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Ironskin #1
Ironskin
We all wear battle scars.
Some run deeper than others.
Jane's are impossible to hide.
Jane Eliot wears an iron mask. It's the only way to contain the fey curse that scars her cheek. The Great War is five years gone, but its scattered victims remain – The Ironskin.
When a post is advertised for a governess to assist with a fey-cursed child, Jane grabs the opportunity and leaves for a new life at Silver Birch Hall.
Teaching the unruly Dorie to suppress her curse is a challenge in itself. But Jane’s also battling with burgeoning feelings for the little girl's father – the enigmatic artist Edward Rochart. Deep down Jane knows Rochart cannot love her, just as she knows that she must wear iron for the rest of her life. But what if neither of these things are true? As Jane unlocks the secrets of a new life – she discovers just how far she’s prepared to go to become whole again.
Some run deeper than others.
Jane's are impossible to hide.
Jane Eliot wears an iron mask. It's the only way to contain the fey curse that scars her cheek. The Great War is five years gone, but its scattered victims remain – The Ironskin.
When a post is advertised for a governess to assist with a fey-cursed child, Jane grabs the opportunity and leaves for a new life at Silver Birch Hall.
Teaching the unruly Dorie to suppress her curse is a challenge in itself. But Jane’s also battling with burgeoning feelings for the little girl's father – the enigmatic artist Edward Rochart. Deep down Jane knows Rochart cannot love her, just as she knows that she must wear iron for the rest of her life. But what if neither of these things are true? As Jane unlocks the secrets of a new life – she discovers just how far she’s prepared to go to become whole again.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 2, 2012
49 people are currently reading
11065 people want to read
About the author
Tina Connolly
67 books458 followersTina Connolly's books include the Ironskin trilogy (Tor), the Seriously Wicked series (Tor Teen), the collection On the Eyeball Floor (Fairwood Press), and the Choose Your Own Adventure Glitterpony Farm. She has been a finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, Norton, and World Fantasy awards. She co-hosts the science fiction podcast Escape Pod, runs the intermittent flash fiction podcast Toasted Cake, and is at tinaconnolly.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 660 reviews
September 3, 2012
Rating: 2.5 Stars
I’ll be the first to admit that I had expectations for this book - high expectations. Yet, the reason they weren’t met doesn’t lie with the fault of this book entirely. I feel as if many other readers will truly love Ironskin, and they should. It has a lot to love, but somehow, it wasn’t the right book for me. For one, Ironskin is a based quite loosely off of the story of Jane Eyre, a classic by Charlotte Bronte that happens to be one of my favorite novels ever. Thus, there was quite a bit of comparisons I couldn’t help but make with it and consequently, I found that Ironskin simply didn’t live up to the literary masterpiece that Jane Eyre was and frankly speaking, I don’t blame it. It is a near impossible task to challenge the work of an author such as Charlotte Bronte and while I admire Connolly for her creativity and attempts at distinguishing her gothic romance from that of Bronte’s, I think avid Jane Eyre fans will be disappointed.
First and foremost, I must give credit where credit is due. I loved the world-building ideas that Connolly created surrounding Ironskin, - a world where war with the fey had cursed many war victims, leaving them with no option but to wear an iron mask, covering their curses and preventing them from spreading to other victims. Furthermore, I admired the fact that Jane, our protagonist, was a survivor and remained strong despite her constant estrangement from society due to the iron mask that adorned her face. In addition, I even enjoyed how thoroughly Connolly immersed us into her world, bringing forth cultural sayings and superstitions surrounding the fey. Yet, for all these wonderful concepts, I was still quite unable to completely grasp many aspects of this universe and was left with many questions by the end of the novel. In fact, I am still unsure of exactly how the Great War between man and fey began, why the fey withdrew from it so mysteriously, and exactly what purpose it served to the story either than the obvious conclusion of needing a reason for Jane to become an Ironskin.
That being said, I did appreciate Connolly’s efforts to distinguish her story from Jane Eyre. Jane, the protagonist of Ironskin, is very similar to Jane Eyre herself, yet while Jane’s governess duties are not an extremely important part of the plot, they are here. Dorie, Jane’s charge, is a young girl whose mother was cursed by the fey and as a result, she possesses a few fey abilities herself. Thus, Jane must help the girl while simultaneously figuring out the enigma that is her employer, Mr. Rochart. Yet, while Jane is an acceptable character and the secondary characters in the house she resides are quite amusing, as well as Dorie herself, Mr. Rochart fails quite miserably to live up to the Mr. Rochester of Bronte’s novel. Not only is the romance between Jane and Edward Rochart vastly under-developed in my opinion, Rochart himself is portrayed as more of a confusing madman than Rochester ever was. Furthermore, I didn’t think that Rochart’s “big secret” was as much of a surprise as Rochester’s was and it most definitely did not have the desired effect on neither his character nor the plot itself. Thus, I found myself to be rather disappointed as the novel progressed and wondered both why Jane loved Rochart and how Rochart could love Jane when he spent so little time with her.
Leaving those qualms aside, I found some areas of this narration to be rather slow and didn’t particularly like the direction the novel took towards the end. In addition, I felt as if Jane had too many light-bulb moments that both seemed unrealistic and ruined the pacing of the story as it suddenly made events happen too fast. Furthermore, by the end of this story, I was unable to find a purpose to it. It is clear from the synopsis itself that beauty and appearance are a large factor to this tale and while I was enjoying the developing message of true beauty that I believed to be emerging, some of the events during the end of this story quickly tossed aside that theme and left the novel hanging, not only on a cliffhanger ending, but also in a state of confusion and I could not figure out the point the story had been trying to make in the least. It felt, ultimately, as if the parts emphasizing Jane’s strength in relying on her character opposed to her beauty to get ahead in life were simply crushed and the already unconvincing romance between Jane and Rochart lost me that much more, so I found that all to be extremely disappointing.
Nevertheless, there were still distinguishing aspects of Ironskin. I’ve already mentioned the originality of this tale, but I also enjoyed the comparisons between Jane’s life and that of society during that time, so while this novel didn’t have the political scheme I was hoping for from The Great War, it did have social politics mixed in, which nicely added to the culture of the setting. In addition, I thought the relationship between Jane and Dorie was extremely well written and developed and I particularly loved reading about Jane and her wealthy sister and how they compared their lives and hardships. It enabled the reader to see both sides of the multiple situations during their time period and was another convincing relationship.
Yet, for all its originality, Ironskin simply failed to live up to my expectations. I believe that other readers will immensely enjoy this gothic tale and most probably will not experience the difficulties I did, unless, of course, they are avid Jane Eyre fans, which is why I would still recommend this one. However, if you love Jane Eyre, you will be prone to comparing this story with the classic it has been built upon and, like me, will most likely have your hopes crushed. Thus, while Ironskin remains to be an intriguing novel on its own, it is, by no means, a novel for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor/Forge Books for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for a honest review.
You can read this review and more on my blog, Ivy Book Bindings.
I’ll be the first to admit that I had expectations for this book - high expectations. Yet, the reason they weren’t met doesn’t lie with the fault of this book entirely. I feel as if many other readers will truly love Ironskin, and they should. It has a lot to love, but somehow, it wasn’t the right book for me. For one, Ironskin is a based quite loosely off of the story of Jane Eyre, a classic by Charlotte Bronte that happens to be one of my favorite novels ever. Thus, there was quite a bit of comparisons I couldn’t help but make with it and consequently, I found that Ironskin simply didn’t live up to the literary masterpiece that Jane Eyre was and frankly speaking, I don’t blame it. It is a near impossible task to challenge the work of an author such as Charlotte Bronte and while I admire Connolly for her creativity and attempts at distinguishing her gothic romance from that of Bronte’s, I think avid Jane Eyre fans will be disappointed.
First and foremost, I must give credit where credit is due. I loved the world-building ideas that Connolly created surrounding Ironskin, - a world where war with the fey had cursed many war victims, leaving them with no option but to wear an iron mask, covering their curses and preventing them from spreading to other victims. Furthermore, I admired the fact that Jane, our protagonist, was a survivor and remained strong despite her constant estrangement from society due to the iron mask that adorned her face. In addition, I even enjoyed how thoroughly Connolly immersed us into her world, bringing forth cultural sayings and superstitions surrounding the fey. Yet, for all these wonderful concepts, I was still quite unable to completely grasp many aspects of this universe and was left with many questions by the end of the novel. In fact, I am still unsure of exactly how the Great War between man and fey began, why the fey withdrew from it so mysteriously, and exactly what purpose it served to the story either than the obvious conclusion of needing a reason for Jane to become an Ironskin.
That being said, I did appreciate Connolly’s efforts to distinguish her story from Jane Eyre. Jane, the protagonist of Ironskin, is very similar to Jane Eyre herself, yet while Jane’s governess duties are not an extremely important part of the plot, they are here. Dorie, Jane’s charge, is a young girl whose mother was cursed by the fey and as a result, she possesses a few fey abilities herself. Thus, Jane must help the girl while simultaneously figuring out the enigma that is her employer, Mr. Rochart. Yet, while Jane is an acceptable character and the secondary characters in the house she resides are quite amusing, as well as Dorie herself, Mr. Rochart fails quite miserably to live up to the Mr. Rochester of Bronte’s novel. Not only is the romance between Jane and Edward Rochart vastly under-developed in my opinion, Rochart himself is portrayed as more of a confusing madman than Rochester ever was. Furthermore, I didn’t think that Rochart’s “big secret” was as much of a surprise as Rochester’s was and it most definitely did not have the desired effect on neither his character nor the plot itself. Thus, I found myself to be rather disappointed as the novel progressed and wondered both why Jane loved Rochart and how Rochart could love Jane when he spent so little time with her.
Leaving those qualms aside, I found some areas of this narration to be rather slow and didn’t particularly like the direction the novel took towards the end. In addition, I felt as if Jane had too many light-bulb moments that both seemed unrealistic and ruined the pacing of the story as it suddenly made events happen too fast. Furthermore, by the end of this story, I was unable to find a purpose to it. It is clear from the synopsis itself that beauty and appearance are a large factor to this tale and while I was enjoying the developing message of true beauty that I believed to be emerging, some of the events during the end of this story quickly tossed aside that theme and left the novel hanging, not only on a cliffhanger ending, but also in a state of confusion and I could not figure out the point the story had been trying to make in the least. It felt, ultimately, as if the parts emphasizing Jane’s strength in relying on her character opposed to her beauty to get ahead in life were simply crushed and the already unconvincing romance between Jane and Rochart lost me that much more, so I found that all to be extremely disappointing.
Nevertheless, there were still distinguishing aspects of Ironskin. I’ve already mentioned the originality of this tale, but I also enjoyed the comparisons between Jane’s life and that of society during that time, so while this novel didn’t have the political scheme I was hoping for from The Great War, it did have social politics mixed in, which nicely added to the culture of the setting. In addition, I thought the relationship between Jane and Dorie was extremely well written and developed and I particularly loved reading about Jane and her wealthy sister and how they compared their lives and hardships. It enabled the reader to see both sides of the multiple situations during their time period and was another convincing relationship.
Yet, for all its originality, Ironskin simply failed to live up to my expectations. I believe that other readers will immensely enjoy this gothic tale and most probably will not experience the difficulties I did, unless, of course, they are avid Jane Eyre fans, which is why I would still recommend this one. However, if you love Jane Eyre, you will be prone to comparing this story with the classic it has been built upon and, like me, will most likely have your hopes crushed. Thus, while Ironskin remains to be an intriguing novel on its own, it is, by no means, a novel for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor/Forge Books for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for a honest review.
You can read this review and more on my blog, Ivy Book Bindings.
April 4, 2012
This was arc I got from editor whose taste aligns with mine.
I'm a little speechless right now. This is Jane Eyre, re-imagined steampunk style. It's just amazing. Confident, clever prose. A ferocious heroine. A broken, tragic hero, who needs her.
The worldbuilding is just fascinating. The writing is fabulous. I devoured this book and now I'm hungry for the sequel. When it comes out, get it.
I'm a little speechless right now. This is Jane Eyre, re-imagined steampunk style. It's just amazing. Confident, clever prose. A ferocious heroine. A broken, tragic hero, who needs her.
The worldbuilding is just fascinating. The writing is fabulous. I devoured this book and now I'm hungry for the sequel. When it comes out, get it.
July 24, 2012
Jane Eyre in an iron mask?! *faints* SO looking forward to this one.
October 16, 2015
This was apparently a loose fantasy retelling of Jane Eyre. I cannot make any comment on that as I've not read the original! What I can say is that the story did have a vaguely Victorian era feel to it. The fantasy elements of the story came from the presence of the Fey and their magic.
Five years ago, during the Great Battle with the Fey, Jane Eliot was wounded by a Fey weapon while trying to save her younger brother. She now has to wear an iron mask that covers the scarred half of her face in order to mask the effects of the curse that would seep from the wound an infect all those in her vicinity with a feeling of rage. Jane is tired of city life and jumps at the chance of taking a job in the country. The job she takes is that of a governess to Dorie, the enigmatic artist Edward Rochart's strange daughter. Dorie is no ordinary girl and Jane is determined to help her through her issues.
The world building was quite good. The mix of Fey magic and the Victorian era setting was quite fascinating. The story was even quite intriguing. I was interested to see what Jane could do to help the strange Dorie and eager to learn the secrets of her mysterious father and the distant, but ever looming Fey.
I was quite engaged by the early happenings, but unfortunately the story failed to keep my attention as it progressed. The biggest issue I had was the dialogue. It was totally forgettable and uninspiring. I also thought the romance between Jane and Edward was pretty limp. I never bought them as a couple or understood why they even cared for each other. To be honest Edward was just a dull character.
I'll remember this as a story that failed to live up to its initial early promise. It was an OK diversion, but I'm not sure I'll bother to read the rest of the series as this one got progressively worse as it went.
Rating: 3 stars.
Audio Note: I cannot fault the narration. Rosalyn Landor is always an excellent choice for historical romances. Sadly, even she could not inject any excitement into the dull dialogue.
Five years ago, during the Great Battle with the Fey, Jane Eliot was wounded by a Fey weapon while trying to save her younger brother. She now has to wear an iron mask that covers the scarred half of her face in order to mask the effects of the curse that would seep from the wound an infect all those in her vicinity with a feeling of rage. Jane is tired of city life and jumps at the chance of taking a job in the country. The job she takes is that of a governess to Dorie, the enigmatic artist Edward Rochart's strange daughter. Dorie is no ordinary girl and Jane is determined to help her through her issues.
The world building was quite good. The mix of Fey magic and the Victorian era setting was quite fascinating. The story was even quite intriguing. I was interested to see what Jane could do to help the strange Dorie and eager to learn the secrets of her mysterious father and the distant, but ever looming Fey.
I was quite engaged by the early happenings, but unfortunately the story failed to keep my attention as it progressed. The biggest issue I had was the dialogue. It was totally forgettable and uninspiring. I also thought the romance between Jane and Edward was pretty limp. I never bought them as a couple or understood why they even cared for each other. To be honest Edward was just a dull character.
I'll remember this as a story that failed to live up to its initial early promise. It was an OK diversion, but I'm not sure I'll bother to read the rest of the series as this one got progressively worse as it went.
Rating: 3 stars.
Audio Note: I cannot fault the narration. Rosalyn Landor is always an excellent choice for historical romances. Sadly, even she could not inject any excitement into the dull dialogue.
October 30, 2012
err im not sure what was going on. this was such an odd book. i know it was based off the original Jane Eyre and there was a lot of parallels with that novel but this retelling just fell short of good. For one the romance was extremely forced. They fell in love despite having the most minimal interactions with each other? what? i feel like Tina Connolly forced them together for the sake of the plot and i found myself rolling my eyes at every "romantic" scene they had together. I found Jane's interactions with Dorie the daughter much more interesting but even that was not enough to save this book for me. There was so much potential. I even liked Jane. She is kinda awesome despite the horrible romance. I just didnt like anyone else really...except maybe ms. poule cause shes badass too. I wished Edward Rochart died because if i were Jane i wouldve hated his ass after what he did to her. If Edward died we could've had another love interest in book 2. Now i look forward to the second book even less! Yes i am reading book 2 despite my "meh" reaction to this one because i am a sucker for faerie stories and awesome heroines even if the romance and plot suck.
pre-reading:
Omg! Jane Eyre, faeries, and steampunk all in one book?? i HAVE to get my hands on this. It sounds EPIC!
Just imagine:
+
+
[image error]
I can't wait!
pre-reading:
Omg! Jane Eyre, faeries, and steampunk all in one book?? i HAVE to get my hands on this. It sounds EPIC!
Just imagine:
+
+
[image error]
I can't wait!
March 19, 2013
On the book jacket it describes Ironskin as being a retelling of both Jane Eyre and Beauty and the Beast. Personally, I thought it seemed a little more Eyreish than B & B.
Doesn't matter.
It's also touted as steampunk.
Ok, so I'm a little confused as to what elements a book needs to be classified as steampunk. As far as I can tell, if one person shows up wearing goggles, and another turns on a gas lamp...ta-da! It's steampunk!
Soooo. By that definition, yes. This was a steampunk retelling of Jane Eyre and/or Beauty and the Beast.
It starts out with Jane headed to Mr. Rochart's estate to interview as a governess to his weird kid. There has evidently been some great big Fairy War, which left her damaged and scarred (hence the huge iron mask she wears). As the story progresses you find out about the curse attached to her scarring, and what exactly is different about Rochart's daughter. There's also lots of strange going-ons in the attic (or on the upper levels of the house). I don't want to ruin anything by giving spoilers to those of you who may be interested in reading this book, so I'll just keep my mouth shut and wrap this review up.
The story started out pretty well, but by the end of the book the Blah factor had kicked in. Well, for me anyway. It was readable, but I doubt I'll continue with the series.
Recommended for hardcore Jayne Eyre fans looking for a new twist on the classic.
P.S.
I feel it's only fair to mention that I did not enjoy reading the original Jane Eyre, so this may have tainted my feelings for this book...
Doesn't matter.
It's also touted as steampunk.
Ok, so I'm a little confused as to what elements a book needs to be classified as steampunk. As far as I can tell, if one person shows up wearing goggles, and another turns on a gas lamp...ta-da! It's steampunk!
Soooo. By that definition, yes. This was a steampunk retelling of Jane Eyre and/or Beauty and the Beast.
It starts out with Jane headed to Mr. Rochart's estate to interview as a governess to his weird kid. There has evidently been some great big Fairy War, which left her damaged and scarred (hence the huge iron mask she wears). As the story progresses you find out about the curse attached to her scarring, and what exactly is different about Rochart's daughter. There's also lots of strange going-ons in the attic (or on the upper levels of the house). I don't want to ruin anything by giving spoilers to those of you who may be interested in reading this book, so I'll just keep my mouth shut and wrap this review up.
The story started out pretty well, but by the end of the book the Blah factor had kicked in. Well, for me anyway. It was readable, but I doubt I'll continue with the series.
Recommended for hardcore Jayne Eyre fans looking for a new twist on the classic.
P.S.
I feel it's only fair to mention that I did not enjoy reading the original Jane Eyre, so this may have tainted my feelings for this book...
Want to read
September 10, 2011"a steampunk retelling of Jane Eyre with fairies."
What? I.Am.IN.
;P
What? I.Am.IN.
;P
October 9, 2015
Read This Review & More Like It On My Blog!
It's easily apparent from the very start of this deceptively good novel that Ironskin is a story loosely based on Charlotte Brontë's beloved classic Jane Eyre. Fortunately for me, I have never read the original, and that's one of the reasons I think I was free to enjoy this supernaturalized version as much as I did. I had no predispositions or favorites or even opinions going in - Connolly was free to do whatever she wanted with any of the characters, or with the plot, and it all worked out amazingly for me. Ironskin was a creative outlet of steam (really more fey-)punk, that managed to be both entertaining, and full of surprises. A few twists were expected, but Tina Connolly managed to pull the rug out from under my feet more than once before this short-ish novel was over. With a solidly built world, and a strong protagonist who changes and develops as the pages progress, I found a lot to recommend about this novel.
A debut novel, Ironskin comes loaded with great characters, a compelling storyline, and with a unique, new interpretation of steampunk. The ideas and fey-punk (bluepacks, etc.) that Connolly has envisioned for her alternate world of fey, dwarvven, and more work well for the frame of the plot, but are not truly steampunk. There's more of a supernatural feel to Ironskin as well - from Rochart to his daughter, magic is alive andunwell at Silver Birch. Despite its clear homages to Jane Eyre that even a reader almost wholly unfamiliar with that story could pick out, this is a fantasy tale obviously flavored with Connolly's original spin on the Victorian genre of literature. The well-handled themes of love, betrayal, acceptance, and atonement are subtly interwoven into the storyline of protagonist and governess Jane's attempts to reconcile a fey-talented child into a fey-hating world.
The characters took a bit longer to gel than the rest of the novel. I was easily enraptured by Connolly's lovely and often very visual writing to the benefit of the atmosphere, but her characters were a different story. With a slower-paced novel like this one, it's more difficult to get a grip on personalities, ambitions, and more. Jane, for the fiirst hundred or so pages, can be hard to empathize with, or relate to. She wasn't as astute as could be hoped for, but in the end, her journey to self-realization makes up for it. Thankfully with this author and engaging novel, the time spent building Jane, Dorie, and Rochart into distinct beings all payout in the end. The romance between the two adults is many things: expected, tumultuous, well-handled, and slow-building. No headlong rush into instalove here! The conflicts and complications that frequently spring up between Rochart and his damaged employee are part and parcel to the up-and-down relationship the two endure as they struggle to trust one another and protect Dorie. There isn't a ton of chemistry between the two for the first 200 pages, but Connolly manages to rectify that in time with some chance meetings and subtle conversations to build their relationship into something more believable than it started out as.
With the Gothic edge one would expect of something based on a Brontë sisters work, the world and technology of Ironskin is one of the most alluring concepts; both interesting and creepy. The unsettling setting, the unknown details of Jane's life at Silver Birch, the tension between the ironskins and the rest of the populace and more make for an encompassing, suspense-filled atmosphere. Ironskin is a well-written novel where the slightly creepy ambiance is as much of a part of the novel as the plot itself or the characters that grow from outlines into fully fleshed and three-dimensional people. The world, full of history and war and curses is a complex and imaginative more. Connolly is thankfully one of those few authors that don't inundate their audience with all the details immediately in an infodump, but one that parses out small, pertinent pieces of information slowly as the novel progresses along, creating an informative, large worldview of the time and place Jane lives in.
Ambitious and impressive, Ironskin wraps up the main plotline/mystery neatly and succinctly in those 302 pages. With a few open-ended plotlines obviously leading up the next book in this series, Connolly is a writer who knows how to hook her readers. I certainly eagerly awaiting to see what new struggles and battles Jane will encounter as well as gaining more knowledge about the Great War that lead up to the current conflict. With a strong ending, an intriguing and original interpretation of a beloved classic, realistic characters with human (and otherwise..) flaws, and mysteries a plenty, Ironskin is a rewarding and fun read.
Many thanks to TLC Book Tours for providing me with an ARC for the book tour!
It's easily apparent from the very start of this deceptively good novel that Ironskin is a story loosely based on Charlotte Brontë's beloved classic Jane Eyre. Fortunately for me, I have never read the original, and that's one of the reasons I think I was free to enjoy this supernaturalized version as much as I did. I had no predispositions or favorites or even opinions going in - Connolly was free to do whatever she wanted with any of the characters, or with the plot, and it all worked out amazingly for me. Ironskin was a creative outlet of steam (really more fey-)punk, that managed to be both entertaining, and full of surprises. A few twists were expected, but Tina Connolly managed to pull the rug out from under my feet more than once before this short-ish novel was over. With a solidly built world, and a strong protagonist who changes and develops as the pages progress, I found a lot to recommend about this novel.
A debut novel, Ironskin comes loaded with great characters, a compelling storyline, and with a unique, new interpretation of steampunk. The ideas and fey-punk (bluepacks, etc.) that Connolly has envisioned for her alternate world of fey, dwarvven, and more work well for the frame of the plot, but are not truly steampunk. There's more of a supernatural feel to Ironskin as well - from Rochart to his daughter, magic is alive and
The characters took a bit longer to gel than the rest of the novel. I was easily enraptured by Connolly's lovely and often very visual writing to the benefit of the atmosphere, but her characters were a different story. With a slower-paced novel like this one, it's more difficult to get a grip on personalities, ambitions, and more. Jane, for the fiirst hundred or so pages, can be hard to empathize with, or relate to. She wasn't as astute as could be hoped for, but in the end, her journey to self-realization makes up for it. Thankfully with this author and engaging novel, the time spent building Jane, Dorie, and Rochart into distinct beings all payout in the end. The romance between the two adults is many things: expected, tumultuous, well-handled, and slow-building. No headlong rush into instalove here! The conflicts and complications that frequently spring up between Rochart and his damaged employee are part and parcel to the up-and-down relationship the two endure as they struggle to trust one another and protect Dorie. There isn't a ton of chemistry between the two for the first 200 pages, but Connolly manages to rectify that in time with some chance meetings and subtle conversations to build their relationship into something more believable than it started out as.
With the Gothic edge one would expect of something based on a Brontë sisters work, the world and technology of Ironskin is one of the most alluring concepts; both interesting and creepy. The unsettling setting, the unknown details of Jane's life at Silver Birch, the tension between the ironskins and the rest of the populace and more make for an encompassing, suspense-filled atmosphere. Ironskin is a well-written novel where the slightly creepy ambiance is as much of a part of the novel as the plot itself or the characters that grow from outlines into fully fleshed and three-dimensional people. The world, full of history and war and curses is a complex and imaginative more. Connolly is thankfully one of those few authors that don't inundate their audience with all the details immediately in an infodump, but one that parses out small, pertinent pieces of information slowly as the novel progresses along, creating an informative, large worldview of the time and place Jane lives in.
Ambitious and impressive, Ironskin wraps up the main plotline/mystery neatly and succinctly in those 302 pages. With a few open-ended plotlines obviously leading up the next book in this series, Connolly is a writer who knows how to hook her readers. I certainly eagerly awaiting to see what new struggles and battles Jane will encounter as well as gaining more knowledge about the Great War that lead up to the current conflict. With a strong ending, an intriguing and original interpretation of a beloved classic, realistic characters with human (and otherwise..) flaws, and mysteries a plenty, Ironskin is a rewarding and fun read.
Many thanks to TLC Book Tours for providing me with an ARC for the book tour!
December 23, 2014
3.5 Stars.
The world building for this novel was intriguing, but I didn't get fully engaged in the novel until about halfway through. Once I got into the story I really enjoyed it, and I will definitely be reading Copperhead, the second book in the series. I would recommend this novel to anyone that enjoys historical novels (especially those set at the beginning of the 20th century), and also readers who like some supernatural elements blended with their historical fiction (kind of an oxymoron, but you know what I mean-right?).
The world building for this novel was intriguing, but I didn't get fully engaged in the novel until about halfway through. Once I got into the story I really enjoyed it, and I will definitely be reading Copperhead, the second book in the series. I would recommend this novel to anyone that enjoys historical novels (especially those set at the beginning of the 20th century), and also readers who like some supernatural elements blended with their historical fiction (kind of an oxymoron, but you know what I mean-right?).
October 2, 2012
I’ve said it before, and I’ll reiterate: I do not take authors messing with my Jane Eyre lightly. If you are going to attempt to paint a new gloss over something that has already been perfected to my eyes, you’re going to have to bring something completely new to the table. In this regard, I applaud Connolly’s efforts to entwine a fey glamour over the well known Bronte tale, but I can’t say that she pulled off all she hoped to achieve.
Ironskin suffers from a dissonance between Connolly’s desire to adapt Jane Eyre and her desire to write an original fantasy work. The result feels like Connolly’s take on how she would have written Jane Eyre had she gotten first crack at it rather than a reimagining or tribute. Nevertheless, Connolly introduces some interesting ideas and I can’t help but feel that she ultimately did herself a disservice by trying to shoehorn her story into such a well-known mould; she would have done better to eschew comparisons and simply tell her own tale.
Jane Eliot is fundamentally different than Jane Eyre. Perhaps, considering our own reactions were we placed in Jane Eyre’s shoes, many of us feel that Jane Eyre should have felt rage at her situation, yet the very fact that she didn’t defines her character. It’s what sets her apart from and above her peers, what gives her the beauty that shines through an ordinary exterior. Where Jane Eliot allows the rage to take root, Jane Eyre lived above it. Where Jane Eliot yearns for normality badly enough to take drastic, disturbing measures to achieve it, Jane Eyre accepted herself with pride and grace if not always with pleasure. This was one of my biggest points of contention with the book, for in the original it is Rochester who needs reminding that Jane is as she is and won’t be changed. In Ironskin, it is Jane herself who succumbs to shallow desires and embraces superficiality. Making the decision a supposedly crucial plot point does nothing to lessen my disappointment in Jane’s decision and underscores the fact that this is not the same Jane I’ve come to love.
Rochert had potential as a reincarnation of Rochester yet, like so many who have tried before, Connolly fails to grasp Rochester’s essential nature. His depiction quite confused me, really. We are told of his internal suffering, but it doesn’t truly play out on the page. Before we learn of his deep, dark secret, I had actually gained the impression that he was in fact a warm man, loving of his daughter and wife both, not doggedly attempting to hold back the defeating force of his past as Rochester was. We are given so little page time with Rochert that he is never fleshed out (never mind the utter lack of chemistry between him and Jane). I rather liked the dimension Connolly added with his somewhat addled composure concerning the fey, but this too is inadequately addressed.
The greatest interpretations of character for me were Dorie and Poule, as Jane must work at her relationship with both much moreso than in the original. Though I never warmed to Dorie (in truth, she freaks me out more than a little), her storyline was one of the few that suggested the story would have been better off told as an original work. Poule also intrigued me, particularly as she and Jane formed something of a team here, so unlike Jane’s wary regard of Poole in the original. I wish we could have learned a bit more about Poule’s heritage, as it was one of several threads of fantasy worldbuilding that offered a promising story yet was not fully explained.
Overall, I couldn’t tell if Connolly truly wanted to retell our beloved story. Aside from the character names and a rough outline of the plot, so few critical elements of the original story remain. The pacing barely reflects that of the original, throwing Jane into her new employ on the first page, rearranging key scenes and completely eliminating the character of St. John. Whether this is meant to be a permanent feature of the series or whether Connolly introduces St. John in the next book remains to be seen. Jane’s background is completely altered, which likely goes far in explaining her drastic personality change. Whereas the unforgiving environments of her aunt’s home and Lowood shaped Jane Eyre into a strong woman determined to resist the scorn thrust upon her lowly station, Jane Eliot’s abrupt reversal of fortune at a later age made her resentful and proud.
Ultimately, Connolly seemed to want to write a fantasy, and Jane and Rochert’s relationship suffered for it. While her take on the bedroom scene is a novel change, it failed to make up for the numerous other iconic interactions that defined both characters in the original, yet that were missing from this novel. Though I was initially intrigued by the mask plotline, this too wound but being merely a grotesque externalization of conflict that distorted the subtle genius of the original.
I was also confused by Connolly’s repeated references to other classic works. Surely Bronte was influenced by those who came before her, yet she allowed those guiding voices to shape her story without stealing heavy-handed elements. Connolly not only mentions tales such as Beauty and the Beast and Tam Lin, but she goes so far as to incorporate threads of these tales into the story, which merely adds to the disjointed feel. It’s a shame, since, divorced from recollections of her predecessor, I rather liked Jane. The fey world Connolly has created seems rather fascinating, but we are given the barest glimpses of it. I’m also not quite sure that this work is best described as steampunk, but that characterization will suffice. Overall, Ironskin had promise, but ambivalence regarding the extent to which this was meant to be a retelling ultimately resulted in a failed execution of interesting ideas.
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Ironskin suffers from a dissonance between Connolly’s desire to adapt Jane Eyre and her desire to write an original fantasy work. The result feels like Connolly’s take on how she would have written Jane Eyre had she gotten first crack at it rather than a reimagining or tribute. Nevertheless, Connolly introduces some interesting ideas and I can’t help but feel that she ultimately did herself a disservice by trying to shoehorn her story into such a well-known mould; she would have done better to eschew comparisons and simply tell her own tale.
Jane Eliot is fundamentally different than Jane Eyre. Perhaps, considering our own reactions were we placed in Jane Eyre’s shoes, many of us feel that Jane Eyre should have felt rage at her situation, yet the very fact that she didn’t defines her character. It’s what sets her apart from and above her peers, what gives her the beauty that shines through an ordinary exterior. Where Jane Eliot allows the rage to take root, Jane Eyre lived above it. Where Jane Eliot yearns for normality badly enough to take drastic, disturbing measures to achieve it, Jane Eyre accepted herself with pride and grace if not always with pleasure. This was one of my biggest points of contention with the book, for in the original it is Rochester who needs reminding that Jane is as she is and won’t be changed. In Ironskin, it is Jane herself who succumbs to shallow desires and embraces superficiality. Making the decision a supposedly crucial plot point does nothing to lessen my disappointment in Jane’s decision and underscores the fact that this is not the same Jane I’ve come to love.
Rochert had potential as a reincarnation of Rochester yet, like so many who have tried before, Connolly fails to grasp Rochester’s essential nature. His depiction quite confused me, really. We are told of his internal suffering, but it doesn’t truly play out on the page. Before we learn of his deep, dark secret, I had actually gained the impression that he was in fact a warm man, loving of his daughter and wife both, not doggedly attempting to hold back the defeating force of his past as Rochester was. We are given so little page time with Rochert that he is never fleshed out (never mind the utter lack of chemistry between him and Jane). I rather liked the dimension Connolly added with his somewhat addled composure concerning the fey, but this too is inadequately addressed.
The greatest interpretations of character for me were Dorie and Poule, as Jane must work at her relationship with both much moreso than in the original. Though I never warmed to Dorie (in truth, she freaks me out more than a little), her storyline was one of the few that suggested the story would have been better off told as an original work. Poule also intrigued me, particularly as she and Jane formed something of a team here, so unlike Jane’s wary regard of Poole in the original. I wish we could have learned a bit more about Poule’s heritage, as it was one of several threads of fantasy worldbuilding that offered a promising story yet was not fully explained.
Overall, I couldn’t tell if Connolly truly wanted to retell our beloved story. Aside from the character names and a rough outline of the plot, so few critical elements of the original story remain. The pacing barely reflects that of the original, throwing Jane into her new employ on the first page, rearranging key scenes and completely eliminating the character of St. John. Whether this is meant to be a permanent feature of the series or whether Connolly introduces St. John in the next book remains to be seen. Jane’s background is completely altered, which likely goes far in explaining her drastic personality change. Whereas the unforgiving environments of her aunt’s home and Lowood shaped Jane Eyre into a strong woman determined to resist the scorn thrust upon her lowly station, Jane Eliot’s abrupt reversal of fortune at a later age made her resentful and proud.
Ultimately, Connolly seemed to want to write a fantasy, and Jane and Rochert’s relationship suffered for it. While her take on the bedroom scene is a novel change, it failed to make up for the numerous other iconic interactions that defined both characters in the original, yet that were missing from this novel. Though I was initially intrigued by the mask plotline, this too wound but being merely a grotesque externalization of conflict that distorted the subtle genius of the original.
I was also confused by Connolly’s repeated references to other classic works. Surely Bronte was influenced by those who came before her, yet she allowed those guiding voices to shape her story without stealing heavy-handed elements. Connolly not only mentions tales such as Beauty and the Beast and Tam Lin, but she goes so far as to incorporate threads of these tales into the story, which merely adds to the disjointed feel. It’s a shame, since, divorced from recollections of her predecessor, I rather liked Jane. The fey world Connolly has created seems rather fascinating, but we are given the barest glimpses of it. I’m also not quite sure that this work is best described as steampunk, but that characterization will suffice. Overall, Ironskin had promise, but ambivalence regarding the extent to which this was meant to be a retelling ultimately resulted in a failed execution of interesting ideas.
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September 4, 2012
Originally reviewed here.
The moment I heard about a steampunk retelling of Jane Eyre, I geared up for its release. I am always up for a retelling of this book. And I've had spectacular success in the past. This one is not YA, or even New Adult, and I could tell it relied more heavily on the rich fantasy aspects of the world and story, all of which I was eager to fall into. I love the cover, particularly the iron mask, and everything about it just had the ring of excellence to it. This is not to say that I wasn't apprehensive, because there's always a bit of that when you go into a retelling of any kind, isn't there? But do any of you ever start to tire of your own wariness when it comes to upcoming releases? I go back and forth between feeling justifyingly jaded (particularly when it comes to oversaturated genres or tropes) and feeling like shaking off all my suspicion and caution and just jumping in like I used to as a kid. Because the exhaustion of both maintaining expectations and forcing yourself not to have them . . . it's exhausting. So all of that to say that when an ARC floated my way via NetGalley, I didn't even blink before downloading it to my nook and settling in that evening.
Jane Eliot survived the Great War. They don't call it a victory as the Fey just up and disappeared rather than outright lost. But the humans who survived are altered beyond recognition. Some of them inwardly and some of them (like Jane) very much outwardly. Those struck by Fey fire during the war bear a curse. The curse not only affects the victim but spills out from the site of the wound onto all those they come into contact with. Each curse is different. For Jane, it is rage. From the jagged scars on her face that never heal, rages pours through her and onto those she encounters. That is until she stumbles across the Foundry. There ironworkers create what they call ironskin. These pieces of iron attach to their bodies over the wounds, sealing them in, preventing the curses from affecting passersby. And so Jane wears a mask, and all the rage is bottled inside. Nevertheless, when she applies for a job taking care of the reclusive Mr. Rochart's daughter Dorie, she does cherish some small hope that in this wild, remote location she might find a place where she could belong. Of course, Mr. Rochart, his daughter, and the entire household are so strange that Jane begins to feel the normal one. Despite her mask and veil. Despite the rage boiling under her skin. For something very wrong lurks behind the doors of her new home and Jane may find her mask is not the only one keeping curses at bay.
This is a fantastic setup. I found myself instantly caught up in the whole notion of the ironskin, of seeping curses from fey wounds, of Jane filled with an unnatural post-war rage. I even enjoyed Connolly's revisionist version of Mr. Rochart's uber-creepy secret. The whole world, its history, the way it was peopled, and the horrors they bore set my imagination racing. I couldn't wait to watch it play out. But then it . . . didn't. Unfortunately, I felt as though the writing itself never matched up to the premise, which was grandly dark. The words just plodded along, never rising above serviceable, never engaging in an organic way with the world's potential to really give the story wings. Add to that the fact that the characterization just stagnated after the beginning. Jane herself is primed to be a force in her own story, yet she remains flat throughout. Mr. Rochart comes off as a mere placeholder, and I felt as though I was waiting the entire novel for the "real" Mr. Rochart to reveal himself, or at least make an entrance on stage. No such luck. And without any actual chemistry between those two key players, it's quiteimpossible difficult to make this particular tale work on any level. Without that connection, the hints at the horrific left me simply cold, without that delicious chill that comes when it is happening to people you care about and have some emotional investment in. In lesser problems, several twists felt fairly predictable to me, and I was uncomfortable with some of the implications when it came to the various races and/or creatures in this world and the way they were viewed. The end result was, as you can imagine, me struggling to finish the book and mourning the myriad of missed opportunities and empty characterizations where so much richness was possible.
The moment I heard about a steampunk retelling of Jane Eyre, I geared up for its release. I am always up for a retelling of this book. And I've had spectacular success in the past. This one is not YA, or even New Adult, and I could tell it relied more heavily on the rich fantasy aspects of the world and story, all of which I was eager to fall into. I love the cover, particularly the iron mask, and everything about it just had the ring of excellence to it. This is not to say that I wasn't apprehensive, because there's always a bit of that when you go into a retelling of any kind, isn't there? But do any of you ever start to tire of your own wariness when it comes to upcoming releases? I go back and forth between feeling justifyingly jaded (particularly when it comes to oversaturated genres or tropes) and feeling like shaking off all my suspicion and caution and just jumping in like I used to as a kid. Because the exhaustion of both maintaining expectations and forcing yourself not to have them . . . it's exhausting. So all of that to say that when an ARC floated my way via NetGalley, I didn't even blink before downloading it to my nook and settling in that evening.
Jane Eliot survived the Great War. They don't call it a victory as the Fey just up and disappeared rather than outright lost. But the humans who survived are altered beyond recognition. Some of them inwardly and some of them (like Jane) very much outwardly. Those struck by Fey fire during the war bear a curse. The curse not only affects the victim but spills out from the site of the wound onto all those they come into contact with. Each curse is different. For Jane, it is rage. From the jagged scars on her face that never heal, rages pours through her and onto those she encounters. That is until she stumbles across the Foundry. There ironworkers create what they call ironskin. These pieces of iron attach to their bodies over the wounds, sealing them in, preventing the curses from affecting passersby. And so Jane wears a mask, and all the rage is bottled inside. Nevertheless, when she applies for a job taking care of the reclusive Mr. Rochart's daughter Dorie, she does cherish some small hope that in this wild, remote location she might find a place where she could belong. Of course, Mr. Rochart, his daughter, and the entire household are so strange that Jane begins to feel the normal one. Despite her mask and veil. Despite the rage boiling under her skin. For something very wrong lurks behind the doors of her new home and Jane may find her mask is not the only one keeping curses at bay.
This is a fantastic setup. I found myself instantly caught up in the whole notion of the ironskin, of seeping curses from fey wounds, of Jane filled with an unnatural post-war rage. I even enjoyed Connolly's revisionist version of Mr. Rochart's uber-creepy secret. The whole world, its history, the way it was peopled, and the horrors they bore set my imagination racing. I couldn't wait to watch it play out. But then it . . . didn't. Unfortunately, I felt as though the writing itself never matched up to the premise, which was grandly dark. The words just plodded along, never rising above serviceable, never engaging in an organic way with the world's potential to really give the story wings. Add to that the fact that the characterization just stagnated after the beginning. Jane herself is primed to be a force in her own story, yet she remains flat throughout. Mr. Rochart comes off as a mere placeholder, and I felt as though I was waiting the entire novel for the "real" Mr. Rochart to reveal himself, or at least make an entrance on stage. No such luck. And without any actual chemistry between those two key players, it's quite
March 19, 2013
Ironskin is a clever re-telling of Jane Eyre with a delicious heaping tablespoon of faerie thrown in. Since Jane Eyre is tied for my favorite book of all time, I definitely loved that about this book. I appreciated catching the references to the original novel and reading the author's original story with her own ideas based on this beloved classic. In other words, this is not a word for word redux of Jane Eyre. Instead it's a "what if?" sort of take on the novel by Charlotte Brontë.
I am captivated with the post-World War I period and the twenties, and it was a big plus that this book is set somewhere in that late 1910s-early 1920s period. Also, the infusion of faerie into the modern period that would seem incongruous but wasn't. The Gothic atmosphere is prominent, and the menacing allure of faerie magic. Don't look for friendly fey in this book. They are mean and vicious, and terribly insidious. The fey storyline turns out to be quite interesting and unsettling. Connolly taps into the essence of Post-War morals, the shunning of deep things and an enhanced superficiality. Shallow above substance. While the Great War is quite different in this book, the scars it left on society are similarly wounding to the survivors, and the society grabs onto the bright phony allure when so little of the Pre-War way of life is left behind.
Most of the characters are walking wounded, with some who seem blatantly unsympathetic. It takes a while to see where Connolly was going, which impacted my rating, honestly. Even until the end, I felt ambivalent, and the story was rather ambiguous. And yet, there was something impactful about this book. I think Connolly connected to the aesthetic in me. The appeal was in the dreamy and artful descriptions of the house and characters and the manner in which she revealed characters, with descriptions and body language telling much of who the characters were even before they open their mouths. Additionally, the characters' emotions were seething off the page. For this reader, that always speaks loudly when reading a novel. Jane, a tortured heroine who is drifting and surviving, because she has no other choice. When she finds a home with Mr. Rochart and his daughter Dorie, she fears it's an elusive dream, because of persistent feelings of inadequacy and a lack of self-worth. In this way she differs from Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre is ever-aware of her shortcomings, but her sense of self is so strong. She is a tiny ball of determination and powerful will. She refuses to settle for less than she deserves, even if that means denying herself the man she loves. This Jane has to grow into that, and while I wasn't happy with some of the choices she made, I was happy that she found the fighter within that was buried under a mountain of hurt. Mr. Rochart is more vague and lacks the vibrancy of Rochester. He's also not as abrasive as Rochester, which is an enduring part of this character's appeal to fans of the novel. But I think he's a better fit for this Jane. He's her Rochester in the end. Dorie had such an impact on me. The lonely, troubled child in need of love and care that Jane is able to connect with. She is one of those younger characters that inspires the mothering urge in me. Also Poule's character. I can't speak on her at length, since it would spoil what was a very novel part of this book.
While Ironskin was a good book, it just didn't satisfy me completely. There was a sense of inertia when I read. As though the story wanted to get someone but it wandered aimlessly in a series of ever-widening circles. I'm not sure if that effectively conveys how I felt as I read, but it's as close as I can articulate at this time. The aspects of this story that appealed to me are significant, which is why I would recommend reading it. I just wanted more momentum in this book. Ultimately, I did appreciate the underlying themes. It speaks on the power of substance and will over all that glitters. Also that our wounds and scars can make us stronger, because they are tangible evidence of the inner truth. That we are survivors, down deep. We must just find that core of strength to prevail over our doubts and fears to grab hold of what we desire and need most in this life.
Overall rating: 3.5/5.0 stars.
I am captivated with the post-World War I period and the twenties, and it was a big plus that this book is set somewhere in that late 1910s-early 1920s period. Also, the infusion of faerie into the modern period that would seem incongruous but wasn't. The Gothic atmosphere is prominent, and the menacing allure of faerie magic. Don't look for friendly fey in this book. They are mean and vicious, and terribly insidious. The fey storyline turns out to be quite interesting and unsettling. Connolly taps into the essence of Post-War morals, the shunning of deep things and an enhanced superficiality. Shallow above substance. While the Great War is quite different in this book, the scars it left on society are similarly wounding to the survivors, and the society grabs onto the bright phony allure when so little of the Pre-War way of life is left behind.
Most of the characters are walking wounded, with some who seem blatantly unsympathetic. It takes a while to see where Connolly was going, which impacted my rating, honestly. Even until the end, I felt ambivalent, and the story was rather ambiguous. And yet, there was something impactful about this book. I think Connolly connected to the aesthetic in me. The appeal was in the dreamy and artful descriptions of the house and characters and the manner in which she revealed characters, with descriptions and body language telling much of who the characters were even before they open their mouths. Additionally, the characters' emotions were seething off the page. For this reader, that always speaks loudly when reading a novel. Jane, a tortured heroine who is drifting and surviving, because she has no other choice. When she finds a home with Mr. Rochart and his daughter Dorie, she fears it's an elusive dream, because of persistent feelings of inadequacy and a lack of self-worth. In this way she differs from Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre is ever-aware of her shortcomings, but her sense of self is so strong. She is a tiny ball of determination and powerful will. She refuses to settle for less than she deserves, even if that means denying herself the man she loves. This Jane has to grow into that, and while I wasn't happy with some of the choices she made, I was happy that she found the fighter within that was buried under a mountain of hurt. Mr. Rochart is more vague and lacks the vibrancy of Rochester. He's also not as abrasive as Rochester, which is an enduring part of this character's appeal to fans of the novel. But I think he's a better fit for this Jane. He's her Rochester in the end. Dorie had such an impact on me. The lonely, troubled child in need of love and care that Jane is able to connect with. She is one of those younger characters that inspires the mothering urge in me. Also Poule's character. I can't speak on her at length, since it would spoil what was a very novel part of this book.
While Ironskin was a good book, it just didn't satisfy me completely. There was a sense of inertia when I read. As though the story wanted to get someone but it wandered aimlessly in a series of ever-widening circles. I'm not sure if that effectively conveys how I felt as I read, but it's as close as I can articulate at this time. The aspects of this story that appealed to me are significant, which is why I would recommend reading it. I just wanted more momentum in this book. Ultimately, I did appreciate the underlying themes. It speaks on the power of substance and will over all that glitters. Also that our wounds and scars can make us stronger, because they are tangible evidence of the inner truth. That we are survivors, down deep. We must just find that core of strength to prevail over our doubts and fears to grab hold of what we desire and need most in this life.
Overall rating: 3.5/5.0 stars.
November 13, 2015
Fantastic in parts and very muddled in others... unsure what to think
June 28, 2016
2.7 unwrinkle stars
Aqui tenemos una suerte de mash-up de Jane Eyre, en donde se conserva el aire gótico de una casona en los páramos, con gárgolas y recovecos, un viudo con una niña mimada, más unos secretos que esta vez tienen que ver más con la post guerra con los fey.
Hay pequeños cambios en los nombres: Jane Eliot, Roshart, Poule. El resto tiene poco que ver. Asunto del que hasta la autora hace una breve referencia. Protegido para los que no hayan leido a Eyre ;)
“Some average men set up trade, of a sort, with the fey,” he said, “and many curious things were brought over to ease human existence. Blue-lit fey technology replaced human invention, and it never occurred to the men who traded for bluepacks to run lights and cameras that everything had its own price, its own story.
Esta Jane no es una huérfana vilependiada por una tia, sino una sobreviviente de la guerra que le ha dejado una quemadura en el rostro provocada por metralla de una bomba. Estas heridas de la guerra con los fey dejan maldiciones tras de sí; la maldición de Jane es la ira, la cual combate usando una máscara de hierro. Y dejenme decir que eso de las bombas Buena idea, con algo de lado scifi-alien hasta en eso.
La historia tal vez hubiese tenido mayor puntuación, pero tuve bastantes problemas para meterme en la historia, y hasta más allá de dos tercios casi no pasaba nada. Además del hecho que esta Jane siendo una joven práctica termine cayendo por un hombre que no le dirige la palabra más que dos veces en varios meses, y que le toca el hombro una vez.... plissss. Creo que cae entonces bastante en lo del cuento de hadas, hasta con alusiones a Bestia , con eso de las maldiciones, el antiheroe y todo eso.
Donde se me cae el cuento es con respecto a la trama es con respecto a la reina de las hadas , que segun las cuentas es más vieja que Matusalem y vamos después de años de tratar con humanos , no puede darse cuenta de los peligros de hacer tratos con ellos.
Ahora que Jane haya aceptado a fin de cuentas ser tan vanidosa como el resto, es humano y más aceptable, pero las consecuencias que ella no parece pensar entonces, no tanto.
Esa es la moraleja? Acepta como eres y saca provecho de eso?
La mayor victima sigue siendo la pobre Dorie, pobre niña, va a necesitar años y años de terapia :(
De todos modos, pienso leer la segunda parte que dicen que es mejor, habrá que verlo.
Aqui tenemos una suerte de mash-up de Jane Eyre, en donde se conserva el aire gótico de una casona en los páramos, con gárgolas y recovecos, un viudo con una niña mimada, más unos secretos que esta vez tienen que ver más con la post guerra con los fey.
Hay pequeños cambios en los nombres: Jane Eliot, Roshart, Poule. El resto tiene poco que ver. Asunto del que hasta la autora hace una breve referencia. Protegido para los que no hayan leido a Eyre ;)
“Some average men set up trade, of a sort, with the fey,” he said, “and many curious things were brought over to ease human existence. Blue-lit fey technology replaced human invention, and it never occurred to the men who traded for bluepacks to run lights and cameras that everything had its own price, its own story.
Esta Jane no es una huérfana vilependiada por una tia, sino una sobreviviente de la guerra que le ha dejado una quemadura en el rostro provocada por metralla de una bomba. Estas heridas de la guerra con los fey dejan maldiciones tras de sí; la maldición de Jane es la ira, la cual combate usando una máscara de hierro. Y dejenme decir que eso de las bombas Buena idea, con algo de lado scifi-alien hasta en eso.
La historia tal vez hubiese tenido mayor puntuación, pero tuve bastantes problemas para meterme en la historia, y hasta más allá de dos tercios casi no pasaba nada. Además del hecho que esta Jane siendo una joven práctica termine cayendo por un hombre que no le dirige la palabra más que dos veces en varios meses, y que le toca el hombro una vez.... plissss. Creo que cae entonces bastante en lo del cuento de hadas, hasta con alusiones a Bestia , con eso de las maldiciones, el antiheroe y todo eso.
Donde se me cae el cuento es con respecto a la trama es con respecto a la reina de las hadas , que segun las cuentas es más vieja que Matusalem y vamos después de años de tratar con humanos , no puede darse cuenta de los peligros de hacer tratos con ellos.
Ahora que Jane haya aceptado a fin de cuentas ser tan vanidosa como el resto, es humano y más aceptable, pero las consecuencias que ella no parece pensar entonces, no tanto.
Esa es la moraleja? Acepta como eres y saca provecho de eso?
La mayor victima sigue siendo la pobre Dorie, pobre niña, va a necesitar años y años de terapia :(
De todos modos, pienso leer la segunda parte que dicen que es mejor, habrá que verlo.
August 23, 2013
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.
December 3, 2012
I started out liking this book. It had a clever setting and an interesting story. I enjoyed reading about this world that once ran on fairy magic and then had to adjust after its sudden loss. I loved reading about Jane and Dorie interacting and was curious to see how Dorie's conflict would be resolved. And then, like so many other books, everything went to hell as soon as the love interest showed up.
I hated every single scene with Edward. He was so poorly written that he didn't even come off as a jerk or anything, he was just...weird. Jane's reactions to him were weird. He didn't seem like a person, not a good person or a bad person. He was just a collection of odd-ball comments and nonsense that made Jane infinitely more annoying as she blathered on about his 'archaic' speech. I was not aware that 'archaic' meant 'using the same vernacular as everyone else, but having nothing to do with the subject at hand.'
And then everything just went downhill. Bits of the book were still good, but it turned into some Frankenstein mess of a novel, like it had been cobbled together out of multiple previous drafts, but the pieces didn't quite fit right. There were too many stories going on at once, and no attempt to make them flow. Everything had an overblown reaction attached to it, nothing was allowed to happen naturally, and there were several points where I had to flip through the pages wondering if I'd missed something, because the pacing was just that off.
I finally gave up on the novel about 2/3rds in, when Jane decided to make a big deal about the 'rage curse' that she had, going on about how her iron skin 'kept all the rage inside.' She didn't rage once in this novel. Not once. She didn't suppress her rage or get hindered by it or anything. She was, frankly, a very normal character with rather tepid emotions, and the only concession given to this 'curse' was that she angested about being angry now and then, even though she never got angry.
It's really a shame. If the story had stuck to being about Jane and Dorie and their respective curses, if Edward had stayed a mysterious distant employer and not some walking ball of insta-love, this could have been an excellent novel. (And if there had been a better line editor. The writing in this was downright irritating at times, and just average at its best. I got the feeling that it was trying to hard to sound Regency-era-ish, but the author didn't actually know how to do that, so it ended up a poor imitation with terrible grammar and inconsistent tenses.)
I hated every single scene with Edward. He was so poorly written that he didn't even come off as a jerk or anything, he was just...weird. Jane's reactions to him were weird. He didn't seem like a person, not a good person or a bad person. He was just a collection of odd-ball comments and nonsense that made Jane infinitely more annoying as she blathered on about his 'archaic' speech. I was not aware that 'archaic' meant 'using the same vernacular as everyone else, but having nothing to do with the subject at hand.'
And then everything just went downhill. Bits of the book were still good, but it turned into some Frankenstein mess of a novel, like it had been cobbled together out of multiple previous drafts, but the pieces didn't quite fit right. There were too many stories going on at once, and no attempt to make them flow. Everything had an overblown reaction attached to it, nothing was allowed to happen naturally, and there were several points where I had to flip through the pages wondering if I'd missed something, because the pacing was just that off.
I finally gave up on the novel about 2/3rds in, when Jane decided to make a big deal about the 'rage curse' that she had, going on about how her iron skin 'kept all the rage inside.' She didn't rage once in this novel. Not once. She didn't suppress her rage or get hindered by it or anything. She was, frankly, a very normal character with rather tepid emotions, and the only concession given to this 'curse' was that she angested about being angry now and then, even though she never got angry.
It's really a shame. If the story had stuck to being about Jane and Dorie and their respective curses, if Edward had stayed a mysterious distant employer and not some walking ball of insta-love, this could have been an excellent novel. (And if there had been a better line editor. The writing in this was downright irritating at times, and just average at its best. I got the feeling that it was trying to hard to sound Regency-era-ish, but the author didn't actually know how to do that, so it ended up a poor imitation with terrible grammar and inconsistent tenses.)
November 6, 2014
What a beautifully layered story! For what seemed like a Jane Eyre retelling with supernatural elements, I was expecting something more straightforward and recognizably similar to the plot structure of Jane Eyre, but this novel was full of the unexpected! It does not directly follow the arc of Jane Eyre, but infuses the spirit and romance of the original novel into a new story. I found the relationship between Jane and her pupil, Dorie, unexpectedly complex, as Jane struggles to get through to her and in the end through Dorie, Jane comes to realize something very important about herself. The author also sets up a strong history in the narrative, with the Great War, and the influence of the ultimately treacherous fey adding to an intricate fictional/ alternate reality where humans are still struggling to recover from the effects of war and the loss of the fey-technology. The details of this history and Jane Eliot’s involvement is slowly meted out however, so there is a feeling of tension as you try to catch up on what everything means.
What I liked best about this story is how the author weaved in many elements - fantasy romance with touches of steampunk, and nods to Beauty and the Beast as well as elements of Jane Eyre - to create a heavily atmospheric, dark tale of love and beauty and secrets. The nature of the secrets are very unpredictable, just like Edward Rochart, the mysterious widower artist, who sees Jane Eliot not as fey cursed, but as a brave, strong woman. And yet Jane struggles to cope with her past, and her curse, and to find the self-respect she needs to accept love, making this novel a gloriously touching romance between two damaged people. Although I could have used a little more development between Jane and Edward’s relationship, and there are still some unanswered questions as to the nature of the fey (but this is the first book in a series), I loved this intricate, intelligent, Gothic tale and I highly recommend it to fantasy and Jane Eyre fans!
What I liked best about this story is how the author weaved in many elements - fantasy romance with touches of steampunk, and nods to Beauty and the Beast as well as elements of Jane Eyre - to create a heavily atmospheric, dark tale of love and beauty and secrets. The nature of the secrets are very unpredictable, just like Edward Rochart, the mysterious widower artist, who sees Jane Eliot not as fey cursed, but as a brave, strong woman. And yet Jane struggles to cope with her past, and her curse, and to find the self-respect she needs to accept love, making this novel a gloriously touching romance between two damaged people. Although I could have used a little more development between Jane and Edward’s relationship, and there are still some unanswered questions as to the nature of the fey (but this is the first book in a series), I loved this intricate, intelligent, Gothic tale and I highly recommend it to fantasy and Jane Eyre fans!
August 8, 2013
"When what you hope for appears on your doorstep, there is every reason to doubt its reality."
A re-telling of the classic tale of Jane Eyre interwoven with cool metals and threads of fae mythology and magic, Ironskin is an unforgettable story exploring the beauty behind the mask.
Whether that mask be one of iron, or the facade one shows to the world.
A re-telling of the classic tale of Jane Eyre interwoven with cool metals and threads of fae mythology and magic, Ironskin is an unforgettable story exploring the beauty behind the mask.
Whether that mask be one of iron, or the facade one shows to the world.
October 23, 2012
Oh, alas and woe is me that I did not enjoy this more. I TRIED to love it. I WANTED to love it. I did not love it. In the end, I didn't even like it. I didn't care a single bit for any character. I didn't care if they lived or died, were happy or sad, or whatever. NOTHING.
Gah.
I hate it when that happens, even more so when it's a book that I had such high expectations for. It's partly my fault too, for trying to push off my expectations onto a book. I took one look at that fantastic cover and thought, "Jane Eyre meets Phantom of the Opera...WIN!" There were elements of Jane Eyre present, which I thought were almost well done. (No Phantom of the Opera, but I don't subtract any points for that...the book was never billed as a retelling of PotO.)
It started out strong. I was immediately sucked into the story and couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen. I had a pretty good framework for events that needed to happen, based on Jane Eyre. With the strong start, I expected it to be fantastic all the way through. Sadly, it was not. I started losing interest about 1/3 of the way through, but I'd promised to read it and give an honest review. So I slogged on. There were many times I would have rather set it aside and not finished, but that pesky little voice kept telling me that I was obligated. So I finished.
I'm afraid that the first few chapters were the only things I liked about this one. After that, there was no connection. Jane was weak, Edward was creepy, Dorie was...well, odd is the kindest word I can think of to describe Dorie. When I started cheering for the bad guys to just come in and wipe the humans out, I knew it was over for me & this book.
With the story, it felt a little disjointed to me. Nothing quite fit. Maybe that was the point, and it's some sort of metaphor for how Jane doesn't really fit in. OOOHH. I actually quite like that idea, and if that's the case, the bravo to Ms. Connolly because it works. (and if you wanted to know, that was not sarcastic.) If it wasn't a metaphor, then it falls flat for me.
In all honesty, I felt like this a lot of the time:
And this:
In the end, it turns out that I'm just not meant for a relationship with some books. I would never say that this was poorly written, because I don't think it was. It just wasn't for me. It might be just the thing for someone else, so before deciding to never pick it up, give it a shot and see. I'd LOVE to see someone else absolutely love it, because it would just prove us all right when we say that every book has a home.
Ironskin was a 1.5 Eiffel Tower book for me, because I really did enjoy those first few chapters.
Content Advisory:
Language: Mild
Sexuality: Mild
Violence: Moderate
Gah.
I hate it when that happens, even more so when it's a book that I had such high expectations for. It's partly my fault too, for trying to push off my expectations onto a book. I took one look at that fantastic cover and thought, "Jane Eyre meets Phantom of the Opera...WIN!" There were elements of Jane Eyre present, which I thought were almost well done. (No Phantom of the Opera, but I don't subtract any points for that...the book was never billed as a retelling of PotO.)
It started out strong. I was immediately sucked into the story and couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen. I had a pretty good framework for events that needed to happen, based on Jane Eyre. With the strong start, I expected it to be fantastic all the way through. Sadly, it was not. I started losing interest about 1/3 of the way through, but I'd promised to read it and give an honest review. So I slogged on. There were many times I would have rather set it aside and not finished, but that pesky little voice kept telling me that I was obligated. So I finished.
I'm afraid that the first few chapters were the only things I liked about this one. After that, there was no connection. Jane was weak, Edward was creepy, Dorie was...well, odd is the kindest word I can think of to describe Dorie. When I started cheering for the bad guys to just come in and wipe the humans out, I knew it was over for me & this book.
With the story, it felt a little disjointed to me. Nothing quite fit. Maybe that was the point, and it's some sort of metaphor for how Jane doesn't really fit in. OOOHH. I actually quite like that idea, and if that's the case, the bravo to Ms. Connolly because it works. (and if you wanted to know, that was not sarcastic.) If it wasn't a metaphor, then it falls flat for me.
In all honesty, I felt like this a lot of the time:
And this:
In the end, it turns out that I'm just not meant for a relationship with some books. I would never say that this was poorly written, because I don't think it was. It just wasn't for me. It might be just the thing for someone else, so before deciding to never pick it up, give it a shot and see. I'd LOVE to see someone else absolutely love it, because it would just prove us all right when we say that every book has a home.
Ironskin was a 1.5 Eiffel Tower book for me, because I really did enjoy those first few chapters.
Content Advisory:
Language: Mild
Sexuality: Mild
Violence: Moderate
August 31, 2015
Another addition to my Jane Eyre retellings shelf. I'm hugely biased because of the source material, and full disclaimer, I also know the author and enjoy her greatly as a person.
That said... great book. Full on Jane Eyre retelling awesomeness, dark and compelling, with a dish of Tam Lin on the side.
Jane has survived a fairy war; the images of fighting the fairy war are extremely powerful and evocative. World-building in high concept scenarios so often lets me down, but this was both subtle and strong. The fey are odd and amazing, and fascinatingly engender a kind of technological revolution far ahead of the natural order of things.
But I address these JE retellings on their JEness, not their own merits (ridiculously, but we all have our bears to cross).
This version of the story gives Jane a fully realized family past. She has a living sister, and memories of her mother and brother. This is an orphan Jane but not on the same level as our original heroine. She's a governess/teacher, as is proper for a Jane Eyre retelling, but Gateshead is a battlefield where Jane fought and her brother died; and Lowood is a forge where people afflicted with fairy curses are "rehabilitated" by fitting them with cold iron prosthetics--hence the name, Ironskin.
Edward Rochart is far more Tam Lin than he is Rochester, in my mind; I did not see a whole lot of Rochester's over the top adoration for his Jane, but more of Tam Lin's purposeful and vaguely cynical use of Janet. Am I reading too much into that? Maybe. Rochart was not my favorite version of Rochester, nor my favorite character in this book, but Jane more than made up for it through one simple authorial choice: rage.
Jane's fairy curse is rage. She's been scarred, and the scar gives her rage and radiates rage toward everyone else. When she's actually angry, the rage intensifies the anger. Iron stops it, but it's poisoning her internally.
One of the things that movie adaptations so often fail with regard to Jane Eyre is adequately conveying the roiling inner turmoil of Jane, which includes the, well, rage that lives within her and causes everything from her behavior as a child in the Red Room on up through her declaration as Rochester's equal through her denial of St. John's offer of loveless marriage. It is often mistaken for passion, that rage, and that's not wrong; but it's passion in the traditional sense of the word, it's the suffering Jane endures, born of the mountain of injustices she's been buried under. That raging Jane is the Jane I understood, subtextually, when I first read Jane Eyre when I was 13; and it's the raging Jane who is so often glossed over in reinterpretations, adaptations, analysis, and commentary.
It was really nice to see her here, in Connolly's version.
That said... great book. Full on Jane Eyre retelling awesomeness, dark and compelling, with a dish of Tam Lin on the side.
Jane has survived a fairy war; the images of fighting the fairy war are extremely powerful and evocative. World-building in high concept scenarios so often lets me down, but this was both subtle and strong. The fey are odd and amazing, and fascinatingly engender a kind of technological revolution far ahead of the natural order of things.
But I address these JE retellings on their JEness, not their own merits (ridiculously, but we all have our bears to cross).
This version of the story gives Jane a fully realized family past. She has a living sister, and memories of her mother and brother. This is an orphan Jane but not on the same level as our original heroine. She's a governess/teacher, as is proper for a Jane Eyre retelling, but Gateshead is a battlefield where Jane fought and her brother died; and Lowood is a forge where people afflicted with fairy curses are "rehabilitated" by fitting them with cold iron prosthetics--hence the name, Ironskin.
Edward Rochart is far more Tam Lin than he is Rochester, in my mind; I did not see a whole lot of Rochester's over the top adoration for his Jane, but more of Tam Lin's purposeful and vaguely cynical use of Janet. Am I reading too much into that? Maybe. Rochart was not my favorite version of Rochester, nor my favorite character in this book, but Jane more than made up for it through one simple authorial choice: rage.
Jane's fairy curse is rage. She's been scarred, and the scar gives her rage and radiates rage toward everyone else. When she's actually angry, the rage intensifies the anger. Iron stops it, but it's poisoning her internally.
One of the things that movie adaptations so often fail with regard to Jane Eyre is adequately conveying the roiling inner turmoil of Jane, which includes the, well, rage that lives within her and causes everything from her behavior as a child in the Red Room on up through her declaration as Rochester's equal through her denial of St. John's offer of loveless marriage. It is often mistaken for passion, that rage, and that's not wrong; but it's passion in the traditional sense of the word, it's the suffering Jane endures, born of the mountain of injustices she's been buried under. That raging Jane is the Jane I understood, subtextually, when I first read Jane Eyre when I was 13; and it's the raging Jane who is so often glossed over in reinterpretations, adaptations, analysis, and commentary.
It was really nice to see her here, in Connolly's version.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2012
I was intrigued by the concept behind this take on Jane Eyre, and I'm open to new spins on old tales. Unfortunately, writers have a tough task ahead of them when they take on projects like these, because comparisons to the original are inevitable. Readers don't expect the same story, but we expect many of the elements that we loved so much in the source--and unfortunately, Ironskin's charms fall short of Jane Eyre's in every respect.
The world in this novel doesn't feel fully realized; we're given just enough information about the Great War between the humans and fey to understand the plot, but not enough for a feeling of immersion. The relationship between Jane and Edward rings hollow, because not enough care is taken to develop the tension between them in that slow, careful dance Charlotte Brontë choreographed so masterfully. Here, they seem to realize they're in love with each other because the author decided it was time for them to do so. (And truthfully, a number of teams who've adapted Jane Eyre for movies or television have made the same mistake.)
As individuals, the characters hold up no better than their relationship. This Jane isn't unlikable; she does share the bravery, stubbornness, and determination of her predecessor. However, she also comes up short. And while this Rochart says some of the right things, adopts some of the quirky mannerisms, ultimately, I'm not sure why anyone, let alone Jane, would fall in love with him. The appeal just isn't there.
I'm not sure I can go with more than two stars because I couldn't truly recommend this novel to anybody. Brontë fans will likely be disappointed, and readers who've never read Brontë would be better off with another choice from the paranormal romance or historical romance aisle.
The world in this novel doesn't feel fully realized; we're given just enough information about the Great War between the humans and fey to understand the plot, but not enough for a feeling of immersion. The relationship between Jane and Edward rings hollow, because not enough care is taken to develop the tension between them in that slow, careful dance Charlotte Brontë choreographed so masterfully. Here, they seem to realize they're in love with each other because the author decided it was time for them to do so. (And truthfully, a number of teams who've adapted Jane Eyre for movies or television have made the same mistake.)
As individuals, the characters hold up no better than their relationship. This Jane isn't unlikable; she does share the bravery, stubbornness, and determination of her predecessor. However, she also comes up short. And while this Rochart says some of the right things, adopts some of the quirky mannerisms, ultimately, I'm not sure why anyone, let alone Jane, would fall in love with him. The appeal just isn't there.
I'm not sure I can go with more than two stars because I couldn't truly recommend this novel to anybody. Brontë fans will likely be disappointed, and readers who've never read Brontë would be better off with another choice from the paranormal romance or historical romance aisle.
December 29, 2013
I wasn't sure about Ironskin at all when I initially picked it up. I'd seen the comparisons to Beauty and the Beast, and I knew it was based somewhat on Jane Eyre. I don't generally like stories based on classic novels, and Jane Eyre is one of my favourites, but as I got into this, I rather liked it. It doesn't follow the novel too closely, doesn't break its own logic to fit the novel's plotline; it makes and sustains a world of its own. There are parallels, more than similarities, if that distinction makes sense.
I enjoyed the first half of Ironskin quite a lot; I know other people found it slow, but I enjoyed that. The romance is, of course, quite closely parallel with Jane Eyre and Mr Rochester, so I can't really fault it for the brevity of that aspect. It isn't quite as compelling as the original, though.
Towards the last third or so of the book, it gained a lot of momentum and became a much more important (in the sense of far reaching consequences for the world) story. And... I didn't like that so much. Sometimes you get sick of people saving the world -- I wanted the story of Jane saving herself, Dorie and Edward, not the world. I wanted it to end on a more personal note.
The strength Jane finds isn't a bad thing, but the story just didn't take a direction I was interested in. The high drama of the last third after the post-war calm at the beginning didn't work. I was prepared for an introspective story about recovery, from the beginning, and it became a story about war.
It's a very interesting idea, and I enjoyed the fey lore and the set up. I don't know if I'll read more books in this series -- my heart sank rather when it diverted almost completely from Jane Eyre. We'll see!
I enjoyed the first half of Ironskin quite a lot; I know other people found it slow, but I enjoyed that. The romance is, of course, quite closely parallel with Jane Eyre and Mr Rochester, so I can't really fault it for the brevity of that aspect. It isn't quite as compelling as the original, though.
Towards the last third or so of the book, it gained a lot of momentum and became a much more important (in the sense of far reaching consequences for the world) story. And... I didn't like that so much. Sometimes you get sick of people saving the world -- I wanted the story of Jane saving herself, Dorie and Edward, not the world. I wanted it to end on a more personal note.
The strength Jane finds isn't a bad thing, but the story just didn't take a direction I was interested in. The high drama of the last third after the post-war calm at the beginning didn't work. I was prepared for an introspective story about recovery, from the beginning, and it became a story about war.
It's a very interesting idea, and I enjoyed the fey lore and the set up. I don't know if I'll read more books in this series -- my heart sank rather when it diverted almost completely from Jane Eyre. We'll see!
August 5, 2012
"Ironskin" is an unfortunate example of chemistry gone wrong. Sometimes you combine the correct ingredients but your technique is off, and Bob's-your-uncle, you've got no eyebrows. Like many of the other reviewers, I wanted to like Ironskin. I really did. I was sincerely looking forward to this galley. I stuck with it to the bitter end, hoping against hope that things would improve, that the plot would develop, that the clumsy writing would even out. I was not rewarded for my patience. Perhaps in the hands of a more experienced author with a better editor this could have been a good novel, but as it was, it was indulgent, tedious nonsense. Save your money and time. If you need a good Gothic romance send-up with a fantasy twist, read Sarah Rees Brennan's upcoming title "Unspoken" instead.
July 21, 2012
I'm EXTREMELY wary of retellings of classic tales, and I admit that at first, the obvious similarities to Jane Eyre had me very hesitant.
That said, there was more than enough originality to the story to keep me on my toes, and with several unexpected plot twists as well as just enough of a cliffhanger to have me dying for the next installment (without making me want to scream in frustration), I stayed up all night reading this because I couldn't stand the thought of putting it down.
A very solid 4.5/5, with a full review to follow.
That said, there was more than enough originality to the story to keep me on my toes, and with several unexpected plot twists as well as just enough of a cliffhanger to have me dying for the next installment (without making me want to scream in frustration), I stayed up all night reading this because I couldn't stand the thought of putting it down.
A very solid 4.5/5, with a full review to follow.
December 27, 2012
OKAY listen, this book caught my eye hard, and I really thought the premise was interesting (Fey power + Jane Eyre). There were some cool things, and I 100% enjoyed the first half of the book. And then....
SPOILERS:
WE GET TO THE FACE PEELING. I COULDNT DEAL GUYS, GROSS! It turned into a bad reality show about plastic surgery gone wrong, OMG I was so grossed out by the ending. ANYWHOO...if you like horror you might dig this book, it's just VERY different from what I thought it was going in.
SPOILERS:
WE GET TO THE FACE PEELING. I COULDNT DEAL GUYS, GROSS! It turned into a bad reality show about plastic surgery gone wrong, OMG I was so grossed out by the ending. ANYWHOO...if you like horror you might dig this book, it's just VERY different from what I thought it was going in.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 19, 2012
Three and half stars: A new spin on Jane Eyre with deadly Fey, steampunk and more.
Jane takes a deep breath and eyes the strange house, obviously of Fey architecture. She is here seeking a governess position, and unfortunately for a girl like her she is running out of options. Jane adjusts the iron mask on her cheek and tightens the long veil around her face. She is greeted by Mr. Rochart. He seems unperturbed by her masked appearance, and he immediately offers her the job. She is to help care for his daughter who is cursed with some unique fey abilities. Jane has her work cut out for her, but she settles in undaunted. But things are not as they seem in this house. Her employer keeps odd hours and has an array of beautiful women as clients. He supposedly is an artist creating masks that Jane considers to be hideous. Is Mr. Rochart a dashing heartbreaker or is there something more?
What I Liked:
*First, I have never completed Jane Eyre. I tried to read the book twice during my teenage years and I could not get through either Bronte sister book. Now, it isn't because I don't have patience for the classics. I adore classic literature and have read more than my fair share of these great works, but for whatever reason, Jane Eyre is just one book that didn't appeal to me. Perhaps I should consider it again now that I am older. Needless to say, I can't compare Ironskin to the classic, but I can tell you after reading this one that it is a strong departure from the original. This book is set in an alternate steampunk world populated by deadly Fey. So if you go into this one expecting an accurate retelling of the classic novel you will likely be disappointed. If you pick this up looking for something different you will enjoy it. So it is best to get rid of any preconceived notions when starting this book.
*I thoroughly enjoyed Jane's character. She is bold, determined and very capable. She is scarred and deformed but she does not let her appearance dictate her life. She refuses to hide and pity herself. Instead of taking refuge with her sister and her wealthy fiancé, Jane takes on a difficult governess job. Even when the child under her care proves to be a challenge, she doesn't back down. I liked how fierce and courageous Jane is throughout the book. I especially liked the way she dealt with her deformity. I particularly enjoyed the added fey curse to Jane's injury. Jane's face was scarred and deformed by a fae bomb, and now her cheek carries a fey curse that causes rage. I thought this added unique aspect was particularly interesting, and I liked watching how Jane's understanding of her affliction evolves. Jane is definitely an admirable heroine.
*I liked the mystery in this book. There is the uncertainty of what is really going on in the house, what is Mr. Rochart doing? I also liked the anxiety regarding the Fey. Not knowing if they would suddenly materialize again and once again take up arms against the humans. This book keeps you continuously guessing until the final pages.
*I personally enjoyed the romance in this one. It is a slow burner....Jane for the past five years has hidden her face and accepted that fact that no man will willingly touch her or pay attention to her because of her iron mask, but Mr. Rochart from the first meeting is not intimidated by her appearance. What follows is a slow and steady attraction, a touch here, a look there, denials, fleeting thoughts, blushing cheeks... finally culminating with Jane's sudden realization that she has feelings for Edward. This is certainly not a torrid romance, and for the most part it is quiet and not the main focus, but I liked that it took its time developing. If you are expecting a hot fiery romance, this is probably not the book for you.
*I enjoyed the fey elements in the story. The Fey are deadly and mysterious. A Great War was fought against the Fey and now the world is in shambles without the fey technology that the human race had grown so dependent upon. I liked that they were always present even though the actual time that they are in the scenes is minimal. There is a constant, uneasy fear and you are just waiting for them to make their terrifying appearance.
Finally, it was nice to read a book that did not have a love triangle or a cliffhanger ending.
And The Not So Much:
*I loved the incorporation of the Fey in this book, but I wished that the book had a prologue at the beginning that quickly covered the specifics of the Great War, and the Fey and their powers and why they are so terrifying. I have read numerous books on the Fae and so I am familiar with their frightening abilities and how deadly they are. For someone who has never read a book featuring the Fey, they might be a little lost. The Great War and the Fey are recounted through flashbacks and snippets of information here and there and you must read the entire book to get a clear picture. I wanted more detail on the war and what life was like before the Fey attacked the humans and more explanation on the fall out after the war. How did the humans attain victory? How crippling was the decimation?
*I ended up being a bit confused on the whole mask idea. I especially was disappointed with Jane's decision regarding Edward's mask. I spent the whole book admiring her strength and determination to deal with her injury and then her decision regarding Edward's mask, even knowing that they are fey cursed felt a bit out of character.
*The ending was a bit chaotic for me. Jane was in a flurry going from one place to another, one minute she is at her sister's the next she is back at the house, and she makes numerous rash decisions that were a strong departure from her previous behavior.
*Finally at the end, the death and destruction of a powerful Fey just didn't sit right with me, for a being that is supposedly immortal, it seemed too easy. Is she really dead? I just didn't buy that she could be killed that easily.
Ironskin was an interesting and fun loose retelling of Jane Eyre. Keep in mind this book is a strong departure from the original and enjoy the ride. My favorite aspect of this book is Jane's fierce character and the inclusion of the deadly Fey. This was a unique read and I enjoyed it. I am looking forward to seeing how the story will continue.
Favorite Quotations:
"He was not handsome, not as Helen would describe it---not soft and small-nosed, no ruddy cheeks and chin. He was all angles, the bones of his cheek and jaw plainly visibly, and his hair leaped skyward as if it would not stay flat."
"Almost spring was the worst--the last cold and wet of winter when you were dying for bare arms and sunshine."
"The days passed and still he did not come. Jane looked for him in every shadow of curtain, every stroke of clock."
"Jane couldn't live with herself anymore. She was the lit end of a firework, a short fuse that would burst into a thousand stars."
I received an copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated and all opinions expressed are my own.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.
Jane takes a deep breath and eyes the strange house, obviously of Fey architecture. She is here seeking a governess position, and unfortunately for a girl like her she is running out of options. Jane adjusts the iron mask on her cheek and tightens the long veil around her face. She is greeted by Mr. Rochart. He seems unperturbed by her masked appearance, and he immediately offers her the job. She is to help care for his daughter who is cursed with some unique fey abilities. Jane has her work cut out for her, but she settles in undaunted. But things are not as they seem in this house. Her employer keeps odd hours and has an array of beautiful women as clients. He supposedly is an artist creating masks that Jane considers to be hideous. Is Mr. Rochart a dashing heartbreaker or is there something more?
What I Liked:
*First, I have never completed Jane Eyre. I tried to read the book twice during my teenage years and I could not get through either Bronte sister book. Now, it isn't because I don't have patience for the classics. I adore classic literature and have read more than my fair share of these great works, but for whatever reason, Jane Eyre is just one book that didn't appeal to me. Perhaps I should consider it again now that I am older. Needless to say, I can't compare Ironskin to the classic, but I can tell you after reading this one that it is a strong departure from the original. This book is set in an alternate steampunk world populated by deadly Fey. So if you go into this one expecting an accurate retelling of the classic novel you will likely be disappointed. If you pick this up looking for something different you will enjoy it. So it is best to get rid of any preconceived notions when starting this book.
*I thoroughly enjoyed Jane's character. She is bold, determined and very capable. She is scarred and deformed but she does not let her appearance dictate her life. She refuses to hide and pity herself. Instead of taking refuge with her sister and her wealthy fiancé, Jane takes on a difficult governess job. Even when the child under her care proves to be a challenge, she doesn't back down. I liked how fierce and courageous Jane is throughout the book. I especially liked the way she dealt with her deformity. I particularly enjoyed the added fey curse to Jane's injury. Jane's face was scarred and deformed by a fae bomb, and now her cheek carries a fey curse that causes rage. I thought this added unique aspect was particularly interesting, and I liked watching how Jane's understanding of her affliction evolves. Jane is definitely an admirable heroine.
*I liked the mystery in this book. There is the uncertainty of what is really going on in the house, what is Mr. Rochart doing? I also liked the anxiety regarding the Fey. Not knowing if they would suddenly materialize again and once again take up arms against the humans. This book keeps you continuously guessing until the final pages.
*I personally enjoyed the romance in this one. It is a slow burner....Jane for the past five years has hidden her face and accepted that fact that no man will willingly touch her or pay attention to her because of her iron mask, but Mr. Rochart from the first meeting is not intimidated by her appearance. What follows is a slow and steady attraction, a touch here, a look there, denials, fleeting thoughts, blushing cheeks... finally culminating with Jane's sudden realization that she has feelings for Edward. This is certainly not a torrid romance, and for the most part it is quiet and not the main focus, but I liked that it took its time developing. If you are expecting a hot fiery romance, this is probably not the book for you.
*I enjoyed the fey elements in the story. The Fey are deadly and mysterious. A Great War was fought against the Fey and now the world is in shambles without the fey technology that the human race had grown so dependent upon. I liked that they were always present even though the actual time that they are in the scenes is minimal. There is a constant, uneasy fear and you are just waiting for them to make their terrifying appearance.
Finally, it was nice to read a book that did not have a love triangle or a cliffhanger ending.
And The Not So Much:
*I loved the incorporation of the Fey in this book, but I wished that the book had a prologue at the beginning that quickly covered the specifics of the Great War, and the Fey and their powers and why they are so terrifying. I have read numerous books on the Fae and so I am familiar with their frightening abilities and how deadly they are. For someone who has never read a book featuring the Fey, they might be a little lost. The Great War and the Fey are recounted through flashbacks and snippets of information here and there and you must read the entire book to get a clear picture. I wanted more detail on the war and what life was like before the Fey attacked the humans and more explanation on the fall out after the war. How did the humans attain victory? How crippling was the decimation?
*I ended up being a bit confused on the whole mask idea. I especially was disappointed with Jane's decision regarding Edward's mask. I spent the whole book admiring her strength and determination to deal with her injury and then her decision regarding Edward's mask, even knowing that they are fey cursed felt a bit out of character.
*The ending was a bit chaotic for me. Jane was in a flurry going from one place to another, one minute she is at her sister's the next she is back at the house, and she makes numerous rash decisions that were a strong departure from her previous behavior.
*Finally at the end, the death and destruction of a powerful Fey just didn't sit right with me, for a being that is supposedly immortal, it seemed too easy. Is she really dead? I just didn't buy that she could be killed that easily.
Ironskin was an interesting and fun loose retelling of Jane Eyre. Keep in mind this book is a strong departure from the original and enjoy the ride. My favorite aspect of this book is Jane's fierce character and the inclusion of the deadly Fey. This was a unique read and I enjoyed it. I am looking forward to seeing how the story will continue.
Favorite Quotations:
"He was not handsome, not as Helen would describe it---not soft and small-nosed, no ruddy cheeks and chin. He was all angles, the bones of his cheek and jaw plainly visibly, and his hair leaped skyward as if it would not stay flat."
"Almost spring was the worst--the last cold and wet of winter when you were dying for bare arms and sunshine."
"The days passed and still he did not come. Jane looked for him in every shadow of curtain, every stroke of clock."
"Jane couldn't live with herself anymore. She was the lit end of a firework, a short fuse that would burst into a thousand stars."
I received an copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated and all opinions expressed are my own.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.
September 9, 2012
IRONSKIN took an…interesting approach to retelling Jane Eyre with fantastical elements. Inconsistent with everything from its plot to its characterization, IRONSKIN will probably be a temporarily intriguing but ultimately forgettable entry in the category of classic retellings.
Readers who love Jane Eyre will probably find fewer things objectionable in IRONSKIN. I, however, was never a fan of the bland heroine, brooding, self-deprecating hero, and the melodramatic secrets unveiled at the end of the story. IRONSKIN actually does quite a good job of sticking to the original and necessary elements of JE. Mr. Rochart channels all of Edward Rochester’s self-deprecating comments and tortured moodiness. Which, you know, if you like that sort of self-pitying thing is all well and good. The setting of the house and the mysterious woods and moor surrounding it are played up and given dark life of their own. Surface-wise, things look good for IRONSKIN to be a great, loyal retelling.
It’s when the fantastical elements are added in that IRONSKIN loses some of its credibility with me. The tricky thing about retellings is that the progression of the characters’ decisions and actions has to make sense independent of the story it’s retelling. This is why superficial retellings of Pride and Prejudice have always bothered me: one can’t just “conveniently” bring up the existence of an impending high school “ball” in order to bring the separated lovers back together, or have one if the characters arbitrarily do something inconsistent to his or her character, just to set them back onto the path of the original story. IRONSKIN suffers from this in some regard too: little happens in the first half of the book besides for Jane struggling to teach Dorie and having cryptic encounters with the moody Mr. Rochart, which means that the book had to make lots of dramatic events happen in order to bring everything to its proper, dramatic conclusion in time. The pacing was clumsy, which resulted in some of the characters’ decisions feeling contrived for the sake of sticking to the original. It really took me out of the story, the constant awareness that IRONSKIN was adhering to the plot of Jane Eyre at its every twist and turn, and kind of smushed the original JE elements and new steampunk fantasy elements together when necessary.
I realize that I talked about a lot of my critiques of this book in my review, but really, IRONSKIN wasn’t a bad read…except for that I was a bit confused about some messages regarding beauty and “normalcy” that this book seemed to be sending. The trajectory of characters’ outcomes seems to suggest that it’s okay for women to base their worth upon their physical looks. Or something. I don’t know. I couldn’t quite put my finger on the implications. IRONSKIN was an interesting steampunk fantasy take on Jane Eyre, but I think I won’t be picking up the next book, because I felt myself skimming, my eyes wandering, too often for me to feel emotionally connected enough to the characters and their story.
Readers who love Jane Eyre will probably find fewer things objectionable in IRONSKIN. I, however, was never a fan of the bland heroine, brooding, self-deprecating hero, and the melodramatic secrets unveiled at the end of the story. IRONSKIN actually does quite a good job of sticking to the original and necessary elements of JE. Mr. Rochart channels all of Edward Rochester’s self-deprecating comments and tortured moodiness. Which, you know, if you like that sort of self-pitying thing is all well and good. The setting of the house and the mysterious woods and moor surrounding it are played up and given dark life of their own. Surface-wise, things look good for IRONSKIN to be a great, loyal retelling.
It’s when the fantastical elements are added in that IRONSKIN loses some of its credibility with me. The tricky thing about retellings is that the progression of the characters’ decisions and actions has to make sense independent of the story it’s retelling. This is why superficial retellings of Pride and Prejudice have always bothered me: one can’t just “conveniently” bring up the existence of an impending high school “ball” in order to bring the separated lovers back together, or have one if the characters arbitrarily do something inconsistent to his or her character, just to set them back onto the path of the original story. IRONSKIN suffers from this in some regard too: little happens in the first half of the book besides for Jane struggling to teach Dorie and having cryptic encounters with the moody Mr. Rochart, which means that the book had to make lots of dramatic events happen in order to bring everything to its proper, dramatic conclusion in time. The pacing was clumsy, which resulted in some of the characters’ decisions feeling contrived for the sake of sticking to the original. It really took me out of the story, the constant awareness that IRONSKIN was adhering to the plot of Jane Eyre at its every twist and turn, and kind of smushed the original JE elements and new steampunk fantasy elements together when necessary.
I realize that I talked about a lot of my critiques of this book in my review, but really, IRONSKIN wasn’t a bad read…except for that I was a bit confused about some messages regarding beauty and “normalcy” that this book seemed to be sending. The trajectory of characters’ outcomes seems to suggest that it’s okay for women to base their worth upon their physical looks. Or something. I don’t know. I couldn’t quite put my finger on the implications. IRONSKIN was an interesting steampunk fantasy take on Jane Eyre, but I think I won’t be picking up the next book, because I felt myself skimming, my eyes wandering, too often for me to feel emotionally connected enough to the characters and their story.
October 14, 2012
Egalley thanks to Tor Books
This is another book I would hesitate to even call steampunk-ish. This is more of a Gothic novel in alternative reality.
Really atmospheric and strangely beautiful like most of Gothic novels I've had pleasure to read. The plot is ever so familiar that anyone who've read Jane Eyre or watched the movie would recognise it straight away.
And yet, Blanche for example is a passing character, there is no mad wife, and Jane has a younger sister, so even if you know that this is another interpretation of the famous novel it's not that predictable and it will surprise you from time to time.
Jane is a very strong woman, but she is only coming into her powers in this book, the author is still unsure as to how to sculpt her character so Jane goes through a lot of yo-yo moods and changes in personality, but, MY GOD, by the end of the book she is someone you would not want to cross. Absolutely formidable!
Dorie was pretty amazing, otherworldly and difficult. If you ever watched Firelight, she strongly reminded me of Louisa, and I could understand the challenges Jane faced trying to forge connection to her.
Mr. Rochart was perhaps the coldest character in this book. I really couldn't get a feel of him, and you can blame him for the lower rating I gave to Ironskin. I also felt that there was no chemistry between him and Jane.
Aside from that minor problem, the world-building is very interesting, especially the representation of Fey - these cold, alien, eery beautiful creatures, that everyone is terrified of. Any fey detail was fascinating and carefully incorporated into the mythology of the world.
Overall, a fabulous promising novel with very dark undertones, wonderful secondary characters and great world-building. Recommended to all fans of Gothic literature.
This is another book I would hesitate to even call steampunk-ish. This is more of a Gothic novel in alternative reality.
Really atmospheric and strangely beautiful like most of Gothic novels I've had pleasure to read. The plot is ever so familiar that anyone who've read Jane Eyre or watched the movie would recognise it straight away.
And yet, Blanche for example is a passing character, there is no mad wife, and Jane has a younger sister, so even if you know that this is another interpretation of the famous novel it's not that predictable and it will surprise you from time to time.
Jane is a very strong woman, but she is only coming into her powers in this book, the author is still unsure as to how to sculpt her character so Jane goes through a lot of yo-yo moods and changes in personality, but, MY GOD, by the end of the book she is someone you would not want to cross. Absolutely formidable!
Dorie was pretty amazing, otherworldly and difficult. If you ever watched Firelight, she strongly reminded me of Louisa, and I could understand the challenges Jane faced trying to forge connection to her.
Mr. Rochart was perhaps the coldest character in this book. I really couldn't get a feel of him, and you can blame him for the lower rating I gave to Ironskin. I also felt that there was no chemistry between him and Jane.
Aside from that minor problem, the world-building is very interesting, especially the representation of Fey - these cold, alien, eery beautiful creatures, that everyone is terrified of. Any fey detail was fascinating and carefully incorporated into the mythology of the world.
Overall, a fabulous promising novel with very dark undertones, wonderful secondary characters and great world-building. Recommended to all fans of Gothic literature.
July 6, 2015
July 4-5, 2015
Brilliant! Still 4.5 stars because the ending was jumbled. I thought perhaps I would find it better this go around, but Jane was running here and there without any reason and then running back to where she started. Still I loved it and cannot wait to jump into the next one.
November 9-10, 2013
4.5 stars
Let me preface by saying I adore Jane Eyre. This book was absolutely a brilliant adaptation. All of the homages to Jane Eyre were numerous as well ones to Pride and Prejudice. Connolly blends fantasy with these stories expertly using just enough from each while maintaining a sense of originality. The cover is stunning, but the writing lives up to the promise on the cover. It loses 1/2 a star for the jumbled ending. Too many things happen that aren't fully explained, and the final battle is anticlimatic. Even with that though, I was delighted with the story and surprised to see that this is a first novel. Connolly has talent in spades if all her stories are as well done as this one. Jane was a great character who grew and matured throughout the book. I am very much looking forward to the next one in the series.
Brilliant! Still 4.5 stars because the ending was jumbled. I thought perhaps I would find it better this go around, but Jane was running here and there without any reason and then running back to where she started. Still I loved it and cannot wait to jump into the next one.
November 9-10, 2013
4.5 stars
Let me preface by saying I adore Jane Eyre. This book was absolutely a brilliant adaptation. All of the homages to Jane Eyre were numerous as well ones to Pride and Prejudice. Connolly blends fantasy with these stories expertly using just enough from each while maintaining a sense of originality. The cover is stunning, but the writing lives up to the promise on the cover. It loses 1/2 a star for the jumbled ending. Too many things happen that aren't fully explained, and the final battle is anticlimatic. Even with that though, I was delighted with the story and surprised to see that this is a first novel. Connolly has talent in spades if all her stories are as well done as this one. Jane was a great character who grew and matured throughout the book. I am very much looking forward to the next one in the series.
Want to read
December 22, 2011I have to admit im a little bit leery of these retellings of wellknown books.Sometimes I wish authors could come up with original ideas that are only based on their own ideas.
Everyone remembers the Brontës because of their original characters and stories.Who is going to remember an author who based her whole book on another persons work?
Ill read this though...because it could be good.Perhaps.Maybe
Everyone remembers the Brontës because of their original characters and stories.Who is going to remember an author who based her whole book on another persons work?
Ill read this though...because it could be good.Perhaps.Maybe
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