The Madman’s Daughter
The Madman’s Daughter, Book #1
By Megan Shepherd
IBSN# 9780062128027
Author’s Website: http://www.meganshepherd.com
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Valerie
Synopsis:
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. (Goodreads)
Review:
If I had a one word reaction, it would be well…
Well, I certainly hyped myself up for this book for over a year. Well, it’s certainly not as good as I had hoped it up to be. The Madman’s Daughter had so many promising elements. There was action, romance, intrigue, and mystery.
However, like most other YA books, it fell flat.
Let’s start with Juliet. She’s not a bad character, but in my opinion she’s not likeable. Some people in life are just meant to be liked. Juliet is not. Juliet seems to be so entranced by her own tragic life that she fails to notice the blessings. She doesn’t realize that there are so many options for her.
As for Montgomery, I think he’s kind of a jerk. I hate it when guys in YA fiction are portrayed as the “silent, golden boy”. Honestly, that’s nonexistent. Montgomery is so messed up. He doesn’t have a backbone, and he can’t stand up for himself. When is that going to stop? Oh, apparently at the end of the book where he halfheartedly gets a spine.
The plot is what I deem to be the easy way out. The author isolates them on an island to not have to deal with many characters. Clever, yes, but only if done well. I hate how terribly concocted the plan is. The island is so cliché on so many levels.
This book is a cliché as best.
The Madman’s Daughter is a mad story.
