Ironskin by Tina Conolly - Review

Well after a long couple weeks of packing up, moving, unpacking and starting a new job... I finally finished a book. I was disappointed with this bookthat I finished. Lately, I've been starting books and then putting them back down, uninterested in the content. I don't know whether it was my stressful personal life or if this Jane Eyre re-telling just wasn't for me but it wasn't my cup of tea.


Ironskin which tells the story of a governess named Jane (of course). After an attack in the great Faerie War has left her visibly scared and disabled, no one will give her employment. That is until she comes upon the house of Dorie and her father Edward. This broken family living on the edge of town in an old fey mansion seems to be just what Jane needs, and she seems to be the answer to their prayers as well. With the challenge of teaching Dorie on her hands, Jane never imagines that this job and these people would challenge her beliefs and her lifestyle.

That's really all I'm going to say about this book. Now I will start by saying that I have never read Jane Eyre so I can't really compare Ironskin to the famous Bronte novel, but I will say that after reading this story, I don't think that I will be picking up the classic tale anytime soon.

I was pretty bored by Ironskin and I think that because of the lack of romance in the novel. Now I know that in the original I was, however, interested in the dynamic between Edward's daughter Dorie and Jane. I could see myself in Jane's position trying to teach an impossible girl about how to act as a normal human girl. For much of the story, I was reminded of reading about Helen Keller  It's a story of a young girl who becomes comfortable with her disabilities and sees no use in speaking or acting according to social norms. Now Dorie's disability is that she has fey powers and must learn to not use them as a crutch. It's Jane's responsibility to teach her to use her hands and to use regular speech and this is no easy task.

I think I was drawn to this book because of the fey aspects and the Victorian/Steampunk themes, but I was ultimately disappointed by the boring plot line and lackluster romance. Had there been more between Jane and Edward I think I would have been more interested but the plot line fell short for me. Again, my opinion has nothing to do with Jane Eyre as I've never read it before, but I could have used a little more action.

6 out of 10

Happy Readinig :)