I am back with another review, Teen Hyde by Chandler Baker.
The story follows Cassidy, Homecoming Queen, head cheerleader and all-around Miss. Perfect. But after the death of her boyfriend, she finds herself spiraling into a darker version of reality. One night, she finds herself in a terrifying situation: drink, without her friends, and surrounded by five college guys. After the Incident, Cassidy can barely function. Soon she is taking Sunshine, a little yellow pill that is promised to bring her happiness. But Cassidy starts to forget chunks of time. The town goes on lockdown; boys start going missing, college boys.
Going into this story, I knew very little about the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. All I really knew was that one was an alter-ego or some sort of multiple personality. I guess that's all I really needed to know about the origins of this story, because this was a very loose retelling, more of an inspiration, than anything else.
I had no idea how dark this book was going to get. I would definitely caution some readers; trigger warnings for sexual assault and rape. While it wasn't the light-hearted book I thought it was going to be, I still really appreciated Baker telling this version of the story. The aftereffects of assault can be extreme, as seen in Cassidy's case.
I would say in relation to book one, this is more of a companion. There are a few references very early on in the story to characters in that book, most likely to help grasp who's who in this one. I would say you could even just read this one as a standalone if you prefer. And I don't think you really need to read these books in order if you're going to read the whole series, and I don't think you'll really get too spoiled for book one if you read this one first.
The story itself was definitely a lot darker and more sinister than I was expecting, some of the things Marcy does are just horrific. I understand the basis of her reasoning but the fact that a teenager could do these things is nauseating. Then again, she's not the only one who did disgusting things - those boys are no better.
In terms of writing, this book was fairly well done. It wasn't anything spectacular, but based on book one, I wasn't expecting spectacular. The story was suspenseful and I read it quite quickly in one sitting. The final few chapters were really intense, and that ending was something else.
Overall, a solid continuation of this unique series, and I look forward to book three.