4.5 stars
Heartfelt and heartbreaking love story and an interesting take on the classic Jekyll and Hyde concept. I do feel like the end wraps up a little quickly/abruptly, but I still enjoyed the worldbuilding and characters. And felt enough emotional attachment to them to cry with their pain.

This book was not a queer joy story, but I think books like this, that are sci-fi/fantasy historical fiction books are important. While queer joy is great, it is important to remember the very real homophobia, and in this book's case racism, that has been present in history and still is today. I've read a few books that choose to ignore history's homophobia, transphobia, or racism but I do appreciate the real and painful emotions that come from facing and portraying these topics.