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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
Interesting universe: oppressive steampunk London in the early to mid 1800s. Science is regulated by the Royal Academy of Sciences - with unorthodox experimentation or any hint of magic punished by burning.
Dr. Eliza Jekyll is a physician, employed with the police as a medical consultant. Her femaleness is resented by various officers on the force and some of the public. She has a secret, a separate self that emerges with the help of an elixir. Miss Lizzie Hyde has a different appearance to Dr. Jekyll, yet they are the same person.
A mysterious benefactor has looked to her welfare since the death of her father. Dr. Jekyll strives to stay out of the attention of the Royal Academy, as her transformation (and the elixir that facilitates it) would lead to her death were she discovered.
An investigator from the Royal shows up when she is at a crime scene and she finds herself entangled with him.
Love interests for both her personalities, one a madman.
I found this interesting and a nice diversion to explore.
Dr. Eliza Jekyll is a physician, employed with the police as a medical consultant. Her femaleness is resented by various officers on the force and some of the public. She has a secret, a separate self that emerges with the help of an elixir. Miss Lizzie Hyde has a different appearance to Dr. Jekyll, yet they are the same person.
A mysterious benefactor has looked to her welfare since the death of her father. Dr. Jekyll strives to stay out of the attention of the Royal Academy, as her transformation (and the elixir that facilitates it) would lead to her death were she discovered.
An investigator from the Royal shows up when she is at a crime scene and she finds herself entangled with him.
Love interests for both her personalities, one a madman.
I found this interesting and a nice diversion to explore.
When one goes looking for fluffy fiction, one finds fluffy fiction. It took me a while to get into this one but once I did, it was fun. The daughter of Jekyll & Hyde suffers from the same "condition" in a tyranny version of London. It's the first book of a series that may or may not include Dr. Frankenstein and other similar Penny Dreadful figures of the time. We get both Dr. Eliza Jekyll's and Miss Lizzie Hyde's points of view, which could develop into some interesting tensions as the series goes on.
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-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:
No
For those who thought Penny Dreadful ended too soon then this is likely to satisfy your craving for literary figures: Dr Jekyll, Mr Todd and his famous razor, classic monsters like werewolves and Fey folk, all in a world of clockwork policemen and Lond0n held in the grip of the anti sorcerous Royal Society seeking to manage the reins of the rise of wild unrestrained science, and madness of the supernatural that gives rise to werewolves and lunatics and saw Isaac Newton burnt for his studies in the occult. Bedlam features, as do the rookeries and slums and the underworld ruled by the mysterious figure the King of rats and into this rises, or should that be plunges to challenge the old order is the New Woman Dr Elisa Jekyll and the diabolical Miss Lizzy Hyde.
I was intrigued by the idea of a re-imagining of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with a female MC. And there were some cool elements here. I guess what I forgot was that I didn't particularly love the original story. Ultimately this wasn't a good fit for me and I did not finish it.
I liked the sense of place and the way the author depicted Victorian London. The upside of that is that you really feel like you are there. The downside of that, is that it wasn't actually a very pleasant place to be in. It was filthy, and harsh and hard and for us "modern" people, hard to handle. For myself, I know without question that I would not have been able to hack it in Victorian England, unless I happened to be one of the upper classes.
I liked the Eliza [Jekyll] personality a lot! She was bucking the system in a way that made her easy to root for and travel with. She had snap, crackle and pop to her, and I seriously considered just reading the sections where Eliza was narrating, because it was the Lizzie parts that I really didn't connect to. But that felt like a) I would be cheating, and b) that I would probably miss out on plot points that I would need to know. So I decided to pass on finishing this.
I just had a hard time with the style of Lizzie and how she communicates. I also struggled with just how gritty and graphic the stuff Lizzie did herself, and what she got from others in her world was. I don't usually consider myself squeamish, but the way Lizzie's world was written was just a bit much for me. I didn't enjoy that and found myself skipping large portions of that. Since I feel if I am skipping chunks of a book means it isn't a good fit for me, I'm giving this one a pass.
This is absolutely not a bad book, just the wrong book for me, at least at the present moment. I might come back to this at a different time and give it another try.
I liked the sense of place and the way the author depicted Victorian London. The upside of that is that you really feel like you are there. The downside of that, is that it wasn't actually a very pleasant place to be in. It was filthy, and harsh and hard and for us "modern" people, hard to handle. For myself, I know without question that I would not have been able to hack it in Victorian England, unless I happened to be one of the upper classes.
I liked the Eliza [Jekyll] personality a lot! She was bucking the system in a way that made her easy to root for and travel with. She had snap, crackle and pop to her, and I seriously considered just reading the sections where Eliza was narrating, because it was the Lizzie parts that I really didn't connect to. But that felt like a) I would be cheating, and b) that I would probably miss out on plot points that I would need to know. So I decided to pass on finishing this.
I just had a hard time with the style of Lizzie and how she communicates. I also struggled with just how gritty and graphic the stuff Lizzie did herself, and what she got from others in her world was. I don't usually consider myself squeamish, but the way Lizzie's world was written was just a bit much for me. I didn't enjoy that and found myself skipping large portions of that. Since I feel if I am skipping chunks of a book means it isn't a good fit for me, I'm giving this one a pass.
This is absolutely not a bad book, just the wrong book for me, at least at the present moment. I might come back to this at a different time and give it another try.
Originally posted on abkeuser.com
To be completely honest, I’d probably rate this higher if I hadn’t watched the first season Penny Dreadful so recently. It is unfortunate that several plot lines from these two – equally enthralling – stories lined up rather well. Had I read this book before watching the show, I’ve no doubt that the “we’ve already done this” feeling would have been projected onto the Showtime series.
That being said, Viola Carr’s story is a delightful read that pulls no punches when it comes to illustrating the truth of the Victorian era (even if she’s added in Fey and clockwork, and all manner of alchemic magic). The common thread of steampunk is to romanticize the era and ignore its uglier aspects. Ms Carr did not shy away from exposing the dirt that others gloss over.
The splitting of two characters in one – albeit changing – body, was handled well and with a rare exception, I never felt bogged down or befuddled by the instances of switching from Eliza to Lizzie, Though, I must admit, starting out with Lizzie’s thoughts was a bit of a rough go. Once you get past that, the book flows wonderfully through to the end with a healthy mixture of action and science, while allowing to breathe.
Allusions to other famous classic horror villains abound, and that may have been why I found the ending and villain easily guessed (or maybe it’s because I spend too much time watching Marple and the Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries). Clues are placed well if you’re looking for them (and maybe that was my problem, I was looking) and by the 1/3rd mark I had the first reveal figured out and the villain narrowed down to two suspects. It’s not a poorly written mystery, I just found it a little easy to follow the trail.
The ending is a clear setup for the sequel, which is not the worst thing in the world, but it leans toward the “too vague to be bothered with.” And for no good reason. It spends a page trying to side step around something that winds up being easy to guess, but also leaves you with that frustrating feeling that that was the point and that the beginning of book two will quickly throw that understanding right out the window.
To be completely honest, I’d probably rate this higher if I hadn’t watched the first season Penny Dreadful so recently. It is unfortunate that several plot lines from these two – equally enthralling – stories lined up rather well. Had I read this book before watching the show, I’ve no doubt that the “we’ve already done this” feeling would have been projected onto the Showtime series.
That being said, Viola Carr’s story is a delightful read that pulls no punches when it comes to illustrating the truth of the Victorian era (even if she’s added in Fey and clockwork, and all manner of alchemic magic). The common thread of steampunk is to romanticize the era and ignore its uglier aspects. Ms Carr did not shy away from exposing the dirt that others gloss over.
The splitting of two characters in one – albeit changing – body, was handled well and with a rare exception, I never felt bogged down or befuddled by the instances of switching from Eliza to Lizzie, Though, I must admit, starting out with Lizzie’s thoughts was a bit of a rough go. Once you get past that, the book flows wonderfully through to the end with a healthy mixture of action and science, while allowing to breathe.
Allusions to other famous classic horror villains abound, and that may have been why I found the ending and villain easily guessed (or maybe it’s because I spend too much time watching Marple and the Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries). Clues are placed well if you’re looking for them (and maybe that was my problem, I was looking) and by the 1/3rd mark I had the first reveal figured out and the villain narrowed down to two suspects. It’s not a poorly written mystery, I just found it a little easy to follow the trail.
The ending is a clear setup for the sequel, which is not the worst thing in the world, but it leans toward the “too vague to be bothered with.” And for no good reason. It spends a page trying to side step around something that winds up being easy to guess, but also leaves you with that frustrating feeling that that was the point and that the beginning of book two will quickly throw that understanding right out the window.
Loved it. LOVED IT.
FRTC as soon as I can stop fangirling enough to get my notes and thoughts together.
Seriously, it was so good.
FRTC as soon as I can stop fangirling enough to get my notes and thoughts together.
Seriously, it was so good.
I picked up this book, realised I hadn't read the original novel, read that one and then came back to this one.
This book is about Eliza Jekyll and her counterpart, Lizzie Hyde, who is far less evil than the original Edward Hyde but far less inhibited than Eliza. Dr Jekyll, Eliza's father, had disappeared a while ago and they were being supported by a mysterious benefactor. When people started to turn up brutally murdered in this alternate steampunk London, Eliza Jekyll is called in by the police to help investigate who is killing the woman. While she is investigating these murders, she is being investigated herself by the Royal Society. Lafayette is sent to see if he can find anything out about her but he has a secret all of his own.
I did enjoy this book. It was a little slow in the first third but then it really started to pick up as everyone's secrets started to collide and we got to explore the world of London a little more. The protectiveness and resentment Lizzie felt towards Eliza, as if towards a jailor and a little sister all in one, was really interesting and I loved seeing more of that complicated relationship. Eliza is torn between herself as Lizzie, the serial killer that she put away before the book started, Lafayette and her mysterious benefactor and it was really interesting to see how all these subplots worked with each other and intersected.
I've already gotten the next book out of the library and hopefully I can get to it soon.
4 stars!
This book is about Eliza Jekyll and her counterpart, Lizzie Hyde, who is far less evil than the original Edward Hyde but far less inhibited than Eliza. Dr Jekyll, Eliza's father, had disappeared a while ago and they were being supported by a mysterious benefactor. When people started to turn up brutally murdered in this alternate steampunk London, Eliza Jekyll is called in by the police to help investigate who is killing the woman. While she is investigating these murders, she is being investigated herself by the Royal Society. Lafayette is sent to see if he can find anything out about her but he has a secret all of his own.
I did enjoy this book. It was a little slow in the first third but then it really started to pick up as everyone's secrets started to collide and we got to explore the world of London a little more. The protectiveness and resentment Lizzie felt towards Eliza, as if towards a jailor and a little sister all in one, was really interesting and I loved seeing more of that complicated relationship. Eliza is torn between herself as Lizzie, the serial killer that she put away before the book started, Lafayette and her mysterious benefactor and it was really interesting to see how all these subplots worked with each other and intersected.
I've already gotten the next book out of the library and hopefully I can get to it soon.
4 stars!
4.5
Originally posted at Vampire Boook Club
Doctor Eliza Jekyll lives a rewarding, if sometimes lonely, life. She is a crime scene investigator who uses not only her intelligence, wit, and education to help catch criminals, but the latest in technological devices. When Eliza is called to consult on the case of “The Chopper,” she knows catching this murderer could give her some well-deserved credibility. When the Royal Society sends one of their men on the investigation as well, Eliza assumes it means one thing: They know about Lizzie.
Lizzie Hyde is Eliza’s other half, literally. Created from their father Henry Jekyll’s magical elixir, Eliza tries to keep Lizzie hidden as much as possible, but she can only be suppressed for so long before she breaks free. See, where Eliza tends to be on the conservative and quiet side (what Lizzie might term “plain”), Lizzie is wild and uninhibited. Lizzie balks at authority. Instead of Eliza’s more justified method of committing criminals, Lizzie would just rather take care of the problem herself, personally–if you know what I mean. When Eliza’s current case leads to the seedy underground of London’s streets, she begrudgingly admits she may actually need Lizzie’s help. Will they be able to work together to bring justice as well as keep their secret, and their lives, safe?
It’s funny to me to use the word ‘their’ when describing Eliza and Lizzie since technically they come from the same body, but Viola Carr accomplishes quite the feat with these characters because they are, indeed, two completely different beings. Once you get going with the reading, the distinction between the two voices is very apparent. Eliza is a little more refined, yet shows this great ability to verbally spar with everyone in the male dominated line of work she’s in (could this be a Lizzie characteristic bleeding over?). Lizzie, for all that she’s brash and doesn’t care who knows it, exhibits times where you see she’s a little bit of a softy (Eliza’s influence?).
I loved the love/hate relationship between the two. Lizzie despises Eliza for keeping her hidden within herself and she looks upon Eliza as weak. In that regard though, Lizzie is quick to come to the surface to defend Eliza and I don’t think it’s just to save her own neck–seeing as how they share said neck. Eliza, too, knows Lizzie is untamable, but when it seems Lizzie may be caught in a dangerous situation, she’s the first to try to prove Lizzie’s innocence.
The murder mystery was tangled and twisted and revealed all sorts of long hidden secrets. I’ll admit I was usually a step ahead of Eliza in figuring out who-done-it, but I was all right with that. I liked seeing the process of how Eliza arrived at her conclusions.
Carr expertly handles the potentially problematical love triangle between Eliza/Lizzie and Captain Lafayette of the Royal Society. I’ll confess I enjoyed his repartee with Eliza more than his time with Lizzie.
Diabolical has all the characteristics of the classic “monster” stories, before they were all modernized; complete with lightning flashes, electrical switches, and reanimation! One of the things I really liked with the story was that it wasn’t only a reimagining of a classic but a continuation of it. I’m really happy this one lived up to my expectation.
Originally posted at Vampire Boook Club
Doctor Eliza Jekyll lives a rewarding, if sometimes lonely, life. She is a crime scene investigator who uses not only her intelligence, wit, and education to help catch criminals, but the latest in technological devices. When Eliza is called to consult on the case of “The Chopper,” she knows catching this murderer could give her some well-deserved credibility. When the Royal Society sends one of their men on the investigation as well, Eliza assumes it means one thing: They know about Lizzie.
Lizzie Hyde is Eliza’s other half, literally. Created from their father Henry Jekyll’s magical elixir, Eliza tries to keep Lizzie hidden as much as possible, but she can only be suppressed for so long before she breaks free. See, where Eliza tends to be on the conservative and quiet side (what Lizzie might term “plain”), Lizzie is wild and uninhibited. Lizzie balks at authority. Instead of Eliza’s more justified method of committing criminals, Lizzie would just rather take care of the problem herself, personally–if you know what I mean. When Eliza’s current case leads to the seedy underground of London’s streets, she begrudgingly admits she may actually need Lizzie’s help. Will they be able to work together to bring justice as well as keep their secret, and their lives, safe?
It’s funny to me to use the word ‘their’ when describing Eliza and Lizzie since technically they come from the same body, but Viola Carr accomplishes quite the feat with these characters because they are, indeed, two completely different beings. Once you get going with the reading, the distinction between the two voices is very apparent. Eliza is a little more refined, yet shows this great ability to verbally spar with everyone in the male dominated line of work she’s in (could this be a Lizzie characteristic bleeding over?). Lizzie, for all that she’s brash and doesn’t care who knows it, exhibits times where you see she’s a little bit of a softy (Eliza’s influence?).
I loved the love/hate relationship between the two. Lizzie despises Eliza for keeping her hidden within herself and she looks upon Eliza as weak. In that regard though, Lizzie is quick to come to the surface to defend Eliza and I don’t think it’s just to save her own neck–seeing as how they share said neck. Eliza, too, knows Lizzie is untamable, but when it seems Lizzie may be caught in a dangerous situation, she’s the first to try to prove Lizzie’s innocence.
The murder mystery was tangled and twisted and revealed all sorts of long hidden secrets. I’ll admit I was usually a step ahead of Eliza in figuring out who-done-it, but I was all right with that. I liked seeing the process of how Eliza arrived at her conclusions.
Carr expertly handles the potentially problematical love triangle between Eliza/Lizzie and Captain Lafayette of the Royal Society. I’ll confess I enjoyed his repartee with Eliza more than his time with Lizzie.
Diabolical has all the characteristics of the classic “monster” stories, before they were all modernized; complete with lightning flashes, electrical switches, and reanimation! One of the things I really liked with the story was that it wasn’t only a reimagining of a classic but a continuation of it. I’m really happy this one lived up to my expectation.
