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A review by aivlis_ml
Ironskin by Tina Connolly
3.0
Full review on The Writer's Write-Up
Actual score: 6.5/10
I’m so glad this book popped up on my Goodreads feed. I was a bit put off by the fact it was based on Jane Eyre *cue A-Level Literature flashbacks* but I’m happy I stuck with it. Even though it has quite a few elements of Jane Eyre in it, Connolly spins her own story around it merging the original elements and her own additions really well. I like the theme of beauty as well as the price of beauty that runs through the book.
Jane is an ironskin, a victim of the Great War with the Fey. She has a Fey curse on her cheek that infects those around her with Rage. Because of this, she must cover her cheek with an iron half mask as iron is the only thing that can contain the curse. Her curse makes it hard for her to find work, until she comes across a carefully worded advert for a tutor. This is how she meets Mr. Rochart and his young daughter Dorie.
Unlike in Jane Eyre, in Ironskin Jane’s duties as a governess/tutor to Dorie are quite central to the plot. Dorie appears to be Fey-cursed like Jane, even though she has no visible scar. Jane’s job is to help her with these abilities, which isn’t easy with a reluctant Dorie and Mr Rochart being mysterious around the house. The story is mostly concerned with the mystery behind Dorie’s Fey abilities, as well as Jane’s efforts to help the girl with her powers.
Jane is a great character – a strong willed, independent woman determined to make her own way in the world despite the difficulties she faces being an ironskin. Her sister Helen offers her an easy way out; move in with her and her soon-to-be husband, but Jane much prefers to stand on her own two feet. She’s cursed because she joined her brother in a battle against the Fey, when they came out of the forrest to attack her village. Her brother died and Jane was cursed, but she still fights to find her place in this new post-war society.
Jane and Rochart’s relationship is slow to build, and it came a bit like a shock to me when he (inevitably) confesses his love for Jane. I felt Jane and Dorie’s relationship was built up far better. Rochart spends most of his time sulking and being mysterious, then all of a sudden throws a party and then he sulks some more. I understand that being a mysterious artist is kind of the point, but I felt we needed to see just a little bit more of him in order to become invested in his and Jane’s relationship. I found his work far more interesting than him.
My main complaint about Ironskin is that the world building is quite confusing. We’re told there’s been a Great War against the Fey but the how and why isn’t really explained and at times I found the concept of the Fey hard to grasp. This was a bit disappointing, as I was quite interested in this new way of depicting the Fey. I’ve now read book two, Copperhead, and it does a better job answering those questions, so I’m happy to see the series has evolved nicely. Also, because of it being based on Jane Eyre, I kept picturing the wrong time period. Again, this was better written in Copperhead – perhaps the city as a setting in the second book helped set the time period better.
Actual score: 6.5/10
I’m so glad this book popped up on my Goodreads feed. I was a bit put off by the fact it was based on Jane Eyre *cue A-Level Literature flashbacks* but I’m happy I stuck with it. Even though it has quite a few elements of Jane Eyre in it, Connolly spins her own story around it merging the original elements and her own additions really well. I like the theme of beauty as well as the price of beauty that runs through the book.
Jane is an ironskin, a victim of the Great War with the Fey. She has a Fey curse on her cheek that infects those around her with Rage. Because of this, she must cover her cheek with an iron half mask as iron is the only thing that can contain the curse. Her curse makes it hard for her to find work, until she comes across a carefully worded advert for a tutor. This is how she meets Mr. Rochart and his young daughter Dorie.
Unlike in Jane Eyre, in Ironskin Jane’s duties as a governess/tutor to Dorie are quite central to the plot. Dorie appears to be Fey-cursed like Jane, even though she has no visible scar. Jane’s job is to help her with these abilities, which isn’t easy with a reluctant Dorie and Mr Rochart being mysterious around the house. The story is mostly concerned with the mystery behind Dorie’s Fey abilities, as well as Jane’s efforts to help the girl with her powers.
Jane is a great character – a strong willed, independent woman determined to make her own way in the world despite the difficulties she faces being an ironskin. Her sister Helen offers her an easy way out; move in with her and her soon-to-be husband, but Jane much prefers to stand on her own two feet. She’s cursed because she joined her brother in a battle against the Fey, when they came out of the forrest to attack her village. Her brother died and Jane was cursed, but she still fights to find her place in this new post-war society.
Jane and Rochart’s relationship is slow to build, and it came a bit like a shock to me when he (inevitably) confesses his love for Jane. I felt Jane and Dorie’s relationship was built up far better. Rochart spends most of his time sulking and being mysterious, then all of a sudden throws a party and then he sulks some more. I understand that being a mysterious artist is kind of the point, but I felt we needed to see just a little bit more of him in order to become invested in his and Jane’s relationship. I found his work far more interesting than him.
Spoiler
He’s basically a plastic surgeon for the elite, utilising Fey magic to make his clients beautiful.My main complaint about Ironskin is that the world building is quite confusing. We’re told there’s been a Great War against the Fey but the how and why isn’t really explained and at times I found the concept of the Fey hard to grasp. This was a bit disappointing, as I was quite interested in this new way of depicting the Fey. I’ve now read book two, Copperhead, and it does a better job answering those questions, so I’m happy to see the series has evolved nicely. Also, because of it being based on Jane Eyre, I kept picturing the wrong time period. Again, this was better written in Copperhead – perhaps the city as a setting in the second book helped set the time period better.