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A review by beckylej
Ironskin by Tina Connolly
4.0
In the five years since the end of The Great War, Jane Eliot has grown used to the iron mask she must wear to cover her fey cursed scars. A teacher and governess by training, Jane has excelled in many positions but has always found that her scars and her mask have been held against her in the end. But then a certain advert for a governess catches Jane's eye and she knows the position will be perfect. The job specifies a child born during the war, one with a delicate situation. Even Jane is unprepared for the extent of said situation, though. Jane is determined she succeed, though, especially upon hearing how all the other governesses have abandoned the child in the past. It also helps that the girl's father, Edward Rochart, appeals to Jane in a way she's never experienced.
Tina Connolly's debut is an inventive twist on JANE EYRE. The Great War is one with the Fey, and they are wicked in a way that I've not seen in most books. Yes, they're tricksters, but Connolly's Fey have declared war on humankind. They're weapons, Fey bombs, leave survivors like Jane afflicted with a curse -- emotions that they can't control themselves and are forced on those around them -- leaving them not only physically scarred but shunned in society. The only way to "cure" the person is to bind the cursed and scarred area in iron.
Like the classic Jane, Connolly's version is also headstrong and smart. She's one of my all-time favorite heroines and I really love seeing her pop up in so many books, either in new interpretations or simply in inspiration. Connolly does her justice here in IRONSKIN but has definitely made her version of Jane her own.
I also love that IRONSKIN is essentially an alternate version of a somewhat Jane era England, barring the fey technology that is. Even down to slight twists on Shakespeare's classics that earn mention in a couple of places in the book. It's a fun blend of historical fiction and fantasy that I think will appeal greatly to readers comfortable with either genre.
Tina Connolly's debut is an inventive twist on JANE EYRE. The Great War is one with the Fey, and they are wicked in a way that I've not seen in most books. Yes, they're tricksters, but Connolly's Fey have declared war on humankind. They're weapons, Fey bombs, leave survivors like Jane afflicted with a curse -- emotions that they can't control themselves and are forced on those around them -- leaving them not only physically scarred but shunned in society. The only way to "cure" the person is to bind the cursed and scarred area in iron.
Like the classic Jane, Connolly's version is also headstrong and smart. She's one of my all-time favorite heroines and I really love seeing her pop up in so many books, either in new interpretations or simply in inspiration. Connolly does her justice here in IRONSKIN but has definitely made her version of Jane her own.
I also love that IRONSKIN is essentially an alternate version of a somewhat Jane era England, barring the fey technology that is. Even down to slight twists on Shakespeare's classics that earn mention in a couple of places in the book. It's a fun blend of historical fiction and fantasy that I think will appeal greatly to readers comfortable with either genre.