Ironskin by Tina Connolly GIVEAWAY and Blog Tour!

Ironskin by Tina Connolly

Publisher: Tor

Publication Date: October 2^nd

Source: Publisher

Rating: I liked it

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.

The Skinny: Jane Eyre meets the Fey!

I love the classics. When I first read Jane Eyre years ago, I enjoyed the slow development, but it was never one of my favorites. When I heard about Ironskin and Connolly’s taking the classic and retelling it with fairies, I was intrigued. The additional storyline of a little girl really stole the entire book, and I am eager to learn more about this world.  

Dorie, the little girl, is so frustrating that I am certain that I would have left that house two seconds after meeting her. Jane, patience personified, perseveres and their relationship is deliciously complex and interesting. Every scene with Dorie was bittersweet. I would growl in frustration and almost immediately wonder what she would do next. She is such a creepy character that I was expecting her to blow everyone up any minute. Jane and Poule are interesting characters, and I liked seeing how they diverged from their predecessors.

I like Connolly’s introduction of the fey, but I wanted more. The war sounds so interesting that I sat up straighter whenever we were provided with a glimpse. I like the idea of different types of fey that curse individuals. This is such a novel concept, and I liked that it was weaved into this classic story. Connolly is a creative writer and there are so many unique ideas in Ironskin. The one part that I did not like about the tale is the romance. It felt a little underdeveloped and rushed. I hope we get to see more of it in the next book.

I am looking forward to reading what else Connolly has in store for readers. She is bursting with imagination, and I am confident that her subsequent books will be full of fantastical ideas and characters.

Giveaway! 

Tor is kindly offering one US/CAN reader a copy of IRONSKIN! To enter, comment on this post and leave a way for me to contact you (blog, twitter, etc.).

 Good luck! I really hope you win!

Check out the other stops!

Monday, October 1st:  The Bookpushers

Tuesday, October 2nd:  Into the Hall of Books

Wednesday, October 3rd:  Musings of a Bookish Kitty

Friday, October 5th:  Unabridged Chick

Monday, October 8th:  Ageless Pages Reviews

Thursday, October 11th:  Well Read Wife

Friday, October 12th:  Drey’s Library

Monday, October 15th:  Proud Book Nerd

Tuesday, October 16th:  WV Stitcher

Wednesday, October 17th:  Sweet Southern Home

Thursday, October 18th:  In the Hammock

Tuesday, October 23rd:  A Buckeye Girl Reads 

Wednesday, October 24th:  Luxury Reading

Thursday, October 25th:  Fiction State of Mind

Monday, October 29th:  No More Grumpy Bookseller

Tuesday, October 30th:  Oh! Paper Pages

Thursday, November 1st:  Quirky Bookworm

Monday, November 5th:  Long and Short Reviews

TBD:  Fiction Addict

TBD:  Twisting the Lens

TBD:  Simply Stacie

TINA CONNOLLY lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and baby boy. Her stories have appeared in Strange Horizons, Fantasy, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Highlights Magazine, and the anthology Unplugged: Year’s Best Online SF 2008. Her young adult dystopia play, Witebox, will premier in Portland in 2013. Connolly is a frequent reader for Escape Pod and Podcastle, and works as a face painter, which means a glitter-filled house is an occupational hazard. Ironskin is her first novel.