Jekel Loves Hyde [Hardcover]

 

 

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When I picked up this book I liked it, but it wasn't hard to put it down until next time. I read Beth Fantaskey's other book Jessica's Guide To Dating On the Dark Side and I absolutely loved that book so I thought I would try this one. Jessica's Guide was really funny and had me pretty much glued to the pages and I was hoping for that same sentiment with Jekel Loves Hyde. This book was good, but in my opinion wasn't as good as Jessica's Guide, it didn't have the comical and humorous side that I found really appealing. Jill was so sweet and timid and the other kids were so mean to her, and Tristen was there for her right from the beginning when she didn't even know why! The story between the two of them is complicated, its hard going but there seems to always be some sort of a spark between them, and they are just not sure if they can pull out ok. Jill not only has to find trust in her family but even her closest friends for many years seem to turn on her. I liked the plot twists in this story, and they came together very well in the end and I didn't have any lingering questions as sometimes you do after reading a book. I found the last 100 pages or so I was pretty consumed with what was going on, a lot was happening. There is some mystery, love, suspense and even a little horror all mixed into this book and it was a fun read.

Beth Fantaskey is an absolutely phenomenal writer. Not only does she have a vivid imagination, but she also has a writing style that is realistically contemporary, yet classic and true to the old Jekyll and Hyde story from which her idea sprang. Her choice of words in some places is sheer beauty...poetry, as some would term it.

Jekel Loves Hyde opens with Jill Jekel feeling alone and isolated at the funeral of her father. Since his murder, her mother has had a nervous breakdown which leaves Jill in an adult role she doesn't want, paying household bills and caring for her mother. In that role there's no one to comfort and guide her, so she is surprised when a gorgeous classmate, Tristen Hyde, suddenly approaches her at the funeral, going so far as to hold her in his arms and kiss her cheek. This has been her only warm source since her father's death, so she is mortified when she breaks down and cries on his shoulder.

But when she sees him again in chemistry class and in school hallways, he has reverted to his old brooding, defiant nature.

Jill has always been an obedient daughter, but after her father's murder when he's accused of company indiscretions and she finds that her college funds have disappeared she's tempted to peek inside a mysterious box in his office. Her mother warns her against opening it.

Jill enlists Tristen's aid in discovering what's in the box because she thinks the contents might be the key to unravel his murder and discover what happened to her college funds. While working together, the teens begin to fall in love. They form a partnership and as the team of Jekel and Hyde, they recreate experiments based on the classic novel, hoping to earn the prize money for Jill's college, but also to save Tristen's sanity and perhaps his life.

Jill and Tristen are descendants of the old Robert Louis Stevenson characters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Tristen knows this, but Jill is completely in the dark until she witnesses Tristen's dark side in a rather horrifying manner. He slowly opens up to her and tells her some of his dark secrets; she begins to believe his fantastic story.

What is haunting Tristen? What do they find in her father's box? Can the deadly concoction they are working on possibly save Tristen from becoming a monster? Is his father a monster like the original Mr. Hyde? Who killed Jill's father? How does Tristen's father use Jill's mother in his diabolical plot? But most important, why does Jill risk her own life by drinking the formula? Why does this "good girl" become "wild?"

All those questions and more are skillfully answered by this author as she weaves her magic to keep us guessing until the very end. Beth Fantaskey is Beth "Fantastic" to me!

This is listed as a Young Adult book, but I think it will appeal to adults too... It certainly does to me. Five stars and then some! It would make a block-buster horror movie.

ENDNOTE: The love scenes, while skillfully done, may be thought of as "too intense" by some parents, so keep that in mind when purchasing for your teen. But with all the other "stuff" on the market, this is mild by comparison.

Reviewed by Betty Dravis, May 16, 2010
Author of "Dream Reachers" (with Chase Von) and other books

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