Review: Ironskin by Tina Connolly

Title: Ironskin (Ironskin #1)
Author: Tina Connolly
Publication Date: October 2, 2012
Publisher:  Tor Books
Genre: Historical, Paranormal, Romance, Steampunk
Find It: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, Bookshop
Source: e-ARC from Netgalley
Rating: 3 stars – stick to your bedtime

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 carefully worded listing appears for a governess to assist with a “delicate situation”—a child born during the Great War—Jane is certain the child is fey-cursed, and that she can help.

Teaching the unruly Dorie to suppress her curse is hard enough; she certainly didn’t expect to fall for the girl’s father, the enigmatic artist Edward Rochart. But her blossoming crush is stifled by her own scars, and by his parade of women. Ugly women, who enter his closed studio…and come out as beautiful as the fey.

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 is true? Step by step Jane unlocks the secrets of her new life—and discovers just how far she will go to become whole again.

Truth be told, I put Ironskin on my to-read list years ago and then promptly forgot about it. It came back onto my radar again recently and I finally took the time to read it, and I am really glad that I did.

Ironskin is set in historical England, in a world where fairies and dwarves exist and in which The Great War between humans and the fae ended just five years previous. While the fae have retreated to the edges of the world, their mark is still seen and felt. Human technology is trying to catch up from their long dependence on fae magic while others, like Jane Eliot, are left with more permanent scars. Those injured by fairy bombs must contain the curses the magical injuries cause with iron or those curses will leak onto those around them. Jane, injured in the battle that killed her brother, is cursed with rage. She must wear an iron mask on half of her face to contain the anger that seeks to consume her. Not wanting to be a burden on her betrothed sister, Jane takes a position as a governess to Dorie, a special little girl who must learn to hide her fae tendencies. Jane feels an indelible pull to her father, the secretive Mr. Rochart, even though she knows that nothing can ever come of it. However, her time with the Rocharts starts to unlock secrets to Jane’s own life that just might save them all.

I had totally forgotten that this was supposed to be a loose retelling of Jane Eyre. Once I started reading though it became quite obvious what with a heroine named Jane Eyre working as a governess for the enigmatic Mr. Rochart. However, I think that is where the similarities end. Ironskin has many things that set it apart from the original and it stands alone as a unique story even without the Jane Eyre connection.

I was surprised by how quickly I got sucked into this dark new world. The fae are an ever present threat among the people of Britain. Connolly creates a dark and gothic new reality for the characters of this story. I really liked Jane, with her perseverance, grace, and good heart. I really felt for her even though at times I was frustrated with her for always putting others before herself, often to her own detriment.

While I really enjoyed the tension between Jane and Mr. Rochart, their relationship felt one sided for much of the story. While he clearly has an interest in Jane, his moods and motives are so unclear for most of the book that you can’t really blame Jane for thinking that he doesn’t care about her at all. I know that this is all a part of the Rochester persona but I wish that the author would have given Jane a little more to sustain herself with.

Connolly does a really amazing job building a rich new world full of dark and deadly secrets. I felt a lot of Jane’s dread and fear while trying to unravel the mysteries of the Rochart estate and its inhabitants. I definitely had an unsettled feeling while reading much of the book, just waiting for what might be revealed next. The book really captures the gothic feel of Jane Eyre but with its own unique twist.

Overall, I enjoyed the introduction into this exciting and dangerous new world. The author left a lot of room for the story to continue and I look forward to reading the other books in the series.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my review or opinion of the book.