The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

Title: The Madman's Daughter

Series: The Madman's Daughter #1

Author: Megan Shepherd

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Date Published: January 29, 2013

Genre: YA fiction, romance, goth, gothic romance, supernatural

Pages: 420 (hardback)

Age Range: 13+



Summary


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 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 to they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must tend 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.


Review


So, I picked up this book at the library to help get me out of my reading slump and HOLY COW it did the trick. First off, Juliet is a very decent female lead. She does annoy me with her determination to be strong and then turning around and going all weak around Montgomery and Edward, but she's still fairly decent. Her prose is not particularly funny, or witty, so it doesn't stand out very much, but it is still powerful.   

Montgomery and Edward were your run of the mill love interests. The love triangle in this book felt forced, however. It is clear from the get-go that Juliet does not have romantic feelings for one of these boys no matter how hard he pushes. Her father getting very involved in her love life was kind of creepy to me which just added to the over-all feeling of the book.  

The plot of this story was fascinating. The whole the science vs. nature plot was captivating and was a main part of the entire story. The love interests were played up far too much since I knew who Juliet was going to chose from the beginning. That being said, it was still a good, solid story.  Juliet's father. Let's talk about him for a minute. He was the perfect mad scientist. Juliet's father was such an amazing character even though I find of hated his guts.  

So basically, if you like creepy, sciency book with mentally unstable people, this book should do the trick. Also, if you need a book to get you out of a reading slump, this book should do the trick. A fair warning though, the cliffhanger at the end of this book will rip your heart out and smash it to bits. Literally.