The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

Title: The Madman's Daughter (The Madman's Daughter #1)

Author: Megan Shepherd

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Release Date: January 29, 2013

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

In the darkest places, even love is deadly.

Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London--working as a mad, 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. 

By the time I read Megan Shepherd's The Madman's Daughter, I had heard a lot about it, but I didn't really know all that much about what it was actually about. But that may have been a good thing, because it means I went in with a completely open mind.

Ever since the scandal involving her father, Juliet Moreau has gotten by working hard and keeping her head down. Nut she's always wondered if there was any truth to the accusations made against her father. When Juliet runs in to Montgomery, her father's young assistant, she gets the chance to travel to a mysterious island to see her father again. But when she gets there, Juliet quickly realizes that something isn't quite right. ANd how does Edward, the shipwrecked boy they picked up on their way to the island, fit into it all?

Before I started reading, I only had a vague idea what The Madman's Daughter was actually about. With this type of book, though, that may have actually been for the best. I also knew that it was based on The Island of Dr. Moreau, but, again, I only vaguely knew what that was about. All that combined allowed me to start reading The Madman's Daughter with an open mind. And as a result, I think I enjoyed this story a lot more than I would have otherwise. Because this story definitely grabbed my attention and kept me interested the whole way through. But more than that, the story also piqued my curiosity. I just wanted to find out more about everything. I wanted to know more about Juliet's father. I wanted to find out more about the island and its inhabitants. There was just so much happening in The Madman's Daughter and that just made me a happy reader. The only thing I had trouble with is the creatures that Dr. Moreau was creating on the island. I just had seem trouble picturing them as I was reading. I don't know if it had to do with the way they were described or just the concept of them, but I just couldn't picture them. Or maybe I was just over thinking it and trying too hard.

I found Juliet to be a very interesting character. She was very much ahead of her time, and, in a way, her situation is what forced her to be that way. Juliet had to learn to survive on her own and that made her stronger than most of the girls she grew up with. But there were still instances when Juliet acted exactly the way you would expect a girl her age to act. Like with Montgomery and Edward, for example. Each boy had his own appeal: Montgomery was the childhood friend and Edward was the mysterious new boy. Personally, I leaned more towards Montgomery, because something rubbed me the wrong way from the beginning as far as Edward was concerned. And as it turned out, I was right to be concerned about him, but I'll leave it at that for now. It will definitely be interesting to see how things will play out with everyone in the sequel.

Megan Shepherd's The Madman's Daughter was intriguing to say the least. It was the kind of story that kept me interested and engaged, leaving me wanting to know exactly what was going on. If you have yet to give The Madman's Daughter a try, I strongly recommend you do.