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3.21 AVERAGE
3.21 AVERAGE
http://www.literaryfeline.com/2012/10/bookish-thoughts-ironskin-by-tina.html
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Ironskin by Tina Connolly – It has Jane Eyre meets Irish fey vibes, and you will love the world building! Happy Reading!
So much potential in this plot, all reduced to, "Wah, wah poor me. I'm not pretty." And "Oh, woe is me, I've been cursed with rage...or, well, at least mild irritation." (I certainly never sensed any more than that.) With a romance that boiled down to "Mr. Rochart is never here. I wish he was here because it makes his daughter happy when he is. Oh, I love Mr. Rochart." It came out of nowhere! Not least because Mr. Rochart was completely flat as a character. Jane was a bit better, but not by much.
Sure the book has a creepy atmosphere. And it really is an interesting premise. Unfortunately, I think all that potential was just smothered under all the self-absorbed angst. I'm afraid being a retelling of Jane Eyre was enough to salvage this. I'll not be bothering with the sequels.
Sure the book has a creepy atmosphere. And it really is an interesting premise. Unfortunately, I think all that potential was just smothered under all the self-absorbed angst. I'm afraid being a retelling of Jane Eyre was enough to salvage this. I'll not be bothering with the sequels.
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 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.
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 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.
I don't really know where to start with this review. I had really high hopes for this book based on the synopsis and the stunning cover. I don't really think that the actual story lived up to the expectations that I had. I realize that this is a liberal "re-telling" of the Jane Eyre story and I must admit that it's been SO long since I have read Jane Eyre that it was like a whole new story to me. I won't even begin to say that I could compare the two stories because, honestly, I tend to not remember plots of books after so many years. So I didn't have any issues with that like I know some readers did.
I really did like the plot and I think that while Ms. Connolly did a great job building her world there were a lot of things that were confusing about it. There seemed to be a lot of missing information concerning the Great War and details about why it ended, etc... that I think really needed to be elaborated on. I also really wanted to know what year it was, but that's just something that bugs me personally.
I did like her descriptions of the Fae and how they needed to use human bodies because they didn't have corporeal forms of their own. I also liked that in this story the Fae and the "bad guys". I know in a lot of YA books the Fae are glamorized, not so in this case!
For some reason I never really connected with Jane, I don't know why. She was a likable enough character. My favorite character was probably the butler, Poule. I also really was unsatisfied by how the romance between Edward and Jane was left off. It seemed really unfinished it and it wasn't a very satisfying end, for me anyway. I never really got a great feeling about Edward anyway, I think his character needed more work. Overall, I think there needed to be a lot more character development.
The ending seemed really rushed to me. I think that it was great that Jane was able to help Dorie and that she learns about her curse and how to deal with it in a better way. I just think that the pacing and flow of the story needed help. I think this had the potential to be a really great story, I just think that in actuality the execution here was just a little off for me.
I am sure that there are a lot of readers who really enjoyed or will enjoy this book, I just didn't like it quite as much as I was prepared to. I know that there is another book coming in this series, but I don't know if I will read it or not.
I really did like the plot and I think that while Ms. Connolly did a great job building her world there were a lot of things that were confusing about it. There seemed to be a lot of missing information concerning the Great War and details about why it ended, etc... that I think really needed to be elaborated on. I also really wanted to know what year it was, but that's just something that bugs me personally.
I did like her descriptions of the Fae and how they needed to use human bodies because they didn't have corporeal forms of their own. I also liked that in this story the Fae and the "bad guys". I know in a lot of YA books the Fae are glamorized, not so in this case!
For some reason I never really connected with Jane, I don't know why. She was a likable enough character. My favorite character was probably the butler, Poule. I also really was unsatisfied by how the romance between Edward and Jane was left off. It seemed really unfinished it and it wasn't a very satisfying end, for me anyway. I never really got a great feeling about Edward anyway, I think his character needed more work. Overall, I think there needed to be a lot more character development.
The ending seemed really rushed to me. I think that it was great that Jane was able to help Dorie and that she learns about her curse and how to deal with it in a better way. I just think that the pacing and flow of the story needed help. I think this had the potential to be a really great story, I just think that in actuality the execution here was just a little off for me.
I am sure that there are a lot of readers who really enjoyed or will enjoy this book, I just didn't like it quite as much as I was prepared to. I know that there is another book coming in this series, but I don't know if I will read it or not.
Originally posted at The Wandering Fangirl.
I have to confess I've never read Jane Eyre. Really. It's on my list of classics to eventually read, though my goal of reading forty classics in 2013 fell by the wayside. (Damn you, comics! But not really, I love you.) As a result, I went into Ironskin completely unaware of what was a retelling and what was original story (well, obviously the fey stuff is original), which led to a pretty interesting reading experience.
The first two thirds of the novel unfold much like you'd expect it to. The story revolves around our main character, Jane, who is scarred with a fey curse on her cheek. Or the entire left half of her face, it's hard to tell at times. This scar is actually a bit of fey magic bomb shrapnel that sticks to the victim and lets out waves of some sort of emotion - in Jane's case, anger and rage.
This is where Ironskin thrives: in the world building and fey touches. There aren't huge dumps of exposition to describe Jane's world, but we experience the world through her instead. The fey aspects are so ingrained in her world and her life, that we get bits and pieces of the fey history, the fey-human war, and Jane's curse. Speaking of which, I really liked that bit of Jane's characterization. She wears an iron mask to protect others from being hit by the rage of her curse, but doesn't that mean all that rage has nowhere to go but within? Jane has spent years fighting against the anger she feels, and seeing it play out in her interactions and emotions is great.
The romance between Jane and Rochart, her employer, was very lukewarm to me. I just couldn't see what she saw in him, and it prompted me to accept it simply because that's how it's supposed to happen in Jane Eyre.
Then we get to the last third of the novel.
We've just spent the first part of the novel living through Jane, through her attempts to work with Rochart's daughter, through the lukewarm romance. The fey aspects of it are around in their daily lives, but never overt. A little mystery begins to unwind as Jane spends more time on the Rochart estate. This is all expected, right?
Then the fey stuff takes over quickly and completely. I can't even describe it without spoiling for the last sixty or so pages, but damn.
The last bit of Ironskin really threw me off. In any other novel the fey aspects of the plot would have delighted me (even if some parts made my skin crawl), but it seemed to come out of nowhere. Yes, seeds of it were planted early on in the novel, but the jump from placid country setting to FULL BLOWN FEY BATSHITTERY was insane.
And kinda fun. But mostly insane.
Two stars for the romance, four stars for the crazy.
I have to confess I've never read Jane Eyre. Really. It's on my list of classics to eventually read, though my goal of reading forty classics in 2013 fell by the wayside. (Damn you, comics! But not really, I love you.) As a result, I went into Ironskin completely unaware of what was a retelling and what was original story (well, obviously the fey stuff is original), which led to a pretty interesting reading experience.
The first two thirds of the novel unfold much like you'd expect it to. The story revolves around our main character, Jane, who is scarred with a fey curse on her cheek. Or the entire left half of her face, it's hard to tell at times. This scar is actually a bit of fey magic bomb shrapnel that sticks to the victim and lets out waves of some sort of emotion - in Jane's case, anger and rage.
This is where Ironskin thrives: in the world building and fey touches. There aren't huge dumps of exposition to describe Jane's world, but we experience the world through her instead. The fey aspects are so ingrained in her world and her life, that we get bits and pieces of the fey history, the fey-human war, and Jane's curse. Speaking of which, I really liked that bit of Jane's characterization. She wears an iron mask to protect others from being hit by the rage of her curse, but doesn't that mean all that rage has nowhere to go but within? Jane has spent years fighting against the anger she feels, and seeing it play out in her interactions and emotions is great.
The romance between Jane and Rochart, her employer, was very lukewarm to me. I just couldn't see what she saw in him, and it prompted me to accept it simply because that's how it's supposed to happen in Jane Eyre.
Then we get to the last third of the novel.
We've just spent the first part of the novel living through Jane, through her attempts to work with Rochart's daughter, through the lukewarm romance. The fey aspects of it are around in their daily lives, but never overt. A little mystery begins to unwind as Jane spends more time on the Rochart estate. This is all expected, right?
Then the fey stuff takes over quickly and completely. I can't even describe it without spoiling for the last sixty or so pages, but damn.
The last bit of Ironskin really threw me off. In any other novel the fey aspects of the plot would have delighted me (even if some parts made my skin crawl), but it seemed to come out of nowhere. Yes, seeds of it were planted early on in the novel, but the jump from placid country setting to FULL BLOWN FEY BATSHITTERY was insane.
And kinda fun. But mostly insane.
Two stars for the romance, four stars for the crazy.
* 3.5 *
~ Thank you Tor Books for sending me a copy in return for an honest review! ~
I have very mixed feelings about this book right now.. I loved it, then I hated it, and then I loved it- and agh! I am going to have such a hard time writing a review on this one, so bear with me!
Our main character is Jane, who is one of the victims of the fey curse from the Great War 5 years ago. To keep the curse contained she must wear an iron mask, that blocks it's abilities. After losing her job, she applied to the Silver Birch Hall to be a governess and a teacher to a child named Dorie, who was born during the time of the Great War. Soon after she arrived she notices that Dorie is also cursed- but in a way that Jane has never seen before. While teaching Dorie how to control her curse, Jane also begins to get closer to her father- Mr. Rochart- Who seems to have many secrets hidden of his own.
This book was a roller-coaster for me. In the beginning I was very intrigued by the book and found myself loving Connolly's writing. She writes so descriptive and beautifully and I sometimes felt like I was right there with Jane the entire time. Also, the fact that it was pretty much a retelling of Jane Eyre only with Steampunk and faeries was a plus! But some parts of the book just didn't do it for me..
I loved Jane as a character. I really enjoyed following her and learning more about her as a person. But the thing is, she is the only character I felt attached to. Dorie was okay, she annoyed me quite a bit but I felt myself growing to like her a little bit more as time went on. Mr. Rochart though, I didn't connect with him at all. He wasn't anything really special, and I expected him and Jane to have all these heart-wrenching beautiful moments- but that never happened. The romance was very mild and there were very few moments with Jane and Mr. Rochart that didn't really go anywhere.
This book was very entertaining, even though there were dull moments in there. I loved the storyline of it and enjoyed Jane as a character. The other characters didn't do much for me, but maybe in future books they will grow some more on me! There was very little romance which was kind of a disappointment, but that might just be me because I just love romance in anything! But I definitely think this book was enjoyable and definitely worth a go if you are a fan of Jane Eyre or like faeries and steampunk!
~ Thank you Tor Books for sending me a copy in return for an honest review! ~
I have very mixed feelings about this book right now.. I loved it, then I hated it, and then I loved it- and agh! I am going to have such a hard time writing a review on this one, so bear with me!
Our main character is Jane, who is one of the victims of the fey curse from the Great War 5 years ago. To keep the curse contained she must wear an iron mask, that blocks it's abilities. After losing her job, she applied to the Silver Birch Hall to be a governess and a teacher to a child named Dorie, who was born during the time of the Great War. Soon after she arrived she notices that Dorie is also cursed- but in a way that Jane has never seen before. While teaching Dorie how to control her curse, Jane also begins to get closer to her father- Mr. Rochart- Who seems to have many secrets hidden of his own.
This book was a roller-coaster for me. In the beginning I was very intrigued by the book and found myself loving Connolly's writing. She writes so descriptive and beautifully and I sometimes felt like I was right there with Jane the entire time. Also, the fact that it was pretty much a retelling of Jane Eyre only with Steampunk and faeries was a plus! But some parts of the book just didn't do it for me..
I loved Jane as a character. I really enjoyed following her and learning more about her as a person. But the thing is, she is the only character I felt attached to. Dorie was okay, she annoyed me quite a bit but I felt myself growing to like her a little bit more as time went on. Mr. Rochart though, I didn't connect with him at all. He wasn't anything really special, and I expected him and Jane to have all these heart-wrenching beautiful moments- but that never happened. The romance was very mild and there were very few moments with Jane and Mr. Rochart that didn't really go anywhere.
This book was very entertaining, even though there were dull moments in there. I loved the storyline of it and enjoyed Jane as a character. The other characters didn't do much for me, but maybe in future books they will grow some more on me! There was very little romance which was kind of a disappointment, but that might just be me because I just love romance in anything! But I definitely think this book was enjoyable and definitely worth a go if you are a fan of Jane Eyre or like faeries and steampunk!
I had very high expectations from this book, especially because all the steampunk kind of books that I've recently read have been quite good and I've never read Jane Eyre or any retellings of it before so I wanted to see how this would turn out. The beginning started out nicely and did have me intrigued, but then as I kept reading on, I just got reaally bored with it. There was so much detail that didn't need to be there and the main character got on my nerves at times. However the aspect I really enjoyed about this book was the setting and the era it took place in. All the glamour women wanted and the way life was for both the rich and the cursed ones was brilliantly shown.
The romance was meh. There yet not quite. I'm not a fan of romance with the age difference , its just super weird reading about for me. Some I can take *cough* Vampire Academy *couch*. But this one, I wasn't connected with the love interest, which in this book was Edward or Mr. Rochart, like I usually am. He kinda disappeared along the book and didn't make much of an impression on me. I mean he was the one that called for a governess to help Dorie yet he was never really there to support her and his feelings and the way he was written coul'dve been put together better.
The other supporting, additional characters were an added plus and I enjoyed getting to know them. And the added fey interest and problems was nice. It's a pretty short book and I think if there was more development with the characters and plot, it wouldn't seem so rushed but boring. However, those you who like retelling, then I totally would recommend like this book especially with the fey, steampunk twist to it.
The romance was meh. There yet not quite. I'm not a fan of romance with the age difference , its just super weird reading about for me. Some I can take *cough* Vampire Academy *couch*. But this one, I wasn't connected with the love interest, which in this book was Edward or Mr. Rochart, like I usually am. He kinda disappeared along the book and didn't make much of an impression on me. I mean he was the one that called for a governess to help Dorie yet he was never really there to support her and his feelings and the way he was written coul'dve been put together better.
The other supporting, additional characters were an added plus and I enjoyed getting to know them. And the added fey interest and problems was nice. It's a pretty short book and I think if there was more development with the characters and plot, it wouldn't seem so rushed but boring. However, those you who like retelling, then I totally would recommend like this book especially with the fey, steampunk twist to it.
GENRE: Fantasy
THEME: Fae/ Romance
RECEIVED: Tor for honest review
BLOG: http://seeingnight.blogspot.com/
3.5 stars
REVIEW:
When I saw that one of my favorite authors quotes that Ironskin was “A steampunk Beauty and The Beast tale but reversed” I couldn’t wait to start reading. It’s a very dark and twisted tale; a unique take on fae was what really pulled me into the story that made it very original.
Ironskin follows a young Jane Eliot who is known for be an excellent teacher, but since the war against the fae left her scarred she doesn’t keep a job long. She takes a chance in becoming a governess for a wealthy man’s daughter who was born during the war and is also “fey curse” like Jane. Though where Jane wears a mask to shield her curse face, the young daughter has a curse that could be a problem in the real world. Jane must learn to understand this little girl, understand her own curse and try not to fall for her very mysterious boss Edward.
Jane, as I’ve heard from many others say, that this story takes on the essence of Jayne Eyre. Jane is a strong and independent woman, her sister and her are close but very different in society. I like how devoted she was to finding a way to connect with Edward’s daughter Dorie, whom is very dependent on her curse and doesn’t use her hands. The growing romance between Edward and Jane seemed odd, they had little interaction and I couldn’t really feel the connection and it fell a little flat for me. I would of rather there had been no romance and more scene with Jane working with Dorie. But overall Jane discovers a lot of secrets in the house and that Edwards behind a lot of it.
Edward is a huge mystery and really quite strange. I couldn’t connect with his character and didn’t like the fact he didn’t help his daughter a little more. He does however have a great backstory when it comes to these horrible mask that are in his office. It’s a bit dark but once the readers find out more about the mask, that’s when things start getting interesting.
The setting of this story is in Britain and it’s been five years since the fae war changed the world and people. Iron is used as shield to keep the curse at bay. The war had a huge impact and the readers will hear how Jane got curse and what happened to Dorie and Edward. The fae are written very differently, normally they are good in the books I’ve read but in this, they are the enemy.
Overall I liked how dark and creepy the tone was, it gave an eeriness into the effect of the war it had on society. My only issue was that as much as I wanted too, I couldn’t connect with any of the characters and at some points I wish there was more fae and fantasy that was focused on. I did enjoy the mystery behind Edward and the connection to fae with Dorie, everything in the end came together.
RECOMMENDATION:
This is an adult series that has lots of mystery and a dark edge. Fans Kresely Coles Poison Princess and Talia Vance’s Silver will enjoy Ironskin by Tina Connolly.
THEME: Fae/ Romance
RECEIVED: Tor for honest review
BLOG: http://seeingnight.blogspot.com/
3.5 stars
REVIEW:
When I saw that one of my favorite authors quotes that Ironskin was “A steampunk Beauty and The Beast tale but reversed” I couldn’t wait to start reading. It’s a very dark and twisted tale; a unique take on fae was what really pulled me into the story that made it very original.
Ironskin follows a young Jane Eliot who is known for be an excellent teacher, but since the war against the fae left her scarred she doesn’t keep a job long. She takes a chance in becoming a governess for a wealthy man’s daughter who was born during the war and is also “fey curse” like Jane. Though where Jane wears a mask to shield her curse face, the young daughter has a curse that could be a problem in the real world. Jane must learn to understand this little girl, understand her own curse and try not to fall for her very mysterious boss Edward.
Jane, as I’ve heard from many others say, that this story takes on the essence of Jayne Eyre. Jane is a strong and independent woman, her sister and her are close but very different in society. I like how devoted she was to finding a way to connect with Edward’s daughter Dorie, whom is very dependent on her curse and doesn’t use her hands. The growing romance between Edward and Jane seemed odd, they had little interaction and I couldn’t really feel the connection and it fell a little flat for me. I would of rather there had been no romance and more scene with Jane working with Dorie. But overall Jane discovers a lot of secrets in the house and that Edwards behind a lot of it.
Edward is a huge mystery and really quite strange. I couldn’t connect with his character and didn’t like the fact he didn’t help his daughter a little more. He does however have a great backstory when it comes to these horrible mask that are in his office. It’s a bit dark but once the readers find out more about the mask, that’s when things start getting interesting.
The setting of this story is in Britain and it’s been five years since the fae war changed the world and people. Iron is used as shield to keep the curse at bay. The war had a huge impact and the readers will hear how Jane got curse and what happened to Dorie and Edward. The fae are written very differently, normally they are good in the books I’ve read but in this, they are the enemy.
Overall I liked how dark and creepy the tone was, it gave an eeriness into the effect of the war it had on society. My only issue was that as much as I wanted too, I couldn’t connect with any of the characters and at some points I wish there was more fae and fantasy that was focused on. I did enjoy the mystery behind Edward and the connection to fae with Dorie, everything in the end came together.
RECOMMENDATION:
This is an adult series that has lots of mystery and a dark edge. Fans Kresely Coles Poison Princess and Talia Vance’s Silver will enjoy Ironskin by Tina Connolly.
The elevator pitch would probably be, "Jane Eyre with magic," but that doesn't to justice to this book. The writing has a lush gothic feel, the characters are fully-realized and original, and the world is wonderfully complex and well-described. I love a good gothic romance, and this one is well worth the read. I would recommend it to fans of steampunk, urban fantasy or even just good ol' fiction of indefinable genre.
I'm starting to think that suspense is in the eye of the beholder. I enjoyed the way the plot wound along at its own pace through a veritable thicket of words, revealing itself in flashes and glimpses of revelation between quiet witty dialogue exchanges. I liked this. Others didn't. I like that the characters, scarred and damaged, struggle with their limitations and do not always win. I especially appreciate that not all storylines were tied off, and not all mysteries were solved by the completion o
It wasn't the slow pacing or the humanity of the characters that make me reluctant to award four stars. It's merely the lack of some quality in the main character's personality. I just didn't like Jane (yes, she's even named Jane) and that did affect my enjoyment. Mileage varies by reader, of course. I loathe the character of Stephanie Plum, and she's the star of one of the best-selling series around. The pace also got uneven near the end, as if there was too much action left to cover than could fit into an allotted word limit.
Minor quibbles, really, but they're mine, and I'll own up to them. I like it. You might too. Check it out.
I'm starting to think that suspense is in the eye of the beholder. I enjoyed the way the plot wound along at its own pace through a veritable thicket of words, revealing itself in flashes and glimpses of revelation between quiet witty dialogue exchanges. I liked this. Others didn't. I like that the characters, scarred and damaged, struggle with their limitations and do not always win. I especially appreciate that not all storylines were tied off, and not all mysteries were solved by the completion o
It wasn't the slow pacing or the humanity of the characters that make me reluctant to award four stars. It's merely the lack of some quality in the main character's personality. I just didn't like Jane (yes, she's even named Jane) and that did affect my enjoyment. Mileage varies by reader, of course. I loathe the character of Stephanie Plum, and she's the star of one of the best-selling series around. The pace also got uneven near the end, as if there was too much action left to cover than could fit into an allotted word limit.
Minor quibbles, really, but they're mine, and I'll own up to them. I like it. You might too. Check it out.