Review: The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd
Release Date ~ 1/29/13
Format ~ ARC
Publisher ~ Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins)
Source ~ Publisher

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.

   I started The Madman's Daughter at around ten o'clock one night, coming in without any hugely high expectations, and ended up finishing the 420 page novel at around midnight the same evening. Needless to say, I devoured this thrilling retelling of The Island of Doctor Moreau. It has all the key ingredients of a great young adult novel. And it even had a love triangle I could kind of stomach, which is surprising.

   The main character, Juliet, has gone from riches to rags ever since a scandal involving her science genius father, went public and he fled down. Shortly after, her mother died. So, as you can tell, she isn't have the best of times at the moment. When she has a chance encounter with Montgomery, her father's servant and finds out her father is alive, she journeys to the mysterious island where he's doing some pretty ghastly experiments.

   Juliet was a character that you really want to have a better life, and not have some crazy mad genius as a father. You grow attached to her throughout the book and really feel her emotions. Shepherd does a brilliant job of putting you in her shoes and reading the novel through her eyes.

   YA horror is hard to find, but The Madman's Daughter is young adult horror at its best. It's creepy, it's thrilling, it's suspenseful, and sometimes it's even a little cringe worthy. All of those add up to a brilliantly delivered retelling.

   Megan Shepherd's The Madman's Daughter is truly a special book. A must buy for Gothic YA fans, and for readers is general.

Cover Comments:

This cover is so Gothic and haunting and gorgeous. It matches the feel of the novel perfectly.