Review: Ironskin by Tina Connolly

Title: Ironskin

Author: Tina Connolly

Series: Ironskin

Placement in Series: 1/2(?)
Format: Hardcover

Blurb:

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.

Review:
Note: This review is completely spoiler-free

I have mixed thoughts about Ironskin. While it was enjoyable overall, there were parts that had me seriously questioning if I enjoyed this book. It was slightly slow-moving, but the story and mystery behind it all intriguing enough to have me looking forward to picking up the book each night.

Though the beginning was slow, the story still managed to hold my interest. All was going well until the end, which felt rushed. I just feel it could have been better executed. Some things that were happening towards the end made little sense to me, and then too much was happening in so few pages that it felt rushed. The whole climax and catharsis took up twenty pages altogether, while the other 200+ pages was leading up to it and it just did not end up flowing well. Once it got to the final pages, everything that was happening became muddled. Suddenly the main character was in the city, then in the mansion in the country, then in the city again and from the way it was written, the end seemed like it took place in thirty minutes, when in reality that would not be possible unless Jane (the protagonist) could teleport (not a spoiler, but she could not teleport).

Also I'm not sure if I believed the relationship between Jane and her apparent love interest, Edward. I don't see what they see in each other at all (their feelings were not clear to me in the narrative and their interaction, and seemed to happen all of a sudden), and considering the book is written in one of their perspectives, that makes no sense.

The fey element was great. I had only ever read books where the fey could be classified as 'good' and were glorified, but the fey in this tale were anything but. It was even a saying amongst the characters, 'May you be born plain', so the fey would not be tempted to harm you for your beauty/good looks. (But then some character decisions towards the end regarding this felt out of character/all of a sudden, and made little sense logically, but that could just be character flaw and not writing flaw.

I think the main thing I was hoping for with this book was some more kick-ass and action scenes. There was room for it, but there were really no scenes like that. When there were 'fighting' scenes, they were written with more 'tell' than 'show', which was disappointing. If you're looking for a BA female protagonist a la Katniss or Lisbeth, you won't find her in Ironskin, but if you're looking for a strong female lead a la Jane Eyre or Hester Prynne, Ironskin's got it covered.

Still an interesting and somewhat creepy read with an overall satisfying ending (that was just not well-executed or as detailed as I'd have liked). It was the kind of ending that does not even need a sequel to it, though it was left open for one, but I won't go into that in order to avoid spoilers.

Rating: 3/5 - interesting plot, just not styled and executed as well as it could have been.
Recommended for: If you like historical fantasies, you will probably enjoy this one, especially if you have read and enjoyed Jane Eyre. The book is a loose retelling of the classic (from what I've read in other reviews - I myself have not read Jane Eyre). If you like twists to old tales/classics, you will probably also enjoy Ironskin.

Review: The Lost Prince

Title: The Lost Prince
Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten (books 5 in the Iron Fey series, book 1 in the Call of the Forgotten trilogy)
Rating: 4/5
Blurb:

Don't look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them.

That is Ethan Chase's unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he'd dare to fall for.


Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister's world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.

Review:

Ethan is all grown up!

I was super excited when I found out Julie Kagawa was writing a trilogy continued from The Iron Fey featuring Meghan Chase's younger brother, Ethan. I know it would be an amazing book, as Kagawa never disappoints, and I was right.

This book included all of Julie Kagawa's usual awesomeness. Amazing writing, exciting and heart-breaking plot twists, old and beloved characters, new characters that you just want to hold close to you in order to keep them safe... It had it all. And the storyline, of course, was fabulous. The lost and forgotten fey had intrigued me when we met them in The Iron Knight, and I was glad this was something Kagawa decided to write on.

I definitely recommend reading the entire Iron Fey series before starting this one (although it is not competely necessay, it would better benefit you, as a reader, to know the whole background story about what happened to Ethan's sister Meghan), including the novellas and especially Iron's Prophecy.

I'm intrigued to find out where the rest of the series take us, though mostly I am terrified. The next book is titled The Traitor Son, and I am biting my nails in anticipation and fear. I won't say much more as I don't want to spoil anything in the previous books, but if you have been on the fence about this series, it is one that I highly recommend!

Iron Fey Comics plus Giveaway

So it's official: Julie Kagawa is working with a team at Bluewater Productions to make Iron King (and the rest of the books) into comics!
Julie Kagawa talks about the project and how they are looking for pledges in the form of donations to help the project along (and how you can win Iron Fey-related prizes for pledging!) in the video below:

Exciting!

Julie Kagawa is also having a giveaway on her blog (international!!!) for anyone who helps to spread the word about the Kickstart.

Link to Julie Kagawa's blog post

Kickstart page

Waiting on Wednesday #4

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly blogger meme started by Breaking the Spine. If you want to check this meme out at its origin and particpate, just click here.

This week I am waiting on a first book in a new trilogy by Julie Kagawa. I thoroughly enjoyed her Iron Fey series, as well as the first book in her Blood of Eden series, The Immortal Rules. She has quickly become one of my favourite authors, and when it was announced that she would be writing three more books as a companion to the Iron Fey series, but this time featuring Meghan's younger, grown up brother Ethan Chase, I was ecstatic!

Blurb:

Don't look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them.

That is Ethan Chase's unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he'd dare to fall for.

Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister's world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.

I'm very curious as to see where this series will take us -- Julie never disappoints, and I expect Ethan's story will be just as compelling as Meghan's.

The Lost Prince is due out at the end of October of this year, so mark October 23rd on your calendar!

Mini Review: Iron's Prophecy

Title: Iron's Prophecy
Author: Julie Kagawa
Placement in Series: 4.5
Series: The Iron Fey
Rating: 5/5
Blurb:

Meghan Chase is finally getting used to being the Iron Queen, ruler of the Iron Fey. Her life may be strange, but with former Winter prince Ash by her side at last, she wouldn’t have it any other way.

But when they travel to the Summer and Winter courts’ gathering for Elysium, the oracle from Meghan’s past returns with a dire prophecy: “What you carry will either unite the courts, or it will destroy them.” Now Meghan faces a devastating choice that may determine the future of all fey—and her and Ash’s unborn child…

 I honestly did not know exactly what I was expecting when I began to read the final novella of the Iron Fey series that followed Meghan Chase's adventures. Certainly not a hint as to what we might see in Ethan Chase's series, that's for sure.
What I was mostly relieved about was that this novella was not just a 'hey look -- Meghan and Ash lived happily ever after' novella. There was a lot of actual content and conflict; basically, this story was not fluff.

In Iron's Prophecy, we learn that Meghan is pregnant (this does not count as a spoiler, considering is reveals that in the blurb), but there are some complications, of course. The Oracle visits Meghan and has something to tell the Iron Queen, but Meghan must meet the Oracle at a certain location. Accompanying her, as usual, are some old favourites, Grimalkin and Puck, and of course her knight, Ash.

I just have to admit here that I could not read this novella all at once. When I realised how much I missed these characters, I freaked out so much that in order to maintain my sanity, I had to put the book down. Seriously, if you had seen me on my social networking sites while reading this novella... I was crazy. It's just... these characters!

As usual, Julie Kagawa's writing is impeccable. Iron's Prophecy was a nice last adventure we could all take with Meghan, Ash, Puck, and Grim before we begin journeying with Ethan Chase on his adventures. Iron's Prophecy helped bridge the gap between The Lost Prince, for reasons I will not reveal. At least, that is what I am predicting based on what we learned in this novella.

This is definitely a must-read if you have read the Iron Fey series. And if not, then I highly recommend them. I caught on to the series a little late (just after The Iron Knight was released), and fell in love immediately. The character development is refreshing, and the unique twist Julie Kagawa added to the fey world is amazing. She certainly knows how to bring back an 'overly done' (as some might say) genre by adding her own imaginative spins. She did the same with her vampire-dystopia, The Immortal Rules, which I wrote a review on a while back.

Now to wait two more months for the first book in the Call of the Forgotten series :D
I certainly cannot wait!

Cover Reveal: Iron's Prophecy

I was a little late to the party when it came to reading Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series. I picked up the books soon after the fourth in the series, Iron Knight, was released, but I quickly fell in love with them and they now remain one of my favourite fantasy series. When I found out that Julie Kagawa was writing a series featuring Meghan Chase's younger brother Ethan, I was (and still am) ecstatic. The first book in that series comes out later this year, around the same time that book 4.5 in the Iron Fey series is released, Iron's Prophecy:

And that up there is the beautiful cover for the novella, which I'm sure will satisfy a lot of Iron Fey fans. The plot blurb that was also released, which you can read here on Goodreads, is the final novella revolving around Meghan Chase's life, and will give us a glimpse into her life as the Iron Queen. There is even  mention in the blurb about Meghan carrying her and Ash's son, which is super exciting!


Looking at the previous Iron Fey covers, I've noticed that Iron's Prophecy is a slightly different style. It's a lot darker in colour compared to the other books. The following are the two other Iron Fey novellas' covers:

The cover for Iron's Prophecy reflects the style of the cover for the first book in Ethan Chase's series:

At least in my eyes, anyways. Perhaps because it's the final novella of Meghan Chase's time? Or maybe it's just random and I'm looking for deeper meaning in a book cover than was intended. Oh, no, what have my English teachers done to me? Haha.

So what are your thoughts?

What do you think of the Iron's Prophecy cover? Excited to read it? Have you read all of the novellas and if so, do you think they add to the story, or that the series would be fine if they didn't exist?

Personally, they're more than just fluff stories to me. In fact, they aren't fluff at all. In the full-length novels there are hints as to what happened in the novellas, and I found it enlightening to read the novellas. It definitely adds something.

Also, how excited are you for Ethan's series? I'm a little excited.................. *bounces around ecstatically*