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3.21 AVERAGE
3.21 AVERAGE
Well that was.....polarizing.
I should state that I have read Jane Eyre, but I am not a super Bronte fan (more of an Austen&Gaskell kind of gal) so going into this book I was familiar with the source material, but I wasn't going to hold it against that standard.
The first half of the book was actually pretty decent, it kept my attention for the most part and I enjoyed the world building. I wish the book was about the actual war, or explored more of the social and political consequences of the war. The technicality of the writing was good and the author was very effective at communicating the eerie mood of a large estate on the moors.
However, there were just a bunch of things that irked me and they only grew more pronounced as I read.
I should state that I have read Jane Eyre, but I am not a super Bronte fan (more of an Austen&Gaskell kind of gal) so going into this book I was familiar with the source material, but I wasn't going to hold it against that standard.
The first half of the book was actually pretty decent, it kept my attention for the most part and I enjoyed the world building. I wish the book was about the actual war, or explored more of the social and political consequences of the war. The technicality of the writing was good and the author was very effective at communicating the eerie mood of a large estate on the moors.
However, there were just a bunch of things that irked me and they only grew more pronounced as I read.
3.5 Interesting take on fantasy and the Jane Eyre story.
When the 2012 Nebula Award nominees were announced, I was pleased to find I had read (and enjoyed) four out of six in the Best Novel category. The fifth has been on my reading list for a while. The sixth, the only one I’d never heard of, was Ironskin by Tina Connolly.
I picked it up so quickly in part because of some idiot comments floating around the web about the genre becoming too girly, and it made me happy that books like this are starting to get serious recognition. Once I read the description, I was curious about what made this book so special that both it and [a:Mary Robinette Kowal|2868678|Mary Robinette Kowal|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1272385963p2/2868678.jpg]’s [b:Glamour in Glass|12160890|Glamour in Glass (Glamourist Histories, #2)|Mary Robinette Kowal|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1316282715s/12160890.jpg|17131945] were included on the shortlist (both being alternate histories in the regency era).
Ironskin is a retelling of Jane Eyre with fey. Unlike Glamour in Glass, where society is practically unchanged by the addition of magic, Connolly’s world is dramatically different. Society had become dependent on fey technology, powering everything from lights to motor cars with magical “bluepacks”—until the Great War. The story starts five years after the war’s end. The fey are gone, but the country is left devastated, and scrambling to make do with coal and steam. A generation of young men is slaughtered, and many unlucky survivors are left with fey curses that can only be suppressed by covering the scars with iron. Jane Eliot is one such ironskin, hiding her deformed face with an iron half-mask.
I thought the language was lovely, and really captured the feeling of Jane Eyre. The societal consequences were well-thought out, and I loved the references to slightly altered titles and quotes from plays by “Shakspyr.” The fey were very traditional and satisfyingly malevolent in contrast with the recent abundance of urban fantasy reinterpretations.
Jane’s interactions with the fey-touched child, Dorie, actually bothered me quite a lot through the first half of the book, but I think they were meant to. It was heartbreaking to watch all the life and spirit drain out of the girl as Jane and her father insisted she deny her fey gifts in favor of acting “human.” There were strong reasons for her doing so, but rather lightly touched upon, and I can’t help but wish that I could have been made to really believe in those reasons along with Jane.
The other aspect of the story that bothered me was the easy resolution of Jane’s dislike of her scarred face by giving her a new, perfect fey face. It feels like a cop-out. I was disappointed in Jane for forcing Edward to make her a new face, and while I loved the horrifying way in which that backfired on her, I hate that she got to be magically beautiful anyway. It sends a conflicting message. On one hand, it tries to convince you that fey beauty is deadly and Jane’s scars mark her bravery, but the other hand snatches it all away in the ending with the impression that it can’t be a happy ending if she’s still ugly. Needless to say, that left a bad taste in my mouth.
If you can overlook that distasteful theme, however, I found Ironskin to be very engaging overall, and the faery queen beats the insane wife in the attic, hands down. Worth a read for fans of the classic.
I picked it up so quickly in part because of some idiot comments floating around the web about the genre becoming too girly, and it made me happy that books like this are starting to get serious recognition. Once I read the description, I was curious about what made this book so special that both it and [a:Mary Robinette Kowal|2868678|Mary Robinette Kowal|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1272385963p2/2868678.jpg]’s [b:Glamour in Glass|12160890|Glamour in Glass (Glamourist Histories, #2)|Mary Robinette Kowal|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1316282715s/12160890.jpg|17131945] were included on the shortlist (both being alternate histories in the regency era).
Ironskin is a retelling of Jane Eyre with fey. Unlike Glamour in Glass, where society is practically unchanged by the addition of magic, Connolly’s world is dramatically different. Society had become dependent on fey technology, powering everything from lights to motor cars with magical “bluepacks”—until the Great War. The story starts five years after the war’s end. The fey are gone, but the country is left devastated, and scrambling to make do with coal and steam. A generation of young men is slaughtered, and many unlucky survivors are left with fey curses that can only be suppressed by covering the scars with iron. Jane Eliot is one such ironskin, hiding her deformed face with an iron half-mask.
I thought the language was lovely, and really captured the feeling of Jane Eyre. The societal consequences were well-thought out, and I loved the references to slightly altered titles and quotes from plays by “Shakspyr.” The fey were very traditional and satisfyingly malevolent in contrast with the recent abundance of urban fantasy reinterpretations.
Jane’s interactions with the fey-touched child, Dorie, actually bothered me quite a lot through the first half of the book, but I think they were meant to. It was heartbreaking to watch all the life and spirit drain out of the girl as Jane and her father insisted she deny her fey gifts in favor of acting “human.” There were strong reasons for her doing so, but rather lightly touched upon, and I can’t help but wish that I could have been made to really believe in those reasons along with Jane.
The other aspect of the story that bothered me was the easy resolution of Jane’s dislike of her scarred face by giving her a new, perfect fey face. It feels like a cop-out. I was disappointed in Jane for forcing Edward to make her a new face, and while I loved the horrifying way in which that backfired on her, I hate that she got to be magically beautiful anyway. It sends a conflicting message. On one hand, it tries to convince you that fey beauty is deadly and Jane’s scars mark her bravery, but the other hand snatches it all away in the ending with the impression that it can’t be a happy ending if she’s still ugly. Needless to say, that left a bad taste in my mouth.
If you can overlook that distasteful theme, however, I found Ironskin to be very engaging overall, and the faery queen beats the insane wife in the attic, hands down. Worth a read for fans of the classic.
What a great re-imagining of the Jane Eyre storyline. Fantasy with a slight tinge of steampunk, taking place in a world that pits human against Fey. I'll definitely be acquiring the rest of this series to see where it heads from here.
well, that was interesting.
The story itself was very good read, with beautiful imagery but I was a little put off with the ending honestly.
I felt kinda sick when I was reading about Edward and the Fae, I don't know why but it was a little disturbing to be honest.
I still really liked the book in general and it was really beautiful but I was just a tad terrified with their back story, actually the whole back story was down right creepy!
And his profession, yeah that was really disturbing, though that's not to say I wouldn't recommend it, I would just warn people it's kinda creepy in a weird way that I can't fully describe.
The story itself was very good read, with beautiful imagery but I was a little put off with the ending honestly.
I felt kinda sick when I was reading about Edward and the Fae, I don't know why but it was a little disturbing to be honest.
I still really liked the book in general and it was really beautiful but I was just a tad terrified with their back story, actually the whole back story was down right creepy!
And his profession, yeah that was really disturbing, though that's not to say I wouldn't recommend it, I would just warn people it's kinda creepy in a weird way that I can't fully describe.
This book had an interesting concept: combine the classic tale of Jane Eyre with a steampunk twist. Although I liked the idea behind the novel and I found it interesting enough to finish, I was left wanting more in certain aspects. However, with a sequel in the works, many of the issues I had could be easily resolved.
What I Liked: I thought the reimagining of Jane Eyre was a fun idea. I always enjoyed the Bronte tale and haven't read a retelling before. Ironskin retained the gothic feel of the original.
The world-building drew me in as the author describes how humanity has come to rely on fey technology. The fey were eerie and mysterious and I loved their part in the story.
Jane's interactions with Poule and Dorie were probably my favorite. I liked how they both helped Jane learn more about herself and how to deal with her curse.
The pacing at the end of the novel was great and I finished the last third of the novel in one sitting. Once Rochart's secret was revealed, the story really took off and made me excited to see what would happen to Jane.
What I Didn't Like: The romance was lacking in Ironskin. The scenes with Jane and Rochart were few and far between. I never felt a spark between the two of them and had to wonder how she fell for him when she barely saw him.
The pacing was a little slow at times. There were sections that dragged, especially the beginning where Jane is trying to teach Dorie to use her hands instead of her fey powers. I think more interaction with Rochert or his female visitors would have been more interesting.
Ironskin was a good read and I hope the sequel improves upon the pacing and romantic aspects of the story.
Rating: 3.75/5 Stars
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this novel for review!
What I Liked: I thought the reimagining of Jane Eyre was a fun idea. I always enjoyed the Bronte tale and haven't read a retelling before. Ironskin retained the gothic feel of the original.
The world-building drew me in as the author describes how humanity has come to rely on fey technology. The fey were eerie and mysterious and I loved their part in the story.
Jane's interactions with Poule and Dorie were probably my favorite. I liked how they both helped Jane learn more about herself and how to deal with her curse.
The pacing at the end of the novel was great and I finished the last third of the novel in one sitting. Once Rochart's secret was revealed, the story really took off and made me excited to see what would happen to Jane.
What I Didn't Like: The romance was lacking in Ironskin. The scenes with Jane and Rochart were few and far between. I never felt a spark between the two of them and had to wonder how she fell for him when she barely saw him.
The pacing was a little slow at times. There were sections that dragged, especially the beginning where Jane is trying to teach Dorie to use her hands instead of her fey powers. I think more interaction with Rochert or his female visitors would have been more interesting.
Ironskin was a good read and I hope the sequel improves upon the pacing and romantic aspects of the story.
Rating: 3.75/5 Stars
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this novel for review!
Fantastic in parts and very muddled in others... unsure what to think
“If the witch drowns, she wasn’t a witch,”
The book was great, simply a great example of human greed. It was astonishing how much fantasy and reality the author wove together until you didn't know what could really happen in real life and what was pure fantasy, impossible.
The only complain I have regarding this book is the fact that it described situations and surroundings with painstaking detail and I skipped through most of it.
I loved how our MC was flawed, she was vain sometimes, she was selfish and angry and wanted to be loved, just like everyone else. She was approachable, that's what I liked about her, though in her world everyone took a look at her face and turned away, her personality was amazingly normal and real.
Our MC's love interest wasn't perfect, he was far from it! He had some major flaws, but he as loveable, why? Because he cared, he wanted to change, he was scared and got angry and upset.
I must admit I was a bit creeped out at some points, creepy fey who kill (and then possess) beautiful people is not what I want to have nightmares about tonight (though maybe I shouldn't worry so much about them killing ME)...
It was a dark and twisted tale I really enjoyed, it is not every day you see something so creepy be lovely and sweet at the same time.
Also, am I over-thinking it or was it somehow based loosely on Jane Eyre?
Hope you read it and enjoy it as much as I did!
The book was great, simply a great example of human greed. It was astonishing how much fantasy and reality the author wove together until you didn't know what could really happen in real life and what was pure fantasy, impossible.
The only complain I have regarding this book is the fact that it described situations and surroundings with painstaking detail and I skipped through most of it.
I loved how our MC was flawed, she was vain sometimes, she was selfish and angry and wanted to be loved, just like everyone else. She was approachable, that's what I liked about her, though in her world everyone took a look at her face and turned away, her personality was amazingly normal and real.
Our MC's love interest wasn't perfect, he was far from it! He had some major flaws, but he as loveable, why? Because he cared, he wanted to change, he was scared and got angry and upset.
I must admit I was a bit creeped out at some points, creepy fey who kill (and then possess) beautiful people is not what I want to have nightmares about tonight (though maybe I shouldn't worry so much about them killing ME)...
It was a dark and twisted tale I really enjoyed, it is not every day you see something so creepy be lovely and sweet at the same time.
Also, am I over-thinking it or was it somehow based loosely on Jane Eyre?
Hope you read it and enjoy it as much as I did!
My impressions:
http://thebookfix.wordpress.com/2014/01/17/quick-takes-5/
http://thebookfix.wordpress.com/2014/01/17/quick-takes-5/
This should have succumbed to my 40 page rule, but I just had such high hopes after loving a short story by the author. Thought maybe it would improve. It didn't.