Kirkus Reviews QR Code
JEKEL LOVES HYDE by Beth Fantaskey

JEKEL LOVES HYDE

by Beth Fantaskey

Pub Date: May 1st, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-15-206390-0
Publisher: Harcourt

Jill Jekel and Tristen Hyde are going to need major mojo to win that chemistry scholarship they’re aiming for, because they never seem to do any science. In this ellipsis-laden paranormal romance, the scions of the doomed houses of Jekyll and Hyde—a hand-waving explanation justifies the distinct family trees, and Jill explains that her grandfather changed the spelling of their name when he immigrated, “[y]ou know, to distance us from the bad stuff that happened in England”—fall in love. Tristen wants to save himself from the family curse, which he believes will turn him into a mad killing machine. Jill wants enough money to go to college and get help for her mother, chronically depressed since the mysterious death of Jill’s father. What if Jill holds the ancient Jekyll secret, the chemical formula to create monsters out of men? Can that help Tristen? Sadly, it can’t help this novel. Giving the formula to a boy turns him into a violent killer, but giving it to a girl arouses “hormones” that make her “act so boldly, so embarrassingly forward” and prompt her to demand violence between men while “writhing” against them. There’s plenty of better fantastical love stories for the thirsty fan. (Paranormal romance. 12-14)