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meowster18's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This book had me quaking at the end. Loved the characters and loved the story. My only gripes were that the ending felt rushed and the main character clingy behavior annoyed me but the story flushed out in such a way that you can empathize and sympathize with Gabriel. Great story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Classism, Stalking, Racism, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Violence, and Outing
Minor: Grief
cozyscones's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Racism
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Violence, Child abuse, and Death
Minor: Body horror
bea_reads_books's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I really liked this book, and I think the only thing I would consider a downside was how few answers we got about what was actually going on with Henry. It’s kind of just like “Aha! A potion! That explains everything!” when there was so much more that could’ve been expanded upon. Just seemed like a bit of a lost opportunity to add some really cool intrigue is all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Racism
Moderate: Misogyny, Outing, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Emotional abuse, Outing, and Police brutality
mallorypen's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Though I'm familiar with the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, I have never read the source material. That said, the concept of trying to divorce oneself from facets of one's personality because they are found socially unacceptable was used in a really interesting way in this book.
As a YA novel, I did get the feeling that elements of the original story may have been toned down appropriately for the audience, but overall this novel did not pull its punches. The story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde being used as a metaphor for conversion therapy was dark, though incredibly cogent. Given that this was clearly called out as a "remixed classic" the plot twist wasn't the main focus of the story for my reading, but the implications behind why Henry's father chose to try and force Henry's queerness out of him via chemical treatment. The struggles of being queer on top of being systematically oppressed for being Black in a recently-post-slavery society were articulated in a way that allowed the reader to feel the characters' despair, anger, fear and frustration even on top of the horror elements of the story.
Gabriel as a narrator was sympathetic and easy to root for - I was invested in his joy in the early days of his relationship with Henry, the pain of his coldness, and his determination to stick to the mystery and figure out how to help.
Overall, though, I do wonder if the "remixed classic" approach hurt the storytelling a little. Again, not familiar with the source material, but I got the sense that the major plot points were written to align with the original story and in some ways, they didn't always translate smoothly in the novel's pacing. There were big swathes of the story where we were told things were happening, but we weren't given much detail to believe it. The scene where Gabriel is taken out of school and handed over to the lawyer as his clark was a little clunky; some of the interactions with Gabriel's cousin and school friend felt rushed. And honestly, the build up of the romance between Gabriel and Henry wasn't given a lot of screen time - given that all of Gabriel's actions thereafter are driven out of the intense love he has for Henry, I wanted more to relationship development to anchor his motivations.
I'm happy there was a happy ending for the most part, but it did take some of the gothic sting out of the tale overall.
As a YA novel, I did get the feeling that elements of the original story may have been toned down appropriately for the audience, but overall this novel did not pull its punches. The story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde being used as a metaphor for conversion therapy was dark, though incredibly cogent. Given that this was clearly called out as a "remixed classic" the plot twist wasn't the main focus of the story for my reading, but the implications behind why Henry's father chose to try and force Henry's queerness out of him via chemical treatment. The struggles of being queer on top of being systematically oppressed for being Black in a recently-post-slavery society were articulated in a way that allowed the reader to feel the characters' despair, anger, fear and frustration even on top of the horror elements of the story.
Gabriel as a narrator was sympathetic and easy to root for - I was invested in his joy in the early days of his relationship with Henry, the pain of his coldness, and his determination to stick to the mystery and figure out how to help.
Overall, though, I do wonder if the "remixed classic" approach hurt the storytelling a little. Again, not familiar with the source material, but I got the sense that the major plot points were written to align with the original story and in some ways, they didn't always translate smoothly in the novel's pacing. There were big swathes of the story where we were told things were happening, but we weren't given much detail to believe it. The scene where Gabriel is taken out of school and handed over to the lawyer as his clark was a little clunky; some of the interactions with Gabriel's cousin and school friend felt rushed. And honestly, the build up of the romance between Gabriel and Henry wasn't given a lot of screen time - given that all of Gabriel's actions thereafter are driven out of the intense love he has for Henry, I wanted more to relationship development to anchor his motivations.
I'm happy there was a
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Homophobia, and Racism
Minor: Sexual assault, Body horror, and Murder
scrubsandbooks's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Holy crap this book. Despite the fact that I read this in May, it would make for a perfect October read. Beautifully moody retelling of Jekyll and Hyde with queer Black MCs. I found myself completely drawn into and heavily invested in the romance. I want to say I really would love to read more Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde retellings, but I don't know how any of them would be able to live up to Kalynn Bayron's work!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Medical content, and Homophobia
Moderate: Sexual assault and Death
ameliabee33's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
A great retelling of this classic tale! The addition if the character Gabriel Utterson to the mix of Jekyll and Hyde added an outsiders perspective to the whole transformation.
This story focuses a lot on the internalized and public homophobia. Gabriel and Henry have a lot going against them with their insta-romantic relationship (majority of which happened off page). Henry succumbs to his own internalized homophobia as well as his father's, which is why he suffers the most in the end. Our Gabriel is so brave and persistent for the boy he loves.
I wish that their romance was more believable though, which is why I docked it a bit low. Not like explicit scenes, but more chemistry on page would have been nice.
This story focuses a lot on the internalized and public homophobia. Gabriel and Henry have a lot going against them with their insta-romantic relationship (majority of which happened off page). Henry succumbs to his own internalized homophobia as well as his father's, which is why he suffers the most in the end. Our Gabriel is so brave and persistent for the boy he loves.
I wish that their romance was more believable though, which is why I docked it a bit low. Not like explicit scenes, but more chemistry on page would have been nice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Violence, and Body horror
charlottejones952's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Racism
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Violence
dosxhime's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Physical abuse, Racism, Homophobia, and Violence
Minor: Suicide attempt
i_amaacarr's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This book is so beautifully written. There were many times I had to remember that I was reading a remix of a classic, but not the original classic itself. When I was annotating, I added an entire category of tabs dedicated to beautiful imagery, symbolism, phrases, and descriptions.
The only complaint (if we can even call it that) is that, as someone who knows the story of Jekyll and Hyde, there are a few instances that I wished the main character would just figure it out already. But, if you think about it, we go see plays and movies and read books where we know what will happen but still enjoy the journey the story takes us on, and I think that certainly applies here.
I love this take on the classical Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde tale, and I think Kalynn Bayron did the story justice with this remix.
The only complaint (if we can even call it that) is that, as someone who knows the story of Jekyll and Hyde, there are a few instances that I wished the main character would just figure it out already. But, if you think about it, we go see plays and movies and read books where we know what will happen but still enjoy the journey the story takes us on, and I think that certainly applies here.
I love this take on the classical Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde tale, and I think Kalynn Bayron did the story justice with this remix.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Homophobia
Minor: Sexual harassment and Violence
evelynyle_88's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, and Medical content
Moderate: Violence, Sexual harassment, and Death
Minor: Murder, Sexual assault, and Slavery