Ironskin Hardcover – October 2, 2012

Ironskin by Tina Connelly is a retelling of Jane Eyre with a fantasy twist. Unlike similar classic/fantasy blends such as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies or Jane Slayre, Ironskin avoids the humorous side of such a juxtaposition and plays it relatively straight. It tells the story of Jane Eliot, a young woman who must wear an iron mask to contain the effects of a injury sustained in the war against the fae. Although the war is long over, she is still very much an outcast and takes employment with one Mr. Rochart looking after his young daughter, Dorie. Dorie, it seems, has also been affected by the fae.What I likedThe adaptation. This version, while not following the exact plotline of Jane Eyre, does an excellent job of maintaining the characterisations and emotional beats of the original story. Like Jane Eyre, our Jane Eliot lives at the fringes of her society, and this has a large influence on her character. Edward too, is very similar to the Edward Rochester of the book – his guilt for his past is a block in his admitting his feelings for Jane. Ironskin focusses mainly on the Jane/Edward relationship and hits most of the same emotional beats as the original with the love, betrayal and reunion. I didn’t feel Ironskin came quite up to the emotion of the Jane Eyre ending where Jane is finally reunited with Rochester. The fae side of the story was nicely woven in along with this key relationship.Beauty as a theme. This is an interesting theme woven throughout the novel. Jane, physically scarred as she is by the Great War, is very sensitive to this, especially as she sees the “pretty ladies” who congregate around Edward. She must decide how best to compete for the love of the man she adores. The whole fey beauty becomes a major plot point.Supporting characters. Although it focusses on Jane and Edward, I did enjoy the supporting characters in the book, especially Poole (half dwarven!) and Dorie. I liked how Jane’s relationships with them are developed through the book.The narration. I was drawn to Ironskin as much by the plot as the audio narration sample. When deciding whether to buy the Audible book or the Kindle ebook I often listen to the sample. I loved Rosalyn Landor’s voice and narration in the sample and she did not disappoint in the least. I loved the entire narration. Maybe it’s because I am British (soon to be Canadian!), I generally warm to British narrators more than American ones. Landor narrates this with a wonderfully rich received pronunciation accent and brings a lot of life to the tale.The pacing. With the focus on Jane’s time at the manor, the story moves along briskly. Like in the original, there are several hints at Rochart’s secret, and this keeps the audience intrigued.What I didn’t like.There was little I disliked about Ironskin. There were a few occasions where a more modern turn of phrase was used which I found a little off-putting, but other than that I really enjoyed it. Ironskin is the first in a series of books set in this world. The second, Copperhead, follows Jane’s younger sister, Helen. To be honest, I’ll probably give that a miss as the character of Helen rather irritating in Ironskin and I have no interest in following her story. However, the third book, Silverblind, due out later this year follows a grown up Dorie. Now that I am interested in, and will certainly pick it up in audiobook when it’s available.I gave Ironskin four and a half stars out of five.

One of the reasons I read Connolly's work is for the somewhat madness-tinged darkness she brings to characters in her stories.You're never quite sure what horrific thing will happen to a character you've just grown fond of-- and it's that edginess she brings to Ironskin that makes it so worth reading.That-- and dreamy passages where small things from the story become metaphors in clever ways.Jane is an Ironskin; her face permanently scarred by a feybomb from the Great War. She wears an iron mask to hide the damage and to bottle in the curse that came along with the damage. Fey rage fills her and those around her without the mask.She takes a position at an isolated estate only to find out her young charge is also changed by the fey. Can she help Dorie enter human society? What does Dorie's father do with all those beautiful society women who come to his house?The story is loosely based on Jane Eyre, but if you're looking for a retelling that is just a twist on the original, this book is not what you're looking for. Ironskin takes some characters and loose plot outlines from Jane Eyre, but Connolly has made it totally her own by adding the mysterious fey and a country recovering from the loss of fey-run tech and war. But most of all, and this is what I look for in a book, Ironskin is about Jane and how she takes her disfigurement and her own, crippled self-image, and makes something strong.The romance is not the focus of this book (sadly.) I would have enjoyed more repartee between Edward Rochart and Jane, but Jane's own transformation as well as her work with Dorie kept me plunging along in the story.And also the aforementioned metaphor passages such as this one where Jane first sees herself as desirable:"She was not trying to seduce Edward, not trying some ploy to entrap him in the night. No, it was more the thought that with her face turned away perhaps he would see her as she should've been, a girl in a blue dress with embroidered dots like stars."Or this one where Jane, ashamed she thought of herself as beautiful, compares herself to an abandoned book in the library no one has read:"Maybe she was worth speaking to when she stood there, but when she was gone? Then, she was like the book she had taken from the library and still not returned. Because would you notice if "Ilhronian History of the 16th Century" was missing from a shelf? Not very likely. It was the sort of book you wouldn't even remember owning, seeing, or reading. And it certainly wouldn't lure you with a pretty blue spine, not when its contents were so unspeakably dull."So come to Ironskin for the fey and the Jane Eyre allusions, but stay for the horror of what Edward Rochart does and for the lovely prose.This Book's Snack Rating: Dark chocolate with cocoa nibs and chili pepper for the dark, sweet prose and the hot spice of gothic horror

Fey curses leave lingering, supernatural scars on their human victims in Tina Connolly's Ironskin, a Victorian-era steampunk fantasy twist on Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. This doesn't follow the original classic verbatim. Rather, it takes the governess-employer love story and morphs into its own tale. Jane Eliot is a complex protagonist, fierce yet painfully insecure about the iron mask that hides her scarred cheek and keeps her curse-induced rage at bay. The girl in her charge may be fey cursed as well, but in a very different way. Their unique bond, along with Jane's feelings for the girl's father Edward Rochart, leads Jane on a series of discoveries about magic, beauty, and the price one is willing to pay to heal from the past.It's hard to summarize what I enjoyed most about Ironskin, because the highlights kept adding up. The subtle nods to the original story, Jane as a fascinating heroine, Edward's tragic backstory and ghastly occupation (which helps to catalyze the plot), technology powered by fey magic... Where do I stop? Connolly's lyrical writing style and impressive world-building also enhance the haunting atmospheres and gothic overtones. I wasn't too crazy about the love story between Jane and Edward; I couldn't tell why they were attracted to one another. But the rapport between Jane and little Dorie tugged at my heart, and really made Ironskin a joy to read. This may be less industrial than most steampunks, but if you like intrigue, dark ambiance, and character-centric fantasies, this one comes highly recommended.

Three and a half stars. This has many good points - it's emminently readable and there are some great ideas. A vaguely dystopian steam punk faery tale with elements of Tam Lin and beauty and the beast, as well as more than a passing nod to Jane Eyre, it pulls its disparate element together admirably.I feel that Connolly's Editor let her down - it definitely needed at least one more edit and not just because the structure is little unwieldy in places. Some of the phrases are so truncated that they actually don't make sense - you're left working out what was being said. If this was a demonstration of voice it might eventually have bedded in but it wasn't and the effect was to make the narrative look sloppy in places. Similarly, the first three or four chapters are choppy and the voice wobbles. The further you go in the book the more assured the writing becomes so I have to assume that the first few chapters weren't really looked at enough during edit.On the whole though, this is a fun read. Not too heavy and with just the right amount of jeopardy to keep you page turning. As a homage to Jane Eyre (there are several parallels but this is very much its own book) this is satisfying and inoffensive - I've seen far too many people try to ape that classic with cringeworthy results. The characters are fairly well drawn despite a slightly borrowed feel to some of them. Perhaps the books greatest strength is the world building - it's raw and well imagined and manages to be fey and industrial, modern and period at the same time.I'd definitely recommend it for people looking for a different slant on fantasy that isn't too dense. Despite any irritation at editorial details, I will be picking up the second book - Copperhead.

I really enjoyed reading IronSkin. It tells the story of a governess employed by the troubled, but undeniably attractive, Mr Rochart to care his young motherless daughter. Set in a gothic country home against the backdrop of an ominous forest, the parallels between IronSkin and Jane Eyre are strong. Yet IronSkin is an ingenious alternate world, where humans know that the fey and dwarves are real.IronSkin is set in the time after the Great War with the fey. Humans are slowly rebuilding their world without the wondrous fey technology.But some have been damaged by the war. Jane is coming to terms with her scarred face and fey curse. Her young charge has also been inexplicably cursed by the fey.The author using evocative language, gliding over the surface glamour of a world of Bright Young Things, powerfully describing the dark country mansion, the menacing forest of thorny locusts.In IronSkin we meet a cast of fascinating characters, feisty Jane, brooding, but don't forget attractive, Mr Rochart, Jane's shallow but charming sister, the intriguing butler, Poule.And at its heart IronSkin has mystery. The author skillfully spins her spell to reveal those secrets into a fascinating story.

Very good book which had a lot of mystery involved with the characters and their emotions, hard going at times to understand the connections between all the ladies, the fear of of the Fae and the iron masks & attachments. It did all come together in the last few chapters. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series

I chose 3 stars because the book was good but not great. I really like the end but I won't say what happens then I'd be a spoiler. I look forward to reading copper head. I would recommend it for young teens

Enjoyed immensley