Firstly...I've never read nor seen Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. About the closest I've gotten is the BBC mini-series starring James Nesbitt (Jekyll) and I don't remember that beyond thinking "gosh this is bloody" (I saw it before I saw Dexter. Or Game of Thrones). So I went into this book with really only a bare hint of knowledge for the original. Given what I enjoyed most about this book was Lizzie, let's all just assume I'll never read the source material and move on.

In my initial thoughts on the book I remember noting how...uneasy I felt. If you look at the cover that's obviously Lizzie portrayed there, its Lizzie the title refers to and its Lizzie who seems to be fun. And she is. Oh how she is. Carr did a bit of a trick and had all of Lizzie's portions told in first person--further illustrating this is Lizzie's story, while Eliza's are in third person. It makes for some confusing moments, especially in the latter half as Lizzie comes out to play more often and Eliza begins to have more stressful problems.

Lizzie is wild, she's reckless and brash and can take care of herself most of the time. She knows low people and is fiercely protective of only one person in this world--Eliza. She notions herself Eliza's big sister, her watchman and vengeful aide. Eliza isn't weak, but she fears doing things that need doing. She fears becoming like her father--a mad man who loses control and goes feral. She garbs herself in dull clothes and prim manners to be taken seriously, but its Lizzie who helps her. Whispering in her ear, taunting her at times or reprimanding her. Warning her and cajoling her.

Carr doesn't spare much in terms of grim realities of murder or of the time period. Yes there's steam powered industry and yes the world developed differently, but its not too far out from what Victorian England was like in terms of social stratification or the dark underbelly. New toys, same tricks. Interestingly for me was that though Eliza dwelt moreso in the darker side of the world and saw its the gruesome ends those in it met with, it was Lizzie who was constantly chiding her to think first. Then again despite all signs otherwise its Lizzie who trusts first and Eliza who's paranoid.

I guessed at the killer (and the reasoning) fairly quickly, though I was quite shocked at how it all came together. It would have been sad had the killer not been so damned creepy. Character had ISSUES as a person.

What made me uneasy was a certain part that's a spoiler so I'll be vague here--Eliza is the dominant personality, she uses a brew to keep Lizzie at bay for the most part. That said Lizzie has her own ideas on life and from what I gathered she lived a rather more...robust social life then Eliza. However, despite the superficial differences that occur from one to the other, they share a body. The scene in question made me uncomfortable since it felt like something Lizzie should have at least consulted Eliza with. The consequences would have affected them both.

Which on that train of thought, if Eliza got pregnant what would happen to the child as she switched from Eliza to Lizzie? Or what if Lizzie got pregnant? While they share a body it appeared as if there was certain superficial differences....though how far does that extend. Different fingerprints? Genetically would they register the same? There's a character with extraordinary sense of smell--does Lizzie smell different from Eliza? The same? Similar but with a hint of something more?

These are the kind of questions that plagued me the further into the book I read and both girls feared being caught out (for different reasons) Eliza has some amazing do-dads, is experimental and always trying new things (she kind of reminds me of Murdoch from "Murdoch Mysteries" actually), though the level of science (or more importantly how its stifled) would get in the way.

Then there's the matter of the ending. I'm not entirely sure how to take Eliza's reaction. The confusing mixture of emotions she exhibits (and Lizzie vaguely mentions) left me kind of cold. I need more, equation does not compute, before I can really understand my jumble of feelings towards the book. However Lizzie is wonderful and Carr has an engaging voice (though it did feel over long) with her characters all feeling different and layered. I cautiously recommend with the caveat your mileage will vary I suspect. ( )

I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

The Diabolical Miss Hyde is a unique steampunk twist on the Dr. Jeckell and Mr. Hyde novel. Dr. Eliza Jeckell works for Bethlem by day, while assisting officer Griffin with crime scene forensics. In the midst of a recent trail of murders, Dr. Jeckell is introduced to Royal Society Captain Lafayette. As Lizzie Hyde (Eliza Jeckell), uncover the mystery of the murders, she also finds out the truth about her benefactor and the head of the Royal Society.

This was a great page turning mystery. I loved the fact that Eliza turned out not to be the only one battling demons. You could feel every bit of her struggling to find her place in the world, as well as fighting for control of her life. I thought it was interesting that although her curiosity was peaked about who her benefactor really was and the mystery that shrouded him, she seemed afraid to know the truth. This was a brilliantly written novel with edge of your seat excitement through and through. A great story to be enjoyed by mystery lovers! ( )

There is a murderer loose in London that is slicing of women’s limbs for some insidious purpose. Dr. Eliza Jekyll is a crime scene investigator and she is called out to the first crime scene and there she meets Captain Lafayette from the Royal Society. She must be very careful around him since magic is strictly forbidden and the Captain is hunting anyone that uses magic of any kind. But the need for her to take the elixir is sometimes too strong for her to resist.

I bought The Diabolical Miss Hyde a couple of months ago, well this spring actually. And, I even started to read it, but then other books came between and then a couple of weeks ago did I finally return to it. And, oh Wow! This is a fantastical great steampunk book.

I liked Eliza Jekyll and Lizzie Hyde very much and I liked that Lizzie and Captain Lafayette relationship which is, even more, interesting because Eliza isn’t feeling the same way about him and since they share the same body is that a bit of a problem. The same body? Yes, Eliza and Lizzie are “the daughter” of Henry Jekyll from the classic book: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. And, Eliza is the good daughter and Lizzie is the bad one that is turned loose when Eliza drinks her father’s elixir.

I loved that the book had no vampires or that it felt YA. Instead, it felt gloriously dark and adult to read. Yes, the story could be a bit predictable. It wasn’t that hard to figure out who was the guardian for Eliza Jekyll and Lizzie Hyde and I wasn’t that surprised when the true killer was revealed. But, nevertheless, I enjoyed reading this book immensely.

I was very curious about Eliza’s “relationship” with Razor Jack (Malachi Todd), a serial killer that she caught before everything happened in this book. Eliza and Todd felt a bit like Clarice and Hannibal Lecter. I especially got that vibe when she was in the mental hospital where he is and he is telling her what the killers want (well telling her very subtle, she had to figure it out herself of course). Does it feel a bit weird to ship Eliza with Jack? Yeah, it does, but I just can’t help it. And then again Eric Northman (Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris) is hardly a saint and I liked him. I hope to read in the future about how Eliza captured him, not just as a flashback in a book. I want the whole story. ( )

There are just so many things that don't work well in this book that it's hard to articulate what does work, but it fits under guilty pleasure if it fits anywhere. Lots and lots happens, all sorts of classic monsters are referenced or make appearances, and hardly any of it comes together cleanly, but it does sort of have its own quirky momentum. ( )

This book has a fairly interesting premise. Steampunk Victorian London where supernatural abilities are persecuted. Eliza Jekyll and Lizzy Hyde are definitely supernatural. Although Miss Hyde is in the title, the story focuses much more on Dr. Eliza Jekyll, forensic scientist and psychiatrist. Eliza is rather unlikable - uptight, condescending, and closed off. Also with rather appalling taste in men. Lizzie is more entertaining but still a bit of a caricature (but with better taste in men, at least). This is a long, sprawling book with ideas that were "cool" but didn't necessarily add anything to the story. (What does Hippocrates actually do? The Newton character is supposed to be terrifying but Eliza is confident that he'll just wait patiently for her to do more research.) There were points that it was vague as to who was in control: Eliza or Lizzie. Also, a random verb tense change made my English-teacher's heart hurt. ( )