Waiting on Wednesday (122)

Ironskin by Tina Connolly

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 discover just how far she will go to become whole again. [summary from Goodreads]

What seems to sell this book for many readers is its description as a "steampunk/fantasy retelling of Jane Eyre." Which, y'know, sounds cool and all, but isn't what does it for me. I struggled through Jane Eyre and it's far from my favorite classic. However, there's something about the way the synopsis is written that totally captures all of my attention. Evil fey! An unlikely romance! Something mysteeeeerious going on. Oh, and it doesn't hurt that that cover is so blisteringly breathtaking.

Ironskin will be released in hardcover from Tor Books on October 2, 2012.