Jekyll's Mirror

by William Hussey

Sam is a tortured soul, but his darkest hour is yet to come, when he's invited to take part in 'Project Hyde'. A new social networking site where users can enjoy total anonymity . . . it's exhilarating at first, until Sam notices that the other users are becoming obsessed with the program . . . addicted to the cruelty they are inflicting online. Sam watches with a growing sense of horror as his classmates turn into something unrecognisable.

For the truth behind Project Hyde is this: it doesn't simply change WHO you are, it changes WHAT you are.

One click away from Evil's new domain. Are you ready to face the truth?

A new novel from the Master of Dark Fiction.

Genres: Young Adult, Horror, Fiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Claude's Bookzone · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

CW: an off page suicides as a result of online bullying, violent physical attack and online attacks

Well that was quite heavy handed on the whole 'social media bullying is bad' message.

I liked the concept of this reimagining but at times it felt like a hot mess. There were so many threads throughout the story and I don't feel like William managed to tie them all together in a smooth way. There is a lot of violence which gave the book a gritty feel which may appeal to some Readers.

[Sal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does that not sound like the most mind-blowing summary? My thoughts exactly.

I write this review fresh after finishing this book, mostly because my brain is still in a haze, and a little fried, with all the dramatic twists and turns the book ended with. Now, I'm a HUGE fan of Stevenson's Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde having read the book countless times and watched many film adaptations. I am well and truly obsessed with the twisted storyline of battling your inner demon, in Dr Jekyll's case - seriously fighting off your evil alter ego.

Jekyll's Mirror focuses on a more modernised version of the story, investing cyberbullying within its pages which was truly impressive. It's vastly common for children and teens to be victims to cyberbullying thanks to the anonymity the internet grants us with. It outlines the severe outcomes of cyberbullying and the dangers it can lead to - but not only to the victim, but the bully him/herself.

Sam was definitely one of those broken male protagonists dealing with the hardships of his past yet he tries his best to overcome it and fit in. He's also having to deal with a conflicted uncle who is less than happy to be sharing his home. I loved how he had weaknesses and flaws like a real human being, it truly made him shine as he developed. I also enjoyed the involvement of a strong female protagonist, Cass, who has flaws of her own because even a kick-ass female needs a little help sometimes!

The story is fast paced, especially towards the end when things get a little hectic. We even experience a little zombie apocalypse situation which was awesome! I totally loved it. We have dark magic and a rather intriguing villain, in fact, Edgar was most probably my favourite character. He's incredibly witty and intimidating, everything he does is acted upon with complete precision.
That man is a force to be reckoned with.

In regards to the Romance, I wasn't completely won by it and in my honest opinion I think it would have worked better if there wasn't any. Despite that, I think Sam and Cass as individuals were both striking and powerful characters that I liked very much. I also liked Cora - Sam's aunt who always seemed to see the brighter side of Sam and supported him. It was all so heartwarming!

This story is as twisted (how many times have I used this word?) as the original Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde but more complex and deals with issues I believe are imperative to include in today's children books. I think Hussey did an excellent job in portraying cyberbullying through Jekyll's Mirror and you should definitely check this book out!

[Lauren Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess it was well written... plot was an interesting concept... but to me it just pushed it's message too hard and therefore some of the dialogue was unrealistic, characters clearly just mouthpieces for the author's opinions. It was okay.

[Jo Bennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly powerful young adult novel that brings together the modern age of social media and the great era of Victorian Gothic fiction.

Sam is in pieces. After witnessing his violent dad finally go too far, to strike down and kill his mum, he is living on a sink estate with his aunt and uncle. His dad is securely in prison, but fear of being like him and a secret truth about how he feels about his dad tear at him. Roaming the streets he meets elusive Fire Girl Cassandra who inexplicably seems to know a great deal about him.

At Sam's new school Pendleton Grammar his English teacher Miss Crail invites him to take part in an experimental academic computer game based on RL Stevenson's book Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Sam finds himself part of an eccentric group: himself, the captain of the hockey team, a introvert with personal hygiene issues, and a high achieving future politician. They are presented with a mock discussion board on which people are writing shocking prejudiced things. All four are invited by an on screen avatar to attack the fictional fascists, in return they earn virtual golden keys that amass towards a testimonial certificate. All four become quickly addicted to the game but it's not what it seems. Cassandra reappears and opens Sam's eyes to the truth. Trolling, cyber bullying and horrific violence collide with evil magic. The pace of the narrative jacks up to breathtaking, the book is a great ride but also intelligently written.

I was particularly impressed with the author's understanding of the subtleties of Stevenson's Jekyll and Hyde that are absent from the popular understanding that it is about good versus evil. There are elements of the best of Gothic fiction, of Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Grey, Stoker's Dracula and Shelley's Frankenstein. Hussy comes right up to date with the intolerable pressures placed on young adults to behave in a certain way from mass media, social media, peers, school and parents and shows clearly how it is not necessarily the Hydes of our world that are the monsters.

[Lennox Rex · Rating 5 out of 5]

My second Hussey novel, and I see a trend emerging. From now on, I shall go into every book assuming I will want to adopt the protagonist, just so I can spend the rest of their lives building them up and giving them all the paternal love. 

Please, just lemme adopt Sam! The precious baby! 

No worries, I won’t spoil, but Sam’s big secret, once revealed, ripped my heart out. I just wanted to pluck him straight from the book and give him all the validation and explain to him that his secret doesn’t make him a monster or any of the other things he’d spent all those years believing about himself. 

*restrains self*

Anyhow… *clears throat*

At the risk of sounding somewhat deranged, what a fun [yes, I said fun… that’s the word that comes to mind] dark fantasy. I really enjoyed this, I can only imagine how much I would have raved over Jekyll’s Mirror when I was still a part of its target demographic. Even without having read the inspirational source [trust me, I’ll be reading it now], I can feel the love and care Hussey took in bringing the spirit of Robert Louis Stevenson’s work to a new audience and putting it into the modern context of cyber bullying. Thinking of it now, I’m actually surprised that The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde was never assigned reading for me.  

I think my favourite moment of the entire book may have been when Edgar Dritch made his appearance and had his big villain monologue moment. I was so thrilled by how Hussey chose to present him, and Dritch’s reason for all his evil-doings… I never say this, but… *chef’s kiss* That has got to be my favourite kind of villain archetype. I mean, I made my own character, back in my days leading a role-playing club, whose sole reason for existence was his own pleasure [Malik, pre-biblical god of chaos and hedonism]. To say that Malik would think Dritch is a load of fun is an understatement. 

I forget how I initially stumbled upon The Outrage, my first Hussey novel, but I’m so glad I did. I’m enjoying his writing so much. Next up, Hideous Beauty. That one’s officially just zoomed right up to the very top of my “to buy” list.

[Tvermar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent, albiet pretty violent, “perky teenagers” page turner

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a tad conflicted with this... Part of me enjoyed the thrills, the mystery, the paranormal, but the other half is just frowning in confusion/annoyance.

A very strange book.

[Reuben Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I paused this back near the start of COVID-times because none of us had the brain cells for book club, and I’d intended to go back to it because I hadn’t been *dis*liking it. It was a little young for me and a kind of strange blend of genres that stopped it from being the 5 star roaring success Hideous Beauty has been, but the plot was intriguing enough and Hussey’s lovely writing had been keeping me going. But now nearly 6 months on I’ve accepted that actually there’s nothing pulling me back to it and needing to find out what happened. It was fine, and without interruption I would’ve finished it and most likely 3 starred (obv depending where the second half of it went) but with the big break it just doesn’t make sense to carry on now when I don’t feel like I _neeeed_ to if that makes sense?
So all this to say, DNFing just under halfway, but it’s not down to dislike. I’d still recommend, particularly for sort of 14-year-old-ish boys, and particularly if they’re a fan of books like Darren Shan. I’ll keep it on my (physical) shelf and there’s a chance I may go back and reread it some day but I need to take it off my currently reading (virtual) shelf as it’s staring at me and guilting me. 😂

[Zaide · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started reading this with a few friends of mine for our book club and after loving the authors recent YA release Hideous Beauty, expected to love this too. Sadly this one just wasn’t for me.

It felt a little like two books in one and it was confused about which direction it was going down. It was sort of part horror and part mystery with some supernatural elements thrown into the mix as well.

Even if I could’ve gotten over the strange mix of themes, none of the characters were likeable in the slightest and I just couldn’t get invested enough to care what happened to them or how the story would unfold.

Can definitely see that this might appeal more to slightly younger readers than me but personally I hit the 60% mark and decided to DNF.

[becky :P · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that this was a great book because it shows about the issues about cyber bullying and it also adds a twist with the horror included. I would recommend this for ages 12 and up or to people who like SciFi or horror.

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting read

[Ryan McNie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars.

Wow. To be honest my thoughts are still catching up with me on this one. To say that this book is a rollercoaster would be an understatement. And when I say rollercoaster I don't mean one of those ones that takes you slowly up into the air before throwing you towards the ground. No, I mean one of those where it shoots you along the track at about 80 miles per hour before you've barely had the chance to sit down. And i mean this in a good way.

You may struggle with the start of this book purely because it does get going so quickly. It doesn't drip feed you information in any way. Within the first four pages you're basically given the main character's back story and the first of many mysteries has revealed itself. Or herself should I say. This can leave you confused but by this point you wont care, you're going to want to read on becuse this book will have grabbed you. I'm also going to comment on the genius of this method of writing. You are thrown in just as the main character is having a freak out and it leaves you feeling as confused and emotion filled as he is. It's brilliant, shocking and draws you in perfectly.

The writing style is similarly brilliant. At times it is blunt and builds tension and at others it explore descriptions of colour and landscapes and scenes and is generally just really good and a pleasure to read.

The story itself is also good. The characters are solid (for the most part) and seem genuine and it's interesting to see the depths that each character has.
It starts of as a reality based fiction exploring the issue of cyber bullying and playing with the idea that the anonimity of the internet can play a very similar role to that of Jekyll's potion in the classic novel 'The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'. That is it allows people to reveal a darker side to themselves and say things to other that they would never dream of face to face. It's a brilliant idea and is executed well. It doesn't dodge around the issue at all and the effects that cyber bullying can have on people are clearly demonstrated within the novel.
However, about a quarter of the way through it become clear that the book also has another side to it. A supernatural/horror side. Although this isn't necesserily a bad thing the shift between the normal side of the novel about cyber bullying to the addition of the paranormal is a little clunky (kind of like that sentence) and it was a little strange to accept this side of things when the book was doing well as a reality based tale in it's own right. I also felt that the paranormal aspect lessened to blow of the cbyerbullying factor and the messages that were being portraying. (Although looking back the messages are still shockingly truthful and stand their ground.)
The story then continues with this new element and develops into a sort of horror, thriller kind of genre. And it works. There are some seriously chilling moments in which the atmosphere is set up perfectly for the action that unfolds.

There is also a slight romance element to the story. It seems unnatural at times but then considering the events that are unfolding it would seem unnatural in reality also and as a result it fits. A huge emphasis is never put on it, it's merely there and as an underlying subplot it works I guess, sort of? The issue is it never really feels like it needs to be there and as a result does come across as a little forced.

All that being said though there were a few picky complaints i had whilst reading. One, as mentioned above, was the introduction to the paranormal side of the book.
Another would be the fact that, on occasion, some of the lines being said by characters didn't feel natural. They would go off on some grand speech about something and i couldn't help but feel that there was no way someone would talk like that in reality. Eloquent writing but it would not be spoken alound in real life the way it was in the book.
Three would be that i feel like some things were used as get out clauses. It's like a potential plot hole would arise (some tiny that many people wouldn't even question)and it would be waved away with the explanation of 'contacts in the occult world' or 'my psychic said to watch out for something like this'. To be honest it just didn't seem necessary.
Lastly, there is an important character in the book that is mentioned throughout but then just kind of left. Anyone who reads it will know exactly who i mean. I guess i was just left wanting more of a conclusion as far as he was concerned.

I enjoyed this book. It was dark and twisted and times shocking at others. Tense, thrilling and fascinating all at once. It's references to Jekyll and Hyde were also fascinating particularly in the way it suggests the novels relevence today in a world where anyone can wear the anonimity of the internet as a mask. It was a rollercoaster, one which any fans of the classic story, the horror genre and internet users should ride.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jekyll's Mirror is about the anonymity of social media and the effects of cyber bullying on victims. It is also a horror story with macabre descriptions and the author builds a strange world that brings to mind magical realism. I was mainly intrigued by the blurb of the book because I was interested in the idea of self destruction. What becomes of people who bully others and how do they return to a normal life once their cruelty is at an end. I expected the majority of the book to take place online but this was not the case.

Jekyll's Mirror was a strange tale which explored the themes of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, a book I didn't particularly enjoy. I had become so used to references to the book that I had high expectations that perhaps could not be met. It isn't often I dislike classics but I didn't find it nearly as spooky as I'm sure was intended to be.

"They create new personalities online then use the mask the net provides in order to engage in the most cruel behaviour, bullying online users, sometimes with tragic consequences."
I enjoyed reading about Sam's battle with "The Wrath" as something he felt couldn't be controlled and it makes me consider whether we are too contained as a society. People can be vile on social media sites and it isn't a stretch to imagine that holding anger in leads to the behaviour we often see against people online. We see Sam's struggle with his inner demons that pour out as he uses the social networking site.

I wasn't entirely convinced by the transformation of the teenagers as I felt even though cyber bullies do roam about the internet I didn't truly believe that some of the them would have partaken of the chaos. I was unsure whether the change they went through was something that would happen to all people or just a few who were full of anger and prone to violence. I also felt that when things began to happen later on there wasn't as much shock and surprise as I felt there would have been in the normal world.

Yet this wasn't the normal world as we know it. Fantastical things occurred and although I wasn't particularly fulfilled after reading this book it was still an enjoyable read.

[Alyce Hunt · Rating 2 out of 5]

With this review, I've officially completed my 2015 A-Z reading challenge! It's been difficult but I've enjoyed hunting for books that I might not otherwise have read, and 'Jekyll's Mirror' is one of those.
Sam Stillhouse has been through a lot in his life. Suffering through life with his abusive father murdering his mother, he's now living with his aunt and uncle, struggling to control the Wrath that threatens to overtake him. He's tried counselling and it hasn't helped, but when he gets invited to take part in a new school project - Project Hyde - it finally gives him somewhere to focus his anger.
Project Hyde (based on - you guessed it - 'The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde') creates status updates and messages from a wide variety of fake characters, and the task of the participant is to reply to them as honestly as possible, no matter how venomously they act. Sam gets addicted to the software very quickly, spending every spare minute of his time online attacking the artificial intelligence, and it's only when Cassandra - a mysterious girl with flame red hair - shows up that Sam realises something is seriously wrong with the program.
Queue the first big reveal: the fact that the messages are from real people. It's not that surprising, because there are hints throughout the introduction of the Project, but apparently Sam isn't good at picking up on hints.
Other than this, there are two other reveals in this book.
Read the rest of my review here!

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

REVIEW BY HARVEY – YEAR 9

Jekyll’s Mirror begins in modern-day Britain with a boy called Samuel Stillhouse. I thought that at the start the book was a rather boring one, things moved slowly and in the first two or three chapters I did consider whether I had picked a good book or not. BUT the next couple of chapters things started to kick off, Sam met Casey, a red-haired American girl from the Deep South whom Sam bumps in to numerous amounts of time throughout this book.

Jekyll’s Mirror really highlights how everyone has an evil side hidden inside them just waiting to pop out. Sam experiences this firsthand as he is picked to carry out this project by his own English teacher.

Sam is a troubled soul following the brutal death of his mother, Sam could not be more vulnerable at this point of his life.

The storyline follows Sam and Casey as they both try to rid the earth of the evil that is plaguing the world. Along the way they come across many complications from being hit by a car to mind controlled waitresses, this book has it all.

The evil and powers of the characters in this book are slowly revealed, but the true meaning of the book is really known throughout. We all have an evil side.

The ending of the book was quite a short one, but it was fast and interesting.

[Charlotte · Rating 2 out of 5]

I asked my brother to pick a book from my shelves at random - this was the one he chose. My initial opinion was positive. Chapter one seemed insightful and unique. I wasn't too fond of the 'supernatural' elements that appeared, but I explained them away as psychological manifestations of Sam's issues. I would have preferred that. The story, as a whole, failed to capture my interest or garner my appreciation. I liked the violence and the implications of Project Hyde, but I hated the direction the author chose to take this in. Jekyll's Mirror felt like a novel that could change the way young people think, act and express themselves. Instead it copped out, and made itself into cheap, knock-off fiction. The language was startlingly perfect at times, but even that wasn't enough to save this book. Maybe I shouldn't judge too harshly - this book was obviously intended for a younger audience than me. But for such a brilliant idea to have been executed so poorly...I can't help but feel let down.

[Emmilee Throckmorton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fits into too many different genres/groups. The description sold me but then after beginning the book, I frequently found myself going back to read the description to make sure I had the correct book. I thought this was going to be a book about cyber-bullying and what leads people to do horrible things to others; however, it quickly became apparent that the author was leaning more towards a fantasy genre. If Hussey had dropped a lot of the magicians/magical references and instead focused on the bullying aspect of the novel, I think it would have been a lot more enjoyable. Not a bad read, just wasn't what I expected and that severely detracted from the overall experience I had while reading it.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jekyll's Mirror started off well. The idea of a teacher running an experiment on online bullying was worthwhile and the protagonist is interesting. Sam comes from a unique background due to his mother being killed by his father. He is living with his aunt and uncle in a tense household, in the projects of London. Where the book went off course for me was when it introduced a magical element to explain why the teacher is conducting the project and how the rest of the novel plays out. Had Hussey kept it in the real world, it ultimately would have been a more compelling read.

[Wilde Sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

A new social networking site changes young people’s behaviour.

I thought the idea for this book was good, but I didn’t like the writing style and some of the dialogue / characters didn’t feel well developed.

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have to admit to not finishing this book, I tried for the first 10 chapters but it just didn't grasp me, and seemed nothing at all like the blurb had made it out to be, which disappointed me massively.

[Charlotte Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was incredibly well written and I loved how it incorporated the paranormal, cyber bullying and the Strange case of Dr Jekyll and dr Hyde into the story. I also think we can learn a lot from this story.

[Sam Whitehouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fast-paced, exciting story with some original ideas, solid characters and plenty of twists and turns that make this a fast read.

[Annette Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book, a very clever mixture of Victorian gothic and modern day cyber bullying, very clever.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly gripping teen read and nicely uncomfortable at times.

[Caroline Deacon · Rating 3 out of 5]

it's a great premise but he throws too much in the mix. Would have been better to keep some of his ideas back