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davinaherondale's review against another edition
3.0
I don't normally leave reviews, however I was sent an arc of this novel and I feel as though I should say a little something. The writing was alright for a YA novel. The story itself was well put together. The plot wrapped up quite nicely. The finale is something fresh in the sense that I haven't seen an ending like this happen in a long time.
pwbalto's review against another edition
4.0
Horror novels and adolescence go together like Jekyll and Hyde. I have a whole thesis about this - literally, you can hire me to come and talk about it. I even have a Prezi. We call it "Something Wicked This Way Comes of Age." Here's our Tumblr: http://somethingwickedcomesofage.tumblr.com/
The metaphors of horror - the haunted house, the transforming body, zombies - apply so perfectly to adolescent development. Likewise, Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: the law-abiding scientist that gives way to the out-of-control violent carouser. I got a couple of those types marinating in their rooms at home right this very second.
In this case, Jekyll is head cheerleader and A+ student Cassidy. Of COURSE a 21st century Jekyll is a high-achieving teenage girl. No creature on earth exhibits more control - over her body, her presentation, her time, her interactions. But Cassidy has a tiny wild side. She likes to drink and make out with boys. And one night a little while ago, she left a bar with a bad group of boys, and bad things happened.
She kept this to herself, but it has recently been observed by her friends that she has been acting withdrawn. So one night at a party she accepts a little yellow pill that makes her feel happy and fun again. This drug helps her reclaim her grades, her attitude, her groove, and her team spirit. Although she does begin waking up with large gaps in her memory, and/or blood on her hands.
Turns out her alter ego, Marcy, has been stalking - and killing, yup, definitely murdering - the boys that attacked her.
Now, the reason I am writing such a long review - with so much summary, which I hardly ever do - is that I am still figuring out my feelings.
- Cassidy's "best" friend, a blond viper named Paisley, consistently teases her about being "easy." And Cassidy is perfectly aware that it's only kind of teasing.
- Cassidy doesn't go to the police, or even tell her parents or friends. Ok, fine, that's this character. And the book wouldn't work if her alter ego didn't feel the need to take justice into her own hands. At one point Cassidy does wonder if things would have turned out differently if her friends - competitive, shallow frenemies, for the most part - had been people that she felt she could confide in. But I do wish that the author, who lists contact info for RAINN in the acknowledgements, had thrown an eensy attempt to denormalize Cassidy's decision not to report this crime into the text.
- Marcy interrupts the group of boys in the act of attacking another teenage girl. She calls the other girl "stupid." Marcy is one harsh person, it's for sure. But Cassidy also uses the word "stupid" about herself and other girls, and notably, about her little sister Honor, who she catches taking lingerie selfies to send to a boy. I feel like there is some development on this front... after Honor's pictures are forwarded all over school, blame is focused squarely on Dirtbag Dicky or Danny or whatever his name is. Cassidy - AS Cassidy - poisons the shit out of him, sending him to the hospital.
- Really good horror always shows us that what's really scary is not the monster. In this case, the reader is clearly meant to realized that the "real horror" is the way these boys prey on girls (and video their attacks). But the SCENES of horror in this book are Marcy's bloody, bloody murders. And listen, I get that you can't throw a detailed rape scene in a book that is supposed to be light entertainment. It's a weird fact of our society that stabbing a frat boy in the eye is totally PG-13, while rape is straight-up R. But it blunts the author's point, yes it does.
All in all, a novel in which a "good girl" loses her shit and starts feeding rapists to industrial equipment is, of course, viscerally charming. Teenage girls discovering their agency and strength - that's always a winner, too. And I'm going to recommend this book. But I feel that by not looking Cassidy's attack square in the face, the author falls just a smidge short of her aim. And the little whispers of victim blaming that I noticed sidling through are, I feel, never soundly rebutted.
The metaphors of horror - the haunted house, the transforming body, zombies - apply so perfectly to adolescent development. Likewise, Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: the law-abiding scientist that gives way to the out-of-control violent carouser. I got a couple of those types marinating in their rooms at home right this very second.
In this case, Jekyll is head cheerleader and A+ student Cassidy. Of COURSE a 21st century Jekyll is a high-achieving teenage girl. No creature on earth exhibits more control - over her body, her presentation, her time, her interactions. But Cassidy has a tiny wild side. She likes to drink and make out with boys. And one night a little while ago, she left a bar with a bad group of boys, and bad things happened.
She kept this to herself, but it has recently been observed by her friends that she has been acting withdrawn. So one night at a party she accepts a little yellow pill that makes her feel happy and fun again. This drug helps her reclaim her grades, her attitude, her groove, and her team spirit. Although she does begin waking up with large gaps in her memory, and/or blood on her hands.
Turns out her alter ego, Marcy, has been stalking - and killing, yup, definitely murdering - the boys that attacked her.
Now, the reason I am writing such a long review - with so much summary, which I hardly ever do - is that I am still figuring out my feelings.
- Cassidy's "best" friend, a blond viper named Paisley, consistently teases her about being "easy." And Cassidy is perfectly aware that it's only kind of teasing.
- Cassidy doesn't go to the police, or even tell her parents or friends. Ok, fine, that's this character. And the book wouldn't work if her alter ego didn't feel the need to take justice into her own hands. At one point Cassidy does wonder if things would have turned out differently if her friends - competitive, shallow frenemies, for the most part - had been people that she felt she could confide in. But I do wish that the author, who lists contact info for RAINN in the acknowledgements, had thrown an eensy attempt to denormalize Cassidy's decision not to report this crime into the text.
- Marcy interrupts the group of boys in the act of attacking another teenage girl. She calls the other girl "stupid." Marcy is one harsh person, it's for sure. But Cassidy also uses the word "stupid" about herself and other girls, and notably, about her little sister Honor, who she catches taking lingerie selfies to send to a boy. I feel like there is some development on this front... after Honor's pictures are forwarded all over school, blame is focused squarely on Dirtbag Dicky or Danny or whatever his name is. Cassidy - AS Cassidy - poisons the shit out of him, sending him to the hospital.
- Really good horror always shows us that what's really scary is not the monster. In this case, the reader is clearly meant to realized that the "real horror" is the way these boys prey on girls (and video their attacks). But the SCENES of horror in this book are Marcy's bloody, bloody murders. And listen, I get that you can't throw a detailed rape scene in a book that is supposed to be light entertainment. It's a weird fact of our society that stabbing a frat boy in the eye is totally PG-13, while rape is straight-up R. But it blunts the author's point, yes it does.
All in all, a novel in which a "good girl" loses her shit and starts feeding rapists to industrial equipment is, of course, viscerally charming. Teenage girls discovering their agency and strength - that's always a winner, too. And I'm going to recommend this book. But I feel that by not looking Cassidy's attack square in the face, the author falls just a smidge short of her aim. And the little whispers of victim blaming that I noticed sidling through are, I feel, never soundly rebutted.
bungler's review against another edition
3.0
ok this book is equal parts silly and serious and also this whole series seems even more iconic than that book where the phantom owned a rave club so i will be reading all of them. the premise is like, objectively ridiculous, but the way the jekyll and hyde thing has been retwisted is actually a lot more compelling than some doctor man being butthurt about, yknow, not being allowed to conduct human experiments on people in asylums (idk i’ve only ever listened to the musical). i am very much looking forward to the frankenstein book but even more so to the phantom one. i think my only nitpick is like.......how can you drag a dead body 25 miles to your home without fucking up your car.....?????
emotionstwice's review against another edition
1.0
This was extremely... problematic.
I’m extremely uncomfortable after finishing and it’s been more rehab a day.
When an author uses rape to justify a split personality where one personality is a smiley cheerleader and the other personality is an actual homicidal psychopath grounding college rapists to death in a conveyor belt I have questions.
And concerns.
It was a dangerous and quite frankly disturbing way to portray coping with rape.
Even after that the characters are actual paper bags filled with random traits.
So no I did not enjoy this book.
Not trying to be mean but the best part might of been the cover.
I’m extremely uncomfortable after finishing and it’s been more rehab a day.
When an author uses rape to justify a split personality where one personality is a smiley cheerleader and the other personality is an actual homicidal psychopath grounding college rapists to death in a conveyor belt I have questions.
And concerns.
It was a dangerous and quite frankly disturbing way to portray coping with rape.
Even after that the characters are actual paper bags filled with random traits.
So no I did not enjoy this book.
Not trying to be mean but the best part might of been the cover.
larkpie's review against another edition
3.0
ok this book is equal parts silly and serious and also this whole series seems even more iconic than that book where the phantom owned a rave club so i will be reading all of them. the premise is like, objectively ridiculous, but the way the jekyll and hyde thing has been retwisted is actually a lot more compelling than some doctor man being butthurt about, yknow, not being allowed to conduct human experiments on people in asylums (idk i’ve only ever listened to the musical). i am very much looking forward to the frankenstein book but even more so to the phantom one. i think my only nitpick is like.......how can you drag a dead body 25 miles to your home without fucking up your car.....?????
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