Me on Jekel Loves Hyde

Title: Jekel Loves Hyde
Author: Beth Fantaskey
Release Date: May 3, 2010
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Pages: 283 (Hardcover)

Another recent library pick-up. :)

Jill Jekel's dad was murdered, which really sucks. And the money for her college education has disappeared, which also really sucks. And she wants to open this box in her dad's office, even though she promised over and over again she wouldn't, but when it might help her win a chemistry scholarship she can't help but be tempted to break the rules. Then there's Tristen Hyde, who also has some secrets, but agrees to partner up with Jill in a sort of 'Jekyll and Hyde' team to split the money.

I read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in 2008 when I was studying for my B.A., so I know what the novel is based on. Clearly, there are some differences, like the fact that Jekel and Hyde are separate people and Jekel's a girl. ;)

I really liked this book. It was mysterious enough to keep me reading, the plot moved along at a good pace. The point of view shifts back and forth between Jill and Tristen, but not one after the other. There might be a few in Jill's view, then one in Tristen's, then one in Jill, and so on. I liked it like this. Sometimes a chapter in one character's point of view ends in a mini cliffhanger, but the next chapter in someone else's point of view doesn't continue or takes place in a totally different place. Not that this book doesn't do that, but it flowed a bit better this way.

The dark and mysterious gothic vibe was wonderful. I don't think I've read a book where the darkness was solved through possibly logical chemistry. As a semi-possible nerd (not in science, I was terrible at science), I found it a bit funny and rather interesting.

This book was a mix of different ideas and points. A winding path through dark mists and thick fog, a hunt through papers and compartments to discover hidden secrets, an unending desire to change who we are at the most basic elemental level because there's something lurking in the shadows of our minds just waiting for the opportunity to break free.

Looking for a YA version of Jekyll and Hyde that also has a healthy dose of teenage hormones and almost kisses and actual kisses mixed in? Give Fantaskey's Jekel Loves Hyde a read. ;)