops as the pages progress, I found a lot to recommend about this novel.

A debut novel, Ironskin comes loaded with great characters, a compelling storyline, and with a unique, new interpretation of steampunk. The ideas and fey-punk (bluepacks, etc.) that Connolly has envisioned for her alternate world of fey, dwarvven, and more work well for the frame of the plot, but are not truly steampunk. There's more of a supernatural feel to Ironskin as well - from Rochart to his daughter, magic is alive and unwell at Silver Birch. Despite its clear homages to Jane Eyre that even a reader almost wholly unfamiliar with that story could pick out, this is a fantasy tale obviously flavored with Connolly's original spin on the Victorian genre of literature. The well-handled themes of love, betrayal, acceptance, and atonement are subtly interwoven into the storyline of protagonist and governess Jane's attempts to reconcile a fey-talented child into a fey-hating world.

The characters took a bit longer to gel than the rest of the novel. I was easily enraptured by Connolly's lovely and often very visual writing to the benefit of the atmosphere, but her characters were a different story. With a slower-paced novel like this one, it's more difficult to get a grip on personalities, ambitions, and more. Jane, for the fiirst hundred or so pages, can be hard to empathize with, or relate to. She wasn't as astute as could be hoped for, but in the end, her journey to self-realization makes up for it. Thankfully with this author and engaging novel, the time spent building Jane, Dorie, and Rochart into distinct beings all payout in the end. The romance between the two adults is many things: expected, tumultuous, well-handled, and slow-building. No headlong rush into instalove here! The conflicts and complications that frequently spring up between Rochart and his damaged employee are part and parcel to the up-and-down relationship the two endure as they struggle to trust one another and protect Dorie. There isn't a ton of chemistry between the two for the first 200 pages, but Connolly manages to rectify that in time with some chance meetings and subtle conversations to build their relationship into something more believable than it started out as.

With the Gothic edge one would expect of something based on a Brontë sisters work, the world and technology of Ironskin is one of the most alluring concepts; both interesting and creepy. The unsettling setting, the unknown details of Jane's life at Silver Birch, the tension between the ironskins and the rest of the populace and more make for an encompassing, suspense-filled atmosphere. Ironskin is a well-written novel where the slightly creepy ambiance is as much of a part of the novel as the plot itself or the characters that grow from outlines into fully fleshed and three-dimensional people. The world, full of history and war and curses is a complex and imaginative more. Connolly is thankfully one of those few authors that don't inundate their audience with all the details immediately in an infodump, but one that parses out small, pertinent pieces of information slowly as the novel progresses along, creating an informative, large worldview of the time and place Jane lives in.

Ambitious and impressive, Ironskin wraps up the main plotline/mystery neatly and succinctly in those 302 pages. With a few open-ended plotlines obviously leading up the next book in this series, Connolly is a writer who knows how to hook her readers. I certainly eagerly awaiting to see what new struggles and battles Jane will encounter as well as gaining more knowledge about the Great War that lead up to the current conflict. With a strong ending, an intriguing and original interpretation of a beloved classic, realistic characters with human (and otherwise..) flaws, and mysteries a plenty, Ironskin is a rewarding and fun read. show less

In case you didn’t already know this, I’m a huge Bronte fan. I love those brilliant writing sisters and their gothic genius. Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre is one of my favorites. I love the proud and feisty Jane and the dark and brooding Rochester. So when I read that IRONSKIN by Tina Connolly was a fey-centered retelling of this brilliant classic, I was sold. SOLD. And while I don’t think it shines quite as brightly as its predecessor, I do believe Ironskin is a solid book with a good introduction to a fascinating new world and an intriguing heroine.

The best thing about Ironskin, by far, is the world Connolly creates in it. It takes place before the industrial revolution in England, five years after the Great Fey War. Humans show more obviously know the fey exist and, before the war, traded regularly with them for the powerful fey created energy supplies. At some point relationships between the two species went sour, leading to a war that seemed unwinnable for humans. But, all of a sudden, the fey disappeared, never to be seen again. All that’s left are the sad reminders of their power – the rationed blue packs that provide electricity and power to run machinery and the fey cursed outcasts that were injured in the war. These cursed humans carry the scars of battle – injured limbs, burned faces, etc — and they must wear ironskin to contain their individual curses so that they don’t effect those around them. Jane Eliot, the heroine of this gothic tale, is one of the unfortunate fey cursed. She wears ironskin that covers half her burned face. Not only does it cover the scars but it contains the rage she’s been cursed with bearing and fighting to control.

The fey are feared. They dominate the forests, and though they have not been seen in five years, every human knows not tempt fate and to avoid the forests. But why did the fey disappear? How did trading for an easy power supply impact human innovation?

I love the originality of this premise. The human-fey relationship is wonderfully drawn and the fey themselves are pretty frightening. You don’t see or meet a fey until the last half of the book, but their looming presence haunts both you and the characters throughout the entire story. I also thought the idea of the trade relationship between the two species was interesting. Humans benefitted from fey technology but when it was taken away, how did it impact progress and innovation? And what exactly is the source of that power? Let me tell you, the answer is chilling. The mystery of why the fey disappeared is also a question that nags at the reader throughout, making the reader just as anxious and fearful as the characters as to whether or not the fey will reappear and attack.

The heroine of this tale is also fascinating. Jane is cursed, on the outskirts, burdened to carry the scars of war for the rest of her life. She is filled with guilt, fear, and anger but she is also strong, independent and resourceful. Much like Jane Eyre, Jane Eliot accepts a governess position at the secluded home of the mysterious artist, Edward Rochart. She is charged with taking care of Dorie, Rochart’s daughter, who is also fey cursed. Dorie has the ability to move things without touching them. Jane must teach the girl how to be more human and feels an affinity with her since Jane herself had to learn how to control and contain her own fey curse. Through her time with the Rocharts, Jane grows from self-loathing to empowerment over the course of the story. She will no longer let the scar or the curse define her. There are fantastic moments of longing and sadness that are truly moving and open the reader to Jane’s bruised psyche so that her empowerment by the end of the book is that much sweeter.

The central mystery in Ironskin is also very good. What does Rochart really do? Who was Dorie’s mother? These questions also nag at the reader throughout the book and while I have to admit I suspected the answer to Rochart’s mystery fairly quickly, the depth of it, the perversion of it, and the delicious macabre quality of it were still pretty satisfying.

My biggest problem with Ironskin really lies in the relationship between Jane and Rochart. Perhaps it’s unfair to continuously compare the book to Jane Eyre but if you’re going to market the book this way, I feel it’s valid to point out the differences. For me, Jane Eyre oozed passion between Jane and Rochester, you felt devastated for Jane when big revelations were made, and while Rochester’s actions were unpardonable, you felt for him somewhat as well. For me, in Ironskin, I felt pretty much zero chemistry between Jane and Rochart. I was devastated for Jane because I was invested in her as a character. Rochart? He was held at arms length too much for me. He was all mystery and no passion, no strong feeling. I felt very little for him as a character and because of that couldn’t quite buy what was a central element to the story — the budding romance between the two, the strong connection between two souls so that after something as devastating as what happens to them, it’s understandable that Jane would still be with him. I don’t buy it and this bothered me. I wanted to feel something for two lost souls who have been put through the ringer. Instead, at the end, I just felt like Jane needed to keep calm and carry on.

I also found it interesting that the ending sets up a sequel. Ironskin felt very standalone to me and I’m super curious to see where Connolly plans on taking us in book two. One of the pleasures of this book was its setting – the gothic manor made of fey architecture that has seen better days, isolated on the moors, surrounded by dark forests, realm of the fey…The ending was such that I feel Connolly will have to take book two out of this setting and I wonder if some of that gothic atmosphere that was so successfully created in Ironskin, will be lost in book two.

All in all, Ironskin is a well-written, solid fey-gothic tale. Though the romance was a bit drab, the original world-building, macabre mystery, gothic atmosphere, and strong heroine make it worth the read.

This review is courtesy of the blog She-Wolf Reads - www.shewolfreads.com show less

I missed in the early pub info that this was a send up/re-imagination of Jane Eyre, making this the third such book I've read this year! While it has nods toward Bronte's classic -- most notably the romance between governess Jane and her employer Edward Rochart -- the novel isn't strictly a Jane Eyre retelling.

Jane Eliot moves to a rural estate to act as a governess to a girl born during the Great War. The Great War, fought between humans and fey, left the world in shambles and Jane scarred by a fey weapon that requires her to wear half an iron mask. Her employer, Edward Rochart, is handsome and mysterious, apt to disappear without a word, who wanders in the dangerous woods now and then, and keeps company with the country's richest and show more prettiest women. But parts of the house are forbidden to Jane, as is the truth of Edward's past, and Jane is curious about both.  Stuff happens -- stuff totally unrelated to Jane Eyre and stuff closely related to it -- and by the novel's explosively odd end, I was pretty satisfied.

Connolly's world building is thin but it worked for me -- the unknown fey technology that fueled the human world is now no longer an option, and the fey are still a mysterious, frightening specter. The Industrial Revolution as we know it was delayed as a result of the heavy dependence of fey technology and so we have coal-burning power plants just coming into smoky existence, while cars run on remaining fey 'bluepacks'. I don't think this is 'steampunk' precisely, but it is a kind of techno-fantasy that I liked -- light on the science and gears, light on the speculative technologies --

In terms of romance, this one was 'eh' for me.  I don't get the appeal of the Rochester archetype, but then again, I'm not a fan of the Byronic hero, so in that sense, the romance between Jane and Edward was wasted on me.  The does-he-love me schtick, while authentic perhaps to the original novel, made me impatient.  It was the odd note in Jane's otherwise rather strong and sensible disposition.

I was most intrigued by Connolly's toying around with the vaunted concepts of 'beauty' and 'anger' in this book.  Women are often told not to mix with anger; literature is full of women struggling to tamp down their strong feelings. In this case, Jane literally has to struggle to control her rage -- it's part of her 'fey curse', a lingering wound from a fey bomb, causing unceasing rage to radiate from her face, impacting her and infecting those who are around her. While Jane has to tame her rage -- in the form of her 'ironskin' mask, which dampens the effects -- she also comes to learn to work with it, and in time, her rage proves an essential element to her success. I rather appreciated that.

I am very curious for the sequel -- I was surprised by the novel's end and some of Jane's choices -- and I'm very interested in seeing where Connolly takes Jane and her fey world. show less

Ironskin by Tina Connolly is a Nebula-nominated retelling of Jane Eyre set in an alternate history where a war against the fey has just come to an end and the technology that depends on fey power is slowly sputtering away. Seriously, you read that right: steampunk Jane Eyre with creepy fey. I was a little bit skeptical if Ironskin could live up to that awesome description but it did not disappoint! I wasn’t a huge Jane Eyre fan when I read it in high school, but Ironskin has made me love Jane Eyre more and kind of want to go reread it….
Note: I borrowed Ironskin from my library because my library is awesome.



Ironskin by Tina Connolly (Ironskin #1)
Published by Tor Books on Oct. 2nd, 2012
Genres: Dark Fantasy, Fairytale show more Retelling,Steampunk
Length: 304 pages
How I got my copy: Borrowed
IndieBound - Book Depository - Goodreads
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Jane Eliot wears an iron mask.

It’s the only way to contain the fey curse that scars her cheek. The Great War is five years gone, but its scattered victims remain—the ironskin.

When a carefully worded listing appears for a governess to assist with a "delicate situation"—a child born during the Great War—Jane is certain the child is fey-cursed, and that she can help.

Teaching the unruly Dorie to suppress her curse is hard enough; she certainly didn’t expect to fall for the girl’s father, the enigmatic artist Edward Rochart. But her blossoming crush is stifled by her own scars, and by his parade of women. Ugly women, who enter his closed studio...and come out as beautiful as the fey.

Jane knows Rochart cannot love her, just as she knows that she must wear iron for the rest of her life. But what if neither of these things is true? Step by step Jane unlocks the secrets of her new life—and discovers just how far she will go to become whole again.

Strengths:
Let’s just start with Jane Eyre! Yes yes, we’re all forced to read it in high school, but if you take a step back, it’s a pretty awesome story. Ironskin captures the elements of Jane Eyre that I think high school teachers try to get across, and I actually feel like I understand Jane Eyre a bit better after reading Ironskin. Also, I freaking love Jane Eliot, she’s embodies the things I love about Jane Eyre (spunky, tough, working within a difficult situation and making the best of it, no-nonsense) and adds her own strength due to the fey war. She is a warrior! One of my favorite quotes from Ironskin is from Jane on this topic:
“A defeated warrior is not a victim.”
The alternative historical setting was so fascinating! There were all sorts of excellent touches such as different names for Shakespeare’s plays because of the tragedy the fey caused. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is A Midsummer Night’s Tragedy, which kind of conveys how people feel about the fey pretty well.
The creepy elements of Ironskin pulled me in immediately. There is a just right amount of creepy that I can handle. Too much and I go to sleep with nightmares, but Ironskin made me just want to keep reading to try to understand what was going on!
I am a strong believer that fey should be creepy. I’m not generally a fan of this trend of sexy and nice fey, and Ironskin really gets back to those creepy roots. It’s creepy when a being can seduce and manipulate you but doesn’t consider your life important beyond how entertaining you can be!
Especially towards the end of Ironskin, there were a couple moments where I just stared at the page and thought “OMG did that just happen??? No way did that actually happen, I must have read it wrong… OMG it did just happen!!!!” I like those moments >.>
Rochester is called Rochart and Ironskin has the same romantic storyline that Jane Eyre has, which I very much enjoyed. Their interest in each other is subtle because it has to be due to class differences, but then everything comes together at the end when craziness happens!
Weaknesses:
There are a number of times when the dialogue doesn’t have character names attached to it and I get so confused. I don’t like needing to go back and try to trace through who said what.
The ending of Ironskin departs from Jane Eyre quite a bit and it disappointed me since I can see how Ironskin could have continued with the Jane Eyre retelling but just didn’t.
There are dwarves in Ironskin and they play a fairly important role, but I was kind of meh about them. It seemed an unnecessary addition. Now if there were dragons that appeared…. ;-)
Summary:
When Ironskin was nominated for the Nebula last year, I thought the cover was gorgeous but said meh to the Jane Eyre retelling. I was so wrong! Ironskin does an amazing job at breathing fresh air into a classic story with some crazy awesome additions in the fey. Also that gorgeous cover, totally an accurate depiction of Jane down to the shoes! I’m so happy that Copperhead appeared in my mailbox, causing me to decide to finally read this series. Seriously, read this book.

5 Stars show less