Thursday 6 March 2014

Review: The Madman's Daughter (The Madman's Daughter #1) by Megan Shephard







The Madman's Daughter (The Madman's Daughter #1)
Author: Megan Shepherd
Pages: 420
Publication Date: January 23, 2013
Publisher: Balzer + Bray

In the darkest places, even love is deadly.

Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father's gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.

Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father's madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island's inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father's dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it's too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father's genius—and madness—in her own blood.

Inspired by H. G. Wells's classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Madman's Daughter is a dark and breathless Gothic thriller about the secrets we'll do anything to know and the truths we'll go to any lengths to protect.


Due to the sequel being released in January, I thought it was a good time to start the series. The Madman's Daughter excelled in bringing thrill and the same time, introducing me to the work of H.G. Wells. Based on The Island of Dr. Moreau, I'm very impressed with Shephard, taking on a classic and twisting it into with one of her own. One of my favourite novels Nevermore was also based on the work of someone else's - Edgar Allan Poe. I've noticed that most of the books that I loved are ones that have been revamped into a whole new definition of new and unique.

Daughter of Henri Moreau, Juliet no longer lives the wealthy life she had when she was a child. Instead of growing up with pretty dresses and glam, she takes on the role of a maid at an early age. When she discovers that her father is still alive, she follows his assistant, Montgomery to her father's private secluded island. With mystery surrounding the island, the novel was extremely hard to put down. It was the first book that I read in one day in 2014 which was challenging to achieve due to the stack load of school work that needed to be finished.

When I first discovered The Madman's Daughter, I've seen it shelved as horror, which kept me from the series. But after seeing this one being in a lot of favourites list of 2013, I thought January was a great time to pick it up especially with the sequel also being released on the same month. From my point of view, I didn't find this to be scary at all. I admit Shephard created a dark and gruesome thriller, but it didn't scare me. Let me tell you, I am the biggest wuss out there. I refuse to associate myself with the horror genre. When I first watched Paranormal Activity, I was scared out of my wits that I had my cousin accompany me to the washroom. Heck, I even slept beside by my mom for a whole month because I was so paranoid. There was not a moment in the book where I was utterly horrified or had me running to my mom's room, instead I was engrossed to the plot and the gruesome details that Shephard provided. Sure, it's creepy and dark. But horror? I don't think so.

As for the love triangle in the book, I didn't mind it too much. Was it awful? No, not at all. But was it necessary? That one is a difficult to answer. One of the things that pushed me to go on was who Juliet was going to choose. I enjoyed both love interests Montgomery and Edward. But out of the two, Montgomery wins the battle for me. Mainly, because of the chemistry and memories they had when they were younger. Montgomery was easy to unravel, but Edward was swarmed with secrets.

Leaving on a cliffhanger, it is guaranteed that I will be picking up, Her Dark Curiosity. I'm unbelievably impressed with this one so I hope that the sequel will bring no disappointment. Shocking twists and gruesome details, there is a lot to unravel with The Madman's Daughter. 



2 comments:

  1. Wonderful review. I have been meaning to read this book for a while. I agree that the horror genre is a bit off-putting for me as well, but I may have to really put forth the effort to finally read this one. Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! Don't let this scare you, it's absolutely fantastic!

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