Book Review: The Diabolical Miss Hyde by Viola Carr

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The Diabolical Miss Hyde
Electric Empire #1
Author: Viola Carr
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Released: February 10 2015
Review Source: Harper Voyager

Magic, mystery, and romance mix in this edgy retelling of the classic The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde–in which Dr. Eliza Jekyll is the daughter of the infamous Henry

In an electric-powered Victorian London, Dr. Eliza Jekyll is a crime scene investigator, hunting killers with inventive new technological gadgets. Now, a new killer is splattering London with blood, drugging beautiful women and slicing off their limbs. Catching "the Chopper" could make Eliza's career—or get her burned. Because Eliza has a dark secret. A seductive second self, set free by her father's forbidden magical elixir: wild, impulsive Lizzie Hyde.

When the Royal Society sends their enforcer, the mercurial Captain Lafayette, to prove she's a sorceress, Eliza must resist the elixir with all her power. But as the Chopper case draws her into London's luminous, magical underworld, Eliza will need all the help she can get. Even if it means getting close to Lafayette, who harbors an evil curse of his own.

Even if it means risking everything and setting vengeful Lizzie free . . .

Dr. Eliza Jekyll works for the cops and helps them investigate murders. But what no one knows is that she has a dark secret-she has a second personality that goes by the name of Lizzie Hyde-much like her father Dr. Jekyll with his famous Mister Hyde. As the case becomes more entangled it becomes harder for Eliza to hide Lizzie in the dark, when that's all Eliza really wants-or so she thinks.

I don't usually read books along this genre-Murder Mystery Fantasy. I love fantasy books but I'm not usually one to make a grab for the murder mysteries. What got me to want to read this one was the famous Dr. Jekyll /Mr. Hyde story-I haven't read it before but I know of it. So I was intrigued; he had a daughter? And someone wrote a book about her?! I had to read it!

I'm glad I did, although it wasn't my cup of tea, per say, I enjoyed the style of writing. I liked how Carr wrote from Lizzie's perspective but stayed third person whenever it was Eliza who was in control. It made me want to read Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde to see how that was written, if it was written in the same styling or if it was all third person or first person. I was riveted by the Murder Mystery, but I did find myself not as intrigued during the hunting for the killer parts. When Eliza and Lizzie were putting pieces of the puzzle together. It was a bit mundane for my tastes-not saying that it was bad, but it wasn't my preferred story to be following. I was more intrigued in Eliza and Lizzie's relationships with one another and with others. I mainly found myself wondering about their dynamic-how do they get along, how weird is it to have two personalities in your body? Isn't this a mental disorder, how is she able to keep it so hidden? What happens if one falls in love with someone and then poof the other one pops up! This is what intrigued me, and I didn't really get much of that within this story. For those of you who like murder mysteries I say you should read this book, you will most likely love it!