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The world we live in is dependent upon oil, which makes for interesting times. Jane Eliot lives in a world dependent upon the magic of the fey: their power keeps the lights lit, the cars running, the stoves burning, the factories working. One day the fey start turning off the power, stop selling the power-packs, and start attacking the humans. That's how Jane got the mask she wears. She and her brother were fighting the fey when he was killed and she was cursed with Rage. The only way to keep the curse from affecting anyone Jane gets close to is to cover it with iron. Jane's sister Helen marries up, which keeps her from having to deal with the fey and the decaying social structure. Jane doesn't have that option, and becomes a governess. She takes a position in the household of Edward Rochart, a mysterious artist out in the back of beyond. His daughter Dorie is Jane's charge, and she seems to be part fey. Dorie's mother was taken over by a fey while she was pregnant, and Dorie looks just like her mother with the powers of the fey. This does not bode well for Dorie's chances in society, particularly since she much prefers the convenience of doing things by magic instead of the "normal" way. Edward's source of income is his art, which seems to consist of making masks of women. The house is greatly understaffed, the money is erratic, and Edward disappears into the woods behind the house with startling frequency. The woods are not a safe place after dark, as they belong to the fey. Edward is moody and brooding; Jane (of course) falls in love with him. She also finds a way to contain Dorie's magic but is dismayed to discover that containing the magic seems to be killing Dorie. Connolly's post-fey world is dark and disturbing. Jane is a woman of courage and stamina; she refuses to concede defeat in any area of her life. She found a way to live with her curse: a mask. She found a way to survive in a world that didn't want her. She found a purpose to her life. And she found love, although she's not sure it will ever be reciprocated. Connolly's characters could all too easily be caricatures, but they are not. The setting is gothic, which works well. The plot may seem familiar to fans of classic Gothic romance. Connolly makes it work, and if it should lead a reader to re-explore a Brontė work - well, so much the better! § P.J. Coldren lives in northern lower Michigan where she reads and reviews widely across the mystery genre when she isn't working in her local hospital pharmacy.
Reviewed by P.J. Coldren, October 2012
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