Helen Huntingdon is beautiful - so beautiful she has to wear an iron mask. Six months ago her sister Jane uncovered a fey plot to take over the city. But it was too late for Helen, who opted for fey beauty in her face. She now has to cover her face with iron so she won’t be taken over by the curse, her personality erased by the bodiless fey.
Not that Helen would mind that some days. Stuck in a marriage with the wealthy and controlling Alistair, she lives at the edges of her life, secretly helping Jane remove the dangerous fey beauty from the wealthy society women who paid for it. But when the chancy procedure turns deadly, Jane goes missing - and is implicated in a murder.
Meanwhile, Alistair’s influential clique Copperhead - whose emblem is the poisonous copperhead hydra - is out to restore humans to their *rightful* place, even to the point of destroying those who were previously allies.
Helen is determined to find her missing sister, as well as continue the good fight against the fey. But when that pits her against her own husband - and when she meets an enigmatic young revolutionary - she’s pushed to discover how far she’ll bend society’s rules to do what’s right.
But there's more than beauty at stake. Helen must fight for her honour ... and her heart.
**
### From Publishers Weekly
Moving from the gothic to the political, this feminist urban fantasy (sequel to 2012's Jane Eyre pastiche Ironskin) shifts the war with the Fey from countryside to cityscape. When anti-Fey activist Jane goes missing, her sister, Helen Huntingdon, takes over Jane's role as leader of the anti-Fey forces, which include both humans and dwarvven. Married to the wealthy, useless Alistair, Helen gets involved in organizing the leading ladies of society, fashion, and the arts. With tolerance and tenacity, Helen struggles to overcome prejudice against both dwarvven (as the belligerent pro-human Copperheads chant, One People, One Race) and women while undermining the Fey King's plot against humans and trying to help her sister. Connolly is more inventive than in her previous book, but straying from a good model allows the tension to deflate. More successful than the citywide threat are the domestic dilemmas and a romantic triangle with Helen at its apex. Agent: Ginger Clark, Curtis Brown. (Oct.)
### Review
“This is an astonishing book: an evocative re-imagination of *Jane Eyre* that concerns itself with beauty, love, and social upheaval. This lyrical and utterly marvelous debut is one of the standout books of the year.” ―*RT Book Reviews, 4 ½ Stars, Top Pick! on Ironskin*
“Connolly has created a complex and well-drawn world here, and the story is indeed an original and imaginative take on the gothic-fiction tradition. An intriguing and ambitious fantasy tale.” ―*Kirkus Reviews on Ironskin*
“All the romance, mystery, and horror that a good gothic story needs.” ―*Portland Monthly on Ironskin*
Description:
Helen Huntingdon is beautiful - so beautiful she has to wear an iron mask. Six months ago her sister Jane uncovered a fey plot to take over the city. But it was too late for Helen, who opted for fey beauty in her face. She now has to cover her face with iron so she won’t be taken over by the curse, her personality erased by the bodiless fey. Not that Helen would mind that some days. Stuck in a marriage with the wealthy and controlling Alistair, she lives at the edges of her life, secretly helping Jane remove the dangerous fey beauty from the wealthy society women who paid for it. But when the chancy procedure turns deadly, Jane goes missing - and is implicated in a murder. Meanwhile, Alistair’s influential clique Copperhead - whose emblem is the poisonous copperhead hydra - is out to restore humans to their *rightful* place, even to the point of destroying those who were previously allies. Helen is determined to find her missing sister, as well as continue the good fight against the fey. But when that pits her against her own husband - and when she meets an enigmatic young revolutionary - she’s pushed to discover how far she’ll bend society’s rules to do what’s right. But there's more than beauty at stake. Helen must fight for her honour ... and her heart. ** ### From Publishers Weekly Moving from the gothic to the political, this feminist urban fantasy (sequel to 2012's Jane Eyre pastiche Ironskin) shifts the war with the Fey from countryside to cityscape. When anti-Fey activist Jane goes missing, her sister, Helen Huntingdon, takes over Jane's role as leader of the anti-Fey forces, which include both humans and dwarvven. Married to the wealthy, useless Alistair, Helen gets involved in organizing the leading ladies of society, fashion, and the arts. With tolerance and tenacity, Helen struggles to overcome prejudice against both dwarvven (as the belligerent pro-human Copperheads chant, One People, One Race) and women while undermining the Fey King's plot against humans and trying to help her sister. Connolly is more inventive than in her previous book, but straying from a good model allows the tension to deflate. More successful than the citywide threat are the domestic dilemmas and a romantic triangle with Helen at its apex. Agent: Ginger Clark, Curtis Brown. (Oct.) ### Review “This is an astonishing book: an evocative re-imagination of *Jane Eyre* that concerns itself with beauty, love, and social upheaval. This lyrical and utterly marvelous debut is one of the standout books of the year.” ―*RT Book Reviews, 4 ½ Stars, Top Pick! on Ironskin* “Connolly has created a complex and well-drawn world here, and the story is indeed an original and imaginative take on the gothic-fiction tradition. An intriguing and ambitious fantasy tale.” ―*Kirkus Reviews on Ironskin* “All the romance, mystery, and horror that a good gothic story needs.” ―*Portland Monthly on Ironskin*