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kblincoln's review against another edition
5.0
My biggest gripe with the first book in this series, Ironskin, was that I liked a touch more romance in my Fantastical Bronte-esque fiction.
Not so with the second in this series, Copperhead.
In Ironskin we are introduced to a society where the fey and humans have had a big war and now the fey seemed to all but have disappeared back into the forest from whence they came. Except for the startling beautiful faces of the Hundred Society women Rochart made out of fey-infused clay in the first book, Ironskin.
Now Ironskin's main character, Jane, is trying to replace the fey faces with the Hundred's original faces-- including that of her sister, Helen.
Helen wants to help, but what's a girl whose fooled everyone into believing she's air-headed and ditzy to do when fey bits start appearing all over town, Jane disappears, and a secret society begins constructing strange apparatus, making curfews, and taking over the town?
And what about that strange man in black who keeps appearing when Helen needs him most?
Although you could plunge into Helen's story without reading Ironskin, first, I recommend reading the books in order. I think Helen's discovery of her own powers-- with or without her fey face-- are made more poignant by having learned of Jane's story in the first book.
While I did get a bit tangled up when it came to the climactic Helen vs. the Fey King scene at the end to who was doing what with which bits of fey, Helen herself is so much fun to hang along with as she tries to reconcile the role she's played as the dutiful wife and daughter with the desires to protect her sister and the city, that it doesn't matter. The understated, quiet building of feelings between her and the man in black also kept the romance lover in me reading on.
A lovely addition to the series featuring a heroine just as plucky as Jane, but in her own way. (and still a lovely Bronte-esque society without the major borrowings from Jane Eyre that Ironskin had)
This Book's Snack Rating: Garlic Parmesan Kettle Chips for the solid crunch of Helen's transformation flavored with yummy bits of fey, period society, and hijinks
Not so with the second in this series, Copperhead.
In Ironskin we are introduced to a society where the fey and humans have had a big war and now the fey seemed to all but have disappeared back into the forest from whence they came. Except for the startling beautiful faces of the Hundred Society women Rochart made out of fey-infused clay in the first book, Ironskin.
Now Ironskin's main character, Jane, is trying to replace the fey faces with the Hundred's original faces-- including that of her sister, Helen.
Helen wants to help, but what's a girl whose fooled everyone into believing she's air-headed and ditzy to do when fey bits start appearing all over town, Jane disappears, and a secret society begins constructing strange apparatus, making curfews, and taking over the town?
And what about that strange man in black who keeps appearing when Helen needs him most?
Although you could plunge into Helen's story without reading Ironskin, first, I recommend reading the books in order. I think Helen's discovery of her own powers-- with or without her fey face-- are made more poignant by having learned of Jane's story in the first book.
While I did get a bit tangled up when it came to the climactic Helen vs. the Fey King scene at the end to who was doing what with which bits of fey, Helen herself is so much fun to hang along with as she tries to reconcile the role she's played as the dutiful wife and daughter with the desires to protect her sister and the city, that it doesn't matter. The understated, quiet building of feelings between her and the man in black also kept the romance lover in me reading on.
A lovely addition to the series featuring a heroine just as plucky as Jane, but in her own way. (and still a lovely Bronte-esque society without the major borrowings from Jane Eyre that Ironskin had)
This Book's Snack Rating: Garlic Parmesan Kettle Chips for the solid crunch of Helen's transformation flavored with yummy bits of fey, period society, and hijinks
mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
4.0
Book 2 of a period fantasy series I read for the Endeavour Award. Neither period (in this case early 20th century Britain), or fantasy as a genre I go out of my way to read. And this one has somewhat simplistic elements. But it reads quite well and its take on the line between our world and the Fey is a bit different. This one has a strongly feminist bent, though with its emphasis on pretty dresses, I'm not sure is fully earned. But having Helen rather than Jane as the pov character was an unexpected twist that I wouldn't have expected to work as well as it did.
themumwhoreads's review against another edition
4.0
Review also published on my blog StudentSpyglass
Plot: ★★★★
Characters: ★★★★
Readability: ★★★★★
Overall: ★★★★
As you may remember, I loved Ironskin, and I listed Copperhead as one of the ten books I was dying to read this autumn. Given how impressed I was by Ironskin, Ms Connolly’s fantastic debut, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Copperhead!
In Ironskin we followed the fey-cursed Jane, who I grew to love for her compassion and her stubborn nature. In Copperhead, we follow Jane’s sister Helen, who we’ve so far seen as a spoiled, materialistic socialite. I was anxious about Helen’s character, but I ended up loving her! Determined to prove she has a backbone underneath her glittering dresses, Helen resolves to help Jane in the fight against the fey using the skills she has that Jane doesn’t – charm, persuasion and influence. Helen’s job is to convince The Hundred (including herself), to undo Edward’s surgery, which will free them from danger but also mean losing their fey beauty.
Whilst attempting to reason with women reluctant to return to their normal faces, Helen must also cope with her husband Alistair, who has followed his friends to get embroiled in the Copperhead scheme. The Copperhead clique are an elitist group who would eliminate both fey and dwarvven, and live in a human-only world.
On the surface, Helen comes across as a very shallow individual. She married for money and ended up with a husband who treats her badly. She acknowledges to herself at least that it’s her own fault she ended up with Alistair, and doesn’t pretend her circumstances are anyone else’s fault. Despite her initial impression, she has hidden depths. She grows exponentially throughout the book, slowly learning to stand up for herself and others despite being surrounded by men who are largely of the opinion that women should keep quiet and do as they’re told!
The secondary characters are also excellent, with Eglantine Frye being an obvious favourite! The women that Helen gets involved with run from the meek to the bold, the shy to the determined, the crowd-followers to the trend-setters. The supporting characters in Copperhead ultimately drive Helen’s development further, helping and challenging her throughout the novel.
I didn’t honestly love the romance in Copperhead, which felt a bit rushed and forced to me. I liked both characters individually, and I even felt they had a good strong friendship, but the chemistry felt a bit sparse, like the first interest might be stirring but not much more. It was also great to watch Helen move away from Alistair, learning to be self-sufficient, and it would have been nice to see her keep up her independent streak a little longer, rather than getting involved with another romance.
Jane, Dorie and Edward don’t feature very much in this book. When Jane did feature, her relationship with Edward felt a little bit odd to me, which was never really cleared up. Obviously there wasn’t really much opportunity to explore Edward and Jane’s relationship in a book from Helen’s point of view so I was still left with unanswered questions regarding Edward and Jane which was a little disappointing. We do see more of the backstory behind the fey war, which was a fascinating twist that felt slightly underdeveloped in Ironskin.
Copperhead was absolutely riveting, with a plot that felt more complex and in-depth than Ironskin. Touching on war, racism, fear of the unknown, women’s rights and many many more topics, Copperhead makes you think without coming across as patronising or lecturing. It’s an ambitious plot, but Tina Connolly pulls it off well, and Copperhead certainly didn’t feel like a victim of second book syndrome! As well as fantastic characters and an engrossing plot, Copperhead is beautifully written. It took me a little time to warm up to Helen and get reoriented with the world, but once I did I couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait to get my hands on the third and final book!
Plot: ★★★★
Characters: ★★★★
Readability: ★★★★★
Overall: ★★★★
As you may remember, I loved Ironskin, and I listed Copperhead as one of the ten books I was dying to read this autumn. Given how impressed I was by Ironskin, Ms Connolly’s fantastic debut, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Copperhead!
In Ironskin we followed the fey-cursed Jane, who I grew to love for her compassion and her stubborn nature. In Copperhead, we follow Jane’s sister Helen, who we’ve so far seen as a spoiled, materialistic socialite. I was anxious about Helen’s character, but I ended up loving her! Determined to prove she has a backbone underneath her glittering dresses, Helen resolves to help Jane in the fight against the fey using the skills she has that Jane doesn’t – charm, persuasion and influence. Helen’s job is to convince The Hundred (including herself), to undo Edward’s surgery, which will free them from danger but also mean losing their fey beauty.
Whilst attempting to reason with women reluctant to return to their normal faces, Helen must also cope with her husband Alistair, who has followed his friends to get embroiled in the Copperhead scheme. The Copperhead clique are an elitist group who would eliminate both fey and dwarvven, and live in a human-only world.
On the surface, Helen comes across as a very shallow individual. She married for money and ended up with a husband who treats her badly. She acknowledges to herself at least that it’s her own fault she ended up with Alistair, and doesn’t pretend her circumstances are anyone else’s fault. Despite her initial impression, she has hidden depths. She grows exponentially throughout the book, slowly learning to stand up for herself and others despite being surrounded by men who are largely of the opinion that women should keep quiet and do as they’re told!
The secondary characters are also excellent, with Eglantine Frye being an obvious favourite! The women that Helen gets involved with run from the meek to the bold, the shy to the determined, the crowd-followers to the trend-setters. The supporting characters in Copperhead ultimately drive Helen’s development further, helping and challenging her throughout the novel.
I didn’t honestly love the romance in Copperhead, which felt a bit rushed and forced to me. I liked both characters individually, and I even felt they had a good strong friendship, but the chemistry felt a bit sparse, like the first interest might be stirring but not much more. It was also great to watch Helen move away from Alistair, learning to be self-sufficient, and it would have been nice to see her keep up her independent streak a little longer, rather than getting involved with another romance.
Jane, Dorie and Edward don’t feature very much in this book. When Jane did feature, her relationship with Edward felt a little bit odd to me, which was never really cleared up. Obviously there wasn’t really much opportunity to explore Edward and Jane’s relationship in a book from Helen’s point of view so I was still left with unanswered questions regarding Edward and Jane which was a little disappointing. We do see more of the backstory behind the fey war, which was a fascinating twist that felt slightly underdeveloped in Ironskin.
Copperhead was absolutely riveting, with a plot that felt more complex and in-depth than Ironskin. Touching on war, racism, fear of the unknown, women’s rights and many many more topics, Copperhead makes you think without coming across as patronising or lecturing. It’s an ambitious plot, but Tina Connolly pulls it off well, and Copperhead certainly didn’t feel like a victim of second book syndrome! As well as fantastic characters and an engrossing plot, Copperhead is beautifully written. It took me a little time to warm up to Helen and get reoriented with the world, but once I did I couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait to get my hands on the third and final book!
kwugirl's review against another edition
3.0
The shift to Jane's sister's viewpoint was well-done for character development.
geekyzoogirl's review against another edition
4.0
Review also published on my blog StudentSpyglass
Plot: ★★★★
Characters: ★★★★
Readability: ★★★★★
Overall: ★★★★
As you may remember, I loved Ironskin, and I listed Copperhead as one of the ten books I was dying to read this autumn. Given how impressed I was by Ironskin, Ms Connolly’s fantastic debut, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Copperhead!
In Ironskin we followed the fey-cursed Jane, who I grew to love for her compassion and her stubborn nature. In Copperhead, we follow Jane’s sister Helen, who we’ve so far seen as a spoiled, materialistic socialite. I was anxious about Helen’s character, but I ended up loving her! Determined to prove she has a backbone underneath her glittering dresses, Helen resolves to help Jane in the fight against the fey using the skills she has that Jane doesn’t – charm, persuasion and influence. Helen’s job is to convince The Hundred (including herself), to undo Edward’s surgery, which will free them from danger but also mean losing their fey beauty.
Whilst attempting to reason with women reluctant to return to their normal faces, Helen must also cope with her husband Alistair, who has followed his friends to get embroiled in the Copperhead scheme. The Copperhead clique are an elitist group who would eliminate both fey and dwarvven, and live in a human-only world.
On the surface, Helen comes across as a very shallow individual. She married for money and ended up with a husband who treats her badly. She acknowledges to herself at least that it’s her own fault she ended up with Alistair, and doesn’t pretend her circumstances are anyone else’s fault. Despite her initial impression, she has hidden depths. She grows exponentially throughout the book, slowly learning to stand up for herself and others despite being surrounded by men who are largely of the opinion that women should keep quiet and do as they’re told!
The secondary characters are also excellent, with Eglantine Frye being an obvious favourite! The women that Helen gets involved with run from the meek to the bold, the shy to the determined, the crowd-followers to the trend-setters. The supporting characters in Copperhead ultimately drive Helen’s development further, helping and challenging her throughout the novel.
I didn’t honestly love the romance in Copperhead, which felt a bit rushed and forced to me. I liked both characters individually, and I even felt they had a good strong friendship, but the chemistry felt a bit sparse, like the first interest might be stirring but not much more. It was also great to watch Helen move away from Alistair, learning to be self-sufficient, and it would have been nice to see her keep up her independent streak a little longer, rather than getting involved with another romance.
Jane, Dorie and Edward don’t feature very much in this book. When Jane did feature, her relationship with Edward felt a little bit odd to me, which was never really cleared up. Obviously there wasn’t really much opportunity to explore Edward and Jane’s relationship in a book from Helen’s point of view so I was still left with unanswered questions regarding Edward and Jane which was a little disappointing. We do see more of the backstory behind the fey war, which was a fascinating twist that felt slightly underdeveloped in Ironskin.
Copperhead was absolutely riveting, with a plot that felt more complex and in-depth than Ironskin. Touching on war, racism, fear of the unknown, women’s rights and many many more topics, Copperhead makes you think without coming across as patronising or lecturing. It’s an ambitious plot, but Tina Connolly pulls it off well, and Copperhead certainly didn’t feel like a victim of second book syndrome! As well as fantastic characters and an engrossing plot, Copperhead is beautifully written. It took me a little time to warm up to Helen and get reoriented with the world, but once I did I couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait to get my hands on the third and final book!
Plot: ★★★★
Characters: ★★★★
Readability: ★★★★★
Overall: ★★★★
As you may remember, I loved Ironskin, and I listed Copperhead as one of the ten books I was dying to read this autumn. Given how impressed I was by Ironskin, Ms Connolly’s fantastic debut, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Copperhead!
In Ironskin we followed the fey-cursed Jane, who I grew to love for her compassion and her stubborn nature. In Copperhead, we follow Jane’s sister Helen, who we’ve so far seen as a spoiled, materialistic socialite. I was anxious about Helen’s character, but I ended up loving her! Determined to prove she has a backbone underneath her glittering dresses, Helen resolves to help Jane in the fight against the fey using the skills she has that Jane doesn’t – charm, persuasion and influence. Helen’s job is to convince The Hundred (including herself), to undo Edward’s surgery, which will free them from danger but also mean losing their fey beauty.
Whilst attempting to reason with women reluctant to return to their normal faces, Helen must also cope with her husband Alistair, who has followed his friends to get embroiled in the Copperhead scheme. The Copperhead clique are an elitist group who would eliminate both fey and dwarvven, and live in a human-only world.
On the surface, Helen comes across as a very shallow individual. She married for money and ended up with a husband who treats her badly. She acknowledges to herself at least that it’s her own fault she ended up with Alistair, and doesn’t pretend her circumstances are anyone else’s fault. Despite her initial impression, she has hidden depths. She grows exponentially throughout the book, slowly learning to stand up for herself and others despite being surrounded by men who are largely of the opinion that women should keep quiet and do as they’re told!
The secondary characters are also excellent, with Eglantine Frye being an obvious favourite! The women that Helen gets involved with run from the meek to the bold, the shy to the determined, the crowd-followers to the trend-setters. The supporting characters in Copperhead ultimately drive Helen’s development further, helping and challenging her throughout the novel.
I didn’t honestly love the romance in Copperhead, which felt a bit rushed and forced to me. I liked both characters individually, and I even felt they had a good strong friendship, but the chemistry felt a bit sparse, like the first interest might be stirring but not much more. It was also great to watch Helen move away from Alistair, learning to be self-sufficient, and it would have been nice to see her keep up her independent streak a little longer, rather than getting involved with another romance.
Jane, Dorie and Edward don’t feature very much in this book. When Jane did feature, her relationship with Edward felt a little bit odd to me, which was never really cleared up. Obviously there wasn’t really much opportunity to explore Edward and Jane’s relationship in a book from Helen’s point of view so I was still left with unanswered questions regarding Edward and Jane which was a little disappointing. We do see more of the backstory behind the fey war, which was a fascinating twist that felt slightly underdeveloped in Ironskin.
Copperhead was absolutely riveting, with a plot that felt more complex and in-depth than Ironskin. Touching on war, racism, fear of the unknown, women’s rights and many many more topics, Copperhead makes you think without coming across as patronising or lecturing. It’s an ambitious plot, but Tina Connolly pulls it off well, and Copperhead certainly didn’t feel like a victim of second book syndrome! As well as fantastic characters and an engrossing plot, Copperhead is beautifully written. It took me a little time to warm up to Helen and get reoriented with the world, but once I did I couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait to get my hands on the third and final book!
emlickliter's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
4.0
Copperhead (Ironskin #2) by Tina Connolly – The Helen of Troy reference with our main character’s name is probably not an accident. But Helen is not waiting at home while men get in trouble, so enjoy the amazing world! Happy Reading!
brinipor's review against another edition
This bored the ever-loving crap out of me. I honestly couldn't get past chapter 4. Ironskin was way way better. It captured me fast in the beginning.
crownoflaurel's review
3.0
Love the concepts behind this series, and there's a lot of tension leading up to the actual climax. However, I think the author could work a bit on the romance. You can see ahead of time who the couple is going to be...and then she tells you, but you don't feel it. In the previous book, you could tell Jane was kinda attracted to the male lead, but how that jumped to an engagement is vague. Here in this book the two characters flirt--mildly-- meet a handful of times, and then..they're in love? There was a potential that was only partially fulfilled.
kmherkes's review
4.0
Book 2. Everything I said about Ironskin, still applies, only this time I love the main character in all her insecure glory, and the pacing starts fast and keeps wrapping the characters in ever-tighter coils of intrigue. So. 4 stars and big kudos to the author. Go read Ironskin first, or be prepared to accept a lot of world-building details on faith. This story moves more lightly and quickly in large part because it alludes to history and magical procedure without delving into the nitty-gritty nearly as much as the first book.
mrsjenniferwheeler's review against another edition
4.0
I like it. At first I wasn't sure if I would due to the switch in narrative viewpoint from Jane to her sister, Helen, but within a couple of chapters I got wrapped up in the story and didn't mind one bit. I'm disappointed that I have to wait for the next book to be released in paperback (I don't buy hardcover).