ARC Review: The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

The Madman's Daughter
By: Megan Shepherd
Release Date: Jan. 29th/13 (Psst that's TOMORROW GUYS!)
Publisher: Balzar & Bray
Source: ARC swap with another blogger
Find The Madman's Daughter on Goodreads here
Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads:
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.

My Thoughts:
A dark and youthful twist on a timeless classic!

I went into The Madman's Daughter with high expectations, as everyone has been raving about this title, and I was not disappointed! 

I'm not typically one to pick up a horror novel, but The Madman's Daughter was able to capture and keep my attention within a couple of sittings. This book has it all, mystery, adventure and of course ROMANCE! Be warned there is a bit of a love triangle in this book, and I think I'm one of the last ones whom actually enjoys this element in YA, haha. 

Montgomery had me swooning and gritting my teeth throughout The Madman's Daughter. He's definitely my kind of guy- sweet, kind, smart, handsome, strong (I really could go on all day listing his great qualities), HOWEVER, there is one quality that kept irking me, and Juliet, throughout this book, and that's Montgomery's eagerness to do Dr. Moreau's bidding. Come on Montgomery you're better than that! (This is what I kept wanting to shout, haha). Edward, while not classically handsome, has his own charm as well. Wow did that last sentence sound ever shallow! What I really enjoyed about Edward, was the element of mystery that came with his character. He's definitely hiding something about his past and I, along with Juliet, was eager to uncover that mystery. There were a few scenes between Juliet and these boys (separately of course!) that definitely had me thinking this was a ages 14 & up read, but nothing graphic or explicit.

Juliet was a great character and I really enjoyed reading her narration. As well, I enjoyed the complexities of this character and her internal struggle in battling between good and evil. I'd categorize her as a vulnerable heroine. She's been through and seen a lot, but she's a survivor. 

One thing I will advise to those interested in this book is to be warned of the gore. There's a lot of experiments with innocent animals that may disturb the faint of heart, (to be honest I was a little disturbed with a few descriptions), but Shepherd does not shine a positive light on this.

The ending of this one was a killer! I need to know what's going to happen next!

Ultimately I would recommend this to all YA fans, with the exception of those with weak stomachs. Horror, adventure and romance all come together to create a delicious debut!

Happy Reading!!!

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