At a time when women had not yet gotten the right to vote, Dr. Eliza Jekyll is a woman trying to make a career in a field that is not always taken seriously when performed by men. On top of that, she has to deal with Lizzie Hyde, the Royal Society and her mysterious benefactor.
The Diabolical Miss Hyde: Electric Empire Series #1 by Viola Carr is a more unique telling of the old tale by Robert Louis Stevenson. The change in gender of the main character(s) is accompanied by another subtler difference. In this telling, we get a good understanding of the two characters that reside in the single body. It is an interesting experience to watch both of these characters develop independently while still understanding they are essentially the same person. They are surrounded by a cast of characters that seem to fulfill their purpose. There are those exceptions that act outside of the archetype they represent and give a bit more life to the story.
The Victorian London setting always seems to be the best for the Jekyll and Hyde and Viola Carr takes full advantage of that in this book. The style and sensibilities of an era marked by industrial advancement are a fertile field for a story that is about discovery and invention mixed with a bit of mysticism and folklore.
The story is interesting and keeps a decent stride, there are moments in the beginning where the author over used certain elements of the story (in my opinion). To me, one of the more exhausting things a writer can do is to be repeatedly redundant over and over and over again. I may be more especially sensitive to this and that part of the book may not bother most readers. Once I got into the meat of the story, I was in to the end.
The Diabolical Miss Hyde by Viola Carr is an entertaining book that gives hope for the series that is promised in the title. If you like classics reimagined, this is worth a try. It is not, however, for the little ones. Language, violence and mature scenes (yes, I mean sex) put this deep into the PG13 rating.
The Diabolical Miss Hyde: Electric Empire Series #1 by Viola Carr is a more unique telling of the old tale by Robert Louis Stevenson. The change in gender of the main character(s) is accompanied by another subtler difference. In this telling, we get a good understanding of the two characters that reside in the single body. It is an interesting experience to watch both of these characters develop independently while still understanding they are essentially the same person. They are surrounded by a cast of characters that seem to fulfill their purpose. There are those exceptions that act outside of the archetype they represent and give a bit more life to the story.
The Victorian London setting always seems to be the best for the Jekyll and Hyde and Viola Carr takes full advantage of that in this book. The style and sensibilities of an era marked by industrial advancement are a fertile field for a story that is about discovery and invention mixed with a bit of mysticism and folklore.
The story is interesting and keeps a decent stride, there are moments in the beginning where the author over used certain elements of the story (in my opinion). To me, one of the more exhausting things a writer can do is to be repeatedly redundant over and over and over again. I may be more especially sensitive to this and that part of the book may not bother most readers. Once I got into the meat of the story, I was in to the end.
The Diabolical Miss Hyde by Viola Carr is an entertaining book that gives hope for the series that is promised in the title. If you like classics reimagined, this is worth a try. It is not, however, for the little ones. Language, violence and mature scenes (yes, I mean sex) put this deep into the PG13 rating.
