The Madman's Daughter

The Madman’s Daughter #1

by Megan Shepherd

London, 1894. Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself-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 rumours about her father′s gruesome experiments. But when she learns her father is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations were true.

Juliet is accompanied by the doctor′s handsome young assistant and an enigmatic castaway, who both attract Juliet for very different reasons. They travel to the island only to discover the depths of her father′s madness: he has created animals that have been vivisected to resemble, speak, and behave as humans. Worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island′s inhabitants. Juliet knows she must end her father′s dangerous experiments and escape the island, even though her horror is mixed with her own scientific curiosity. As the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father′s genius-and madness-in her own blood.

Genres: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Horror, Fantasy, Mystery, Historical, Romance

360 pages, Paperback

First published January 29, 2013

About the author

New York Times bestselling author Megan Shepherd grew up in her family’s independent bookstore in the Blue Ridge Mountains. She is the author of several young adult and middle grade novels. She now lives and writes on a 125-year-old farm outside Asheville, North Carolina, with her husband, two cats, and an especially scruffy dog.

Reviews

[Emily May · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really feel like I gave this book a fair chance, I read it all the way to the end because I kept wanting to love it and get caught up in the atmosphere of this Victorian horror story - but it was not to be. Not everything I have to say about The Madman's Daughter is bad, so thankfully this will not be a wholly negative review, but there were a number of things I didn't like and those elements combined with long periods of slow, plotless boredom made me feel this was no more than a two-star read.

But let me offer you something good first because my initial impressions of this novel were entirely positive. Firstly, though this won't matter to many readers, I adore this cover. It's creepy, atmospheric and it caught my eye instantly. I actually prefer covers that are a bit different and edgy to the usual close-up of a girl pouting in a ballgown. Anyway, aesthetics aside, this book immediately introduces the reader to a strong, sassy protagonist who isn't afraid to kick ass or get her hands dirty. I felt sure that myself and Juliet Moreau were going to get along great - and we probably would have if I'd cared more for the story. I also thought the first couple of chapters set the scene well with a touch of the macabre to draw the reader in. So, I will happily admit that the first chapter or two elevated my hopes for this book a great deal.

Then, I don't even know what happened... it was like for seventy pages things just came screeching to a tremendous halt.

Basically, Juliet and Montgomery (possible beau number one) got on this boat and there were all these ships and sailing and sailors and...



Then, of course, there was a romance and - even worse - a love triangle. I don't even hate love triangles that much, I just can't stand it when that becomes the main focus of the story. This book is described as a "gothic thriller" but the truth is that everything either gothic or thrilling came second to the romance which was filled with the same old cliches and annoying gushy phrases like "I couldn't deny the way I floated inside when he touched me". The two candidates for Juliet's heart - Montgomery and Edward - were presented as complete opposites: the gentlemen vs the wild man... ooh, haven't heard that one before!

What astounded me most of all about this relationship was the way Juliet's mind jumped so quickly from one to the other and back again. One minute she was thinking about Montgomery's pretty eyes and the next she had moved onto Edward's sexy charms. This is one example from the book that had me snorting aloud in disbelief:

"Didn't Montgomery remember last night, during the storm, running his fingers down the bare skin of my back? I did. I could barely think about anything else."

directly - as in, the actual next sentence - followed by:

"Edward sat across from me, deep in his own thoughts. His hands still bore the scratches from our escape. I wondered if his ribs still hurt him. I absently touched my own, remembering the feel of his hands holding me there behind the waterfall."

Then we come to some more slow sections like the walking through the jungle scenes and the needlepoint explanations - I wanted monsters, not sewing...



One thought that I had through most of this was that so many parts of the book seemed like pointless filler to stretch out a weak plot. My theory is that Shepherd may have stretched the story too thin in order to make it into a series instead of a standalone - or perhaps she's just a fan of slower-moving plots - either way, large chunks were too uneventful for me and I had a hard time making myself finish it. Though the stories are not alike, the way I feel about The Madman's Daughter is similar to how I felt about Grave Mercy, they both started great but quickly became bogged down by slowness and romance. To give one final bit of credit where it's due, I will say that there was a pretty nifty twist near the end that I didn't see coming, unfortunately it was all just too little too late.

[Kassidy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! It is so twisted and crazy, and I really enjoyed how dark it is. It's been a while since a book has actually freaked me out a little and this one did that! It's just so weird and messed up, but I couldn't stop reading. I really love the writing and Juliet's voice. I felt sucked in by her story.
There is a big love triangle, which I think turns people away from it. I personally enjoy love triangles and I think this one was done fairly well.
The ending took my by surprise along with some other plot twists, and I can't wait to continue on in the series!

[Sasha Alsberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! this book surprised me in the best way possible. So interesting and mysterious. A must read! And that plot twist at the end....gahhhh! On to book two!!

[Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly creepy, very gory...and sometimes sexy and hot, which makes me feel very uncomfortable with myself. It is not the most exciting read; if you want fast-paced action, look elsewhere. This book is atmospheric and psychological above all else. Lest I inadvertently made it sound boring, it is not. There is plenty of adventure...the heroine finds herself travelling halfway around the world to a wild, mostly uncharted island, after all, but I feel that the ambience and overall tension in the book exceeds the action.

Juliet is a strong heroine. Just 16, she has been living on her own, working as a cleaner in the King's College of Medical Research after her father's flight and her mother's subsequent death. It was not always like this; she was raised to a life of gentility. Her father, before his disgrace (the terms of which are slowly revealed throughout the first half of the book), was a highly respected surgeon in society, and her mother a society lady.

When he is embroiled in a massive scandal, her father fled and is presumed dead, leaving Juliet's mother and herself to creditors. They barely make ends meet, living in a shameful manner before her mother dies, leaving Juliet on her own without any prospects besides the street and life in servitude. Juliet has always held onto the hope that her father is alive, and her belief is confirmed when she runs into her father's assistant, Montgomery. When she is kicked from her position due to self-defense against a rape attempt (remember: 19th century England servants don't have a whole lot of options other than to grin and bear it), she follows him to her father's island and is joined by a mysterious shipwreck survivor named Edward, and discovers the horrifying truth behind the rumors.

Despite the setting, Juliet is no simpering, swooning Victorian miss. She may have been raised as a gentlewoman, but her father's profession and her subsequent fall from society means she has the backbone, the willpower, and a stomach steeled for survival. She is fiercely intelligent and knowledgeable of science, particularly the biological sciences and human anatomy. She has read Darwin and other burgeoning scientific works of the day and is a young woman who is well ahead of her time.

"Dead flesh and sharpened scalpels didn’t bother me. I was my father’s daughter, after all. My nightmares were made of darker things."

Regardless of her circumstances and how far she has fallen, Juliet never feels sorry for herself: she is a survivor. I absolutely loved her as a complex, tenacious, but not invulnerable character. This is what all YA authors should aspire to when writing a strong yet not intolerably stubborn female protagonist who never subjects herself to martyrdom; she knows she is a victim of circumstances, but does not blame herself unnecessarily for anything for which she is not directly responsible. She is so utterly sympathetic.

As familiar as she is with vivisections and procedures involving cadavers, Juliet is strongly against torture and does not hesitate to end suffering when she sees it. A note to the squeamish and to animal lovers...you will be very uncomfortable with some scenes in this book. When Juliet's acquaintances are vivisecting a living rabbit, despite her lowly status and being a woman who, god forbid, has no place in medical research, she does not hesitate to end its suffering: "I took a deep breath, focusing on the rabbit’s neck. In a movement I knew had to be fast and hard, I brought down the ax." I assure you, after reading this book, henceforth, you will cringe upon hearing the word "vivisection."

Despite her strength, Juliet has a low self-esteem. She sees herself as abnormal, given her knowledge and intellect; she knows that intelligence is considered a discredit when a man chooses a woman for marriage. She believes herself unlovable because of her fallen background, because of her bloodline and her nature.

"I was cold, strange, and monstrous to those boys, just like my father. No one could love a monster."

Juliet knows the rumors that abound after her father absconded. Regardless, she loves him and tries to believe the rumors were just that. In her bleak fight for survival every day, all she has to cling onto are her memories, the good ones, of her father "...the feel of his tweed jacket, the smell of tobacco in his hair when he kissed me good night. I couldn’t bring myself to believe my father was the madman they said he was," although subconsciously, she knows what lurks behind the rumors. "As I matured, more memories surfaced. Deeper ones, of a cold, sterile room and sounds in the night—recollections that never entirely disappeared, no matter how far I pushed them into the recesses of my mind."

Juliet isn't gullible, she knows what her father did, and she's scared of him. At the same time, her emotions are so torn in different directions because he is still her father. Dr. Henri Moreau may be a rumored madman to society, but he is also a genius and despite everything, Juliet still loves him. As she struggles to explain to Edward: "I wasn’t defending my father. I was defending the part of me that knew what my father did was evil but was terribly proud that he’d accomplished it. My father's blood flowed in my veins, too. Didn’t he understand that?"

I was angry at times towards Juliet for her passive acceptance of what her father did. Even when faced with danger on the island, she can't run away, but whatever disbelief I felt at her actions were greatly explained by the time. She is a helpless woman in 19th century England. There aren't a whole lot of choices; it was either to remain with an insane father and his menagerie or become a prostitute. I was also so furious at her for not being angry with her father, he left her and her mother, what did he think would happen? The fact that Dr. Moreau was so blasé about his daughter's existence and sudden reappearance into his life was as monstrous to me as his insane experiments.

"You’re young. You haven't experienced how unjust the world can be." He sighed. "You're upset I didn't bring you with me. You've every right. I thought it was no life for a child, running, hiding out on an island a hundred miles from anything."

Asshole. I wanted to strangle him at that point. Dragging a child onto a strange island is better than slaving her days away scrubbing and dodging the lecherous advances of her employers? Better than leaving her and his late wife penniless, when his wife had to become someone's mistress to keep a roof over their heads? She was a child. Dr. Moreau is an atrocious man in so many ways. Even so, I can't completely hate him.

The villains in this book are so ridiculously well-written, so complex, that the reader as well as Juliet are conflicted to where their loyalties lie, and we are forced to ask ourselves where to draw the line between good and bad, reason and madness? If man is capable of creating something better, should he or shouldn't he? I had my mind made up, or so I thought, but the arguments are presented quite masterfully by Dr. Moreau that I found myself agreeing with him. His powers of persuasions are no joke, and he is a very-well written character. I couldn't find myself completely hating him; I couldn't decide whether he was mad, intentionally cruel, or just the pure definition of a scientist who will do anything for his art.

"Don’t act so horrified, Juliet. It is merely surgery. You are no doubt familiar with some of the more common practices. Setting broken bones, amputations, stitching ruptured skin back together?...No one questions the hand of a doctor performing such procedures. No one calls it butchery—it is science, and no different from what transpires behind the door of my own laboratory. For it is surgery I perform...I am in pursuit of the ideal living form. Just like all of us, wouldn’t you say? The same reason we choose mates and procreate. We want to create something better than ourselves. Perfection."

The island setting is mysterious, beautiful, and fraught with danger and mystery. It is a strange and wondrous place to Juliet, not only because of the environment that is so completely different from anything she has experienced in foggy, rainy, cold England. "A blue sky stretched as far as the ocean, which we glimpsed between breaks in the trees. I’d traded a bitter English winter for the lush tropical sun and beautiful calls of faraway birds." Every setting in this book is vividly described, from the eerie, dank setting of midwinter England and the clammy, filthy settings of the university hospital to the spectacularly verdant setting of the island and its odd inhabitants.

Lest I go on and on about the perfection of this book, I did find one fault. I didn't like the romance; I found it rather forced, given the premise of the book, but I suppose it worked in the long run. The love triangle didn't work well for me, because I didn't like either of the characters. Edward and Montgomery were well-written enough, complex enough, but the way they were depicted didn't make either appeal to me romantically.

I didn't like Montgomery's role as lackey. He was an utter doormat throughout much of the story, a mindless drone doing Dr. Moreau's bidding. Montgomery, I felt, lacked a backbone. He jumps when Dr. Moreau says so. Even Juliet, who has admired him all her life, observes this. She likes him, but she is not immune to his faults: "Montgomery was slave to my father’s will. Helping him with his terrible work, defending him...Montgomery wasn’t cruel, I knew that to my core. Father might have dragged him here as a child, raised him to do terrible things, but Montgomery wasn’t a monster. He shouldn’t act as Father’s puppet." Over and over again, we see Montgomery do terrible things at Dr. Moreau's bidding, and more than once, I similarly wanted to strangle him for being such a lily-livered sycophant.

As for Edward...I just didn't trust him. His appearance was mysterious, and he just didn't feel right as a character. His self-explained past was too vague for me to trust him, and I had so many questions I wanted to ask him as I read that I'm amazed Juliet gave him so much leeway.

There are moments of steaminess in the story, although there isn't much of it. It makes sense, given the context and setting of the story, and of Juliet's age. Although she is only 16, she is not sheltered, but in the era in which she lives, women aren't supposed to be sexual by any means. The romance, when it comes, is as shocking to her, and as uncomfortable for her as it is described to us. She is a growing young woman, with no mother to guide her, and in an era which shames sexuality, so it is understandable that the steamy moments, and her dreams are so strange and awkward...although rather steamy. There is a dream scenery involving blood, an operating table, and sawing that shouldn't be sexy, but was...kind of. Ahem. I think I said too much.

The ending: wow. I didn't see that coming, but then again, I didn't read the original. I can't possibly see how the sequel could top this, but I will be eagerly anticipating it.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great twist on a classic story. The Madman's Daughter is a spinoff story for The Island of Dr. Moreau by HG Wells. While you can read this book without reading the other, I encourage the reading of both. Especially to see where the inspiration for this book comes from. Some parts follow very closely the story of Wells' book and others quite different. In particular is Megan Shepherd's original character, Juliet.

Juliet is the daughter the the infamous Dr. Moreau. She is 16 and orphaned on her own. Her father fled the country after information about his scientific experiments got out and her mother died several years later. From wealth to poverty and ridicule Juliet has not had the easiest life. Yet she is smart and educated. Quite knowledgeable in science, especially for a woman of that time. I must say I liked her inner strength and while she is may be unsure of her own "unlady-like" interests I simply find her ahead of her time.

She runs into her childhood friend (and her father's assistant) Montgomery who informs her that her father is alive. Against his better judgement she insists on being taken to him. On their journey to the island they come across a man named Edward. And the three of them, along this Balthazar (Montgomery's assistant) go to the island.

There things take a turn for the twisted. And anyone who has read The Island of Dr. Moreau know what I speak of. For those that have not, read it or this for more information. What I will say is that Dr Moreau is a very dedicated, and obsessed scientist. His experiments come above all else in his life. And that can come with unexpected prices for everyone.

Dark, often psychologically twisted with some romance and madness thrown in this adventure. We get some borderline steamy scenes between Juliet and Edward and Juliet and Montgomery. Both men very different and both seem to have their own secrets. I could never trust either own of them and yet was drawn to learning more about them. Although my favorite character was Balthazar. Sweet Balthazar who is quite caring, protective and puts others above himself. While he is a minor character in the story he is a great one. And dear, innocent Alice, whom I wish I had gotten to know more in this book. Even Dr Moreau had qualities that draw you in. So I must say Megan Shepherd did an amazing job with each character.


This story is very engaging, and well-written. Also thought provoking at times. Is Dr Moreau mad? The mystery behind each character keeps you guessing their intentions and what secrets they may possess. Who can Juliet trust? Each time you get a bit further, a new question to ask yourself arises. It makes for a very thrilling read.

Overall, I highly recommend this book for older teens and adults. There is a bit of something for all readers although the love triangle romance does have the book geared more toward females. The is some action, adventure, creepy science and more to be discovered!

[Kiki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, so do you guys remember when I read Shadow and Bone and I thought the plot was kinda cool, I liked the side characters, I liked the heroine - I got on board with her weird morality and can-do attitude - but I fucking hated Mal? (I'm writing this on my phone and iOS 10 actually just autocorrected 'Mal' to 'anal' which is basically the gist of it.) Well guess what.

Round two. Motherfucking Montgomery.

This tool. THIS guy. I swear to fucking god. I actually loved Juliet, because she spoke to me and I related to her and she was proactive and she deeply valued her friendship with another woman who was very different than her, but all of it is overshadowed by her completely bewildering infatuation with Montgomery.

He is the absolute worst character in this book. He was agonising to read about. A little piece of me died every time he was mentioned. And he's so unnecessary; this book is so incredibly original (and extremely well-written, paced beautifully and very deft in its retelling of the 'classic' it's based on) but Montgomery is the typical childhood friend turned bland lover that we've seen about 16,000 times before in YA. There is nothing convincing about his feelings about Juliet or about her love for him. And it sullied my feelings for Juliet, because she was smart and sharp and sometimes brutal, but she let herself fall in stupid love with this dumb asshole. Juliet, pull your fucking self together! Fuck.

In some ways, this book belongs to Edward; he is far and away the most captivating character. I loved him. He was dark and weird and sad, and I related to him, as strange as that sounds. He got me right in the feels, guys. The revelation concerning Juliet's nature felt a little flat to me - like, I was surprised, sure, but it didn't feel as shocking as I think it was meant to. But Edward? By god, chaps! That one knocked me right off my chair!

This book was a nice deviation from your typical Victorian fare: there's nothing stuffy or boring about
it, and I fucking hate the Victorians because they're stuffy and boring. I can't stand them. But this book feels...fresh. It feels sprightly and inspired and innovative. I like that it's morally grey and that its heroine has the capacity to be an incredibly kind person but also very ruthless as well. Juliet really, really grabbed me, guys. (Except when she was hanging around that fucking cock Montgomery. What a stupid prick. I want to punch his fugly face.)

I moan, I bitch, I complain. I kid, too. This was actually an incredibly enjoyable read. Dark and twisty and not afraid to be itself. I seriously admire the author for reinventing not only a less well-known 'classic' but also for making it completely her own and by taking thematic risks. This book is not afraid to be gory and weird, and it doesn't shy away from brutality, or from questioning substantial themes like morality and humanity and the blurred lines of family, particular the unfathomable complexity of a father-daughter relationship. It was a nice surprise for me.

So yeah. It was nice.

Except for fucking Montgomery. Fuck off, Montgomery.

[Wendy Darling · Rating 4 out of 5]

* Riveting beginning with fantastic scenes of horror
* An uneven middle that I'd love to do all kinds of unholy surgery to, especially the over-emphasis on the uninteresting and rather tedious romance(s)
* But saved by a great premise, awesomely freakish moments, solid writing, and a bang-up, untraditional ending.

Author to watch! Review to come.

[Will M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Juliet Moreau is living a somewhat normal teenage life in London. The rumors of her father's past never left her, but they made her a stronger and smarter woman. With a genuine interest in science, she can indeed call herself her father's daughter. Everything was going normal until she once again meets Montgomery, her father's young assistant. Their crossing of paths changed her life for good.

I am quite impressed with this book, especially because this is a YA book. I haven't read an amazing YA book in years, and I'm glad to say The Madman's Daughter might make me rethink my opinion of the YA genre. With the right amount of issues tackled and proficient writing, a YA book can be enjoyable.

The characters were really likable. Juliet, Montgomery, Edward, etc were fun to read. It was interesting to know what was going to happen to them, and also their past. This being a historical fiction novel, the past is always a very important element. The author managed to tell a very interesting history.

The main thing that made this novel amazing would be the mystery of her father. I just wanted to read on and on just to find out why, what, and how the father performed such experiments. With a huge interest in Science, this book was not a chore to read. It talked a lot about anatomy and physiology, topics which I studied last semester. The morphology of such creatures were somewhat on the fable side, but honestly curiosity made me interested still. I believe that in the field of science, almost anything is possible. To keep things short though, the topics tackled were more than adequate to keep my interest intact.

4.5/5 stars. One of those near perfect novels. One of the highest ratings I've given for a YA book. I'm really glad I finally decided to read this. While it was not genuine horror, it was still genuine great. Highly recommended from a reader who doesn't even like YA that much. It was that good. Can't wait to read the sequel!

[Whitley Birks · Rating 2 out of 5]

*zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz*sasdfj huh? Oh, is the book over? Well, I guess I’d better review it, then.

THE GOOD
Juliet, our main protagonist and narrator, was pretty decent for the first few chapters. Smart, hard working, determined, but not without her female friends and wistful dreams. I liked her, really I did, but only at the start. Sadly, this goodness didn’t last.

The writing, while not my style, was certainly atmospheric. Although it also had this strange tendency to be vague and wordy at the same time. There were times in the book where I could tell that Juliette was scared of…um…something…but I couldn’t really get a good picture on what was going on. It certainly worked from a tone standpoint, though. I didn’t always know what she was doing, but I always knew what she was feeling.

Montgomery was a good character. I felt like he had a real potential to be a strong, complex character. Of course, the book kept harping on just a few points that were relevant to the love triangle, but he had all the building blocks of a man with a compelling story and dilemma. I even rather liked him and Juliet together. It was a romance that didn’t bother me in the least.

THE BAD
The plot! Oh my god, the plot. What was the plot? Well, Juliet goes to this island where her disgraced father lives and does confusing magic that this book claims is somehow science. She finds out what he’s doing, runs off in the jungle, gets lost for 200 fucking pages and then just goes right back anyway. She has a weak love triangle with the only two fuckable boys on the island. Then in the last few pages, everything catches on fire and she leaves. AND THAT’S IT. Somehow that takes 420 pages. Juliet barely even does anything except repeatedly mope and get lost. She can’t even be arsed to get herself off the island. That’s just a combination of the boys doing stuff and stuff happening. I don’t even know how I got through the whole thing, although it did take me much longer than I should have.

The only thing worse than a love triangle is a love triangle where one corner doesn’t have a chance. Juliet was in love with one boy the whole novel. The other one was just there to make her whine more and fill the requisite trope. And this ‘romance’ took up the majority of Juliet’s thoughts, even while she’s being chased through the jungle by some poorly-worded and un-described threat.

Why was Edward even there? He’s got a nice plot twist at the end, but it’s so poorly alluded to. It’s less a twist and more of a “HAHA, SOMETHING COMPLETELY NEW!” The author worked so hard to make sure that you never saw it coming that Edward’s entire raison d'etre got lost in the mix. For most of the novel, he was just there. Wasting space.

THE UGLY
Dr. Moreau’s evilness was so overblown that I actually started to side with him. It’s sad, because he was doing some pretty creepy shit. The descriptions when Juliet found out about it was even properly horrifying. And then she spend something like six pages droning on and on and on and on and on and on and on about how evil and ‘mad’ her father is. And that’s not even including the rest of the novel, where she continues to whine inscently about his madness. It got to the point where there was so much wining and angst that I was willing to slap Juliet and tell her it wasn’t that bad, just as a knee-jerk reaction. Dr. Moreau’s experiments were not given enough space to let the reader come to their own conclusions about them, and that took a lot of horror away from what should have been a very horrifying concept.

The science! Oh good god the science. Imagine for a moment that you’ve broken your leg. Some mad doctor comes along and sets it sideways. Makes and L-shaped cast and sets your leg at a right angle to where it should be. The bone heals in that configuration, and you’re stuck with a sideways leg. Now imagine that the same doctor comes and gives you pills, saying that if you don’t take those pills, your leg will straighten out again, even after it’s already completely healed in the new way. That’s the level of science comprehension we’re getting in this book. Absolutely none of it make the least god damn bit of sense. I don’t need my evil horror stories to make a whole lot of sense, but I’d rather they skip the explanation instead of give me one like this. The attempts to explain the science were so bad that they were actively distracting me from the book.

The theme of madness was handled very poorly. I know what the book wanted to do. It wanted to have a feel of ‘the island is twisting everyone into madness.’ All of the characters were described as mad at some point. NONE OF THEM ACTED MAD. (Except for the doctor, of course.) They all acted perfectly within normal behavior ranges, and Juliet just randomly declared that some things were evil and other things weren’t. It completely gutted the intention of the story, and in the end, the only thing that actually felt crazy was Juliet’s wild leaps in logic.

I was particularly upset with what Juliet described as her own ‘madness’ because, as one of her examples of proof, she includes DEFENDING HERSELF FROM A WOULD-BE RAPIST. Book, author, everyone, DON’T EVER INCLUDE SELF DEFENSE AS A SIGN OF THE CRAZIES.

And, of course, the islanders. After Juliet learns the truth about them, there’s a huge hullabaloo over whether she thinks they’re human or not. She decides, in a fit of angst, that they act so very human and loveable and she can’t think of them as monsters. Until a paragraph later, where she calls them beats and animals. And the book hops over this line again and again. They’re monsters. Oh, but killing them is murder. But they’re beasts! But this one over here is cute, so let’s call him human. Back and forth and back and forth. It would have been fine if this was intentional, if it was made a point of Juliet’s character, where she struggles to decide what her viewpoint on them is. But no. It’s just there. She’s apparently fine with insisting that they’re people and then describing them as beasts.

Just…ugh, the whole book was a mix of rolling my eyes and falling asleep.

[Stacia (the 2010 club) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning : inappropriate koalas ahead.

It happened again. I waited too long to read a book that I knew I was going to like. Instead, I picked up too many books along the way that were nothing but a crap shoot.

What I'd hoped for : Creepy. Gory. Spooky.
Did it happen? : Check, check, and check.

What I wasn't looking for : Overdone Romance.
Did it happen? : Uh...twice. In a way I wasn't expecting.

No, there were no actual threesomes. Sorry to disappoint.

This book was a retelling of The Island of Dr. Moreau and a pretty decent one at that. At first, I was a little nervous that there wouldn't be enough new source material to make this stand out as its own story apart from the retelling, but thankfully, I was wrong. The second half of the story brought enough fresh material to an old tale to make me happy.

The author did a great job of painting a picture about an island which was out in the middle of nowhere, completely inhabited by disturbing creature/human hybrids. When I am able to visualize the surroundings inside of my head, I feel like I'm right there in the story with the characters. As well, the sights were not the only thing to drag me along for the ride. I could practically hear the screams of the experiments as well. I had this entire mini-movie playing out for me, complete with dark lighting, ominous noises, and even imaginary scents lingering in the background.

This is the kind of stuff that makes reading multi-dimensional.

Now, I might have had an easier time picturing the island due to the fact that I've seen the recent movie of the original book a few times. But, I still think that I would have liked Daughter even if I didn't have a visual reference to refer to. Because, again, the author did a great job of sketching out the island and its inhabitants. She gave plenty of detail about the creatures, down to the shape of their facial features and body hair counts.

Back to the romance. If nothing else, I was surprised by the turn that it took near the end. I went into the story expecting the author to favor one path, and a different path was taken. I do appreciate the break from the expected. Even though I personally thought that this story didn't need the romance at all, I didn't have a burning desire to want to see anyone get thrown off a cliff either, so it wasn't really a big deal. If I could have changed anything, I would have left out the love triangle and made the story about Juliet and only one of the men. The guy who I would have axed out could have stayed a character in the story without taking an interest in her and it would have been even better. I am a big romance fan, but not even I NEED to have romance drama in every single book that I read. Sometimes, the story outside of a person's love life is even more interesting than the trials of love, which was most definitely the case here. The strength of the story came from the original source material. Love should have been served up on the side, the way I found the flirtation in the movie to be - a nice little juicy extra, but not the focus.

But that complaint is minimal. Outside of the unnecessary love triangle, I have no complaints. This was quite an enjoyable read. I'm hoping that the next two books will be just as fabulous.

[Giselle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well... The Madman's Daughter is clearly its own kind of disturbing! It's cruel and grisly--I kind of loved it! If you enjoy bizarre "mad doctor" stories, if you enjoy Gothic novels in general, then this book is for you!

As a big fan of Gothic novels, I can tell you that they are much more than just a book. They stand out. Being able to write a good Gothic novel is an art in of itself. The biggest part of what makes them great is the rich atmosphere that they exude. If an author is able to create a story that sends shivers down your spine, thrusting you into every sinister nook and cranny of its setting, then that author will have my heart, and Megan did just that! It's the first thing I noticed when I started The Madman's Daughter, and it's what I loved the most about it. I could vividly picture this dark, eerie world filled with secrets that you just know are bound to both disturb and astound you. A mad scientist with crazy ideas and a whole island isolated from the rest of the world to create experiments… It's a good sign that you're going to get a lot of bat-shit craziness! You have been warned!

The dark vibe in conjunction with a driven protagonist gives us the perfect combination for such a story. It would have been very unsatisfying had she been a damsel in distress; this story needed someone just like Juliet. Someone determined and intelligent. Someone who suspects that she, also, inherited a little madness from her father. Not batting an eye when you cut off the head of a (live) rabbit is a good sign of such a fact. But when she decides to go after the truth, she shows fearlessness and tenacity. Seeing her stand up to her father is exhilarating! I adored her character. I will admit I was not a huge fan of the romance, however. We do have a love triangle which I think was not especially necessary, but did amount to something at the end, at least. Neither boys were anything special to me, they never got into my heart as far as love interests. They were great characters though and I enjoyed the part they played in the story. Likewise, every side character in the book is wonderful and... unusual. They're either a scientific experiment or a little off in the head. Balthazar is my personal favorite. We meet him fairly early on and his disfigurement is only one part of his charm. What was the most disturbing for me, was how far my imagination would go when I started to think of these creatures. It's all kinds of messed up. I freaked myself out time after time! Get ready to meet some strange individuals!

Going hand in hand with a great Gothic novel is the underlying mystery throughout the book. How far has the doctor gone? What is his big plan? What exactly are they so afraid of on the island? I was both amazed and terrified by this madness that surrounds not only the doctor, but the whole island and their inhabitants. I wasn't even disappointed when I caught on to the bigger twists before I was meant to. Although one of them is the kind of obvious that makes me think we were supposed to know. Regardless, the highly secretive and cryptic atmosphere is maintained all through to the end.

With rich writing that propels you into this gloomy, unnerving island, separated from civilization without chance of escape, The Madman's Daughter is going to be a hit amongst those who love eerie Gothic thrillers with a side of grotesque!

--
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.

For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads

[Claude's Bookzone · Rating 2 out of 5]

UPDATE 08/02/2021 - Review added

CW: Vivisection, animal abuse, animals in pain/distress OP, medical experimentation on animals and humans, death of loved ones, murder, gore/blood, attempted sexual assault, sexism (of that era - challenged through the actions of the MC).

Well that was a dark and disturbing gothic YA novel.

The author has imagined a sequel to The Island of Doctor Moreau featuring Juliet, the daughter of Doctor Moreau. I would steer clear of this if you don't like gore, and if you find animals in pain and medical experiments on animals at all distressing. There are two or three quite upsetting scenes. So the story itself is actually quite good, however it was unnecessarily long and at times incredibly boring. To be clear, I did not want more of the medical experiments, just a tighter telling of the story. I mean, there is a love triangle so the editor could have started with axing that. Also, there was some really muppet type behaviour that seemed to contradict that Juliet was a very intelligent woman i.e. running out of the safe compound into the dark when a beast is going around ripping out people's hearts. Come on lady! That's' Surviving a Horror 101' right there! I am going to read book 2 but purely because I am checking these books out for suitability for an English assessment I am curating books for. Down grading to 2.5 Stars.


UPDATE 06/02/2021 - Re-reading in preparation to read book 2 and 3.

3.5 Stars

[Sophia Sardothien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Official Rating: 4.8 Stars. This book is incredibly enjoyable, it is inspired by H.G Wells' The Island of Dr. Moreau (which I have yet to read) However I still enjoyed reading this book a lot regardless :D The story is extremely unique and different, I'm so glad I picked this up. The plot was amazing though the beginning was a tiny bit slow, however towards the middle there were a lot plot twist. I won't say the plot twits were extremely shocking but it is indeed unpredictable. The other thing I really like in this book was the characters, the protagonist in particular I felt like she is an incredibly mature and stable protagonist. However there was one thing in this book that took away the 0.2 stars was the romance, though I won't say the romance was forced or I hated the love triangle but there were something about it I just did not enjoy.

Overall I highly recommend this book for those who enjoy dark survival stories :D

Full review: http://starstuckbooks.weebly.com/4-st...
Buy book cheap online free delivery: http://www.bookdepository.com/?a_aid=...

[Maja (The Nocturnal Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Every girl wants to believe the best of her father, doesn’t she? I barely remember mine, but no one could convince me he was anything other than perfect. Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau, once a proper young lady and now no more than a servant, is desperate to learn the truth of her father, the man who abandoned her and her mother and left them to starve. When her father’s former servant and now assistant Montgomery shows up in London, Juliet talks him into taking her to her father, on a remote island full of monsters and peril. While on their way, they rescue a castaway, a young and dangerously attractive gentleman, and he ends up joining them on the island. Juliet is torn between the two men, but more than that, she struggles with her feelings towards her father. Is Dr. Moreau the monster everyone believes him to be? Or is he just a misunderstood scientist, like many brilliant minds before him?

Having read The Island of Dr. Moreau ages ago, I had a pretty clear idea of what to expect from this book, but I didn’t know how far Megan Shepherd would take it, and let me tell you, she took it pretty far. The Madman’s Daughter has more than its fair share of grotesque creatures, doctor Moreau’s almost-people with scales, antlers and everything in between. Some are more intelligent, some barely a step above their true form, but all of them are deformed in one way or another. What the good doctor lacks in compassion, he makes up for in sheer brilliance – no sane person would want to go anywhere near his crazy factory, but one can’t deny that the results are pure genius.

A painful bellow tore through the night. I kicked the sheets off, swear pouring down my neck. Was it the sheepdog? I didn’t know any creature that could make such an ungodly sound. As the screams dragged on, haunting my every breath, my mind started to wander to darker and darker places. Wondering what could cause an animal to scream like that.

Juliet father, apparently clueless to the situation he’d left her in, expected her to be the lady she was raised to be while he was still a London doctor and a respected member of the society. This I found to be the utterly unbelievable, more unbelievable than the creatures he was creating. That he would not know, I can believe. That he wouldn’t want to know, I’d even expect. But that Juliet wouldn’t lash out and tell him instead of subjecting herself over and over again to his condescending sermons, I simply refuse to accept. Here is the culprit, the man who abandoned her, left her to the mercy of others, essentially forced her mother to prostitute herself and then killed her, all to chase wild experiments and create abominations on a god forsaken island. Above all, I don’t see how or why Montgomery wouldn’t explain to him the condition in which he found Juliet when he arrived to London. It makes no sense to me.

Whatever it was – his new discovery – it had consumed him enough to abandon everything else in his life. It was more important than his reputation, his wife, even his daughter.

Which brings me to Montgomery and his weird case of Stockholm syndrome. He was Dr. Moreau’s servant and the only one the doctor didn’t abandon, but as nice as that sounds, he’s the one who got the short end of the stick. Forced to help Moreau with his crazy experiments, he grew up surrounded by monsters, with not a human in sight. Since he'd never known anything but the life had with the crazy scientist, his almost blind obedience to Dr. Moreau was certainly understandable, but it made him a very lousy love interest. For the life of me I couldn’t understand why Juliet would be attracted to him. Yes, at first there were the childhood memories, that link of two children who suffered through a trauma together, but as the story progressed and Montgomery continued being the doctor’s punching bag, a servant in all but name, that initial draw should have faded, leaving nothing but a clear image of a man with no backbone behind. However, Juliet continued to find excuses and endless justifications for Montgomery, and although they were mostly true, they should have invoked pity, and not passion.

Edward the castaway was a different story altogether. Juliet was equal parts uneasy around him and attracted to him. Yes, he was intriguing, but she sensed something was not quite right with him. And yet, unlike Montgomery, he was a proper gentleman, and therefore fitting for Juliet, which got him a full support from her father.

The big plot twist towards the end wasn’t completely unexpected, but I still liked the way it was handled. It increased my overall enjoyment (and my rating) and made me more excited about the second book, despite the fairly disappointing ending. Megan Shepherd has a talent for writing horror, which makes me especially glad that we’ll see two more books in this series. I just wish she’d stay away from tropes altogether, and far, far away from love triangles.

[Bonnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
A copy of The Madman's Daughter was provided to me by Balzer + Bray/Edelweiss for review purposes.

'Dead flesh and sharpened scalpels didn't bother me. I was my father's daughter, after all. My nightmares were made of darker things.'

I feel the need to start off by saying I didn't dislike this book but obviously considering my rating I have some explaining to do. There was creepiness, there was a decent story line, but the pacing was so incredibly slow that it had an adverse effect on my overall opinion on this gothic retelling.

Let me tell you guys, the beginning of this story had so much creepy going on it was amazing. I remember starting this book, finishing the first couple of chapters, stopping for a second and saying to myself, "This is going to be so awesome." Juliet seemed to be a very promising main character and I couldn't wait to hear her story. But the gothic thriller aspect seemed to be put on the back burner and definitely became less of a focus. What did it end up focusing on? Romance, of course.

There was so much emphasis put on the romance and her being torn between two men, her swooning and constant need to fan herself that I would go so far as to consider this 'historical-romance-lite'. If not for the creepy and exceptionally gruesome bits in this story I don't believe I would have finished this. As it was though, the romance didn't feel fitting in this type of story, like an irregular puzzle piece.

I had been forewarned that the middle dawdled but that the ending was a big shocker so that gave me hope. The pacing was definitely off for the vast majority of the middle portion and didn't actually start picking up until almost the very end of the book. The big reveal happened and it was definitely the most interesting aspect of the entire story but it happened a little too late for me. There wasn't a slow build-up to the grand finale which would have made this immensely better. Instead we received a storyline that plodded along, lacking in intensity, never quite gaining enough steam, and then we're hit with the big ending. The middle section certainly required something more for me to still be invested enough in the story to be excited for when the big conclusion finally did happen.

Oh, and there's a cliffhanger. Naturally. I think my response to that final page was something along the lines of, "Dude. For real?" Considering I was more than a bit bored through the majority of this story I was at least hoping we'd get some answers. I had still considered giving #2 a shot since sometimes it takes the first book to build the story (in a series) and book 2 is where we can finally get to the meat of the story. But my understanding was that this was a retelling of the Island of Dr. Moreau, however, the summary for book 2 states it was written: with inspiration from Robert Louis Stevenson's 'THE STRANGE CASE OF DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE' and I'm not sure I feel about the mixing of multiple retellings.

[jv poore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chilling, compelling compliment to H.G. Wells' The Island of Doctor Moreau.

[Lotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, I did not see that ending coming. If you can look past a very cliché and unnecessary love triangle, I can actually highly recommend this! It's a twist on the classic The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells and it's full of suspense, eerie atmosphere and some surprising twists and turns. I already got the sequels and I can't wait to read them, since they're based on two of my favorite classics - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Frankenstein!

[Miss Amelia]

would be a perfect idea if not for the blasted love triangle.

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The world knew my father as a villain. I knew him as the thin man in a tweed suit who carried me on his shoulders during the Royal Guard’s parades. I needed to know which man my father was – the monster, or the misunderstood genius.”



This was a really creepy and entertaining story, with several twists to the tale!


I really liked Juliet and the other characters in this book. I felt sorry for Juliet and everything she had been through with her father being labelled as a madman, and her mother dying and leaving her an orphan. The poor girl really was all alone in the world, and with no money, and no-one to help her, I could understand why she would want to go to a strange island to possibly be reunited with her long-thought-dead father.

“I should have told Lucy she couldn’t visit. Where I was going, she couldn’t come. It was a bit further than Bedford.
Montgomery opened the door, clearly surprised. “Miss Moreau. What are you doing here?”
The carpetbag fell at his feet. My heart was racing.
“I’m coming with you,” I said.”



The storyline in this was pretty good, and I liked that it was creepy in places! The not-knowing what experiments Juliet’s father was really doing, the screaming of the animals from his operating room at night, the way he so calmly tried to drown someone, and the question over just how wicked he really was all added to the tension, and then the twists really started piling up!

“Father folded his hands. “I am in pursuit of the ideal living form. Just like all of us, wouldn’t you say? The same reason we choose mates and procreate. We want to create something better than ourselves. Perfection. To me, perfection is a being with the reason of man but the natural innocence of children – or animals. I have come so close to achieving it. You have no idea how close.””



There was some romance, and it did turn into a love triangle, with the question being whether Juliet would choose the dashing Edward Prince, or the servant boy, turned mad-doctor’s assistant Montgomery, and it really wasn’t clear which one she would pick until almost the end of the book!


“Juliet, don’t tell me you didn’t know. Montgomery’s been in love with you since the day you found him again. Long before that, come to think of it. He’s been in love with the mere idea of you for years.”




“We’ll go back to London and none of it will matter. It’ll just be you and me Juliet…”



The ending to this wasn’t perfect, and I have to say that I’m really intrigued to see what happens in the next book in the series. This wasn’t a total cliff-hanger, but it wasn’t the ending that I was expecting either, and I really want to know how things work out!

““We belong together. Not to serve your father’s mad experiment. But because we’re the same.” His open palm covered my heart, just grazing the exposed skin above my collar. I gasped at his touch. Fear and thrill were divided by such a fine line that I couldn’t tell which plucked at the tight strings in my chest. And was he really so wrong? I did know about the darkness he spoke of.”




8 out of 10

[Penny Well Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 1 star
I didn't like it.

Ridiculous, absurd and silly. Boring and uninteresting. Predictable and with an expected unsurprising end.

[Joy (joyous reads) · Rating 2 out of 5]

head desk

this is all but the reaction you will get
from this reader who’d rather soon forget
this novel’s hype ran at a fever pitch
but it gave me hives and made me itch.

it could’ve been so good
and I’d imagine most of you loved it
as you should
but I really could not digest
a love triangle is not what I behest

i’m sorry I could no longer continue
i’m sorry my enthusiasm you couldn’t renew
a heroine whose heart was not in it
but for two boys – I just don’t get it.

i’m sure there’s more to this story
but I’ve already invested my time – surely!
i have thousands of books on my shelves
clamouring like little elves
wanting and crying for my attention
for which I’d rather give my devotion!

i’m sure you’ll argue that I’m missing out
i’m sure I’m missing half of what it’s about
but I’ve already spent a couple of curses
colourful words and colourful verses
in fact, I’ve ranted and raged in my bedroom
as my husband looked at me like I’m a loon.
this is the kind of reaction I get
with that geometrical shape, you bet.

i’m afraid, my dear, this is where we part
i know writing is an art
the author spent sweat and tears
so please read it anyway
and ignore my jeers.

I'm sure my feelings expressed were clear. I just couldn't stand love triangles and the heroine's reactions didn't make any sense to me. I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out why she's more focused on the two boys when there were so many other things going on right in front of her. The book's blurb states that it's a "breathless gothic", and it was for the most part of what I've managed to read, but damn. It's the romance that I could've gone without.

I mentioned this on one of my reading statuses that instead of her focusing on the fact that her father didn't care enough to send for her when she was as poor as a church mice and on the verge of prostituting herself, she was more concerned about her confusing feelings toward Edward and Montgomery. I hated that she'd become that girl when she could've been a stronger, smarter woman.

And I know I'm missing out. I've not even gone deep into the story of the island. I didn't get to find out who Edward was or where he really came from. And I wanted to know why the humans there are deformed. But I just couldn't get over this huge wall of a stupid love triangle. I just couldn't give a fcuk. I hated reading Juliet's incessant thoughts about how the two boys set her on fire.

Right then. I think I should go read the original work.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

See more reviews at YA Midnight Reads

3.5 stars

Add some science, romance, grotesque, deformed animals and an abandoned Victorian gothic setting in the historical era and there you have, The Madman's Daughter. This book cannot be described as fun, weaved heavily with mystery and horrific writing, this book should be more described as like the title suggests madness. Pure madness.

Ever since her mother died and her father, a once loved scientist was also pronounced to be dead, Juliet's life has been nothing but eventful. As a maid, with no one to turn to, she tries not to think about the one thing that made her life turn upside down. Yet when one small clue of her father being still alive appears in front of her, she immediately takes up the chance--instead of finding her father, she is once again face to face with Montgomery, her father's assistant from when he was still in London. Soon enough, she discovers that her father is actually alive, hidden on a remote island far away from London. And with Montgomery by her side, they set sea on their journey. The more time she spends on the island, the more truths she discovers and the more she realises that she should have never come.

Juliet Moreau, daughter of the madman scientist was the main character. She started off as a solid, capable character who wasn't the slightest bit lady-like. Yet as the story deepened, she began to lose her strong charisma and became marginally irritating and boring. This wasn't a huge issue but I couldn't help but feel my impressions towards Juliet slip lower and lower as the story grew to the end. However this is not to say that she didn't lose her spunk and skepsism, even towards her father. I loved her cautiousness and her thoughtful actions, while not too slow but not too impulsive--also, her layers of depth and secrets about her past are nothing less than compelling and fascinating.

What really nullified my enjoyment of The Madman's Daughter was the romance. We have a muted angst going on with the addition of a love triangle (yeah... laaaame.) There is Montgomery, the gentleman that Juliet has known for most of her life and the castaway, Edward who was saved by Juliet and Montgomery when they were sailing along on the ship to the island where Juliet’s father had taken asylum to hide--which mind you, held a distinct, creepy atmosphere. Anywho, I was incredibly astonished to come across such a cliché romance in a promising, thriller-ly novel. Sure, a romance can be here, but it doesn't have to be so overpowered and stereotyped. It makes no sense, if Juliet has finally become independent, after dropping her position as a maid, it doesn't mean she needs to have two guys all insanely into her. For a novel I could have given 5 stars, it was lowered due to this main factor.

Due to the ineffective romance plot, life on the island isn't quite as consistently eventful. There are details that I wished could have been used effort elsewhere, instead of some monotonous jungle walks. The plot came in a little too late--there isn't much of a distinct one, more like an ongoing background mystery--and by the time the plot had more focus, the book ended. Also on a cliff-hanger (!!) but luckily I'm starting the sequel sometime very soon. Another small niggle was the fact that this was a historian set novel. I actually felt that this genre label was wasted in this book. There are only a few pieces of dialogue that actually felt like it was said in the historical era, so it bugged me to remind myself that this was set in the more ancient times. It was seriously off-putting to read a piece of dialogue and have 'hitherto' inserted randomly--it did not go with any other elements.

The Madman's Daughter was disappointing in the romance and plot-- therefore meaning the book became a little monotonous at times but I still appreciated Megan Shepherd's idea, writing and main character. I can't wait for Her Dark Curiosity!

[Louisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The love triangle ruined what could've been a perfectly horrific Gothic YA.

Plus, the name Edward's been kind of ruined.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

"To me blood smelled like home..."

I have a love/hate relationship with anything goth-emo-horror. I love to read it, but hate to be scared or creeped out. Terrify me and I resent you. But do nothing and I shall call you "bunny". See you can't win.

I remember The Island of Dr. Moreau movie when I was little. My older brothers were obsessed with it and kept it on repeat in the VCR. While I was usually around when it was playing, I can only remember snippets from covering my eyes. When I heard this was inspired by that, I knew the meat of the story but the potatoes were still foggy. So reading about the relationships of the characters in this novel was new and unmarred. Yet I doubted there was much that could get to me at my age.

So with much doubt, I embarked on reading this novel (at my own risk). It gave me waking nightmares! I can't get the twitching rabbit out of my head.....GAH! Even when I said bunny earlier I thought of the one in the book and it made my flesh crawl. Ewww. And yet I read this front to back with my morbid curiosity driving me. I couldn't stop turning the pages no matter how gross or eerie things got. The ending was more a relief... I felt as if I had escaped the island of Dr. Moneau. Nonetheless, this was an exciting journey.

The dynamics of the characters was complex. There was no definite evil person or saint. At times Juliet was as fragile as a lamb and others where she was as fired up as a wildcat. Dr. Moreau was no cookie cutter villain either. There was much to each character then first observations.

There were enough elements sure to captivate the adoration of every reader:
♥ romance
♥ suspense
♥ action
♥ mystery
♥ religion cults
♥ murder
♥ monsters

This was also way more mature than your average YA book. You will find yourself forgetting that the character is only sixteen.

This was definitely retro with an edge of creepy! The cover fooled me. It looks like one of those historical fictions with language that will put you to sleep long before the story line catches. But rest assured, the gore picks up right away. The narrator's solemn situation and peculiar circumstances keeps you turning. There romance was only dished in hints, then it was right back to crazyville. Insane & magnificent in it's freakiness!

Even in my dreams I can't escape the mental imagery of this novel which is why I have no choice but to rate it "EPIC"!

GOTHIC THRILLER, INDEED!

I could wax poetic on the many things I loved about this but I'll leave the rest for you to discover on your own.

I look forward to future novels this author has to offer.

*I received an ARC from the publisher for review and honest feedback.

[Laurie (barksbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a young adult novel with a love triangle. You have been warned.

“Edward and Montgomery were suddenly both by my side, each taking an arm.

My face burned as I looked between them. Two boys, two sets of hands on my wrists. One rough and calloused, the other strong yet smooth. My emotions knotted tighter, threatening to cut off my circulation.”

I picked it up knowing this and expecting the above because I was seduced by the plot. The “madman” is actually Dr. Moreau. Yes, that Dr. Moreau. The one who, in my dreams, creates these lovelies:




Dr. Moreau was basically run out of town and his reputation ruined after his nefarious experiments came to light. He abandoned both his wife and young daughter and high-tailed it to an island. Flash-forward a few years and Juliette is now a teenager eeking out a living as a maid. She stumbles across some evidence to the location of her long-lost father and, though she is haunted by memories of him, he is the only family she has left and she sets off an adventure to track him down. She may wish she had never found that first clue before it’s all said and done . . .

I really enjoyed most of this book. It has a very well done sense of place and maintained its creepy gothic “what the heck is going on” atmosphere throughout. The love triangle was unnecessary and I didn’t give a rats patootie about it but I’m too old to care about teen crushes and flip flopping between handsome boys. I wanted more gruesome surgery scenes but what is here was enough to make me happy.

“To me, blood smelled like home.”

I liked Juliette. She fears she is too much like her father; cold, a little blood-thirsty, perhaps, maybe even a little mad. She is very honest in her thoughts and I found this realistic as well as refreshing. She was the only character who really captured my attention.

There are many twists and turns and secrets to be revealed and I was surprised more than once at a few of the reveals but if I’m being honest it was way too long. Probably 80 or so pages too long. The backdrop, the horror (quite repulsive at times) and the evocative writing elevates this above most of what’s out there and the ending was perfect. If this interests you check it out. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

[Jessie Leigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book and I got on about as well as this:



Why? Because of:


A lot of this:



with a lot of this:



equals me doing this:



and this:



but there are admittedly some fun creepy things... like this:




(you can blame Meg for that last gif)

~1 star for writing
~1 star for twists

[Christina (A Reader of Fictions) · Rating 2 out of 5]

My review style is, and always will be, to write up my review right after I complete the book, and I do mean right after. If I can't write the review, I will save the last chapter until I have time. Doing otherwise would allow me to slack off, and I would never get anything reviewed, as well as giving me time to forget the book. The downside of this reviewing method, one I just have to accept, is that occasionally I have to try to compose a meaningful, coherent review while shell-shocked by what I've just read. Bear with me, as The Madman's Daughter definitely left me feeling a bit dazed.

On a lot of levels, I'm really not entirely sure just how I felt about this novel. One thing that I do know quite for sure is that Shepherd writes well. Her syntax and diction dovetail with the historical setting, and never once threw me out of the book. Though much of the novel consists more of suspense than outright action, Shepherd kept the story tense and me on the edge of my couch.

Littered throughout The Madman's Daughter are literary references. Of course, the novel itself retells H.G. Wells' The Island of Dr. Moreau, which I have not read. However, my perusal of the Wikipedia article convinces me that Shepherd reworked the story with a deft hand. In addition to this, she sprinkled in numerous references to Shakespeare, including The Tempest, a very apt work to be brought up in this instance. There is even a reference to X-Men, though not, obviously, so overt of one, since it didn't exist back then.

What I found myself utterly unprepared for was how utterly dark, gruesome, creepy and horrifying this book is. Had I read Wells' work, I would have been better informed of the coming experience, but I knew nothing. Yes, the cover hints at creepiness, but this turned out to be one of the scariest books I have ever read. Of course, suspense has always been my weak point, as well as some other issues that I'll tackle next. Shepherd hits most of the staple varieties of horror: not knowing who to trust, fearing darkness with in oneself, mad science, gore, suspense, chases and more. Were I a big reader of horror, I do not know that I would have marked this as a must-read, but, let me tell you guys, you want this.

However, I know a lot of people, myself included, have a big issue with animal death in novels. For me, kill a human and I'm rarely bothered; kill a furry, adorable creature and I will ugly cry. An animal dies in an awful way in chapter two, and over the last half of the novel focuses on just vicious, awful things done to animals in the name of science. Again, were I familiar with Dr. Moreau, I would have known, but... If you're seriously concerned, my recommendation would be to read Wells' novel or a summary of it online, because I suspect Shepherd's is darker than the original, based on my sole Wells experience.

Juliet Moreau has a lot of sass and she made a delightful main character. I rooted for her along the way, which only made the horror that much more terrifying. Juliet's father, the infamous Dr. Moreau died, and, eventually, her mother did as well, leaving her to the charity of family. Unfortunately, her extended family turns out not to be at all charitable. Pulling on an old connection of her father's, she manages to obtain work at King's College as a maid, sunk low in prospects and station. At the college, Juliet is sexually harassed in the first chapter. I worried about whether she would have enough spunk to be an interesting main character, but, believe me, this girl holds her own once she is not trying to keep her job anymore.

Shepherd also excelled at Dr. Moreau, who fits the mad scientist role to a T. Not really a spoiler because obviously: he's actually alive. He also very much comes across as a man of the time period. So many historical novels depict most of the characters as rather modern with regards to women's rights, particularly those appealing to female readers. Dr. Moreau has no such conceptions, believing women are to be married to the men their fathers say, and that they should do nothing but needlework and piano playing until that time comes. Juliet, feisty and clever, struggles against how he wishes her to behave.

Sadly, I was not so fond of her love interests, Montgomery and Edward. Yup, a love triangle strikes again, though not one of the most annoying ones. I will credit Shepherd with not making it insanely obvious which man would be her choice, and with making both of them very obviously flawed, though neither one ranked as swoon-worthy for me. The love triangle reminded me somewhat of that in Griffin's Masque of the Red Death, though I felt a bit more sure in The Madman's Daughter which guy would win in the end. However, the ending did surprise me, so bonus points for that.

Do not let the lovely cover fool you: The Madman's Daughter is horror through and through. Though not for the faint of heart, Shepherd has constructed a well-written and clever retelling, sure to delight fans of creepy tales.

[Kuroi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Possibly this isn't a very original idea, but anyway.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the high school yearbook version of The Madman's Daughter!

Moreau Island High School

School slogan: No is not a word

The Students:

Juliet Moreau

Has the potential to become best student of the year...if she gets out of her own way.
Brains and beauty in one package...not that the boys noticed her brains.
Naturally talented at everything...so naturally daddy issues.

Hobbies: Dissecting, angsting, daydreaming

Favourite song: Haunted by Taylor Swift

Voted "Most Indecisive Personality of the Year"

Quote: "I’d thought I was so clever. I thought I could see past his manipulations. But I’d heard only what I wanted to."

Editor's comment: When Juliet was born, I'm pretty sure deus ex machina sat up, took notice and said, "Hallelujah! Finally I got someone to play with!"

Montgomery...I don't know his name

The school jock with an obvious heart of gold...and less obvious brains of iron. 'Cause they're obviously rusty.
Popular with the girls...of all species.
Good at everything and anything...except doing what common sense demands.

Hobbies: Body-building(?), secretly experimenting, home economics

Favourite song: You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift

Voted "Most Likely to Succumb to Parental Expectations"

Quote: ""It's not this island keeping us from being friends."

Editor's comment: The good doctor made a mistake. It was Montgomery that was born without a spine, not Juliet.

Edward Prince

The dark horse that nobody wants to approach...because he is creepily like another Edward from YA.
Survives a brutal 10-12 days at navy camp with no food or water...but can't resist the doe eyes of a teenage girl.
Intelligent enough to be successful...so yet again hampered by a dark past.

Hobbies: Reading, staring intensely, haute couture

Favourite song: Teardrops on My Guitar

Voted "Most Likely to Found in a Dark Corner of the School"

Quote: “Don’t run."

Editor's comment: Poor Edward. He had so much potential to be interesting. Unfortunately his cranium is programmed to give Juliet most of its space.

Alice

Barely worth mentioning here...but is here anyway.
Has a sweet disposition and appearance...so is the equivalent of a doormat.
Doesn't intend to cause any trouble...and does only that by making certain parties jealous.

Hobbies: Gardening, Montgomery, sewing

Favourite song: Love Story

Voted "Least Likely to Be Remembered without an Yearbook"

Editor's comment: Not really sure which Shakespearean play has an Alice in it. Is it the one by Lewis Carroll?

The Teachers:

Principal Moreau

Possibly the most sadistic, inhumane academic who ever lived, Dr.Moreau founded Island High School as a testing ground for ground-breaking, heart-breaking new 'educational' theories. He can often be found in the chemistry lab, trying to get the formula for a perfect student just right. Don't let the bloodstains on his coat put you off; he's quite approachable and is willing to talk about anything so long as it centres around an operating table.

Words of wisdom: "Don’t be alarmed if you’re awoken. The animals - they scream, you know. An unfortunate effect of vivisection."

Mr.Balthazar

The friendly, easy-going gym teacher. He may look positively grotesque, but beneath that is a sweetheart who just wants to be loved. The least paid among the teachers since the costs for breaking tennis racquets have to be taken out of his pay.

Mr.Ajax

You'll never see this Biology teacher coming. Literally. Well known for his propensity to sneak up on students texting in class. Strict but fair - he guts the students who don't do their homework, takes the others on a fieldtrip.

Mr.Caesar

You can hardly see this Theology teacher around, but he does turn up for classes. Rumour has it that he likes boating and is a fan of Rudolph the Reindeer.

And that's it, folks! I've run out of steam. Not particularly impressive this time round, but I tried. You can't fault me for that, can you? On the other hand, so did the book, and look where that got it...

[Glass Fairy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me just start by calmly asking...What in the name of all that is holy was that ending?!

Oh my poor heart...how could you! Full review to come but for now...ouch!

I had a day to mull it over and decided to hell with it! 5 stars! I struggled slightly with this protagonist, normally it's quite easy to slip into their mentality and journey with them along their adventures, but this was much harder, Juliet is very separate from her emotions some times, viewing them almost clinically, at times when I wanted to be a little sick, avert my eyes from a scene I wasn't actually viewing, she would get closer, curious and needing to inspect the situation, regardless how grotesque.
This book was quite nicely written, inspired by HG Wells; The Island of Dr. Moreau. Juliet Moreau is the daughter of Doctor Moreau, having believed him dead for some time following a scandal involving rumours of vivisection and worse..this story follows her journey to finding her father, and the truth, consequences be damned.
Edward well.. I had an inkling, to the point that when some truths were revealed, it wasn't too much of a shock, but still! Montgomery..oh Montgomery you beautifully damaged man, I want to keep him, protect him from the island and it's madness, but in the end, perhaps he was too much a part of the island to be protected from it's darkness.
I'm not sure if I would read it again, but I'm going to keep it on my bookshelf just in case.

[Paige · Rating 1 out of 5]

The time has come to bitch about this book. And I have a LOT of bitching to do. Spoilers abound.

This is a retelling of The Isle of Doctor Moreau, which I read in middle school sometime and remember liking. The cover is cool, and I am a sucker for covers. It sounded creepy and intriguing.

It wasn't. It fucking wasn't.

Juliet has fallen on hard times and is working as a maid in the medical college her father used to teach at in London. Some of her well-off friends still spend time with her, which is how Juliet comes to find an old diagram of her father's. This conveniently leads to finding Montgomery, her family's former servant, which conveniently leads to Juliet finding her father back, after a boring boat trip. On said boring boat trip, they find a ~super dreamy~ castaway named Edward who IMMEDIATELY becomes hella clingy. Literally as soon as he sees Juliet, she's his reason for living, and it's ridiculous (more on this later). When they get to the island, Juliet finds that her dad isn't quite sane (which we already knew, but, again, more on this later), and there are weird creatures everywhere. Also, someone or something is murdering the natives. Big mystery, wow.

OKAY HERE WE GO. BUCKLE IN YA'LL.
Bullet points for convenience.

CHARACTERS
-Juliet: PASSIVE. SO FUCKING PASSIVE. I hate passive MCs. It makes the story less engaging for me. And Juliet was barely engaged in her own story at all. As soon as she's out of London, all her will left her. She spent a long boat ride locked in a cabin, she spent most of the time on the island either running away from her dad, or locked in her room. AND SHE WAS ENTIRELY TOO OBSESSED WITH MEN. Of the four normal people on the island, Juliet was madly in love with two of them. The other two were herself and her father. SHE WAS IN LOVE WITH EVERYONE SHE WASN'T RELATED TO.

-Edward: Honestly, boring and creepy. His character's history is supposed to be mysterious and intriguing, but I didn't ever feel that. Edward spent the ENTIRE book pining for Juliet and trying to protect her. He had met her twice on the boat when he decided he'd come live on an island with her for a couple years to make sure her family was okay. A GUY SHE HAD NEVER MET WAS PROTECTING HER FROM HER FAMILY. As it turns out, her family was insane, BUT THAT IS BESIDE THE POINT. THIS IS NOT ROMANTIC, IT IS CREEPY.

-Montgomery: I don't even remember. He was mostly being a doormat for Dr. Moreau, or Juliet was pondering how madly in love with him she was. Whatever.

-Dr. Moreau: The only character I found remotely interesting. I find insane characters fascinating. He wasn't fleshed out well enough, and he wasn't given a lot of page time, but he intrigued me.

THE PLOT
-WHAT PLOT??? This book was 90% Juliet trying to figure out which dude she loves more. It was beyond obnoxious. In the space of two paragraphs, she would decide that she belongs with Montgomery, then immediately start thinking about Edward kissing her or something. I signed up for a horror story about a mad scientist, not the hormonal diary of a lonely 16 year old. Which brings me to a quote I pulled which drove me particularly nuts:
"She was thirteen, maybe fourteen. The age when most girls can't think of anything but first kisses and true love."
^That is Juliet thinking about the only other girl on the planet, whose name I can't even remember. This stuck out to me because Juliet literally only thinks about romance. She is barely two years older and absolutely obsessed with two men, but she's judging a 13 year old for a crush that she doesn't even have? Like you can talk, Juliet.

-The big overall mystery of the book was "did Dr. Moreau actually perform vivisection and experiment on animals in horrific ways?" But it's obvious and very clear from the start that he did do those things. It's repeated over and over that he did those things, but Juliet keeps wondering if he really did. But she KNOWS he did and is surrounded by evidence of it every day she spends on the island. Not handled well.

-No action. Juliet, Edward, and Montgomery confront Dr. Moreau multiple times, and all it ends up being is an unpleasant argument, then everyone goes to bed and stews in their anger for a few days. It isn't until nearly the end of the book that it occurs to anyone to consider leaving.

-THE ENDING WHAT THE FUCK. Montgomery puts Juliet on a dingy in the middle of the ocean and stays on the island. 1. Juliet can't swim. 2. Edward nearly died trying to escape the island that way in the very beginning of the book. 3. THAT WAS NOT HIS DECISION TO MAKE. This enraged me throughout the book: the men all made decisions for Juliet and she just went along with it every time. GROW A BACKBONE.

A miserable experience. Absolutely dreadful. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone.