The Dastardly Miss Lizzie by Viola Carr

I was given this book by Harper Collins Voyager in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to receive this book even though I have not read the previous two. It has many themes that I like: steampunk, classic movie monster, paranormal, and sci-fi. But it was really hard to read. I don’t know if it was the wordyness or the plot but it took me a lot longer than I expected to finish. The story is that of Dr.Jekyll’s daughter who herself has an Ms.Hyde. In this installment she is trying to solve murders and stop a revolution. Eliza is also trying to piece together her past and future. Lizzie is trying to break free and forge her own life outside of Eliza. The French are in the midst of a civil uprising and the English are worried that they too will fall. Many scientists are trying to create machines to stop or start the revolution. There are cyborgs and werewolves and aether machines in the middle of London. Eliza is battleing Lizze, her own conscience, the patriarchy and feelings for many men: her father, her lover, and an old friend. The main two characters were sometimes hard to differentiate from each other. At times, it was unclear who was thinking and talking even though there is a clear distinction between their dialects. I suppose if I had read the first two books I would have an easier time deciphering the voices. I was a little surprised at the amount of character development in the third installment of a series. We are given a chance to see each girl change and grow as individuals and as a pair. The world in which Eliza lives is brought to life very vividly. The stark differences between the parts of the city are so dramatic its easy to see why the girls live such different lives. Eliza’s city is clean and bright while Lizzie’s is dirty and dark. Which is funny since Eliza wears drab grey skirts and Lizzie wears bright red corsets. Even their boyfriends are different: Remy an upstanding well dressed military man and Johnny a poor thief who dresses somewhat above his station. There number of secondary characters was confusing at times and annoying at others. There were some many people intertwined in both worlds. Overall the book was good and enjoyable. I think the series must be read as a whole to fully enjoy it though. All three books are now available.

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