Latest Read: The Madman's Daughter

Here are the basics ...
The Madman's Daughter (#1) by Megan Shepherd
Publication date: January 29, 2013
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Category: Young Adult - Historical Fiction
Source: Borrowed from library

Summary: Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London working as a maid 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 truth. Accompanied by her father's young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward - Juliet discovers the depths of her father's madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. Now 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.  (Adapted goodreads.com) 

My thoughts…

The good: I went into this book knowing next-to-nothing about The Island of Dr. Moreau. All I knew was that it involved a crazy doctor. But I had no idea how crazy until I read The Madman's Daughter. I mean there's crazy and then there's Dr. Moreau who takes it to a whole other level. I'm actually glad that I didn't know anything. I had no expectations whatsoever and didn't anticipate any characters. It made all the dark twists and turns even more surprising for me. I should also say now - be prepared for the dark and somber tone of this book. If you can't stomach anything dealing with blood, surgery or harming animals, I highly suggest you walk away now.

Juliet Moreau, once the daughter of an esteemed doctor, is now nothing more than a maid. After a scandal broke out regarding her father's work, her family fell to the bottom of the social ladder with very little money to their name. Juliet hasn't even seen her father and her mother passed away years ago. But she does have some semblance of a life until she finds out her father is alive on a secluded island. She discovers this when she sees Montgomery, her childhood friend who has been acting as her father's assistant all these years. She forces him to take her to the island, where she discovers the truth: the rumors were true. Roaming the island are dozens of her father's creations - animals he experimented on to resemble and act as humans. But it's too late for her to turn back and the longer she stays, the more dangerous it gets and the more terrifying truths come out. In other words, this book is totally creepy! The author really does an amazing job of setting the stage for her story and I could picture everything vividly.

(Some) reservations: I'm not quite sure what to make of Juliet. She's intelligent and at times, downright fearless in the face of all the craziness. But in some ways, she's also her father's daughter and there's a bit of mystery and madness to her too. It's not a bad thing though. In fact, I thought it made her character very intriguing. What I didn't like was the love triangle between her, Edward (a castaway she meets on the way to the island) and Montgomery. It felt forced at times and honestly, kind of trivial when you think about what's going on around her. I mean she's got some part bunny rabbit creature serving her tea and she's too busy wondering about who to kiss?! I'm all for the swoon but I think there was way too much focus on it. Especially because it was clear to me who her heart belonged to. I wished some of that had been cut out to focus on the mystery and developing the relationship she clearly wants.

Do I recommend?: If you're in the mood for something dark and mysterious, this is one to pick up. It's also the first in a series which makes me happy because the last page had me internally screaming, "Noooo!" Even though I do have reservations,  I'm curious to see what happens next.

Happy reading!