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    The Diabolical Miss Hyde: An Electric Empire Novel
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    The Diabolical Miss Hyde: An Electric Empire Novel
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    The Diabolical Miss Hyde: An Electric Empire Novel
    Ebook473 pages7 hours

    The Diabolical Miss Hyde: An Electric Empire Novel

    By Viola Carr

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    Forensic science, magic, mystery, and romance mix in this edgy steampunk fantasy—a retelling of the horror classic, in which Dr. Eliza Jekyll, daughter of the infamous Dr. Henry Jekyll—pursues a dangerous murderer in an alternate Victorian London.

    In an electrified Victorian London, Dr. Eliza Jekyll is a crime scene investigator, hunting killers with newfangled technological gadgets. She will need every advantage available to catch a terrifying new psychopath splattering London with blood. Hidden in the grimy shadows, the fiendish murderer preys on beautiful women, drugging them before slicing off their limbs. Finding the “Slicer” can make Eliza’s career . . . or unmask her darkest secret. Like her father, she has a hidden second self that emerges when she drinks his forbidden magical elixir. Just a few sips, and a seductive and impulsive Lizzie Hyde is unleashed.

    The members of the Royal Society do not trust Eliza, and they send their enforcer, the mercurial Captain Lafayette, to prove she’s a dangerous sorceress. The careful doctor knows that one wrong step can make her prey to the clever Lafayette, a man who harbors an evil curse of his own. No matter how much she craves the elixir, she must resist.

    But as the Slicer case draws her into London’s luminous magical underworld, Eliza will need the potion’s power to help her . . . even if it might attract the attentions of Lafayette. .

    Even if it means setting the wild Lizzie free. . . .

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateFeb 10, 2015
    ISBN9780062363091
    Author

    Viola Carr

    Viola Carr is the author of the Electric Empire trilogy. She was born in Australia, but wandered into darkest London one foggy October evening and never found her way out. She now devours countless history books and dictates fantastical novels by gaslight, accompanied by classical music and the snoring of her slumbering cat.

    Read more from Viola Carr

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    Reviews for The Diabolical Miss Hyde

    4/5

    19 ratings12 reviews

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    • 2/5
      Not really sure how to review this book. I like the premise. I like the basic plot. But bits of the execution of the plot got a bit bogged down in the middle, and I lost interest for a while. (Yes, I read this book in a day, so saying I "lost interest" makes no sense until I tell you that I skimmed the middle section.)

      I like some of the characters a lot. Other characters seem to come and go completely at random, and I didn't find that part as realistic as I would have liked. (Granted, it's quite possible that I skimmed past one or more explanations without realizing it.)

      One eye-rolling moment for me was when it became clear that, for all the Empire's crack-down against magic, nearly ALL of the main characters have some form of something (magic, curse, whatever) which would get them burned as traitors/witches.
    • 5/5
      Great steampunk twist on Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde!Viola Carr does a good job of adapting her writing style to the different and distinct personalities of Eliza and her alter ego Lizzie. There is action, romance, steam and twist that all add to the excitement of the plot. Definitely a good read.
    • 3/5
      A steampunk riff on Jekyll and Hyde in which Henry Jekyll's daughter, Eliza, spends her days working as a medical investigator and physician at Bethlem Hospital while her alter ego, Lizzie spends her nights lurking in Seven Dials among the magical folk whose powers have been outlawed by the Royal Society. When a murderer begins hacking off limbs from his victims it becomes clear both Eliza and Lizzie will need to put all their powers into the investigation.I went into this hoping for some high quality steampunk fluff with some riffs on classic literature and it didn't quite deliver. Something about the writing didn't quite suck me in the way I'd hoped and while the riffing is fun the mystery was too easy for me to figure out in advance of the characters. That said, the plot threads left hanging at the end of this novel and my interest in the characters are sufficient for me to put the next book in the series on The List. Hesitantly recommended for those who always thought Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde could have used more steampunk.
    • 3/5
      I read this for the Darkest London square for Halloween Bingo

      In London, we've got murderers by the dozen. Rampsmen, garroters, wife beaters and baby farmers, poisoners and pie makers and folk who'll crack you over the noddle with a ha'penny cosh for the sake of your flashy watch chain and leave your meat for the rats. Never mind what you read in them penny dreadful: there ain't no romance in murder.

      This was a mashup of steampunk, Victorian, Gothic, and classic horror. Our heroine is Dr. Eliza Jekyll AND Lizzie Hyde. She helps Inspector Griffin study crime scenes to catch the killers, currently trying to find The Chopper, and works/studies at Bedlam. Captain Lafayette comes on the scene, he works for the Royal Society. The Royal Society works to keep fey/magical people from society, they burn them when they find them. We also have a Mr. Todd who currently resides in Bedlam courtesy of Eliza, Finch who makes Eliza's elixir that helps keep Lizzie at bay, A.R. who is Eliza's mysterious benefactor, two doctors at Bedlam who may be up to no good, Johnny the mysterious fey boy, a Penny Dreadful writer, and a bunch of characters I'm probably forgetting because holy cow. All those characters I mentioned bring with them previously created horror themes. We've got Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (of course), Frankenstein, Werewolves, Sweeny Todd, Jack the Ripper, and a sort of Silence of the Lambs relationship. Again, I'm probably forgetting something.

      It took me until around the 15% mark to get any sort of footing because of the amazing amount of characters and story threads happening, I felt like I was starting in the middle of a series. The Chopper plot started off the strongest and I thought that was the main one but towards the middle, it starts to get left behind as we focus more on Eliza and issues in her life. All male characters seem to be in love with her, which was sort of annoying and the few female characters seemed to be jealous of her.

      I pull his hand beneath my skirts, between my thighs, an inch above my garter where the stiletto sings. "See?" My breath is sultry against his neck. "Told you I had a weapon."
      "Consider me ambushed."

      Eliza, Inspector Griffin, and Captain Lafayette had fun chemistry when they went back and forth in their conversations but then Griffin heads more to the sides and a romance teases around Lafayette and Eliza and Lizzie. This is clearly the first in a series that will follow Eliza and I'm sure there will be a deepening of this relationship as we just get the start here.

      Most of this was in first person pov from Eliza, with Lizzie cutting in and as so, when action scenes happen it was sometimes hard to follow along. I'm sure the author had a clear picture in her mind of what was happening but as a new to the scene reader, it was far from being clear and some of it breezed by me, it would have been nice to have a third person overview.

      Basically, this story was jammed packed with characters and storylines (Sir Isaac Newton makes an appearance and starts a storyline that I'm not sure was ever really explained) and I spent a lot of time feeling lost. It was different and interesting and I might try the second now that I have at least an introduction to the world and characters.

      (If anyone has read this, who is supposed to be on the guy on the cover?! Johnny?)
    • 3/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      Loved both of these. Looking forward to more. Swashbuckling steampunk with a fun female hero.
    • 3/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      Review courtesy of All Things Urban FantasyTHE DIABOLICAL MISS HYDE was an entertaining twist on the classic tale of THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE. I love a good murder mystery and one where the protagonist in part doesn't know if she is the killer makes for an especially juicy story. The story, like the kind upright Dr. Eliza Jekyll is split in narration between her and her more brash and violent alter ego Lizzie Hyde. One would think knowing Lizzie Hyde's side of the story would make her guilt or innocence clear cut. Luckily for the tension of the tale we aren't privy to the clear facts due to hazy memories on both Eliza and Lizzie's parts. What was particularly interesting was the way the narration was in the first person when Lizzie was in control and third person with Eliza.On the relationship front the most fascinating in this story is the one between Eliza and Lizzie. I was fascinated by the way they communicate with eachother and have their own separate lives sort of the way the original Jekyll and Hyde did. At times when Eliza was arguing with Lizzie I had to step back and think that she must look crazy to anyone watching as she i just talking to herself. Its amazing that Eliza was never really caught arguing to herself as she'd be sent right to the insane asylum. Were I to pick a favorite of the two personalities I'd have to go with Lizzie. She is fun, brash, and bold. Since her POV was done in the first person I felt like I knew her better than Eliza and as a result it felt like this was more Lizzie's story.With a wonderful splendid series title of The Electric Empire this story has some clever steampunk inventions that I would love to see in person namely Eliza's cute robot helper Hippocrates. THE DIABOLICAL MISS HYDE does suffer from too many plot threads which didn't get confusing so much as they made the story feel long. Granted I loved each and every one of the threads and I'd be hard pressed to pick which one I'd throw out. Through excellent writing and creativity the Eliza and Lizzie come alive as two halves of the same person who work amazingly well together to solve some very gruesome murders. In the end this was a most excellently dark steampunk murder mystery and I am very interested in seeing more from this series.
    • 5/5
      I was provided a gratis copy of the book by the publisher.Right from the first page, I loved the voice of this and how the author handled the split nature of Eliza Jekyll and Lizzie Hyde. The plot is part mystery, part horror. It's a dark read that delves into serial killers, the sordid underbelly of London society, and the fluctuating nature of medical science and invention in an altered steampunk Victorian time period. It's not a book for everyone, and there were certainly times when I went, "Yikes!" but it remained an engrossing read. Carr wrote something of a love letter to Victorian literature. It's a twisted, topsy-turvy love letter, but a well-done homage just the same.
    • 3/5
      Start with the daughter of Dr Jeckyll, now a doctor in her own right mix in steampunk sensibilities and a government that keeps a tight rein on all scientific breakthrough and you get the bare bones background of this book. Dr. Eliza Jekyll helps investigate crimes but gets no respect from most of the police and is followed by a reporter trying to get the best stories. She also does work at Bedlam hospital on the mentally disturbed housing the notorious criminal the Razor Jack that she helped convict and find guilty but criminally insane. Of course she has the same secret that her father had and Lizzie is as different from Eliza as she can be but loves her sister and tries to protect her from her actions when she is in control. As Eliza tries to solves the mystery of murdered women in town she is also trying to stay out of the attention of the Royal Society even as one of their agents is interested in the murders as well.

      There is a lot going on in the book and the murders do get solved but the beginning of what looks to be a multi book story arc is started with this one. There are some other things mixed into the book but I really don’t want to give away the surprise to the reader. A fun start to a new series even if not everything looks great for our heroine.

      Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
    • 4/5
      Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: Eliza Jekyll has a string of murders to solve, but her alter ego, Lizzie Hyde, has some plans of her own in this interesting, but not great, first book in the Electric Empire series.Opening Sentence: In London, we’ve got murderers by the dozen.The Review:Women are being murdered in an alternate version of Victorian London. Brutally murdered – with body parts missing. Eliza Jekyll is determined to find out who’s behind the crimes, despite having to deal with misogynistic behavior at every turn. In addition to trying to solve the murders, she has to deal with the arrival of a Society Inspector, one who has the power to arrest her at the slightest hint of the use of anything other than “normal” science. While Eliza uses all the usual methods of scientific investigation, she has a far more dangerous secret. For Eliza is the daughter of Dr. Henry Jekyll – a man who developed an elixir that split him in two. And now Eliza has the same problem. She’s had to deal with the presence of her alter ego Lizzie Hyde for years, but with the help of a remedy, she’s been able to keep Lizzie at bay. Until now. For Lizzie is beginning to make herself known at all times, a constant presence in the back of Eliza’s head. And the need to transform into Lizzie has begun happening more often as well, with one such instance resulting in Lizzie possibly becoming a murderess. Will Eliza be able to prove Lizzie’s innocence, find the the Chopper serial killer, and prevent herself from descending into madness?I was a little hesitant in picking this book up just because, as much as I love steampunk, it can be incredibly complicated. On the bright side, the world here isn’t too complicated. The bad news though is that it’s not very well explained either. The reader is just thrust into the world with no explanations as to how it operates. The Fey exist here, but I have no idea how they got here or why they stayed. On the subject of lack of explanation, there is also no real back story given on a previous case of Eliza’s that plays a very important role in the story. I thought I may have missed a prequel somewhere along the lines, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. It was very frustrating to feel like I had been left out of the loop somewhere along the line.All of that aside, the strength of this novel lies in the characters and their interactions with each other. Eliza and Lizzie are both great characters, although I have to admit to liking Lizzie more. While she is brash and doesn’t always think through her actions, there’s a vulnerability to her that makes her very easy to connect to. Eliza isn’t quite as easy to connect to, but she is still a very likeable character in her own right. I have great admiration for how she’s able to stand up to the misogyny she’s faced with every single day. When she actually begins to acknowledge rather than fight Lizzie, she becomes an even stronger character, and I look forward to seeing where she goes from here.All in all, this was a good first book in a series, but not a great one. Despite the lack of an explanation for the world, I found myself caught up in what was going on and often didn’t want to put the book down. With a little more effort given to explain the world, this could turn into a great series.Notable Scene:A desperate feather of reason tickled the back of her neck. Startled, she opened her eyes.The long mirror on the cabinet wall reflected her, stark and pale in her white chemise. Her reddened eyes were demented. She breathed deep, shuddering, sweating, the fever sprinting madly under her skin, a dread curse she couldn’t escape.She shouldn’t. She mustn’t.But she had to.She squeezed her eyes shut against the fire’s glare and tipped the flask to her lips.Molten gold, rolling down her throat. Thick salt stung her tongue, coated the inside of her mouth, sickening yet delicious. Thirst ripped her raw, and she gulped, mouthful on mouthful…Fire erupted in her guts, sweeter than any caress. She groaned in pure abandon. Spreading outwards through her belly, tingling along her limbs, a shivering shock wave of delight…Agony, hacking every nerve ragged. Muscles contorting, bones twisting, red mist descending like poison, it’s torture, it’s being dragged apart on the rack in some rat-infested Tower chamber, beyond endurance, no one can take this, no one. A scream crawls up her throat, she’s yelling, I’m yelling, she’s clawing at her face but it’s my face, my hands, my nails catching in her hair. We throw our head back, arching our spine, joints grating, our muscles shudder and squeal and thrash one final time…Suddenly, the pain falls silent. The red mist dissolves…and in the mirror, dark eyes flash, wicked and alive with intent.Sharp, intelligent face, crooked seducer’s smile, a body with lush, dangerous curves. Long curly hair tumbles over the white chemise, no longer fine and blond but dark, lustrous mahogany.And here I stand.FTC Advisory: HarperCollins provided me with a copy of The Diabolical Miss Hyde. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
    • 5/5
      I got a copy of this book to review through Edelweiss. This was a wonderfully dark steampunk story with an investigative urban fantasy feel to it. I loved the characters, the world, and the plot. The story was very engaging and incredibly fun to read.Dr. Eliza Jekyll is the daughter of the notorious Henry. She is a doctor and works both as a crime scene investigator and as a doctor at the insane asylum Bethlam. She’s been helping to investigate a series of murders where women are found with their limbs chopped off, the murderer is being called the Chopper. Things get complicated when the Royal’s Captain Lafayette is put on the case as well, he has a side mission to prove that Eliza is a sorceress. Of course Eliza does have many dark secrets of her own, the main one being her Shadow persona...Lizzie. Eliza does a good job of keeping Lizzie locked away but once in a while Eliza has to take an elixir to let Lizzie out to play... This book reminds a bit of the Penny Dreadful TV series; it incorporates a number of characters from literature during the Victorian time period in London. Also our main heroine is generally very composed as Eliza but when Lizzie comes out to play things get pretty dark.Carr does a wonderful job of making Eliza and Lizzie two very different people. I really enjoyed reading about them both. Eliza is witty and smart and has all of these really nifty mechanical devices she likes to use. Eliza is struggling to make it as a woman doctor in an age where there just aren’t women doctors. Lizzie is all grit and sass and tough as nails and is a hoot to read about. The two have an interesting relationship together and I enjoy how they took care of each other and helped each other in their own ways.The description throughout the book is fantastic, it is easy to picture settings and characters. There are a number of interesting side characters. Sweeney Todd is in here and he is delightful evil, yet intriguing. Captain Lafayette also has many dark and intriguing secretes. Then there is the mysterious man that sponsors Eliza’s lodging... More than anything this book is just delightfully fun to read. It is gory and dark at points, but never over the top. The story does an excellent job of reflecting that Jack the Ripper era of London, but in an alternate history sort of way. Speaking of which this book is definitely set in an alternate London where there are Fey throughout the city who are seen as lesser citizens. I would have liked to see the world-building and history of this new and alternate London gone into a bit more, but that is really my only complaint about this book.Overall this book was wonderful fun and I can't wait to read the next book in this series. I love the characters in here and enjoy the setting of an alternate London. The book has a very investigative urban fantasy feel to it, but also has a lot of steampunk elements and some horror elements. I definitely recommend both to steampunk fans and urban fantasy fans. This is an excellent retelling/extension of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and it was great fun to read. I will definitely be reading more books in this series.